The Unexpected Charm of ‘With Interest’
For fans of Marvel’s acclaimed street vigilante, there’s always heated debate about the best and most divisive moments in his on-screen adventures. When Charlie Cox, the face of Matt Murdock, recently shared that the fifth episode of Daredevil: Born Again—titled ‘With Interest’—was his least favorite, it ignited a flurry of discussion in the fandom. Surprisingly, this chapter stands out for all the right reasons, even if its own star is unconvinced.
How a Bank Heist Episode Became a Standout
‘With Interest’ quickly diverges from the typical MCU formula. Rather than diving headfirst into a massive threat or an all-powerful villain, it drops us into an intimate bank robbery. At first glance, this may feel like a throwback to simpler storytelling, but that’s precisely the point: it hones in on what’s fundamentally compelling about Matt Murdock as a character. Here, Daredevil doesn’t need an epic showdown with the Kingpin or a world-ending plot device to shine—a smart setup and character-driven tension do the heavy lifting.
What’s intriguing is how the episode interweaves Murdock’s unique abilities—his enhanced senses and razor-sharp intuition—into the tense setting of a heist. This becomes not just a display of his physical prowess, but a showcase for the subtleties that make Matt such a layered hero. It’s a reminder that the best superhero stories often lie in the small, contained moments where the character’s true ethos comes to the forefront.
A Nod to the Comics and Cross-Series Connections
For longtime comic readers, ‘With Interest’ feels like an homage to classic ‘issue-of-the-week’ stories. These segments allow time to breathe, add new dimensions to recurring characters, and often serve as a springboard for emotional revelations. The episode’s inclusion of Yusuf Khan, creating a bridge to Ms. Marvel, continues Marvel’s tradition of interwoven storytelling across its universe. This might occasionally feel like a corporate move, but here it adds texture to an otherwise standalone adventure.
It’s also notable that this episode was virtually untouched during the show’s creative overhaul. After the departure of the original showrunner, nearly everything else was overhauled—except ‘With Interest.’ This makes its presence a kind of creative time capsule, giving fans a sense of what could have been while still fitting the series narrative seamlessly.
The Balance of Action and Character
Charlie Cox’s critique that the episode felt ‘1970s’ is not without merit—there is a retro flavor in its structure. But that energy taps into a time when superhero media wasn’t obsessed with crescendo finales and interconnected mythologies. Sometimes, the story is simply about a hero responding to injustice, in any circumstance, regardless of scale. The episode’s bottle format provides space for deeper dialogue, giving fans those moments of insight and vulnerability that have made Murdock a mainstay in Marvel’s lineup.
While the episode sidelines marquee antagonists like Kingpin, it allows for a pulse-pounding, self-contained thrill that’s increasingly rare in modern superhero TV. It doubles down on Hell’s Kitchen atmosphere—urban grit, moral ambiguity, and a hero learning his limits on the fly.
Looking Ahead: The Pace of Born Again
Reports suggest that the next season won’t have the luxury for these standalone detours. With a looming conflict between Mayor Fisk and New York’s band of vigilantes escalating, every beat is expected to push the central narrative forward. Fans can anticipate high-stakes drama and non-stop action, possibly at the expense of reflective, one-off stories. Yet that only makes ‘With Interest’ more special—it’s a rare character-driven bottle episode in a landscape known for spectacle.
With Daredevil continuing to anchor the darker, grounded corners of the MCU, episodes like ‘With Interest’ underscore just why this character remains beloved and influential. Whether these narrative risks return in future seasons is uncertain, but for now, fans have a striking reminder of what serialized superhero storytelling can deliver when it pauses, even briefly, for something more personal.
