After a seven-year-wait, the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen, Marvel’s iconic vigilante, returns to audiences with Daredevil: Born Again on Disney Plus. The cast includes the likes of Charlie Cox, Vincent D’Onofrio, Jon Bernthal, and after a major rewrite, Elden Henson, Deborah Ann Woll, Wilson Bethel, and Ayelet Zurer. The first season originally had been announced to be eighteen-episodes, but eventually had been reduced to nine-episodes. While season two of Daredevil: Born Again has already been announced, let’s take a look at how the two-episode premiere fairs for our friends in Hell’s Kitchen.
[Warning: The following article contains major spoilers for Daredevil: Born Again.]
The first fifteen minutes of Daredevil: Born Again sets the series off with a bang
In the opening minutes of Daredevil: Born Again, Matt Murdock’s best friend and longtime fan favorite, Foggy Nelson, shockingly dies at the hands of a brutal attack by Benjamin Poindexter, also known as Bullseye. The show opens with a definitive continuation of Daredevil season three. We see Matt, Foggy, and Karen leaving the Nelson, Murdock, and Page law firm to head to Josie’s bar to celebrate their associate Cherry’s retirement. Matt is then lured into a trap by Bullseye, leaving both Foggy and Karen vulnerable out in the open to be shot at by Bullseye himself. Dex reintroduces himself to Karen with his infamous line from season three, “Hello Karen”.
The gut-wrenching scene sees Matt duel with Bullseye while listening to Foggy’s heartbeat slowly fade away from a distance. Once Foggy’s heart gives out, Matt disturbingly tosses Bullseye face first off a rooftop, seemingly plummeting to a bloody bone-crunching death. The moment is certainly out of character for Matt, but we soon learn that he gives up the mantle of Daredevil for crossing this line. While we do find out Bullseye did not actually die from this, Matt’s attempted murder of Dex definitively answers the question of whether Born Again will match the level of violence and gore as its Netflix predecessor, with the answer being a clear yes.
Foggy’s tear-jerking death is undoubtedly going to stir discussion and anger amongst the dedicated Daredevil fandom. There had been online rumors of this occurring for some time and the general consensus was not too keen on it happening. Whether Foggy’s death is necessary for the series to be a success remains to be seen, but this death scene taking place in the first fifteen minutes of the premiere felt a touch too soon. The first episode likely should have fleshed out this plotline a bit more, as it felt a bit rushed.
The episode never provides the answer about how Dex returns. Was he imprisoned and broke free? It seems that, for now, we won’t know the answer. Nonetheless, the sequence we get is indeed riveting and feels akin to the vibe of the Netflix series. While it will be nearly impossible for the series to be the same without Elden Henson’s Foggy, Born Again aims to reinvent the Daredevil that we know and love.
The Born Again two-episode premiere focuses heavily on Matt Murdock’s mental health
While the first fifteen minutes may be the topic of the night on social media, there’s nearly another hour and a half of content beyond Foggy’s death that needs to be discussed. We pick up after the death scene with an Endgame style time jump, as the words “One Year Later” appear on screen in Matt Murdock’s new apartment.
It’s fairly disappointing not to see Murdock’s infamous apartment from the Netflix series, but Born Again makes it clear that Matt has left Hell’s Kitchen behind and more importantly, he’s put Daredevil in the past. That’s right, we learn that Matt Murdock has hung up his horns and is no longer the masked vigilante in Hell’s Kitchen. While the lack of Daredevil may disappoint some fans, it will hopefully pay off once Matt decides to put his mask back on again. This development appears to be a major part of the “Born Again” story that the series is attempting to convey this season.
We also pick up with Matt Murdock in a newly established law firm called Murdock and McDuffie, as we learn Matt has a new partner named Kirsten McDuffie (Nikki M. James). Not only that, Matt is set up by Kirsten with a friend of hers, Heather Glenn (Margarita Levieva). The budding relationship between Matt and Heather may be weird for some viewers, as we all expected Matt to someday end up with Karen or Elektra again. There’s even a fun little nod to the past relationship between Matt and Karen in episode one.
The most important new development for Matt Murdock is that he’s picked up the case of Hector Ayala (Kamar De Los Reyes), also infamously known as the White Tiger in the comics. Hector is accused of killing an NYPD officer, one that we soon learn belongs to a band of dirty cops. Matt picks up his case after overhearing Ayala being beaten by the NYPD. The development between Matt and Hector is a welcomed sight, as introducing more vigilantes and heroes to the street level MCU is never a bad thing.
Many fans have waited a long time for the character to be introduced, and it’s to be presumed that the White Tiger will be an ongoing character in Daredevil: Born Again. Sadly, Kamar De Los Reyes passed away in 2023 from cancer, and the character of Hector Ayala will likely need to be recast if he makes it beyond season one.
Hector Ayala, in the comics, is known to have a daughter by the name of Ava Ayala who takes up the White Tiger mantle. It’s likely that we will see this occur at some point in Daredevil: Born Again in the future.
Daredevil Reading Guide: 1998-2022
Everyone’s favorite villain, Wilson Fisk, returns in Daredevil: Born Again
One of the most surprising developments of Born Again is that the show seems to be just as much about Wilson Fisk as it is about Matt Murdock. Wilson Fisk is given nearly as many supporting characters throughout the first two episodes as Matt Murdock. The reason for this being Fisk decides he’s going to run for Mayor of NYC, a plot we saw written originally by comic book writer Charles Soule in his run on Daredevil.
We’re introduced to Sheila Rivera (Zabryna Guevara), Fisk’s Mayoral campaign manager, Buck Cashman (Arty Froushan), who is Fisk’s newest right-hand man, and Daniel Blake (Michael Gandolfini), presumably Fisk’s soon to be protégé. Most importantly, we see the return of Vanessa Fisk, who has now taken over the Fisk empire during Wilson’s absence.
We learn that due to the events of Hawkeye, Wilson Fisk took some time away from his marriage with Vanessa. This being after he was shot in the eye by Echo (Alaqua Cox) in the finale of that series, followed by his recurring appearance in Echo. While we only get a small amount of this story, it can be suspected that this arc will play into the larger narrative.
In the closing moments of episode two, we learn that Fisk and Vanessa are attending therapy together, and their therapist happens to be none other than Matt’s girlfriend, Heather Glenn. Being four seasons deep into the series, it’s always interesting to see the ways the writer’s room intertwines Matt and Fisk together again.
The most important aspect of Fisk’s story so far is that he successfully becomes the Mayor of NYC. In a conversation with Matt Murdock in episode one, Fisk sheds light on how he’s a new man and wants to do good for the city of New York. If there’s anything we’ve learned about Fisk, it’s that his word can’t be trusted. There’s always a deeper meaning behind every calculated move he makes.
We begin to see part of his motives when he gives a New Year’s Eve speech to New York, decrying vigilantes such as Daredevil, Punisher and Spider-Man. The brief Spidey mention is sure to jazz up the fan base, as fans hope to see a showdown between Fisk and Spider-Man someday. It’s safe to assume the series will begin building towards a Devil’s Reign type crossover event some time in the future.
Final thoughts on the two episode series premiere of Daredevil: Born Again
While we’re only two episodes into Daredevil: Born Again, the premiere packed in a considerable amount of substance and development in under two hours. The show has already opened to a fantastic 83% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes, something that many Marvel fans closely keep an eye on. The return of Matt Murdock, Wilson Fisk, Karen Page, Foggy Nelson, Frank Castle and more is a welcomed sight and the stage is set for a terrific season of Daredevil: Born Again.
What did you think of the series premiere? Let us know in our Discord where many fans are already discussing the show, or reply on social media @mycosmiccircus or @TheCosmicCircus.com on Bluesky!
What To Expect From Daredevil: Born Again and a Possible Devil’s Reign Crossover Film
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