Devil’s Reign is one of the most important Daredevil stories in Marvel Comics. Writer Chip Zdarsky and artist Marco Checchetto created this event. It revolves around Wilson Fisk a.k.a. the Kingpin, who uses his position as the mayor of New York City to outlaw superheroes, setting the stage for a citywide conflict that draws in numerous Marvel heroes and villains.
Daredevil’s war against Fisk has never been about simple crime-fighting. It is a battle over the soul of New York City. Fisk represents everything Matt despises. Yet, no matter how many times Daredevil has knocked him down, Fisk always finds a way to rise again. He is a man who refuses to be defeated, a kingpin who understands that true power is not in brute strength, but in control. And now, in Devil’s Reign, he is no longer content to be just a crime lord. He has found a new weapon, one even Daredevil might not be able to fight against.
[Warning: Spoilers from Daredevil: Born Again first 3 episodes are discussed below!]
Story of Devil’s Reign and its importance to Matt Murdock/Daredevil
The conflict between Wilson Fisk and Matt Murdock has been present for years, but Devil’s Reign is an event during which Fisk takes his most extreme step yet. As the mayor of New York City, Fisk has spent a lot of time rising in power, slowly eliminating his enemies and ensuring he holds control over every major institution in NYC. However, there has always been one element that remains out of his control. And these are superheroes. Heroes like Spider-Man, Luke Cage, Jessica Jones, and especially Daredevil (and more) are considered by him to be vigilantes who threaten his city.
According to Fisk, they operate outside the law, challenging his authority as the mayor and undermining his influence. In Devil’s Reign, Fisk finally decides that if he cannot control these masked heroes, he will eliminate them, and remove them from the equation. Using his authority as mayor, Fisk passes a law that makes it illegal for superheroes to operate in New York City. This is not just a legal matter, but a personal vendetta.
Over the years, Daredevil has been one of the greatest thorns on his side. Fisk has long suspected Matt Murdock is the man behind the mask, and during his time as mayor, he has searched for proof to confirm it. But thanks to the mystical influence of the Purple Man’s powers, a.k.a. Killgrave, Matt’s secret identity had been erased from Fisk’s memory, leaving him furious and desperate for revenge.
Due to his frustration against heroes, he assembles a team of villains to serve as his enforcers, including deadly mercenaries like Rhino, Taskmaster, Crossbones, and others. Anyone who dares to break the law and continue to be a hero will be met with overwhelming and brute force. Street-level heroes like Spider-Man, The Fantastic Four, Iron Fist, Jessica Jones, and Luke Cage suddenly find themselves to be fugitives of the law in the city where they lived most of their lives.
For Matt Murdock, this is a personal. Unlike other heroes like Captain America or Iron Man, whose identities allow them to move freely in public, Matt is directly targeted in a way that makes it hard for him to be who he is. He has fought for years to keep Daredevil separate from his life as a lawyer, believing that the mask allows him to do what the legal system cannot.
But now, the walls between his two lives are falling. The conflict forces Matt to make impossible choices. If he continues to fight as Daredevil, he risks bringing destruction to the people he loves. But if he gives up, he lets Fisk win. The city he has sworn to protect is under attack, and his fellow friends are being hunted down. While Matt has always been willing to suffer for his cause, Devil’s Reign pushes him to his limits. He is confronted with the harsh reality that sometimes, justice cannot be won through either the legal system or brute force alone.
One of my favorite elements of Devil’s Reign is the presentation of how effectively Fisk manipulates the public. The story proves that it is so easy for him to frame heroes as a danger to society. Because of this, he gains the support of ordinary citizens who once hated him and instead, they looked up to figures like Spider-Man and the Avengers. This storyline is very important for Daredevil’s character development. It strips away the comfort of being anonymous and forces him to stand face-to-face with the corruption that he’s spent his entire life fighting to stop. He cannot rely on the courts, nor can he rely on brute force alone. He must outthink Fisk at every turn.
It’s more than just another battle between Daredevil and Kingpin. Devil’s Reign is a war for the soul of New York City. It is a war that pushes Matt Murdock to a breaking point, testing whether his faith in justice can survive in a world where power often wins over principle. And without spoiling a huge part of the story, it is also a great political commentary that holds up to this day, and probably will for a very long time.
Potential influence on Daredevil: Born Again season 1 and season 2
From the moment Daredevil: Born Again was announced, fans speculated that the series would adapt elements of Devil’s Reign as well as of Chip Zdarsky’s run, and Charles Soule’s run. The huge comeback of Wilson Fisk, played by Vincent D’Onofrio, and his growing political ambitions suggested that Marvel Studios may be setting the stage for this iconic storyline. And since the premiere, the story of the episodes so far confirmed that they are doing an adaptation of those story lines. In one way or another.
If handled correctly in the upcoming episodes and seasons, Born Again could offer one of the most compelling adaptations of a Marvel Comics event, bringing Devil’s Reign and others to life in a way that deeply impacts the MCU’s street-level heroes. Devil’s Reign is one of the comic books that I want to see adapted. But it must have a believable build-up. So in season 1 of Daredevil: Born Again, it is expected we’ll see Matt (Charlie Cox) rebuilding his world after the tragedy happened. This means re-establishing his law practice, and his relationships, and slowly coming back to his vigilante activities.
The seeds of Devil’s Reign are slowly being implanted throughout the first season. Fisk is no longer just a crime boss, he’s a man who has rebuilt his reputation and is a mayor of New York City. He is shown as a man who has learned from his mistakes and will not stop to achieve his goal of stopping vigilantism. He knows brute force alone won’t work against Daredevil and other heroes, so he turns to politics. That way, he can make sure they won’t touch him, and he’ll be able to easily manipulate others. Therefore, this may lead to the complete separation of New York City and the creation of its laws for Fisk to run it roughly.
This season will surely explore how Fisk manipulates the legal system, using his influence to undermine the credibility of heroes like Daredevil. He could start by funding anti-vigilante propaganda, sponsoring politicians who support stricter laws against masked crime fighters, and more. By the time the season progresses, we may see the first signs of his larger agenda and creating a special task force (besides the “Punisher” cops that were teased throughout the first episodes). The final episodes of season 1 could see Fisk’s mayoral rule reach its highest point, with him using public fear of vigilantes to pass strict and unlawful laws.
With Fisk in power as the Mayor of New York, and certain events being played out in season 1, season 2 of Daredevil: Born Again would be the perfect time to fully adapt Devil’s Reign. The season could open with the immediate aftermath of the season 1. If they decide to adapt it, and they have a budget as well as contracts to allow them to do that, the first few episodes could focus on how the superhero community reacts to these new laws. Matt, who has always walked a fine line between legal justice and vigilantism, is now faced with the reality that even his civilian identity may not protect him. There could even be a scene sequence where we see Spider-Man (Tom Holland), Moon Knight (Oscar Isaac), Iron Fist (Finn Jones), Luke Cage (Mike Colter), Jessica Jones (Krysten Ritter), and other heroes running throughout the city, so they are not caught and imprisoned.
If Born Again fully embraces Devil’s Reign, it could have major repercussions for the wider MCU. A law banning superheroes in New York would affect not just Daredevil, but the characters I mentioned, as well as characters we have not seen yet. This could tie into future projects, with Fisk’s downfall leading to power vacuums that bring in even more dangerous criminals. There’s also the possibility that Fisk doesn’t fully lose. In Devil’s Reign, even after his defeat, Fisk manages to escape to Europe, setting up future conflicts. If Born Again follows this path, we might see Fisk survive and return in future MCU projects, potentially as an even more politically powerful figure.
Final thoughts on Marvel Comic’s Devil’s Reign
Devil’s Reign stands as an important chapter in Marvel Comics, amazingly showing how political power plays with personal vendettas to challenge and destroy the very essence of heroism. For Matt Murdock, this storyline is an important reason for his overall transformation, forcing him to confront his vulnerabilities and reaffirm his dedication to justice.
The Daredevil: Born Again series captures these themes in a small manner, by testing out the waters with season 1 laying the groundwork for a faithful adaptation of Devil’s Reign, as well as the runs I mentioned in the beginning. As the narrative progresses, viewers can anticipate a fantastic, and dark portrayal of Daredevil’s struggle against a corrupt system, underscoring the timeless battle between good and evil in the heart of New York City, just like in Netflix’s version.
Have you read Devil’s Reign? What do you think of those comics? Let us know on social media @mycosmiccircus or @TheCosmicCircus.com on Bluesky!
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