Summary
Following an explosive episode, the first season ofDaredevil: Born Again, the MCU’s revamped comeback for the Netflix-era shows, has come to a close. The finale gave viewers a deadly consolidation of Fisk’s power, the long-awaited Daredevil-Punisher team-up, and set up plenty of threads for its second season to pick up on.
Daredevil: Born Againfaced its share of issues throughout its development, undergoing a full creative overhaul and extensive reshoots. As a result, the first season was a fusion of two different creative visions, including drastic course corrections surrounding the inclusion of several key characters.The show was also initially intended to be 18 episodes long, so in many ways, viewers have just seen the first half of an intended story that might see its end in season 2. The show’s second season is shooting right now and can hopefully rise above the creative differences that have affected the show thus far.
With the end of this first part of the story, there comes a handful of questions about the state of the show, and about the MCU at large. As well as re-introducing Matt Murdock’s dual lives, the season had a clear purpose and message to build toward, one which it seems will not culminate until the end of season 2.
Mayor Kingpin
Much like at least two of the Netflix show’s three seasons,Daredevil: Born Again’s main concern isWilson Fisk as an arch-nemesis toDaredevil. The series draws parallels between the two in their daily lives, to illustrate that as Fisk edges closer to re-embracing his Kingpin moniker, Matt gets closer to ‘letting the devil out.’
The season finale crystalizes Wilson Fisk’s rule over New York City, as he uses the attempt on his life to impose martial law and hunt vigilantes with abandon. In addition to his masked enemies, this episode also saw Fisk effectively eliminate any official or political opposition in his way. Police Commissioner Gallo, one of the few remaining roadblocks to Fisk’s unimpeded use of the NYPD, met a jaw-dropping end at Fisk’s hands, and the rest of his social rivals found themselves in cages.
Among Fisk’s imprisoned rivals was Tony Dalton’sJack Duquesne, also known as Swordsman. Fisk revealed earlier in the season that he knew about Duquesne’s secret identity. However, it seems more likely here that he’s being imprisoned for his political and economic threat. Otherwise, he would simply have been executed like Hector Ayala, the White Tiger.
Of course, Kingpin’s biggest prize was The Punisher himself, even if not in exactly the way he’d hoped. It’s hard to believe there are any members of Fisk’s anti-vigilante task force left alive after two brutal encounters with the Punisher, but Frank was eventually overwhelmed by the remaining cops, who attempted to recruit him. It’s not clear what Fisk has in store for Frank to outweigh the clear risks of keeping him alive. Perhaps it’s an attempt to lure Daredevil to him, or just an act of hubris.
Either way, it appears that Frank’s not sticking around to find out. In the season’s only post-credits scene, audiences see Frank convincing a guard to give him a handshake before brutally snapping his arm, presumably to facilitate his escape. The last time Frank was eye-to-eye with Fisk was when they were both prisoners, and after yet another attempt by the Kingpin to kill him, he is likely eager to settle the score.
Jon Bernthal has already signed on to co-write and star in afeature-length Punisher specialplanned to release alongsideDaredevil: Born Againseason 2. It’s possible that the character’s ending and post-credits tease were to set up his appearance there rather than in the show’s second season.
“We Need an Army”
For Matt, this season ended with the realization that he couldn’t save his city alone. At Josie’s bar, he assembled friends and allies like Karen, Cherry, and Detective Kim to announce his plans. With Mayor Fisk’s rule over New York City almost completely consolidated though, perhaps the biggest remaining question mark at the end of the season is the whereabouts of the rest of the MCU’s NYC heroes.
Keeping with the continuity of Daredevil’s Netflix appearances, chief among those loose ends are theother members of The Defenders. Fans haven’t heard from Luke Cage, Jessica Jones, or Iron Fist since the Netflix shows were officially brought into the fold, and it’s unlikely they’ve been blind to the changes Fisk has wrought upon their city. One notable comic arc in recent years saw the Defenders join Daredevil to take down Fisk once and for all, alongside various other heroes, including Echo and Spider-Man.
Also relevant is the appearance which brought Matt Murdock himself into the MCU, opposite Tom Holland’s web-slinger inSpider-Man: No Way Home. Of course, Matt doesn’t remember Peter Parker is Spider-Man following Doctor Strange’s spell, but if he remembers representing Spider-Man, it stands to reason he’d want one of NYC’s most prominent heroes in his corner. But Spider-Man comes with his own set of issues, and it’s unclear whether the character would be allowed to appear in any of Marvel’s streaming television offerings. Similarly, it’s been reported thatVincent D’Onofrio’s Kingpin wouldn’t be able to appearin a theatrically-released film, so Spider-Man may not be destined not to meet his one-time villain within the confines of the MCU.
Another possibility is an army Daredevil has led before, and one which has actually already appeared on-screen as his adversary. The Hand was the focus of much of Cox’s original run on the Netflix shows, serving as the main villains of the show’s second season, as well asDefenders.In the Shadowlands arc of the Daredevil comics, Matt takes the helm of the once-adversarial ninja army in New York to hunt down Bullseye. Whilst The Hand’s presence hasn’t been felt in the show, since presumably all of them perished along with the collapse in the finale ofDefenders, it’s not unreasonable to think that some survived alongside Matt. After all, also present at the collapse was Elektra, who is no stranger to cheating death before and long-speculated to be returning inDaredevil: Born Again.
The only other wildcard enemy of Fisk’s in the wind is someone Matt won’t be so happy to team up with: Bullseye. Poindexter was seen only briefly in the finale, in a brief flashback to confirm Vanessa’s involvement, and in a brief tease that he’s once again on the loose ahead of season 2.
Though it’s expected in 2026, no release date has been announced forDaredevil: Born Again’s second season just yet, nor have any other MCU appearances been confirmed for its heroes or villains. Whilst Charlie Cox’s name was not among the chairs announcing the all-star cast of the upcomingAvengers: Doomsday,fans can only hope that there are still plenty of surprises left in store.
