The first thing Wilson Fisk says in the Daredevil: Born Again trailer is “Well, I will admit it’s not entirely unpleasant seeing you again.” For once, we’ve got to agree with Kingpin. But we’re much more willing to admit that sentiment than he is because we can’t wait to return to Hell’s Kitchen!
Here’s what we’re excited about from Daredevil: Born Again season 1:
Nelson, Murdock & Page
The show may be named after Daredevil, but Charlie Cox has often highlighted Deborah Ann Woll’s Karen Page and Elden Henson’s Foggy Nelson when speaking of Daredevil: Born Again.
“I think of Karen and Foggy as being the heartbeat of Daredevil,” Cox said in an interview with Entertainment Weekly. “Without them, nothing that Matt does really has any emotional impact. The humanity and vulnerability that they brought to those characters allows me as Matt to really delve into the darkness.”
The trio, their friendship, and their emotional rollercoaster lives were central to the original Daredevil series. The new show on Disney+, however, offers a chance to highlight how the characters and their relationships have grown and what their dynamic is like as partners in their shared law firm. No longer are Matt and Foggy young, inexperienced lawyers who began their own firm instead of being powerhouse corporate attorneys. No longer is Karen the secretary whose undying curiosity and commitment turned her into a legal assistant.
Karen’s story progression will be especially interesting. She was never a lawyer but was always an imperative part of the Nelson & Murdock team. Now, her role is more official than ever as the law firm’s namesake. So how will that help her be more empowered at work even without the goofball legal education and licensing her colleagues have? And how will her journalism experience make her a bigger asset to the team?
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Wilson Fisk’s Mayorship
A convicted criminal being elected as a government official? Talk about art imitating life. Notorious crime lord Wilson Fisk has been featured in multiple MCU projects since Daredevil concluded in 2018, so his life since then isn’t a complete mystery. His latest appearance was last year in the mini-series Echo, but his narrative there only teased his run for mayor.
In Daredevil: Born Again, Fisk is now the mayor of New York City. Understandably, Matt doesn’t believe Kingpin’s good intentions to help the city and its people, even telling him “I can’t shake the feeling that you’re gaming the system.” We’re definitely with Matt on that one. Although it may feel uncomfortably reflective of our current reality in the US, we’re still looking forward to discovering the political turmoil behind Fisk’s mayoral reign.
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The Line That Was Crossed
In the Daredevil: Born Again trailer, Fisk asks Matt, “Why’d you stop being a vigilante?” The lawyer’s answer? “A line was crossed.” The response is simple and vague but intriguing and important.
Right after, the trailer transitions to an incredibly stunning and cinematic shot of Daredevil’s cowl, featuring a broken left horn, falling to the ground from a rooftop. The sight below looks like a crime scene outside of the one and only Josie’s Bar. It suggests that this was the moment Matt gave Daredevil up — that the line crossed involves whatever incident.
Whether Matt or someone else was the person who crossed a line remains to be seen. But it’d be no surprise if it was the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen himself. Daredevil has no problem being a fighter and getting brutally violent. He, however, does not kill others. He will nearly beat people to death but does not take their lives — just as we saw with him and Kingpin in the Daredevil series. So it’s worth considering whether killing is the line that gets crossed.
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The Returns of Ben Poindexter and Frank Castle
Ben Poindexter and, especially, Frank Castle are prime examples of likable antagonists. Is what they’ve done good? No, but they’re captivating and complex characters you want to see more of.
Daredevil season 3 ended with Dex getting spinal surgery. This seems to have been a success given he’s walking on his own, albeit still imprisoned, in the Daredevil: Born Again trailer. But just because he was in prison all these years doesn’t mean there are no schemes or drama to catch up with regarding him — look what happened when Kingpin was in prison in Daredevil! So we’re curious how he becomes relevant in this continuation.
As for Frank, we last saw him in the season 2/series finale of The Punisher, when he fully embraced The Punisher mentality. His brief appearance in the Daredevil: Born Again trailer doesn’t provide much information about what he has been up to in the years since. But his longer hair, disheveled look, the hatchet in hand, and familiar aggressive demeanor suggest Frank still hasn’t become a model citizen with a civil life. The way he reacts Matt also implies he not only wasn’t expecting to see the lawyer. Frank was a great foil to Matt in Daredevil, though. So, it’s exciting to think we’ll get to see more of their dynamic and why the two are brought together this time.
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The MCU Debut of White Tiger
The hype surrounding Daredevil: Born Again has widely regarded the return of beloved characters, from Matt, Foggy, and Karen to Frank and even Dex. The fanfare is understandable, but don’t forget to get excited for new additions to Hell’s Kitchen — and the MCU as a whole.
The Daredevil: Born Again trailer includes a brief look at White Tiger. The fellow street-level New York City-based hero has seen different iterations in the comics, but Marvel’s Disney+ series features the Hector Ayala version of the character, portrayed by the late Kamar de los Reyes. His power comes from Tiger Amulets, and the Puerto Rican superhero specializes in martial arts. He has teamed up with Daredevil in the comics, but his role in Daredevil: Born Again is still unknown. However, given de los Reyes’s passing, he could be introduced to ultimately set up another White Tiger iteration in the MCU: Ava Ayala, Hector’s sister.
Though daunting, what’s great about the MCU’s continued expansion is that lesser-known characters, like White Tiger, can be introduced to mainstream fans. We’re also all for adding more diversity to the pool of heroes in the MCU!
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Hardcore Violence
Hear us out. It’s not that we particularly enjoy violence. However, sanitizing the darker narratives that Daredevil is known to feature would be a disservice to its storytelling. But the blood, gore, uncensored violence, and literal bone snapping in the trailer is proof that Marvel isn’t downplaying anything just because Daredevil: Born Again was made for a Disney platform.
New Daredevil Suits?
Will Matt actually use all five of the Daredevil cowls featured in the Daredevil: Born Again trailer? Probably not. But we’ve got to see him use at least two, right? Our hope won’t manifest anything into a reality, but it’d be such a tease and a waste to get only a glimpse at Matt’s costume options. Other superheroes like Captain America and Iron Man would get new suits every time they got a new film. So why not do the same with Daredevil in his show?
In She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, Matt sports the new look of the red and gold Daredevil suit. So we’ve already seen the gold cowl in action and it would be okay if he doesn’t wear it in Daredevil: Born Again. But, as great as the classic red is, the silver and black cowls would be awesome to see along with the full corresponding suits.
Daredevil: Born Again premieres on Disney+ on March 4.
Watch the Daredevil: Born Again trailer:
Check out the Daredevil: Born Again poster:
