[MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD FOR DAREDEVIL: BORN AGAIN AHEAD]
Daredevil: Born Again has killed off Foggy Nelson. And honestly, it was the right decision.
With a title like Daredevil: Born Again I knew we were going to get a major death. After all, death is part of the life cycle. And if we were going to bring Matt Murdock to a point where he dons the mantle of Daredevil once again, there had to be a push. Correction, there had to be a shove. And it had to be cataclysmic, heartbreaking, and shatter his entire being. The only one that could do that is Foggy Nelson.
Foggy is Matt’s best friend. They were Avocados at Law. Besties who knew each other like no one else, all the ugly bits involved. The death of someone like that, it hurts. It couldn’t have been Karen despite the connection Matt and Karen have. Whatever romance they had was fleeting and they’re just companions more than anything. Not even best friends honestly. But Foggy? That’s Matt’s brother. So if the show were going to take out anyone, it had to be Foggy.
Daredevil: Born Again originally planned on doing Foggy’s death off-screen. But showrunner Dario Scardapane said, according to Variety, that: “If something this earth-shattering is going to happen, we have to feel it. This is more than an inciting incident. This is an earthquake. This has ripple effects through the entire story.” And this death, it hurts. It’s made all the worse by the fact that Matt listened to Foggy’s final heartbeat, an idea proposed by Charlie Cox.
Killing off Foggy Nelson was also the right decision because his character had run its course. He’s been the supportive friend, the angry friend, and the disappointed friend. And in the season 1 premiere of Daredevil: Born Again he was the friend trying to protect Matt from being tempted to return to being a vigilante. That’s love and worry for someone else. But it’s also not trusting your loved one. And Foggy, he didn’t trust Matt completely when it came to Daredevil.
So if you combine all these elements (a happy intro, Matt hiding from himself, and Foggy hiding this secret from Matt) you’ve got a perfect recipe for angst. Because this is angst of the highest order that probably had the showrunners secretly cackling at the pain they were going to bring. This kind of angst will burn Matt to a cinder and leave him feeling like an open wound. But we all know the story of the phoenix. We all know that strength is sometimes forged in fire. That’s what Matt Murdock is going through right now.
When Matt Murdock’s Daredevil finally rises again, it’s going to be different. He won’t be the man who Foggy Nelson knew. Or thought he knew. But he’ll hopefully be someone who honors Foggy and the brotherhood they had.
Daredevil: Born Again episodes 1 and 2 are available on Disney+.
