7 Must-Know Facts Before Watching Daredevil: Born Again!

In a span of almost seven years since “Marvel’s Daredevil” was taken off Netflix after three seasons, the character Matt Murdock, the blind lawyer portrayed by Charlie Cox, is making a comeback. This time in the new Marvel TV series titled “Daredevil: Born Again“, it has been as many years since Matt and his allies – Foggy Nelson (Elden Henson) and Karen Page (Deborah Ann Woll) – faced off with their longtime adversary, Wilson Fisk (Vincent D’Onofrio), the crime lord known as the Kingpin, in the season 3 finale. The finale left a positive outlook for Matt’s alter ego “the avocados at law”.

In the interim, Matt has been keeping himself occupied, not only as a lawyer but also as a vigilante. However, his tasks are far from over when ex-mob boss Fisk declares his mayoral bid, causing the ghosts of the past to compel Daredevil into a battle for the heart and soul of the city during the initial nine-episode season (debuting March 4 on Disney+).

If you haven’t kept pace with ‘Daredevil’ or the broadening Marvel Cinematic Universe, here are some key points to recall before ‘Daredevil: Born Again’.

Matt Murdock, Guardian Devil

In the aftermath of the climactic finale of season 3 of Daredevil, I continued my life as Matt Murdock, the vigilante known as Daredevil. During the five-year gap before the Avengers brought those who were dusted by Thanos back to life, I was still actively fighting crime in Hell’s Kitchen. It was during this period that Wilson Fisk managed to secure his release from prison and started rebuilding and expanding his criminal empire, which had been severely weakened due to my actions.

Fast forward to the timeline of Hawkeye, before Maya Lopez embarked on her quest for vengeance against Clint Barton/Ronin, she demonstrated her skills as a protégé under Fisk when she held her ground in a fight with me, Daredevil, around 2021. More details about this encounter can be found in the series Echo.

2024 saw Matt, in the role of attorney, defending Peter Parker (Tom Holland) following his identity reveal by Mysterio (Jake Gyllenhaal), resulting in Parker’s arrest by the Department of Damage Control. Matt successfully had the charges dropped, and then he represented Happy Hogan (Jon Favreau) when Hogan faced investigation by the DODC concerning the Stark drones used in London.

By 2025, Matt took on the defense of Luke Jacobson (Griffin Matthews), a suit designer, who was being sued by the vigilante Eugene Paul Patilio/Leapfrog (Brandon Stanley) due to a faulty costume. Leapfrog’s legal representation was Jennifer Walters (Tatiana Maslany), better known as She-Hulk: Attorney at Law. After losing his court case, Leapfrog abducted Luke, prompting Walters and Daredevil to join forces to rescue him.

Nelson, Murdock & Page

Initially, Matt Murdock and Foggy Nelson, who ran a law firm in Hell’s Kitchen, decided to take on Karen as their initial client. She had been falsely accused of murdering a colleague. As they worked pro bono (for free) on her case, they not only successfully proved Karen’s innocence, but also uncovered the Union Allied corruption scandal – a scheme involving fraudulent government contracts related to the reconstruction of the West Side after the Battle of New York, as depicted in The Avengers.

In the initial episodes of Daredevil’s first season, an enigmatic figure known as “The Masked Man” crossed paths with lawyers Nelson and Murdock. Simultaneously, a new assistant named Karen stepped into Matt and Foggy’s growing law firm. By the second season, this law practice was officially renamed Nelson, Murdock & Page.

In the blossoming romance between Matt and Karen, she also formed a bond with their client, Frank Castle – a man famously armed with guns, who is known as the Punisher. Following her investigation into the cover-up of his family’s murder in ‘Daredevil’ season 2, Karen once again stood by her friend Frank during ‘The Punisher’ season 2, specifically in episode “The Abyss.

The Devil You Know

After Daredevil defeated and apprehended Fisk for the first time in the final episode of the first season, FBI Special Agent Ray Nadeem (Jay Ali) went to visit the imprisoned Kingpin in the third season’s episode “Resurrection” of Daredevil.

Do you have someone special in your life whom you’d go to great lengths to shield from harm, Nadeem? Speaking of your beloved Vanessa Marianna (Ayelet Zurer), you’ve admitted to making mistakes. Yet, you’re willing to bear the consequences because of them. However, what I can’t abide is the thought that the woman I cherish should suffer for my actions. I would be prepared to go to extremes, even make a deal with the FBI if necessary, to safeguard her. It was during this period that Agent Benjamin ‘Dex’ Poindexter saved me from an assassination attempt, and Matt — who had been presumed dead following Midland Circle’s collapse in The Defenders — reappeared, warning Foggy and Karen that they were in danger with you being released from prison.

In his determination to take down the vigilante, the Kingpin discovered that Matt Murdock and Daredevil were actually the same person when he witnessed the blind lawyer battle his way out of Ryker’s Island. With this knowledge, Fisk orchestrated unbalanced sniper Dex into becoming an assassin and wearing the Daredevil suit to make it appear as if Hell’s Kitchen’s Devil was a murderer.

Let the Devil Out

Wilson portrayed Matt as his troubleshooter and Daredevil as a murderer, putting both of his personas at risk of FBI scrutiny. Kingpin desired Karen’s demise, while Matt sought Fisk’s, stating: “When I confront Fisk, I’ll end his life.” Daredevil rescued Karen from the Devil-Dex, only to admit that he had squandered an opportunity to eliminate Fisk in his skyscraper.

Following Fisk’s order for a team to eliminate Nadeem (before he could testify against him), represented by Matt, Foggy, and Karen, Fisk was later acquitted and reconnected with Vanessa. In turn, she became involved in Fisk’s illegal activities.

Vanessa expressed to Fisk, “I don’t just want to appreciate your world; I long to inhabit it alongside you.” She subtly reminded him, “My past is tainted. If you genuinely desire me, let’s intertwine our lives together completely.” Vanessa orchestrated the demise of Agent Nadeem, a move that ultimately led to his death at Dex’s hand. However, when Daredevil unveiled Fisk’s deceitful schemes, and Dex discovered that Fisk was responsible for the woman he adored being taken away, he turned against Kingpin.

In season 3 of Daredevil, the storyline reached its climax at the Presidential Hotel. This is where Wilson Fisk married Vanessa in a wedding disrupted by Dexter and Daredevil. It was unveiled that Nadeem had secretly recorded a dying declaration implicating Fisk for various crimes such as coercion, conspiracy, blackmail, extortion, and murder, right before Dex attempted to assassinate the Fisks.

In a brutal confrontation involving Daredevil, Dex, and Wilson Fisk (the Kingpin), Fisk delivered a fatal blow to Dex by slamming him into a wall, effectively snapping his spine. Daredevil engaged in hand-to-hand combat with Fisk, eventually overpowering him both physically and symbolically.

I’ll never back down from pursuing Karen Page or Foggy Nelson, Matt. I’m determined to unmask your true identities for all to see. No jail cell can hold me forever,” Fisk threatened, pushing you towards taking his life.

Last Rites

Matt Murdock came perilously close to overstepping boundaries, but he resolutely chose not to kill Wilson Fisk. “I’d be lying if I said I don’t want to, but you won’t get to obliterate my identity,” Matt retorted. “You’ll return to prison, and you’ll spend the rest of your wretched existence behind bars, aware that you’ll never have Vanessa, that this city has rejected you. It has broken you. I have defeated you!”

Later, Matt used his only means of control against Fisk: Vanessa. “You’ll keep my secret and leave Karen Page and Foggy Nelson alone, or anyone else for that matter,” he warned. “If you don’t, I will target your wife. And I will expose Vanessa as the one who ordered Agent Ray Nadeem’s murder — just like her husband, she’ll spend the remainder of her days in a cell.

Hell Breaks Loose

Despite ending season 3 in prison, Bullseye is set to come back stronger than before. Meanwhile, Dex went through a unique surgery to mend his fractured spine using Cogmium steel reinforcement instead of the adamantium-infused skeleton that his comic character possesses.

Previously, a disheartened Dex stood with Daredevil and Kingpin in his sights. The teaser for “Born Again” hinted that chaos would ensue as a freed Bullseye sets his sights on those who wronged him.

Mayor Fisk

It was accurate that no prison could contain Fisk, as he had been released from prison following the snap. This release set off a series of events involving the Kingpin and the masked vigilante known as Ronin (Clint Barton in disguise). After Maya Lopez traced Clint and his apprentice Kate Bishop (Hailee Steinfeld), she discovered that Fisk was responsible for her father William’s death at the hands of Ronin. In a moment of family tension, Fisk explained to Maya, “Family doesn’t always agree,” to which Maya responded by shooting him directly in the face.

The Echo series unveiled that Fisk endured Maya’s assassination attempt, and subsequently spent several months recuperating in a hospital with an injured left eye. In an attempt to eliminate Maya in Oklahoma, she manipulated his emotional state by making him relive his childhood traumas, urging him, “Release the pain. Release the anger.” However, he was unable to do so, leaving him filled with fury following his spiritual ordeal.

In the post-credit scene of Echo, Fisk was aboard his private jet, heading back to New York City, where he convened a meeting with the last leaders of the Five Families. Simultaneously, Fisk paid attention to the upcoming New York mayoral election, as news anchors stated that residents were seeking a tough candidate capable of addressing genuine city issues. The anchors suggested that a no-nonsense fighter and an outsider willing to challenge the status quo would excel in the race, yet no such contender has surfaced. “Anyone’s race it is,” one anchor concluded, hinting at the Mayor Fisk storyline from the Daredevil comics.

Starting March 4, Marvel’s Daredevil: Born Again can be streamed on Disney+, with fresh episodes dropping every Tuesday.

2025-03-04 00:48