Editor’s note: The below recap contains spoilers for Daredevil: Born Again Episode 1.On April 10, 2015, the world of Marvel television changed forever with the release of the very first season of Daredevil. The first in what would be a lengthy collaboration between Netflix and Marvel, Daredevil, functioning as a self-contained, loosely MCU-connected entry into Marvel’s catalog of adaptations, was a monumental hit with critics and viewers. What could have been a fun show about superheroes was executed as a dark, gritty crime drama that boasts an impeccable hero, a phenomenal villain, and several jaw-dropping action set pieces.
Now, Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox) and Wilson Fisk (Vincent D’Onofrio) are back, this time under new management, with Disney+’s Daredevil: Born Again. Following a major creative overhaul, the show has essentially been touted as a fourth season of the original Daredevil show. Thanks to continuity with the original, a TV-MA rating, and a dedication to telling a wider story with wider cultural themes. It’s not a flawless return to form, with some pacing issues and major plot points that could have used a little more development, but overall, it’s a worthy resurrection for the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen that starts off with a deafening bang.
Bullseye Claims His Revenge by Killing a ‘Daredevil’ Fan Favorite

Image via Netflix

The opening of Daredevil: Born Again picks up right where Daredevil Season 3 left off, with the prestigious Nelson & Murdock law firm being renamed to Nelson, Murdock, and Page. It’s an average night for the “Avocados at Law,” consisting of Matt Murdock, Foggy Nelson (Elden Henson), and Karen Page (Deborah Ann Woll) as they make their way to their favorite bar so they can celebrate the retirement of their detective friend, Cherry (Clark Johnson). While at the bar, it’s also revealed that Daredevil isn’t the only vigilante in Hell’s Kitchen anymore. He’s got some competition in the White Tiger, who can be seen taking on a gang of burglars at a local convenience store on the TV at the bar.
However, Hell’s Kitchen will remain true to its name in the nightmare about to ensue. Foggy gets a call from a neurotic friend of theirs, but Matt picks up almost instantly that something is wrong. He has good reason to believe so, as elsewhere, a fly is impaled by an inhumanly precise paperclip as a glove with a bullseye insignia unscrews a light bulb. It’s clear right away that this masked figure is none other than Bullseye, AKA Benjamin “Dex” Poindexter (Wilson Bethel) — the expert marksman and complete psychopath who vowed vengeance against Daredevil in Season 3. Matt suits up to investigate, only to find out too late that Dex is leading him on a wild goose chase.
As Karen and Foggy stand outside the bar, the episode’s most shocking moment happens when Foggy — a character who has been with Matt since the very beginning — is mortally wounded by a gunshot, courtesy of Dex. Karen tries to keep Foggy stable while Matt arrives to do battle with Bullseye, leading to a lengthy oner that sees the two acrobats tear the place apart. It’s hard to top the hallway scene from Daredevil Season 1 or the stairwell sequence from Season 2, but the opening scene is still a good tone-setter that showcases the promised brutality of the TV-MA-rated series. Bullseye effortlessly slaughters civilians while trying to escape. Matt catches up to Dex, but sadly, Foggy has succumbed to his wounds, leading Matt to push Dex off the roof, getting dangerously close to breaking Daredevil’s “no kill” rule. Killing off Foggy this early on is certainly a bold creative choice that is undoubtedly not going to be to everyone’s tastes, but one episode in and the fan-favorite’s death is already making a big impact on Matt Murdock as a character.
Matt Murdock Retires as Daredevil and Wilson Fisk Starts His Mayoral Campaign in ‘Born Again’ Episode 1

Image via Disney+

Cut to one year later, and the grief of losing Foggy has led Matt Murdock to officially retire as Daredevil. Instead, he’s chosen to fight crime in a different way by continuing his career as a lawyer, even opening a new firm with another lawyer named Kirsten McDuffie (Nikki M. James). Given that Foggy was such a strong defender of the legal system, it makes perfect sense that Matt would want to honor his late best friend by trying to pursue a further career in law, even if it means facing monsters like Dex in court as the assassin is sentenced to life in prison without parole. Karen isn’t as keen on Murdock’s rejection of his superhero alter-ego, as she knows full well that even the law has its limits.
Those limits are fully displayed with the return of Wilson Fisk, who has been slowly and steadily recovering for the last few months following his clash with his surrogate daughter Maya Lopez (Alaqua Cox) during the events of Echo. In his absence, Fisk’s now-wife Vanessa (Ayelet Zurer) has been running his criminal empire in his stead, and to great success. However, Fisk is ready to return to New York in a big way by running for mayor, even getting his own campaign team — complete with a plucky young upstart (Michael Gandolfini, who officially drops the show’s first f-bomb). Surprisingly enough, despite the many atrocities Fisk has committed over the years, he appears to be a frontrunner for the campaign, which is a pretty clear allusion to the current state of American politics in the real world.
Murdock may be retired from being a superhero, but news of Fisk’s return to the public eye is hard to ignore, even as Kirsten tries to set him up on a date in the meantime. Murdock decides to confront Fisk and the two have a meeting in a nearby diner, and it’s surprisingly more civil than one might expect. While they’ve spent years being the most bitter of enemies, it appears as if a small part of each of them is somewhat comforted by being able to have a seemingly candid conversation. Where Murdock has hung up his horns, Fisk also claims to have turned a new leaf, alleging he had nothing to do with Foggy’s murder and that he wants to leave his life of crime behind to build a better future for the city. New leaf or not, though, Fisk still has a deep disdain for costumed vigilantes and is still hellbent on outlawing them should he take office.

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‘Daredevil: Born Again’ Is Clearly Saying Something About American Politics

Image via Marvel Studios

Daredevil: Born Again’s first episode doesn’t keep fans in too much suspense, as the final minutes of the series reveal that Wilson Fisk is indeed elected the mayor of New York City. If the comparisons to a certain current United States President weren’t obvious already, Fisk’s subordinates are even wearing baseball hats with Fisk’s campaign slogan. This is where the show’s political commentary starts to border on being a bit too on-the-nose, but it’s still refreshing to see a superhero story that’s willing to have culturally relevant themes, and that’s also very consistent with the Netflix shows that preceded Born Again. It’s not all sunshine and roses for Fisk, as the mayoral elect seemingly implies that Vanessa has been having an affair right to her face. One would think Fisk would be furious, but he does stick to his promise of bettering himself and says he won’t kill this mystery individual… for now.
Fisk winning the election does put a bit of a damper on Murdock’s night, even when he’s on a successful date with Heather Glenn (Margarita Levieva) — the therapist that Kirsten set Matt up on a date with earlier. While Fisk’s supporters are celebrating in the streets, it’s clear that a new dark chapter in New York’s history is just beginning. It’s a situation that perhaps only The Devil of Hell’s Kitchen can stop.
Ironically, in a show that’s called Daredevil: Born Again, the first episode of the Daredevil revival is all about grief and death. While it would have been nice to have a bit more time with Foggy before his demise, it’s a story that is, unsurprisingly, carried by Charlie Cox and Vincent D’Onofrio, who play their respective roles as if the original Daredevil was never canceled. Complete with an impressive action sequence and some fun technical tricks, such as the way the series showcases Matt’s enhanced hearing, the first episode of Daredevil: Born Again is a solid start to an ambitious sequel series.
New episodes of Daredevil: Born Again premiere Tuesdays on Disney+.

Daredevil: Born Again

Matt Murdock makes a welcome return to the MCU in a rock-solid first episode of Daredevil: Born Again.

Release Date

March 4, 2025

Showrunner

Chris Ord

Writers

Chris Ord

Pros & Cons

Charlie Cox and Vincent D’Onofrio are as stellar as ever.
The opening Bullseye fight is a fantastic tone-setter.
The series isn’t afraid to touch on real-world issues.
Killing off Foggy is a bold creative choice…

…though we could have benefitted from spending a bit more time with Matt’s best friend.
Fisk’s rise to political power feels somewhat underdeveloped.