Editor’s note: The below recap contains spoilers for Daredevil: Born Again Episode 5.
Thus far, Daredevil: Born Again has primarily focused on Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox) and Wilson Fisk (Vincent D’Onofrio) trying to change their old ways and become productive members of society. While Murdock wants to be a straight-shooting lawyer and Fisk wants to be a respected political figure, they both can’t seem to shake their previous professions. Another fight between the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen and the Kingpin of Crime seems inevitable, and we can’t help but wonder when that moment will come.
However, we can safely confirm that Episode 5 of Daredevil: Born Again does not feature that moment. Instead, this unusually uneven and ultimately inconsequential chapter in Matt’s latest story feels rather disjointed, tonally inconsistent, and covered in plot holes. It’s a shame, given the intriguing concept of putting Matt Murdock in a hostage situation, plus he also gets to meet a character who has become something of a fan-favorite in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Matt Murdock Meets the MCU’s Best Dad in ‘Daredevil: Born Again’ Episode 5

Image via Disney+

Once again, bleeding heart and retired superhero Matt Murdock is strapped for cash, so he heads down to his local bank to see if he can get a loan. Who does Marvel’s favorite blind attorney meet? None other than Yusuf Khan (Mohan Kapur), the father of Kamala Khan (Iman Vellani), whom fans previously met and fell in love with during Ms. Marvel and The Marvels. One could definitely argue that some of Daredevil: Born Again’s references to the wider MCU feel a little forced, but if that gives us an excuse to see more of Yusuf, we won’t complain.
Murdock ends up making a pretty pleasant report with the lovable MCU father figure. As you might expect, Khan can’t help but share a glowing endorsement for his beloved Kamala, who, unbeknownst to Murdock, is the lighthearted vigilante and Captain Marvel (Brie Larson) super-fan known as Ms. Marvel. Apparently, Kamala is currently in California. It might seem like an innocuous detail, but when we last saw Kamala, she was in the early stages of forming the Young Avengers, with her first recruit being another person who had crossed paths with Wilson Fisk, Hawkeye’s Kate Bishop (Hailee Steinfeld). California, particularly Northern California in San Francisco, just so happens to be the home of Cassie Lang (Kathryn Newton), indicating that the Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania standout may be the next to join Kamala’s prospective band of young heroes.
Alas, despite a pleasant conversation with a very pleasant character, Murdock is unable to get the loan he desires. However, instead of being able to spend the rest of Saint Patrick’s Day in peace, a gang of Irish mobsters has decided to make a big move on the bank. As the bank robbers start rounding up hostages, Matt’s enhanced hearing — which was cool the first couple of times Daredevil: Born Again used it, but is now growing a bit repetitive — picks up on the commotion. He hangs up his phone call, but not before telling Kirsten McDuffie (Nikki M. James), who’s on the other end, to call the police… wait, how are they supposed to do that if Murdock didn’t tell them where to send the police to?
‘Daredevil: Born Again’s Bank Heist Episode Isn’t as Thrilling as it Should be

Image via Disney+

Matt returns to the bank where the robbery is taking place, and is quickly noticed by the would-be assailants. The leader of this sinister crew, Devlin (Cillian O’Sullivan), quickly adds Murdock to the hostages, all while mocking his blindness and profession as a lawyer. The criminals also begin probing Yusuf, the assistant manager of the bank, to see if he can open the vault for them so they can get a specific diamond being held in a deposit box.
Getting closer than ever to breaking his promise to cease his activities as Daredevil, Matt assists Yusuf in stopping the bank robbers while the police buy them time. That’s essentially the gist of it, as, to be perfectly honest, this particular episode of Daredevil: Born Again feels significantly superfluous. That’s true both in terms of the episode and its function in the wider inaugural season.
Aside from Matt working with Yusuf to find a way out of this tense situation, most of this episode is jam-packed with a lot of sequences that don’t really matter. That’s especially true of the hostage negotiations between Devlin and Detective Angie Kim (Ruibo Qian), which feel like a colossal waste of time. There’s even a painfully awkward sequence where Devlin demands Kim tell him a joke, and it feels like it goes on for an eternity. It’s not the only off beat, either, as others include a small but cheesy glinting sound effect when the jewel is shown on screen and an odd moment when Murdock puts on a mask to beat down Devlin. The fight scene is cool and all, but why would Murdock bother concealing his face if he was wearing the same clothes and would likely be recognized anyway? It doesn’t seem to serve a purpose beyond offering more Daredevil iconography.

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‘Daredevil: Born Again’ Isn’t Perfect, but Charlie Cox’s Performance as Matt Murdock Definitely Is

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‘Daredevil: Born Again’ Needs To Start Focusing on Its Central Narrative

Image via Disney+

Despite being the shortest episode in the series yet, the fifth episode of Daredevil: Born Again does not feel like a necessary addition at all and is filled with far too much filler. Even worse, it doesn’t really move the needle much for the overarching plot. So far, we’ve gotten a tease of a Punisher-inspired cult of rogue police officers and a serial killer making art out of their victims, but this episode doesn’t seem interested in any of that.
This is officially the halfway point for the big return of Daredevil, and the momentum it built from a riveting first episode that made some audacious choices is starting to slow down. Telling smaller, more episodic stories in a primarily serialized series is great and everything, but when it doesn’t do anything to add more context to a character or the story they’re a part of, it can make the entire episode feel unnecessary. In this specific case, Daredevil: Born Again Episode 5 feels like it could be skipped almost entirely if it wasn’t made worthwhile by an intriguing setting for Matt Murdock and the welcome return of Yusuf Khan.
The first five episodes of Daredevil: Born Again are available to stream on Disney+.

Daredevil: Born Again

Daredevil: Born Again’s shortest episode yet also feels like its most unnecessary, making the season feel more unfocused than it should.

Release Date

March 4, 2025

Showrunner

Chris Ord

Writers

Chris Ord

Pros & Cons

We’ll never complain about more Yusuf Khan.
Putting Matt Murdock in a bank heist setting has some fun potential.

Episode 5 feels long and pointless despite a short runtime.
The episode relies too heavily on cliched bank robbery tropes.
There are some curious plot holes and inconsistencies.