Editor’s note: The below recap contains spoilers for Daredevil: Born Again Episode 4.While Netflix’s Daredevil series is fondly remembered for its unapologetically gritty and mature look into the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s criminal underworld, there were brief moments when the show stepped back from the grit and grime to offer some levity. Be it the lighthearted quips of the late Foggy Nelson (Elden Henson) or the effortless charisma of Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox), the show knew exactly when to give the audience a break from the wanton violence and depression turns in events. If there’s one character who hasn’t been given the luxury of levity very often, it’s the infamous crime lord Wilson Fisk (Vincent D’Onofrio).
While Matt and Fisk have since had small appearances in Spider-Man: No Way Home, Hawkeye, She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, and Echo, Daredevil: Born Again is really the first time that Disney and Marvel Studios have been able to give their takes on the two characters. Thus far, the sequel series has been decently faithful to the original Netflix show, even though Born Again’s inclusion of two characters from the original series may not be what many hardcore fans were hoping for. However, by far one of the most unpredictable arcs thus far is Fisk’s venture into New York politics, and it gets surprisingly humorous in Episode 4. Honestly, it’s hard to really decipher if Fisk as a comic figure really works or not.
Matt Murdock Is Fed Up With the System in ‘Daredevil: Born Again’ Episode 4

Image via Disney+

The very first opening moments of Daredevil: Born Again’s fourth episode directly address the shocking cliffhanger ending of Episode 3. There, the recently acquitted Hector Ayala (Kamar de los Reyes) — who had secretly been living a double life as the heroic vigilante known as the White Tiger — was murdered by an unknown assailant wearing the Punisher’s (Jon Bernthal) skull logo. Of course, that latter detail is unknown to Matt, but it doesn’t do much to make him feel any better about the situation.
Murdock is present at Ayala’s autopsy, which drops a few inciting hints as to who is responsible for this grisly murder. Just then, Murdock is interrupted by Hector’s young niece, Angela del Toro (Camilla Rodriguez), who is less than happy about what happened to her uncle just a few hours after he was found to be innocent of murdering a police officer. Understandably, she is suspicious that the crooked members of the NYPD (especially the ones with Punisher tattoos) may have been responsible for her uncle’s murder, but everyone’s favorite lawyer decides to comfort the young teen instead of verifying her understandable concerns. Perhaps if del Toro is faithful to her comics counterpart, she’ll be able to follow in her uncle’s footsteps.
Even in the wake of tragedy, a lawyer’s work is never done, and a call from Kirsten McDuffie (Nikki M. James) gets Matt’s next defense case ready. This time, Murdock is assigned to serve as counsel for a man named Leroy (Charlie Hudson III) — a repeat offender who has just been arrested on charges of petty larceny. Leroy insists that he be granted parole, but due to his past convictions, that is a practical impossibility. Murdock does manage to get his sentence reduced to ten days, but that’s still not enough for Leroy, who has spent his whole life being mistreated by a system that consistently discriminates against him. It’s yet another reason why Matt may need to consider bringing the horns back to do what the broken legal system can’t.
Wilson Fisk Isn’t Having a Good Time at the Office in ‘Daredevil: Born Again’ Episode 4

Image via Disney+

To quote another infamous fictional politician, Fisk is the kind of person who likes to get things done, even while he’s on the verge of a divorce after implying he murdered and/or intimidated the man Vanessa Fisk (Ayelet Zurer) was having an affair with. He also likes to get things done as quickly and as efficiently as possible, which is why he wants to bring business back to the so-called Red Hook port district of New York. Sadly, not even Fisk’s bullish determination can get past city codes and red tape, but the new mayor does begrudgingly agree to go through the process.
Unfortunately for Fisk, not only does he have to sit through not one, but two bad covers of “We Built This City,” but his prized pupil, Daniel Blake (Michael Gandolfini), has accidentally leaked Fisk’s big expansion plans to reporter BB Urich (Genneya Walton) after getting too drunk. Now, Fisk is being called a union buster, which is not what he needs considering his marriage problems and rebellion from his criminal underlings. After a comedic smash cut showing Fisk raging in his office, it almost appears that the once-feared crime boss is starting to lose control. Eventually, Blake comes clean and admits his role in the PR nightmare, and Fisk decides to give him another chance.

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Frank Castle Returns in ‘Daredevil: Born Again’ Episode 4

Image via Disney+

With a scratch for justice that he simply can’t help but itch, Matt decides to engage in some detective work at the scene where Hector was murdered. What he finds is a shell casing with an insignia that he recognizes, that being the skull synonymous with the Punisher. Not long after, Matt manages to find Frank Castle himself, thus marking the character’s first appearance since The Punisher Season 2, and even longer since the last time he met Murdock in Daredevil Season 2. Castle somehow looks even more distraught and grumpy than he usually does, but he proves to be one of the best things to come out of the original Netflix show, with a powerhouse performance from Jon Bernthal. The best in the show so far by a long shot, Frank forces Matt to confront his retirement as Daredevil like never before, though now our hero runs the risk of becoming a murdering vigilante much like the Punisher.
Matt isn’t the only one forced to confront his past and decide if he wants to dig up buried secrets. Fisk is also trying to build a new life for himself, even if it may be all to fulfill his own personal goals and ambitions. As is on brand for Fisk, who spends much of this episode being at the mercy of society’s rules and the government’s restrictions, he’s hiding some things from the rest of the world. Not only does he still have the infamous white painting — which now has blood splatter on it due to his fight with Daredevil and Bullseye (Wilson Bethel) in Season 3 — but he also has Vanessa’s missing accomplice in her affair, Adam (Lou Taylor Pucci), locked up. It’s a good thing Matt is also training to put his superhero attire on again for the first time since losing Foggy.
Before the credits roll on Episode 4, we finally get our first good look at New York City’s newest antagonist. Carrying a poor soul over his shoulders to his subway lair, Muse has a string of bodies lined around their hideout, stealing their blood to seemingly create disgusting and dangerous paintings. It’s a subtle tease, but it’s a positive start for a new terrifying foe and one that brings back the glory days of street-level monsters like Kilgrave (David Tennant) from Jessica Jones and Cottonmouth (Mahershala Ali) from Luke Cage.
New episodes of Daredevil: Born Again premiere Tuesdays on Disney+.

Daredevil: Born Again

Amid a perplexingly comedic Kingpin, Daredevil: Born Again Episode 4 comes backed with a fantastic Jon Bernthal performance and a tease for a terrifying villain.

Release Date

March 4, 2025

Showrunner

Chris Ord

Writers

Chris Ord

Pros & Cons

Matt Murdock and Frank Castle are a match made in heaven.
Muse is already intimidating.
Wilson Fisk navigating political red tape is entertaining…

…but also pretty jarring given his historically serious nature.
The further law and order commentary feels redundant after Hector’s death.