5 Things to Remember Before Watching Daredevil: Born Again Season 2
The Man Without Fear is back on our screens once more as Daredevil: Born Again returns for Season 2. It’s been a long journey getting Matt Murdock into the MCU, but after a brief cameo in Spider-Man: No Way Home, he made quite the impact with a hard-hitting first season of his revival series.
If you’re gearing up to see what’s next for Matt and the gang, first and foremost, you’ll need access to Disney+. Beyond that, you’ll need a sharp memory to keep track of everything that happened last time around.
To save you the hassle, we’ve got five of the key talking points from Daredevil: Born Again Season 1 to help you catch up.
1. Foggy Nelson Is Dead… Or Is He?
In the very first episode of Season 1, we witnessed a harrowing moment for Matt as his best friend, Foggy Nelson, was shot dead on the street. He was murdered by Daredevil’s nemesis, Bullseye, and much of the story from there has Matt dealing with his grief and retiring from his crimefighting work.
However, as the show goes on, Matt uncovers more details about the murder – namely, that Vanessa Fisk was the one to order the hit. He also discovers clues that suggest Foggy may not actually be dead, riffing on the comic book storyline from Ed Brubaker’s Daredevil arc in 2006, in which Foggy’s murder is staged, and he is put in witness protection. Will Foggy return in Season 2? Or is he genuinely six feet under?
2. Wilson Fisk Establishes an Anti-Vigilante Task Force
One of the more disconcerting storylines from Season 1 saw the new mayor, Wilson Fisk, establish an aggressive Anti-Vigilante Task Force (AVTF). It’s an eerily relevant concept, given what is happening in America with ICE right now, and it really underpins just how powerful and brutal Fisk has become.
Fisk murders Police Commissioner Gallo in front of his AVTF loyalists, enacts a state of martial law in the city, and imprisons any vigilantes he can get his hands on. He also wants to turn Red Hook pier into a lawless zone exempt from US jurisdiction, which would allow all kinds of money laundering and criminal operations to go on unhindered in his city.
3. The Punisher is Back
One of the vigilantes captured by Fisk and the AVTF is Frank Castle, AKA The Punisher. If you watched Marvel’s Daredevil on Netflix and the spin-off, The Punisher, you’ll have been aware of Jon Bernthal’s brilliant portrayal of the no-nonsense anti-hero before Born Again. He’s perfect for the role and has great chemistry with Charlie Cox’s Daredevil, so it’s exciting to see Frank back in the mix.
He may be locked up by the final episode of Season 1, but in the dying moments of that finale, Frank cleverly breaks out of his cage in Fisk’s dungeons. With The Punisher set to take to the streets once more, we’ll likely see him team up with Daredevil again to stand against Fisk’s totalitarian regime in Season 2. Knowing Frank’s methods, though, it’s probably going to lead to all-out war on the streets.
4. Matt’s Love Life Collides With Crimefighting (Again)
If there’s one thing we know about superheroes, it’s that their romantic relationships rarely go well. That is certainly true of Matt Murdock. His dalliances with Claire Temple and Karen Page have been fractured, to say the least, while I think it would be safe to describe his love for Elektra Natchios as a dangerous liaison.
Matt’s latest squeeze is Heather Glenn, a psychiatrist. As Matt feels the pull of his Daredevil alter-ego more and more, his relationship with Heather becomes strained. Those two worlds collided with devastating consequences when the serial killer known as Muse tried to murder Heather. Daredevil swooped in to help, but it was Heather who pulled the trigger to kill the villain.
5. Fisk Would Be Dead If Not For Daredevil
One of the most surprising moments in the whole first season is when Matt gatecrashes the Fisks’ mayoral gala to confront his foes about the death of Foggy. But when Bullseye sneaks in to take out the mayor, Matt does something no one expects: he jumps in front of the bullet and saves Fisk’s life.
Over the course of the Netflix series and this new Disney+ show, one thing audiences feel more than anything is Matt’s deep hatred for the Kingpin. To sacrifice himself for this detestable villain speaks volumes for his character and just how virtuous he really is. Matt knows that being a hero means you have to save everyone, regardless of how evil they are. It may also have been his way of making amends for not being able to save Foggy.
Either way, it’s a moment that will have huge repercussions for Daredevil: Born Again Season 2, as Fisk technically now owes Matt Murdock his life.
