The sun has set on the first season on “Daredevil: Born Again” and we’re quite fearful for the Man Without Fear. Even in the Netflix era, Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox) ended each chapter on a bit of a heroic high note, whereas “Born Again’s” first outing feels very “The Empire Strikes Back.” Wilson Fisk (Vincent D’Onofrio) has forced his hand, firstly in splitting the commissioner’s head open like an Easter egg, as well as rounding up vigilantes and protestors alike. Where does that leave Daredevil? Hiding out at Josie’s and being forced to regroup with the few left to fight the good fight. The question is, just what exactly does that fight look like?
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With season 2 already in production (and with Charlie Cox finally sporting the double-D logo), Marvel Studios are going hell for leather in keeping Daredevil’s story going as quickly as possible, with scarce details on just what that will include. While we’re currently kept in the dark, about how Matt will hit back against Fisk, there are a few things we hope get considered to both rectify and improve upon this so-so introductory season that occasionally lost its way, but stuck the landing a little in its season finale. There’s plenty to request for Matt Murdock’s return given recent events, but there’s a handful of essential elements that could see season 2 keep the momentum going and ensure that we give the devil his due, beginning with the real power couple we sorely missed this time around getting back together and staying there.
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Get Karen and Matt back together
As far as we can tell Karen Page (Deborah Ann Woll) is back for good at the side of Matt Murdock, but dang it, we want more than that. Perhaps it’s because of their history on screen together, but there was more chemistry sparking from Matt and his ex than there ever was with Heather (Margarita Levieva). Now that the latter has converted to the Kingpin, it only makes sense for that flame of passion that was faintly burning this season to reignite between our loveable lawyer and his former colleague. Would it create more risk for our hero and the life he lives? Most certainly. But Matt needs a bit of positivity in his life, and Karen could certainly provide it.
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Of course, we’d be lying if we didn’t think these crazy kids getting back together would raise the danger levels in a show that’s already rife with it, and in Karen’s case, it’s always been high. Fans of the “Daredevil” comics will be fully aware that Karen Page doesn’t last long in Matt Murdock’s life, but it doesn’t mean it has to be the same for her MCU iteration. Perhaps in this reality, Matt’s best friend and not the love of his life gets snuffed out, allowing them to live as happily as they can in the world they’ve made for themselves. Let’s just see them live in it good and proper and both be a bit of light in an otherwise incredibly dark corner of the Marvel Cinematic Gloomiverse.
Cut down on the villain count
There were many evil deeds being done in the debut of “Born Again,” but perhaps one of the show’s biggest crimes was wasting one of Daredevil’s newest and most intriguing villains, Muse. After a conflict that lasted all of two episodes, Matt easily dispatched the serial killer, nullifying what was pitched as one of the show’s biggest threats. It felt like a hugely missed opportunity for turning Daredevil’s return into a real crime thriller and failing to make him a danger that Matt would struggle to bring down. Perhaps that’s because the show kicked off with a series of plates to spin and really only managed to keep half of them going. Going forward, the best course of action is to go back to the basics and keep the Kingpin close to any other major offender that goes up against the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen.
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The driving force and biggest sell of this show is Charlie Cox butting heads with Vincent D’Onofrio on a regular basis. Any other antagonist is an extra perk, but one that needs to be in the middle of continuing conflict. In the case of Bullseye, for example, Wilson Bethel’s Dex worked so well in “Daredevil” season 3 because he was caught between both of the biggest characters and created even more tension as a result. If any other wrong-doer turns up, be it Typhoid Mary or even The Hand, they need to be carefully applied to the ongoing conflict between our two favorite characters, or not at all.
Call a stalemate with The Punisher and Daredevil’s debate
Look, we get it. Daredevil doesn’t kill, and The Punisher (Jon Bernthal) does – can we please stop banging on about it? After that sterling debate on a rooftop in Netflix’s “Daredevil” and the second round of therapy from Frank Castle’s return in “Born Again,” both need to just agree to disagree and move on. It’s a dance we’re very tired of these brilliant characters doing when better time could be spent on them working together but in a more testing way.
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Red has already had his one bad day, and thankfully (or perhaps not), Bullseye saw it through. What might make things more interesting is putting Frank in a situation where he’s forced to harm but not kill the opponents he faces. Just picture it – The Punisher could have his very own “Terminator 2” moment, taking out kneecaps and putting the bad guys close to, but not fully on, death’s door (“they’ll live”). Also, give Frank more time than just two episodes and a Special Presentation planned for after “Daredevil: Born Again.” We’re likely never going to get the Avocados at Law back together again, so we’re just going to have to settle for the Odd Costumed Couple, instead. In doing so, it could allow more time to flesh out Frank as a more volatile and valuable piece in the MCU, so that when the time comes, he gets his own standalone show, or film as well.
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Let Foggy Nelson stay dead
We wouldn’t blame a handful of Daredevil fans for hoping that even when Foggy Nelson (Elden Henson) was killed in the first episode of “Born Again,” his death wouldn’t be permanent. Okay, so there have been plenty of big characters that have been offed throughout the MCU, but this is Foggy we’re talking about. Since 2015, he’s been Matt’s moral compass and the beating heart of that grittier, tougher corner of this superhero universe, so it’d be understandable if by some twist of magic or otherworldly elements he’d be brought back from the brink. Even in the comics, Foggy has faked his own death and ended up in witness protection, and even been pulled out of Hell itself by his buddy. They could do the same here as well — except they absolutely shouldn’t.
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Even with reports that Henson is set to return in season 2 (via Phase Hero), we should keep our fingers firmly crossed that it’s either flashbacks, dream sequences or just a figment of Matt’s imagination. That’s it. Don’t apply the superhero get-out trick of bringing him back to the land of the living and thereby making his brutal death this season redundant. Foggy deserves better, and if we can’t give him a life worth living, then it should be a death that continues to push Matt in fighting the good fight. Also, don’t dare Doomify him and have Henson back in an alternate universe as Stilt-Man. This isn’t Tony Stark — it’s Foggy f*****g Nelson.
Bring Matt deeper into the MCU
It’s been great to see Matt back and chewing the moral fat with Frank Castle, but after the first season it still feels like Daredevil is confined to the corner of the MCU he’s been in for the last decade. The barriers have been lifted now and he’s a fully acting hero in the cinematic universe just like we always wanted, so let’s have more of what we’ve been teased in the past.
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The biggest kick fans got was seeing him pay a house visit to Peter Parker (Tom Holland) in “Spider-Man: No Way Home” or make a walk of shame from Jennifer Walters’ place in “She-Hulk.” Keep that trend going and have big names from other parts of the MCU turn up in Matt Murdock’s world or have him drop into theirs. We’re not asking for top tier heroes like Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) or Spider-Man (we know the latter can’t appear in a Disney+ show). Let Moon Knight (Oscar Isaac) make an appearance, or the likes of Yelena Romanoff (Florence Pugh) and maybe even a Defender or two. By this point having kicked up this much of a fuss against the new mayor of New York, it wouldn’t be a surprise if other established MCU heroes checked in with how things are going and maybe enlisted a new ally while they’re at it. Don’t be afraid, Kevin Feige. Put the son of the boxer in the ring with other heroes and see what he can do.
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