After seven years (has it really been THAT long?!) Daredevil is back! Depending on what you consider true canon, this is either a debut or a return to The MCU. Either way, this is the first MCU show in some time to have fans’ attention positively. Still, the show has a lot to live up to, so we’ll see if it’s up to the task.
SPOILER WARNING! The following contains slight spoilers for Daredevil: Born Again, Episode 1! Do not proceed if you wish to avoid spoilers!
MAJOR POINTS
- Bullseye killed Foggy Nelson
- His murder destroyed the relationship between Matt and Karen
- Kingpin was elected Mayor of New York
Matt, Foggy, and Karen celebrate Detective Cherry’s retirement at Josie’s Bar after work. Foggy gets an urgent call on his phone, but when he answers the phone, he is shot to death by Bulleye. Daredevil goes after Bullseye. who gasses the place and kills several cops. Matt retires from being Daredevil because of his failure.
One year later, Bullseye is sentenced to life in prison. Matt unsuccessfully tries to rekindle his relationship with Karen. However, his business partner hooks him up with Heather Glenn, a psychologist.
Kingpin returns to New York after the events of Echo to tell Vanessa that he’s running for Mayor. She tells him she has the organized crime running better than ever. Fisk makes catching vigilantes a main campaign point. He later meets with Matt and discusses their past and present situations. Matt says he is done being a vigilante, and Fisk implies he is done being the head of organized crime.
Fisk wins the election. Vanessa congratulates him but also asks him not to kill Matt. Fisk assures her that he’s not that man anymore. The episode ends with Fisk locking eyes with Matt, who is now dating Heather, which furthers the duality of each man taking different paths in their lives.
MAJOR QUESTIONS
- Why did Bullseye kill Foggy
- Could Bullseye be in cahoots with the Fisk family? Or one of their competitors?
- Is Foggy really dead?
OVERALL GRADE: B
This was a solid opener. Even if you hadn’t seen the original Daredevil series, you could probably still follow what is going on. But if you are familiar with the show, then it was a real gut punch seeing Foggy get gunned down in the opening minutes.
That said, given he history of comics, I can’t help but question if Foggy is actually dead. And this is even without knowing he is advertised to be back next season.