Daredevil: Born Again only began streaming its second season yesterday, but its star Charlie Cox has already given a clear hint at how it all ends.
Season 2’s first episode is available to watch now on Disney+, with a further seven chapters on the way each week until May 12. But fans now have a clear idea where the show’s sophomore year is headed — and what the outcome of it’s biggest plotline will be.
Warning! Spoilers for Daredevil: Born Again Season 2 and 3 follow:
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Cox said he had begun reading scripts for the show’s third season (expected to air next year) and described it as a “new dawn” for the show following its current Mayor Fisk era. In other words, then, fans should expect Fisk’s to finally experience his political downfall by Season 2’s finale.
It’s a slightly odd thing to see discussed already, just one episode into Season 2’s storyline — and as Fisk’s grip on power is arguably still building. The new season’s first episode sees Cox’s Daredevil land a major blow on Fisk’s operation by sinking a tanker ship full of illegal guns in New York’s harbour. But Fisk swiftly begins a cover up, while swatting away government oversight thanks to a visit from Matthew Lillard’s mysterious Mr. Charles.
In general, the first episode feels like a strong continuation of Season 1’s plot, despite a six-month time jump from the show’s last episode. Karen and Matt are now in hiding and a couple, yes, but otherwise Fisk has only consolidated his power further. And with Mr. Charles on his side, seemingly backed by the CIA and Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, Fisk now looks to be extending his power at a federal level and beyond.
So to hear that all of this will be swept away before the season’s end is surprising — though perhaps producers feel there’s a need to signal that this story won’t last forever, amid positive reviews but notes of caution that the season’s first two episodes start slowly.
“I haven’t read the whole thing,” Cox said, discussing the show’s third season, “but, no, it feels like we’ve shed the skin of the Mayor Fisk era. It feels like it’s a new book, a new dawn a little bit. It’s still a continuation, obviously, but it’s slightly different. I can’t give anything away, but it’s a new thing, which is fun.”
Daredevil: Born Again showrunner Dario Scardapane has also discussed the shape of the current season and how it ends, making way for a different-feeling third season that still features a “Matt-Fisk story.” All in all, it sounds like Fisk is defeated this year, but remains at large.
Fans had previously suspected this was the case following the recent release of the record-breaking Spider-Man: Brand New Day trailer. Set in the same MCU version of New York, this glimpse at Brand New Day (which is set after Daredevil: Born Again’s current season) showed Fisk’s assistant Sheila Rivera (the only member of his team that isn’t corrupt) handing Spidey a key to the city — suggesting she has become mayor by the time Brand New Day is set.
“Season 1 and season 2 are Part 1 and Part 2. It feels that way,” Scardapane said. “I think there’s also a Part 3 to that story, but I need to be very quiet about that. The ballad of Fisk and Murdock has, in my mind, an ebb and flow. In season 1, Fisk is triumphant. In season 2, it ends in a manner that there are consequences for each of those characters. [In] season 2, Fisk is fully Kingpin and Murdoch is fully Daredevil, and there’s a consequence to that, and that’s where we’re heading next.
“The Matt-Fisk story isn’t done yet,” he continued. “This is one of those questions I have to totally answer carefully… Daredevil, over the course of 60-plus years, has gone into a lot of different directions. For me, currently, there is no Daredevil without Wilson Fisk, but you never know where the story’s gonna take you.”
IGN recently published its review of Daredevil: Born Again’s full second season, which we rated with a 7/10 score. “Daredevil: Born Again’s second season is packed with too many characters and subplots, some far better used than others. But the central story of Matt Murdock’s quest to take down Mayor Fisk remains compelling, backed by cool and exciting action scenes.”
Tom Phillips is IGN’s News Editor. You can reach Tom at [email protected] or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
