Daredevil: Born Again is pulling out all the stops for its sophomore season, according to Vincent D’Onofrio. The once and future Kingpin teased that while Wilson Fisk and Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox) spent most of Season 1 apart, Season 2 will see them interact briefly — and it’ll be explosive. “It’s sparse, but it’s intense as hell. And there’s a lot for fans to look forward to in the second season because it’s, how can I put this? What we’re doing in the second season, when we pair up Daredevil and Fisk in scenes, is even more complex and more dangerous than they’ve seen before. Some of the scenes that we’re having in the second season, there’s been nothing like them before,” D’Onofrio told Gold Derby.
D’Onofrio has good reason to hype up Season 2: not only will it see the return of Murdock’s fellow Defender Jessica Jones (Krysten Ritter), but it also looks to be pulling heavy inspiration from Devil’s Reign. This comic saw Fisk outlawing vigilantism in New York and putting a target on Daredevil and his fellow superheroes. Chip Zdarsky and Marco Checchetto‘s Daredevil run has been a major influence on Daredevil: Born Again, for better and worse, but there’s another era from the Man Without Fear’s history that could back up D’Onfrio’s words: the status quo-shattering Daredevil run from Brian Michael Bendis and Alex Maleev.
Brian Michael Bendis’ ‘Daredevil’ Run Exposed Matt Murdock’s Secret Identity
Brian Michael Bendis and Alex Maleev upended Matt Murdock’s world with Daredevil (vol. 2) #32, which had an FBI agent exposing his secret identity as Daredevil to the world. At first, Matt chose to deny that he was Daredevil, even suing the Daily Globe for publishing his secret. But after multiple encounters with assassins trying to kill him and his new wife, Milla Donovan, Matt brutally beat Wilson Fisk and declared himself to be the new Kingpin. This led his friends Foggy Nelson and Ben Urich to deduce that Matt’s erratic behavior was a result of his grief over Karen Page’s death at the hands of Bullseye. But none of them were prepared for Fisk’s last gambit: he told the FBI about a series of documents he had on Daredevil, called “The Murdock Papers,” and requested immunity for his past crimes in exchange for their disclosure. This led the FBI to hunt and finally arrest Matt, leaving him in prison alongside Fisk. It was a shocking ending for a Daredevil storyline, let alone a long-running superhero series, but it shows how Bendis was willing to push boundaries.
The fallout of Bendis and Maleev’s run continues to affect Daredevil comics to this day. Ed Brubaker and Michael Lark‘s run saw Matt breaking out of prison, where he learned that Danny Rand, aka Iron Fist, donned a Daredevil costume to convince people that Matt Murdock actually wasn‘t Daredevil; but the villainous Mr. Fear would infect Milla with a toxin that drove her into paranoia, leading to the dissolution of her marriage to Matt. Mark Waid and Chris Sammee would have Matt finally reveal that he was Daredevil in court to stop the Sons of the Serpent from inciting a hate-fueled riot in New York; the end result would force him and his then-girlfriend Kirsten McDuffie moving to Los Angeles. Charles Soule and Ron Garney had Matt wiping the world’s memories of his secret identity, which gave him peace but cost him his relationship with Kirsten. Finally, Chip Zdarsky and Marco Checchetto brought things full circle by having Daredevil return to prison when he learned that he had accidentally murdered a man. None of these stories would have been possible without the foundation Bendis and Maleev set.
If ‘Daredevil: Born Again’ Season 2 Exposes Matt Murdock’s Identity, Season 3 Can Deal With the Fallout
Daredevil: Born Again Season 2 has the opportunity to one-up Season 1 if it goes through with the idea of revealing Matt Murdock’s secret identity to the world, or if it has him arrested, or both. How would Matt’s friends and allies react? While Deborah Ann Woll‘s Karen Page has escaped her comic book counterpart’s fatal fate, having Matt ripped away from her when they reconnected would be truly tragic. Suppose the other Defenders, including Iron Fist, return. In that case, there’s potential for Danny Rand to don a Daredevil costume like he did in the comics, while also realizing what exactly Daredevil means to people. But the biggest moment concerns Frank Castle (Jon Bernthal).
In Ed Brubaker’s run, Frank Castle got himself arrested so that he could help Matt out in prison; it wouldn’t be a stretch to imagine Bernthal’s Castle doing the same thing, especially if the Punisher’s Special Presentation ends up being a hit. There’s also the question of what Fisk will do when his archnemesis isn’t in his way; could Season 2 or Season 3 top Season 1 in terms of the bloodshed he’ll commit?
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Brian Michael Bendis Continues To Be One of the Most Influential Writers in Marvel’s History
It wouldn’t be a surprise if Daredevil: Born Again draws from Brian Michael Bendis’s work; he’s arguably one of the most influential writers who ever worked at Marvel Comics. Beyond his work on Daredevil, Bendis was responsible for transforming the Avengers into one of Marvel’s biggest franchises with Avengers: Disassembled and The New Avengers, with the latter inspiring Thunderbolts*‘s big plot twist. Bendis also co-created Daisy Johnson, aka Quake, who played a major role in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.; Maria Hill, who was brought to life by Cobie Smulders in the Marvel Cinematic Universe; and Miles Morales, who has become the Spider-Man for a generation thanks to Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse. Bendis’ influence will continue to be felt with Ironheart, featuring Riri Williams (Dominique Thorne), a character he co-created. Bendis would also continue to shake up the Marvel Universe with stories like Siege, which brought Thor’s home of Asgard tumbling to the ground, and Secret Invasion (which inspired another Marvel series.) Daredevil: Born Again should definitely take a page from Bendis’ book if it wants to keep the audience on their toes.
Daredevil: Born Again is available to stream on Disney+.