When word of the creative overhaul of Daredevil: Born Again got out, there was some speculation that Marvel Studios might be planning to bring the upcoming Disney+ series more in line with the events of the long-defunct Netflix Daredevil show, and that certainly appears to be the case.
Following recent rumors that both Elden Henson and Deborah Ann Woll would now reprise their respective roles as Foggy Nelson and Karen Page, Deadline has confirmed yesterday's rumor that Wilson Bethel will also return as the highly unstable Benjamin "Dex" Poindexter.
Dex was introduced during the third season of Daredevil as an increasingly unstable FBI agent who is ultimately hired by Wilson Fisk (Vincent D'Onofrio) to impersonate the Man Without Fear. He never actually took the mantle of Bullseye in the series, but is sure to suit-up as the lethally accurate villain in Born Again.
Bethel is expected to appear in three episodes.
Shortly after the strikes were resolved, we learned that Marvel execs reviewed some footage from the show while filming was paused, and decided that a "significant creative reboot" was in order. Head writers Chris Ord and Matt Corman, along with directors for the remaining episodes, were let go, and Kevin Feige is said to have signed-off on a pretty major course-change.
This reportedly involved changing the series from a legal procedural to "something that aims to harken back to the gritty and violent tone of that first well-regarded series. It also reaffirms the show’s focus on more street-level heroics and less on heavy (and costly) visual effects."
Marvel is also said to be interested in doing more with Echo's Maya Lopez (Alaqua Cox) and is "already developing new ideas as it seeks to build out its street-level heroes."
What these ideas are remains to be seen, but with Jon Bernthal's Frank Castle returning along with DOnofrio and Charlie Cox, we wouldn't be at all surprised if at least some of the other "DefenderVerse" heroes, such as Luke Cage and Jessica Jones, joined them down the line, potentially forming another Defenders-style team.
Last we heard, The Punisher writer Dario Scardapane had come aboard as the project's new showrunner, with Moon Knight helmers Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead on directing duties.
Born Again will see Matt Murdock/Daredevil (Cox) face-off against his old nemesis the Kingpin (D'Onofrio), who will most likely be running for mayor of NYC when the story gets underway.
The seres is not expected to run for the originally announced 18 episodes. A recent rumor claimed that the show would likely run for 9 (possibly 6) episodes before taking a mid-season break.
The upcoming Disney+ series doesn't have an official release date yet.