In the Season 2 premiere of Daredevil: Born Again, the war between the Man Without Fear and Mayor Wilson Fisk ramps up when the villain dispatches the Anti-Vigilante Task Force to deal with Cherry.
The Kingpin's thugs brutalise the former cop, and while Daredevil arrives just in time, he's powerless to stop his friend from having a heart attack. Distracted, the AVTF takes the hero down and unmasks him. Fortunately, Matt is saved by an unseen ally with a very good aim: Bullseye.
Talking on the Daredevil: Born Again Official Podcast, Charlie Cox broke his silence on that twist ending. "The end of episode 1, which I remember when I read it, I was like, 'God, this is a bold statement at the beginning of the season.'"
"But they unmask me. That's a huge problem. The Anti-Vigilante Task Force guys now know my identity," the actor continued. "And then the day is saved by Bullseye on a rooftop nearby, who kills them all. It's a very intense season."
Another big reveal in "The Northern Star" comes when we learn that Matthew Lillard's Mr. Charles reports directly to CIA Director Valentina Allegra de Fontaine.
Teasing the ramifications of that, Kingpin actor Vincent D'Onofrio said, "Even in the first season, he talks about controlling other ports in the world...that's been his thing." The actor also opened up about Fisk's dynamic with his handler. "My character dislikes him so much that it bled into the way I feel about Matthew."
"It's never happened before on this show. It's happened with other characters in my career. My character finds him so annoying," the actor continued. "I remember reading the scenes. I'm like, 'F***, I got to do a scene with f***ing Charles.' Like, I hate this f***ing guy. And it's just so weird because when I see Matthew, we give each other hugs and all that."
"During the shooting of the second season, I really had a hard time being in the same room with Matthew."
Variety actually caught up with Lillard, and asked for his thoughts on the Anti-Vigilante Task Force's similarities to President Donald Trump's ICE agents. Marvel Television boss Brad Winderbaum has said that "any kind of reflection on reality is coincidental," but the actor was grateful to be part of something that mirrors real life.
"It’s incredible to be a part of that kind of project that’s reflecting what’s happening in the world right now. Our hope is that, in some small part of us, you’re sitting at home and realizing we need superheroes. And that’s common people. People standing up for what’s right in the world. Standing up for your neighbors and your friends and doing what’s right. Hopefully, there’s a piece of this that is a wake up call, that’s a battle cry for everyday citizens to do the right thing and fight the oppression that a lot of people right now are feeling in America."
Marvel Comics has also released Daredevil: Born Again #1, an MCU-set tie-in comic made in partnership with Blaze Pizza. You can read it here.
In Daredevil: Born Again, survival, resistance and redemption collide as the battle for the soul of New York begins. In Season 2, Mayor Wilson Fisk crushes New York City underfoot as he hunts down public enemy number one, the Hell’s Kitchen vigilante known as Daredevil.
But beneath the horned mask, Matt Murdock will try to fight back from the shadows to tear down the Kingpin’s corrupt empire and redeem his home. Resist. Rebel. Rebuild.
Created by Dario Scardapane, Chris Ord and Matt Corman, Daredevil: Born Again Season 2 stars Charlie Cox as the titular masked vigilante (aka Matt Murdock) and Vincent D’Onofrio as Wilson Fisk.
In our review of the series, we wrote, "A brutal, relentless tour-de-force, Daredevil: Born Again Season 2 is a Marvel masterstroke that sees Charlie Cox take the Man Without Fear to unprecedented heights, delivering the definitive take on Daredevil."
The first episode of Daredevil: Born Again Season 2 is now streaming on Disney+.