The Daredevil: Born Again season 1 finale was jam-packed with big reveals, but there's one that might have slipped by you. Before we get to that, it's important to remember what this series was before Marvel Studios' creative overhaul.
While Charlie Cox and Vincent D'Onofrio were always set to reprise their respective roles, Daredevil: Born Again was envisioned as a reboot that essentially started over with these characters (explaining why neither Foggy Nelson nor Karen Page were set to return).
New showrunner Dario Scardapane increased the connectivity between both shows, something we know Cox and D'Onofrio both welcomed. That led to rewrites and casting decisions which turned Born Again into a direct follow-up to Daredevil.
Daredevil season 3 ended with Wilson Fisk finally getting what he deserved; while he'd managed to free himself from prison as an FBI informant, his plans came crashing down after the murder of FBI Agent Rahul 'Ray' Nadeem, and he was put back behind bars.
However, when The Kingpin made his MCU debut in Hawkeye, he was a free man and, by the time Daredevil: Born Again rolled around, able to run for New York Mayor. Pre-overhaul, it wouldn't have mattered because Daredevil wasn't canon.
However, once that changed, fans have been left frustrated by the lack of explanation.
The opening few minutes of Daredevil: Born Again's season 1 finale offer an explanation. In a flashback, Vanessa Fisk visits Dex and reveals she's found a way to free him. However, in return, the new "Queenpin" needs Bullseye to kill Foggy so she can cover up her business operations in Red Hook.
"The whole FBI corruption scandal, Agent Nadeem, all that," Vanessa tells the villain. "It's why my husband was acquitted. It's only fair, it should benefit you too."
Not only is this a welcome nod to a key season 3 character in the late Agent Nadeem, but it finally explains how The Kingpin was able to avoid prison. Based on comments in previous episodes, it seems the truce between him and Daredevil remained in place, though we're sure they crossed paths at least once or twice before that meeting in the diner.
"A masterpiece of epic proportions, Daredevil: Born Again delivers a powerful, unmissable take on the Man Without Fear," we said in our review. "Putting street-level heroics on the map in a way that promises to change the MCU forever, the show is sublime superhero storytelling on a whole new level."
All episodes of Daredevil: Born Again are now streaming on Disney+.