Daredevil: Born Again kicked off March Madness with a killer episode that sees the return of a mister Frank Castle and sets in motion another major mystery that will have dire consequences in the coming weeks. So, let's dive right in - spoilers ahead!
In the aftermath of last week's shocking ending, Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox) opens the hour with a visit to the morgue to collect Hector Ayala's personal belongings, including his White Tiger amulet. He questions the doctor about an unrecoved bullet casing but is interrupted by Hector's distraught niece Angela del Toro (Camila Rodriguez).
Angela suspects a dirty cop was behind her uncle's execution, and feels helpless in trying to find justice. Matt comforts her and vows that "someone" will find his killer.
Meanwhile, the serial killer known as Muse claims another victim in the subway. Cue the credits!
When we return, BB Urich (Genneya Walton) and Daniel Blake (Michael Gandolfini) are enjoying a night out at a nightclub, when Blake, in the midst of professing his fanboy love for Wilson Fisk, accidentally reveals a critical detail about Fisk's secret union busting plan. Sensing her next big story, BB jumps at the scoop.
Elsewhere, a pair of dirty cops arrest a man named Bradford for allegedly stealing a few boxes of cereal and proceed to eat the cereal themselves.
At daybreak, Matt answers a call from Kirsten (Nikki M. James) and agrees to help her on a case.
Soon after, Dr. Heather Glenn (Margarita Levieva) leads a therapy session with the Fisks, with the topic of discussion being Vanessa's (Ayelet Zurer) affair with a man named Adam, a subject matter that makes Wilson (Vincent D'Onofrio) notably uncomfortable. He calls it a betrayal, while Vanessa says he was the one to betray her by leaving. She shares a story about abandonment issues with her father, whlie Wilson admits to confronting Adam, but that they only had a dialogue. Both admit to not having had contact with him since.
After the session wraps, Heather privately asks Vanessa if she feels safe in her marriage. Vanessa laughs it off, insisting Wilson may be capable of many things, but harming her isn't one of them.
At the jail, Matthew Murdock is back in lawyer mode and agrees to take on Mr. Bradford's defense, who, similar to Hector, also finds himself up against crooked cops. After securing his client a plea deal, he finds himself face-to-face with Officer Powell (Hamish Allan-Headley), his prime suspect for Hector's murder.
Matt does his best to push the delicate cop's buttons, hoping his enhanced hearing will detect signs of guilt, but Powell's heart rate remains steady. So, while he may be an unethical scumbag, he wasn't the killer.
Over at the docks, Fisk outlines an ambitious plan for the complete structural overhaul of the port, a total transformation, as he describes it. He wants things done fast, but his campaign director Sheila Rivera suggests following proper procedures, and Fisk seemingly complies, for now, at least.
Matt tells Mr. Bradford the terms of his plea deal, who isn't exactly happy, but it's the best deal he's gonna get, so he tearfully accepts.
During Fisk's visit to an elementary school, BB's exposé goes live, and Blake immediately admits to Sheila that he was behind the leak. She advises him to rearrange Fisk's schedule to avoid tough questions. She tells Fisk about the story herself and covers for Daniel, but it's too late and the former Kingpin of Crime is furious. He holds a meeting to chew out his staff, where Daniel confesses and professes his loyalty directly to the big man, which seems to resonate.
Later, Murdock investigates the crime scene, in pursuit of that missing casing tied to Hector's murder. After some serious sleuthing, he follows a possible path down the road and manages to find the casing in a gutter, perfectly untouched. He inspects the casing and finds a clue that leads him to the secret underground lair of...
THE PUNISHER.
Yes sir, Frank Castle is back and he's genuinely surprised to find Murdock. After exchanging pleasantries, they get down to business, and Matt reveals that he found the Punisher logo on the bullet casing, which led him to Frank, who immediately calls out the "bullshit fanboys," many of whom Matt tell him are cops.
Frank, who seems quite downtrodden since we last saw him, doesn't understand what this all has to do with him and Matt starts to tell him that he could be using all his skills and tools to be of service, a comment that Castle scoffs at, "Are you of service, Red?"
The pair exchange barbs, with Frank calling Matt out for running around in a Halloween costume and being of service. Matt says he could be saving lives instead of moping, and Frank admits he did that, and tells him tto look around to see what it got him: nothing.
Matt pushes his buttons further, "I didn't know you were a victim in all this," something that starts to set Frank off. He doesn't have time for the "candy ass hero shit" and then starts to share his thoughts. "I'll tell you what I think, Red. I don't think you came here for my help. See. I think you want my permission."
Frank knows what Matt wants, calling him guilty. He knows what Matt wants and Matt knows it too, telling him he'll come back another time, which is when Frank brings up Foggy, stopping Matt in his tracks. Matt insists it's not about Foggy, so Frank asks him to say his name. He starts to yell at him, calling him a coward, telling him he hates himself because he hasn't done anything to avenge his friend's death.
Matt snaps and punches Castle in the face, but stops himself from escalating things further and apologizes instead. Frank tells him not to and while Matt insists it's not about Foggy, Castle again tells him it is, empathizing with his pain in a truly special moment between these two iconic superheroes.
Matt tells him he ran Bullseye down and let the system take care of him, which Frank reacts angrily to, "you know he gets to breathe the same air that you breathe." Matt shouts back that Bullseye got life, and Frank asks, what about Foggy? Matt tearfully remembers his friend and finally says his name, "Foggy was the kindest, purest soul I ever met. And guys like you and me, we can work a lifetime and never measure up to his decency." End of scene.
Daredevil and The Punisher, reunited again, but it'll be a while before we see them partner up again...
Back at the Fisk residence, the couple revisit their therapy session, with Wilson reassuring Vanessa that she is indeed safe with him. Meanwhile, at Matt's apartment, he finds Heather waiting for him and the pair unwind after a long day.
After quality time with their respective ladies, both Murdock and Fisk get back to work.
We finally get to see the Daredevil lair and his five masks on display, and his signature billy clubs. Fisk, on the other hand, enjoys a quiet dinner, and it's revealed that he's holding Adam prisoner at a secret location. Then, Matt steps onto his rooftop and gets back to training... Daredevil and the Kingpin are both back!
The episode ends with Muse claiming another victim!
Next week, we're getting two episodes back-to-back, so don't miss them!
In our full season review, we said, "All in all, Daredevil: Born Again is a bloody masterstroke! Thanks to a riveting season-long narrative, a powerhouse performance from Charlie Cox, and some of the most jaw-breaking comic book action ever put on screen, the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s darkest and most violent series is easily its best yet! The Devil is back and has never been more relentless in his pursuite of justice, so here's to hoping he doesn't go anywhere for a very long, long time."
In Marvel Television’s “Daredevil: Born Again,” Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox), a blind lawyer with heightened abilities is fighting for justice through his bustling law firm, while former mob boss Wilson Fisk (Vincent D’Onofrio) pursues his own political endeavors in New York. When their past identities begin to emerge, both men find themselves on an inevitable collision course. The series also stars Margarita Levieva, Deborah Ann Woll, Elden Henson, Zabryna Guevara, Nikki James, Genneya Walton, Arty Froushan, Clark Johnson, Michael Gandolfini, with Ayelet Zurer and Jon Bernthal. Dario Scardapane is showrunner. Episodes are directed by Justin Benson & Aaron Moorhead, Michael Cuesta, Jeffrey Nachmanoff, and David Boyd; and executive producers are Kevin Feige, Louis D’Esposito, Brad Winderbaum, Sana Amanat, Chris Gary, Dario Scardapane, Chris Ord & Matt Corman, and Justin Benson & Aaron Moorhead. “Daredevil: Born Again” launches on Disney+ on March 4, 2025.