Daredevil’s Wilson Bethel Wants to “Out-Crazy” Colin Farrell as Bullseye in Born Again

Wilson Bethel is back as Bullseye on Daredevil: Born Again, and he’s returning with the goal of surpassing Colin Farrell’s level of villainous insanity when he previously played the character. Speaking with ComicBook at the Daredevil: Born Again red carpet premiere, Bethel spoke of Bullseye as “somebody who can get pretty unhinged,” and that conveying Bullseye’s insanity with a mask on is “a little bit more challenging than otherwise.” When asked directly if he might “out-crazy” Colin Farrell’s performance as Bullseye, Bethel responded “I mean it’s certainly my goal, let’s put it that way. My goal in life is to out-crazy Colin Farrell.”

Bethel’s description of Bullseye’s unstable nature as being a key element of his role on Daredevil: Born Again is sure to add intrigue to his much anticipated return to the role after last being seen in season 3 of Netflix’s Daredevil back in 2018. Farrell previously portrayed Bullseye in 2003’s Daredevil movie opposite future Batman Ben Affleck. Farrell’s performance as Bullseye in the film is certainly a highly campy, scene-chewing one, but on the flipside, Farrell’s turn as the Penguin has become one of his signature performances.

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In Daredevil season 3, Bethel’s version of Bullseye is portrayed as corrupt FBI agent Benjamin “Dex” Poindexter, who is recruited by Wilson Fisk a.k.a. the Kingpin (Vincent D’Onofrio) to frame Daredevil (Charlie Cox). Donning a replica of Daredevil’s horned red suit, Bullseye uses his skill at turning nearly anything in a projectile weapon to challenge The Man Without Fear. In the end, the Kingpin and Bullseye end up turning on each other, with Fisk inflicting a severe spinal injury upon Dex. However, Daredevil season 3’s final scene shows Dex undergoing back surgery, alluding both to his return as Bullseye proper and to Dex acquiring his metallically-augmented spinal column from the comics (which could even be the comics-accurate Adamantium, following the metal’s MCU introduction in Captain America: Brave New World.)

Daredevil season 3 showed Bethel’s Dex as a deeply troubled man as well as an assassin to be feared in his ability to throw virtually anything at his enemies with the accuracy and deadly skill of a ninja. With Daredevil: Born Again effectively becoming Daredevil season 4 after its mid-production overall, it stands to reason that the teases to Dex’s return as Bullseye are likely to factor heavily into his role on the show. However, Bethel evidently aims to take it a step further by portraying Dex as a homicidal maniac even more vicious that Colin Farrell’s version.

Given Vincent D’Onofrio’s portrayal of the Kingpin as an unstable man with a terrifyingly violent temper, Bethel’s statement on trying to out-crazy Colin Farrell’s Bullseye indicates that Matt Murdock will be up against some highly volatile villains in Daredevil: Born Again. With Bullseye also having dual enemies in not just Daredevil but also the Kingpin, he’s also perhaps the biggest wild card of Daredevil: Born Again. With The Man Without Fear’s return right around the corner, hopefully Bethel’s return as Bullseye brings the same unforgettable impact as his role on Daredevil season 3, as well as that of Colin Farrell’s monumentally unhinged performance as the Marvel villain.

Daredevil: Born Again arrives on Disney+ on March 4, and all three seasons of Marvel’s Daredevil are also available to stream on Disney+.