Daredevil: Born Again Season 2 continues the thrilling Marvel Netflix revival, as Matt Murdock and the Kingpin collide. Created in a partnership between Netflix and the now-defunct Marvel Television, Daredevil launched a phenomenal range of Netflix shows that were unlike anything else in the MCU. They were brutal and gritty, grounded in a way that left viewers reeling. But by 2019, the Marvel Netflix saga seemed to be over. The different shows were cancelled one by one, as Netflix moved on.
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And then, thrillingly, Charlie Cox’s Matt Murdock made his big-screen MCU debut in Spider-Man: No Way Home. The stars of Daredevil have returned, with the epic first season of Daredevil: Born Again ending with Vincent D’Onofrio’s Kingpin now mayor of New York. Excitement is building for Born Again Season 2, not least because Krysten Ritter’s Jessica Jones is returning as well. But that does mean you may need a refresher ahead of this second season.
11. NYC Is Under Martial Law – & Vigilantes Are Illegal
Kingpin has successfully cemented his power, and is now unchallenged. He’s branded vigilantes illegal, assembling an Anti-Vigilante Task Force from the most corrupt, violent officers on the beat. Superhumans have always been controversial in the MCU – the Sokovia Accords alone prove that – but Kingpin naturally has very different motives to other government figures. Vigilantes are the one group who operate outside the law, which he now controls, and they are a challenge to his power.
10. Matt Murdock is on the Run
Kingpin, of course, knows Daredevil’s secret identity after the events of Daredevil Season 3. He dispatched the AVTF to kill Matt Murdock before his old nemesis could become a threat, but they were unsuccessful because John Bernthal’s Punisher intervened. Now Matt is on the run, well aware that he’s been marked for death by the AVTF. He’s determined to form a resistance and reclaim his city.
9. Karen Page Has Returned to New York
Deborah Ann Woll’s Karen Page had left New York City after Foggy Nelson’s death. Daredevil: Born Again Season 1 ended with Karen returning, though, and already watching out for Matt; she was the one who called the Punisher in to save his life. Karen has her own history with the Kingpin (she even killed one of his lieutenants in Season 1), so this will be very personal for her.
8. Kingpin Returns to Brutal Form
Kingpin trod a cautious path in Daredevil Season 1, and there were even hints he was genuinely trying to go straight. But Kingpin’s violent nature was only dormant, not extinct, and it erupted in shocking form. Police Commissioner Gallo had gotten in Fisk’s way one time too many, and he brutally murdered him.
7. Kingpin Is Illegally Imprisoning Any Threats
But Kingpin had never truly been redeemed. He and his wife, Ayelet Zurer’s Vanessa, had been going through marriage counselling to help restore their relationship. Vanessa had actually had an affair at one point… and the other party was now the Kingpin’s prisoner. Kingpin advanced this strategy, arresting others who he believed a threat to his reign, even briefly including the Punisher. Tony Dalton’s Jack Duquesne (aka Swordsman in the comics) is still captive.
6. Fisk Gives Heather a Role in His Administration
The marriage counselling served as a major subplot in Daredevil: Born Again Season 1, not least because Margarita Levieva’s Heather Glenn – Matt Murdock’s current girlfriend – was the one helping the Fisks. By the end of the season, Fisk had given Heather a permanent place in his administration. Needless to say, Daredevil did not take it well.
5. The Secret of Red Hook Revealed
Fisk focused a lot of attention on the Red Hook port, claiming it was a blight on the city that needed to be restored. In the end, Matt learned the real reason Kingpin was so dedicated to Red Hook; it’s a freeport, considered outside United States and New York jurisdiction. This status means Red Hook is perfect for money laundering, and served Vanessa Fisk well during a brief stint running the Kingpin’s criminal empire.
4. Vanessa Was Responsible for Foggy Nelson’s Assassination
This is why Foggy Nelson was killed, Matt realized; he discovered the truth about Red Hook, and Vanessa hired Wilson Bethel’s Bullseye as an assassin. Unlike Kingpin, Vanessa didn’t know Daredevil’s true identity, because Wilson Fisk would have known better than to risk incurring Daredevil’s wrath. Kingpin has learned the truth too, and he’s dedicated to working with Vanessa to ensure there’s no trail.
3. Officer North Killed White Tiger
Other vigilantes are suffering during the Kingpin’s rise. One superhero, White Tiger, was killed by a member of the AVTF; Daredevil and Punisher eventually learned the deed was done by Jeremy Isaiah Earl’s Cole North. It’s possible the mantle of the White Tiger will be passed on to Camila Rodriguez’s Angela Del Toro – just what happened in the comics.
2. We Haven’t Seen Jessica Jones in Quite a While
Krysten Ritter’s Jessica Jones is returning in Daredevil: Born Again Season 2, but we haven’t seen her in quite a while. Her Marvel Netflix story ended in Jessica Jones Season 3, with Alias Investigations expanding – and with a psychic on the team, too. Jessica is something of an anomaly among New York’s vigilantes, given she worked with the police and even registered under the Sokovia Accords.
1. Luke Cage Was (& Maybe Is?) Still on the Side of the Angels
We don’t know whether Mike Colter’s Luke Cage is in Daredevil: Born Again Season 2, but it would make sense for him to turn up. Luke Cage Season 2 ended with Luke taking over the Harlem’s Paradise club and a criminal empire, leading to fears he’d fall from grace. Jessica Jones Season 3’s finale showed he’s still looking out for Jessica, trying to keep the peace between the various underworld factions. Should Kingpin’s power continue to expand, Luke is sure to be affected.
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