Daredevil: Born Again Season 2, episode 7 features a delightful blink-and-you’ll-miss-it Easter egg that’s actually pretty important for the overall MCU. The best TV shows always try to create a strong sense of place, and Born Again is no different. This story is about New York City as a whole, with Wilson Fisk attempting to twist Manhattan into his own image. Episode 7 doubles down on this with the death of Daniel Blake, an over-promoted member of the Fisk administration who felt like he represented the everyday New Yorker.
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The episode also features some stunning shots of the New York skyline. Delightfully, attentive viewers have noticed this isn’t the typical New York; it’s the MCU’s version, complete with the Thunderbolts’ Watchtower (formerly known as Avengers Tower). It may seem like just another MCU Easter egg, but it’s actually pretty important.
Daredevil: Born Again Fixes a Major Marvel Netflix Complaint
Born Again is the spiritual successor of the old Marvel Netflix shows, which launched in 2015 with Daredevil Season 1. These were originally presented as integral to the shared universe, part of the same world, but attentive viewers quickly noticed odd details. Specific events in the mainstream MCU were rarely mentioned (the Battle of New York was constantly referenced as “The Incident”), and it soon became clear connectivity would be as loose as possible. One particular detail seemed oddly symbolic; the fact Daredevil (and subsequent Marvel Netflix shows) never had Avengers Tower on the skyline.
Marvel Television’s Jeph Loeb went to great lengths to try to justify this weird absence. “Being less specific helps the audience understand that this could be on any street corner,” he told Inverse in an interview back in 2017. “Where we’re sitting right now, I can see the Empire State Building, but if we were sitting 30 blocks that way, I wouldn’t be able to see the Empire State Building. That doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. It just means that we can’t see it from where we are.” Given several of the shows were quite specific in terms of location, it was a pretty absurd argument.
The truth is probably a lot more prosaic; the Marvel Netflix shows tended to use stock footage of the New York skyline, and adjusting it would cost money that could be better spent on the story. It didn’t stop the fandom complaining, of course, and it’s more than a little amusing to see Avengers Tower – now rechristened the Watchtower – in Daredevil: Born Again‘s skyline. It really does feel like a declaration that everything is truly connected now.
Daredevil: Born Again Just Confirmed the MCU Timeline
This isn’t just an Easter egg, though. It’s actually official confirmation of where Daredevil: Born Again Season 2 fits into the MCU timeline. The Watchtower was still being worked on during Thunderbolts*, with scaffolding visible all along the building’s side. There’s no trace of scaffolding in Born Again Season 2, and construction has been completed. The clear implication is that, as many had theorized, Born Again Season 2 is indeed set shortly after Thunderbolts*. This isn’t just academic, because it serves as a major plot point.
Mr. Charles is working for the Contessa, and they’ve been taking advantage of the Kingpin to run guns through New York. Incredibly, it seems this particular operation is running in a post-Thunderbolts* world, one where the Contessa has managed to wriggle out of the political pressure and continue her career. The Thunderbolts (or, as she’s christened them, the New Avengers) certainly aren’t doing a good job of keeping the Contessa on a leash.
The timeline may indicate how and why the Contessa struck a deal with the Kingpin in the first place. Wilson Fisk has branded vigilantes illegal, which should surely affect the New-York-based New Avengers. Presumably he agreed to leave them alone, in return for allowing the Contessa to take advantage of the Red Hook freeport. The whole bargain has come crashing down now, of course – ironically because of Mr. Charles, who made the mistake of dragging Jessica Jones into the whole thing.
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