Why The Avengers Ignored Daredevil: Born Again Actually Has an Answer (But There’s Still a Problem)

The Avengers aren’t around in Daredevil: Born Again season 2, and while this is a criticism that has been levied at tons of MCU projects already, this is the one story where their absence actually makes sense. The Avengers and MCU’s other big-name heroes are supposed to be the ones dealing with Earth’s biggest threats. So, when major threats like Hydra, the Void, or Mayor Fisk rear their heads and the Avengers are missing, many fans are left wondering why.

Mayor Fisk’s reign in Born Again is one of the biggest threats to superheroes that the MCU has ever introduced, as Fisk wants to get rid of vigilantism entirely. While Daredevil, Jessica Jones, and a few others are fighting back, it’s shocking that more superheroes aren’t involved, especially since New York City has an unusually high concentration of vigilantes. However, when you look at the state of the MCU right now, it actually makes perfect sense that the Avengers aren’t around.

It Makes Sense That The Avengers Aren’t In Daredevil: Born Again Season 2

Daredevil is forming an army to fight Fisk, and while it would make sense for him to enlist some of the MCU’s most popular heroes, some of them are out of commission. First, the actual Avengers. The Avengers never truly reformed after Civil War, and with characters like Tony Stark and Steve Rogers dead, the only actual members of the official Avengers are Captain America and Falcon. Both Sam and Joaquin are probably dealing with their own problems, and since they’re now mostly seen around Washington D.C., it makes sense that they’re not fighting a mayor in New York. Plus, they could be busy forming the Avengers off-screen ahead of Doomsday.

So, that brings us to the New Avengers. Formerly called the Thunderbolts, this new team of superhero vigilantes is based primarily in New York City, so it would make sense for them to be on Daredevil’s radar. However, the New Avengers work for Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, who is the boss of Mr. Charles. Charles is in a partnership with Fisk, and since the North Star and the Red Hook Port are what Daredevil is primarily fighting against, it makes sense that Valentina wouldn’t allow the New Avengers to fight against her own interests.

Characters like Thor, the Guardians, Captain Marvel, and more are frequently off-planet, with their focus on intergalactic threats making them less concerned with street-level problems. The Young Avengers could get involved, but again, they may be concerned with the formation of their own team. Doctor Strange lives in NYC, but Clea has taken him on an adventure in the Dark Dimension. So, this means that the majority of superheroes that would logically help out Daredevil are tied up with other things, explaining why it’s just Matt and other Defenders characters.

However, It Makes No Sense That Spider-Man Isn’t There

One character who doesn’t have an excuse, however, is Spider-Man. Peter Parker almost exclusively operates in New York City, with him only leaving New York during his team-ups with the Avengers. Since people don’t remember Peter anymore, he isn’t an Avenger, meaning that he has almost no reason to leave the city. The first Spider-Man: Brand New Day trailer reveals that Peter has been fighting low-level villains in the time since No Way Home, so it makes no sense for him not to be involved in the fight against Mayor Fisk.

Fisk is a direct threat to Spider-Man’s activities, so he should definitely be concerned with Daredevil’s rebellion. The Anti-Vigilante Task Force would obviously be after Peter, so even if Spider-Man doesn’t appear in the show, fights between a new spider-themed vigilante and AVTF agents should at least be mentioned.

Even from a world-building perspective, Spider-Man needs to be involved. Wilson Fisk started as a Spider-Man villain, so it would be a shame for the MCU to miss this opportunity to involve Peter. Plus, Spider-Man and Daredevil frequently work together in Marvel Comics, further giving reason to have Peter in Born Again season 2. The lack of Spider-Man’s involvement in the show is clearly the product of either rights issues or budgetary constraints, as there is no in-universe reason to justify why Spider-Man is missing from Daredevil: Born Again.

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