When Netflix’s Daredevil concluded its third season in 2018, viewers witnessed Benjamin Poindexter (Wilson Bethel) undergo experimental surgery after Wilson Fisk (Vincent D’Onofrio) brutally shattered his spine in their final confrontation. The closing moments of Season 3 showed doctors discussing a mysterious material called “cogmium” as they operated on Poindexter, with the final shot revealing the Bullseye logo reflected in Pointdexter’s eye as a setup for his enhanced return as the iconic villain. This tantalizing cliffhanger remained unresolved for years after the show’s abrupt cancellation, leaving fans to speculate about what abilities Poindexter might have gained from this medical procedure.
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Daredevil: Born Again immediately reintroduced Bullseye in its shocking premiere, showing him murder Foggy Nelson (Elden Henson) and survive being thrown from a rooftop by Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox). While his survival of what should have been a fatal fall suggested some form of physical augmentation, the exact nature of his powers remained shrouded in mystery. Episode 8 of Daredevil: Born Again finally addresses Poindetxer’s enhanced nature, revealing his procedure transformed an already deadly marksman into something even more dangerous.
WARNING: Spoilers below for Daredevil: Born Again Season 1, Episode 8
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In Episode 8 of Daredevil: Born Again, as guards escort Poindexter from protective custody to the general population in prison, one of them mockingly refers to his “superhuman vision,” dismissively calling him a “freak.” This brief but significant dialogue confirms that the cogmium procedure did more than just repair Pointdexter’s spine, it enhanced his visual perception to superhuman levels. The scene also establishes that the specific visual enhancement is documented in Bullseye’s prisoner file. This revelation explains how Poindexter maintains his uncanny accuracy throughout the series, as his already exceptional marksmanship is now augmented by literal superhuman visual capabilities.
How MCU Bullseye Differs From His Comic Book Counterpart
In Marvel Comics, Bullseye’s enhancements follow a significantly different path than what we see in the MCU. The comic version eventually receives an adamantium skeleton reinforcement similar to Wolverine’s, though less extensive. This procedure occurs after Bullseye suffers a severe spinal injury at the hands of Daredevil rather than Kingpin. The adamantium reinforcement gives Bullseye extraordinary durability and transforms nearly every bone in his body into a potential weapon. However, in the comics, Bullseye’s marksmanship is an innate ability that was never enhanced by medical procedures.
In the MCU, Pointdexter’s cogmium spine is not as resistant as in the comic book. Plus, the increased visual abilities of the assassin give a scientific explanation for his ability to turn every object into a weapon, following the grounded tone of Marvel’s street-level corner of the MCU. Finally, Pointdexter’s medical procedure creates an interesting parallel between him and Daredevil. Matt Murdock’s childhood accident completely removed his sight while vastly increasing his other senses to superhuman levels. Meanwhile, Poindexter’s medical procedure has improved his sight, making him the perfect opposite of Daredevil even in terms of powers.
New episodes of Daredevil: Born Again premiere on Disney+ every Tuesday.
Do you like the changes the MCU made to Bullseye powers? Join the discussion in the comments!
