Daredevil: Born Again opens with a devastating tragedy as Bullseye (Wilson Bethel) murders Foggy Nelson (Elden Henson) in front of his friends. In the aftermath of this loss, a grief-stricken Matt crosses a moral line when he throws Bullseye from a rooftop in a rage-fueled attempt to kill him. Though Bullseye survives the fall, Matt’s Catholic faith is profoundly shaken by his willingness to commit murder. Overwhelmed by guilt and moral conflict, Matt makes the difficult decision to hang up his Daredevil horns, focusing solely on his legal career alongside his new partner, Kirsten McDuffie (Nikki M. James). For much of this season of Daredevil: Born Again, Matt struggles with this self-imposed restriction, attempting to pursue justice exclusively through legal channels while the city around him descends into chaos under Mayor Wilson Fisk’s (Vincent D’Onofrio) influence. This internal battle between Matt’s two identities reaches its breaking point in Episode 6, when he finally dons the Daredevil suit again.
Videos by ComicBook.com
WARNING: Spoilers below for Daredevil: Born Again Episode 6
Matt’s path back to vigilantism begins with his defense of Hector Ayala (Kamar De Los Reyes) in Episode 2. The situation escalates when Matt discovers Hector is secretly the White Tiger, another vigilante protecting New York’s streets. This revelation immediately parallels Matt’s abandoned dual identity, forcing him to confront the very lifestyle he’s rejected. When corrupt officers threaten to eliminate Nicky Torres (Nick Jordan), the key witness who could exonerate Hector, Matt physically confronts them in Nicky’s apartment. Though he doesn’t wear the Daredevil suit, this moment marks his first return to vigilante-style violence since Foggy’s death, leaving him with bloodied knuckles that serve as a visual reminder of the violence still within him.
[RELATED: Daredevil: Born Again Fixes Marvel Fan’s Problem With Netflix Punisher]
Despite Matt’s legal victory in securing Hector’s freedom, the White Tiger is executed shortly after resuming his vigilante activities. This devastating turn of events deepens Matt’s internal conflict. He successfully worked within the system to prove Hector’s innocence, only to see him killed. This sense of failure compounds when Angela Del Toro (Camila Rodriguez), Hector’s niece, approaches Matt in Episode 4, seeking help to continue her uncle’s investigation into mysterious disappearances around an abandoned subway line. Matt’s refusal to step outside legal boundaries leaves him unable to offer meaningful assistance, causing Angela to storm out in frustration after pointedly reminding him of her uncle’s belief that sometimes you must take action yourself.
The breaking point comes in Episode 6 when Matt learns that Angela has disappeared while investigating the tunnels beneath the city. Matt’s first instinct is to place a 911 call, but he knows that the system he’s committed to cannot respond quickly enough to save her from the serial killer Muse. The weight of his accumulated guilt — over Foggy’s death, over Hector’s murder, and now over Angela’s disappearance after he refused to help her — culminates in Matt putting on his Daredevil costume again. As such, his return to the mask isn’t a rejection of his earlier moral stand but a recognition that both parts of his identity are necessary to truly serve justice.
Matt’s Return to Daredevil Represents a Reconciliation of His Dual Identities
Daredevil: Born Again constructs a deliberate pathway of escalating moral challenges that ultimately lead Matt back to the Daredevil suit. First comes Hector’s case, where Matt witnesses firsthand how corrupt officers fabricate evidence and intimidate witnesses, revealing the system’s vulnerabilities. Then Hector’s murder following his legal exoneration drives home that sometimes courtroom justice isn’t enough to protect the innocent. Angela’s subsequent visit forces Matt to confront the consequences of his inaction as she berates him for hiding behind legal protocols while people continue disappearing. The steady accumulation of these experiences creates an inescapable moral calculus: when Angela goes missing and becomes Muse’s latest victim, Matt must acknowledge that adherence to his self-imposed restrictions would make him complicit in her death.
Because of this gradual approach, Matt Murdock’s decision to reclaim the Daredevil mantle in Episode 6 of Born Again marks a critical evolution in his understanding of his dual identity. Matt becoming Daredevil again isn’t portrayed as a moral compromise but as the necessary integration of the lawyer who believes in the system and the vigilante who acts when that system fails. Unlike his previous approach of compartmentalizing his life, this new integration suggests a more mature acceptance that justice sometimes requires working both within and outside established systems, especially when people in power explore legal loopholes to enact their tyranny. The timing couldn’t be better, as Wilson Fisk keeps abusing his mayoral power to oppress the people of New York City.
New episodes of Daredevil: Born Again premiere on Disney+ every Tuesday.
What do you think about Matt’s journey back to becoming Daredevil? Share your thoughts in the comments!
