Daredevil: Born Again Reveals Shocking Reason Matt Murdock Quits

Daredevil: Born Again is the long-anticipated revival of the Netflix era of Marvel TV shows, which focused on street-level crime and whose gritty tone set it apart from the rest of the MCU. The series brings back Charlie Cox as Matt Murdock and Vincent D’Onofrio as Wilson Fisk, reuniting the fan-favorite cast that made the original series so compelling. After Cox’s brief appearances in Spider-Man: No Way Home and She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, viewers are finally getting a proper continuation of Daredevil’s story with the new show. Surprisingly, though, the first Born Again trailer revealed that the new show revolved around Matt Murdock retiring his vigilante persona, Daredevil. This dramatic shift has generated significant speculation within the Marvel fandom, as Matt’s dual identity has always been central to his character. As it turns out, the very first episode of Born Again provides a devastating explanation for this change, establishing a powerful new chapter for the Man Without Fear.

WARNING: Spoilers below for Daredevil: Born Again Season 1, Episodes 1 & 2

The first episode of Daredevil: Born Again opens with Matt Murdock, Foggy Nelson (Elden Henson), and Karen Page (Deborah Ann Woll) going to Josie’s after a day of hard work. At the bar, Foggy is focused on a heated but friendly discussion with DA assistant Kirsten McDuffie (Nikki M. James), about a current case that will lead them to face each other in court. The case involves a criminal who claims to have found a considerable amount of drugs, which Kirsten believes belonged to Foggy’s client. The comfortable camaraderie of this scene establishes the status quo that’s about to be shattered, with the Nelson, Murdock & Page law firm seemingly finding its stride in the years since we last saw them.

The night is interrupted when Foggy gets a phone call from his client, who is afraid because someone is coming for him. Matt realizes there’s something wrong thanks to his superhearing, and confronts Foggy. Foggy reveals that, to protect his client, he hid him in his own apartment. On the other side of the line, Matt can hear someone is trying to break into Foggy’s apartment. Matt decides to suit up and go save the client as Daredevil, rushing across Hell’s Kitchen to rescue the endangered man. While Matt is at Foggy’s apartment, the client, on the phone, apologizes, saying the assailant wanted to know Foggy’s location. It becomes clear that the person breaking and entering was a distraction for Daredevil and they weren’t after the client at all.

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A bullet pierces the shadows and finds Foggy’s chest. Bullseye (Wilson Bethel), in costume, emerges, shooting the crowd at Josie’s. He is there to get revenge and aims at Daredevil’s allies to hurt the hero. Matt hears the commotion from afar and returns to Josie’s. He battles Bullseye, trying to stop the villain from killing everyone in the bar, failing at times.

Their fight eventually leads them to the rooftops. Meanwhile, Karen remains with Foggy, applying pressure to his bullet wound and trying to keep him awake. Despite her best efforts, Foggy succumbs to his wounds and dies. When Matt hears his friend’s heart beat its last he is overcome with rage. Matt throws Bullseye from the top of the building, willing to kill the villain. However, Bullseye survives the fall. Even though Matt didn’t take a life, he has committed the ultimate sin when he decided to cross a line and push himself to the point where he was okay with trying to.

Matt’s Catholic Faith Is to Blame for Daredevil’s Retirement

After throwing Bullseye from the top of a building, Matt decides he can no longer be Daredevil. At that moment, he allowed himself to be led by rage, betraying his faith that has always been fundamental to his character. The original Daredevil series has always portrayed Matt’s Catholicism as both a source of strength and internal conflict, with his vigilantism existing in a morally gray area that he constantly struggles to reconcile with his religious beliefs. Attempting to kill Bullseye represents the crossing of a line that Matt cannot forgive himself for, even if his target ultimately survived.

Matt shuts everyone out during his grieving, pushing Karen away and leading her to move to San Francisco. He also opens a new law firm with former DA assistant Kirsten McDuffie. The premiere shows that months after Foggy’s passing, Matt’s new firm is thriving, and he has accepted that he should only defend people as a lawyer, not as a vigilante. As such, his partnership with Kirsten represents Matt’s attempt to rebuild his life without the Daredevil persona, focusing solely on legal justice rather than vigilante action.

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The loss of Foggy represents the most significant personal tragedy Matt has faced since losing his father, and the fact that it happened because of his actions as Daredevil makes the pain even more unbearable. In addition, his Catholic upbringing means that the sin of attempting to kill Bullseye weighs heavily on his conscience, creating a spiritual crisis as profound as his personal one. These two factors effectively establish that Matt believes abandoning Daredevil is the only way to honor Foggy’s memory and begin atoning for his momentary embrace of lethal vengeance.

As the season progresses, viewers will undoubtedly see Matt struggle with his guilt and grief while inevitably being drawn back to vigilantism. Nevertheless, Daredevil: Born Again’s premiere brilliantly sets up this internal conflict, giving both longtime fans and newcomers a clear understanding of Matt Murdock’s moral dilemma while promising significant character growth throughout the season.

New episodes of Daredevil: Born Again will premiere on Disney+ every Tuesday.

What did you think of Foggy’s death in Daredevil: Born Again? How do you think this trauma will affect Matt in the upcoming episodes? Join the discussion in the comments!