Daredevil: Born Again reestablished the Netflix-era chronology of Hell’s Kitchen, restoring Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox) and Wilson Fisk (Vincent D’Onofrio) to their full complexity after years of ambiguous crossover appearances elsewhere in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The series has also served as a bridge between the original era and the current MCU landscape, reintroducing Bullseye (Wilson Bethel) in Season 1 before bringing Jessica Jones (Krysten Ritter) and Luke Cage (Mike Colter) into Season 2. At the same time, Born Again also found room for more recent characters, including Jack Duquesne (Tony Dalton), the sword-wielding vigilante first introduced in Hawkeye. With Season 3 now finishing production, fans have wondered where Duquesne’s story goes next, and Dalton has an answer.
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“I definitely have hope,” Dalton told The Direct when asked whether he’s hopeful about reprising the Swordsman role down the line. “I’d take that job in a second. But I have no information for you, my man. I’m sorry.” The comment strongly suggests the character is sitting out Season 3, which wraps this month. Dalton also addressed the fact that he has never worn the character’s proper Swordsman costume from the comics on screen. “I thought I was going to get one this time, but they didn’t do it,” he said.
The Swordsman Deserves a Bigger Place in the MCU
When Jack Duquesne first appeared in Hawkeye, Marvel Television used the character’s comic book history as a misdirect. In the source material, Swordsman debuted in Avengers #19 as a villain and eventual mentor turned enemy of Clint Barton (Jeremy Renner), so casting Dalton, fresh off his acclaimed turn as the villainous Lalo Salamanca in Better Call Saul, primed audiences to expect a similar trajectory. Instead, Hawkeye revealed Duquesne to be an innocent man framed by his own fiancรฉe, and he ended the season fighting alongside Kate Bishop (Hailee Steinfeld) rather than against her. That subversion carried directly into Daredevil: Born Again, where Duquesne resurfaced as a wealthy socialite moonlighting as a vigilante known only as Swordsman, giving Marvel Television a rare hero whose comic book villain origins had been fully inverted for the screen.
Season 2 pushed that redemption arc even further by placing Duquesne at the center of Wilson Fisk’s Safer Streets Initiative, as the first vigilante formally tried and imprisoned under the mayor’s new anti-vigilante law. The proceedings were rigged from the start, with attorney Kirsten McDuffie (Nikki M. James) unable to stop a guilty verdict despite dismantling the prosecution’s case. Dalton made the most of every appearance so far, whether sparring with Kate Bishop in Hawkeye or fighting his way out of Fisk’s secret detention facility using nothing but a piece of rebar and a stolen police baton. It’s no wonder he remains a fan-favorite character we would all like to see more of in the MCU.
Born Again also planted a clear seed for Duquesne’s future. Before stepping away from New York, he granted Daredevil access to his personal finances, effectively using his fortune to fund Matt Murdock’s fight against Fisk. That moment opens an obvious door for Marvel Television to bring the character back in a bigger capacity, whether that means using his wealth to permanently bankroll a future incarnation of the Defenders or simply keeping him on retainer as New York’s best-funded vigilante. Either way, Swordsman’s story feels far from finished, even if Season 3 won’t be the one to continue it.
Daredevil: Born Again Season 3 is expected to premiere on Disney+ in March 2027.
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