Marvel’s Daredevil: Born Again blazed our screens with its season 1 finale on Tuesday night, and you probably want to discuss it. I do too, but first, let’s take a moment to acknowledge that in addition to Matt and Kingpin, Frank Castle is the other star of this show. He’s not playing pattycake, got that? All the storylines and subplots of this show converged in episode 9, which was set up with Matt seemingly out of the game and Fisk/Kingpin scheming on Red Hook and ready to go against challengers like Commissioner Gallo.
Before walking into the fire that is the season closer, Matt was starting to piece together Bullseye’s (aka Dex/Poindexter) reason for murdering Foggy. He knew Vanessa was connected, and their verbal showdown on the dancefloor at Fisk’s ball culminated in a big reveal and Matt getting shot as he took Bulleye’s bullet meant for Fisk. That cliffhanger in episode 8 left Matt knowing about Vanessa’s involvement in Foggy’s death but lacking the dirty details. It also left the audience wondering why he chose to be a hero on Fisk’s behalf.
Throughout the series, there have been lingering questions about Hector Ayala and Foggy’s murders, and the darkness inside Fisk and Matt. Some loose ends were tied up in this final episode, and one thing we know for certain: No one is above violence. Let’s keep that in mind for season 2, but for now, here’s a breakdown of the biggest moments in the finale, that post-credits scene, and what could happen in Daredevil: Born Again’s future. (And remember, the show is set around 2027, after the events of Agatha All Along).
Spoilers are ahead, so if you haven’t watched the season 1 finale, do not read any further.
Why Vanessa hired Dex as a hitman
As Matt recovered in the hospital from his gunshot wound, we were shown a flashback of Vanessa Fisk visiting a heavily medicated Dex at a psychiatric hospital. She wanted him to sign a form for a conditional release on appeal in exchange for a hit on a thief named Benjamin (the same Benny that Foggy was on the phone with in episode 1) and Foggy Nelson. Dex raised concerns about Fisk, and Vanessa mentioned not seeing her husband in a long while. (His absence could’ve been due to the events in Echo.) Foggy’s case could expose some of her underhanded business dealings. She praised his skillset as Bullseye and said her husband isn’t part of it, though Dex warily responded, “He’s always part of this.” He begrudgingly signed the paperwork.
During a chat with McDuffie in his hospital bed, injured Matt deduced Foggy was celebrating an early win on his case because he asked to drink O’Melveny whiskey at Josie’s. He figured out the case was connected to Fisk, and they agreed to dig through old files to find Foggy’s motion to dismiss that was never filed.
Meanwhile, Fisk and his wife made up after she told him about Dex, but he already knew she hired Bullseye behind his back. Together, they started plotting about Red Hook and a city takeover.
Gallo, Daredevil and Punisher on Kingpin’s bad side
Fisk could wear his polished mask only for so long. He aimed his fury at Commissioner Gallo in a room full of his task force cronies, demanding to shut down the city to find Dex. Sheila tried to reason with Fisk, but he dismissed her and told everyone to do their jobs and charged her with weeding out “disloyalists.” He also told Buck to take out Daredevil, though Buck said Matt saving him complicated the optics. “Imagine if he succumbs to his wounds,” Kingpin said. “A dead hero is worth more than a live vigilante.”
Matt expected the hit and escaped to his home, where Frank awaited him. Surprise! Knowing what’s coming, the Punisher side popped out: “I’m not playing pattycake with these fanboys. I’m chopping ’em up, you understand me?” We do.
While that’s happening, Fisk declared martial law and has the power shut off in the city. Rioting and darkness ensued.
Fisk chews out Gallo as his henchmen look on.
Who killed Hector Ayala, aka White Tiger
As Frank and Matt waited for Fisk’s kill squad to show up, Frank asked, “Why would you take a bullet for that a*shole?” That is a good question, Matt said, but Fisk’s goons enter the building before anyone gets an answer. While Matt prefers to wound or knock people out, Frank went into full Punisher mode, with blood splattering everywhere and the sound piercing the audience’s eardrums.
They figured out Cole North was the cop who killed Hector Ayala. Frank urged Matt to kill for revenge, but Matt refused, instead replaying all the deaths and pain of the season in his mind. They started arguing after Frank shot a few more guys but were interrupted and jumped out a window because Matt heard a grenade pin. Who’s rolled up on the street below? Karen.
While regrouping at Frank’s hideout, there’s a callback to Karen and Frank’s friendly dynamic from Netflix’s The Punisher as she patched up his wound. We learned she called him to help Matt, and he showed up as a favor. But still, the “Inspector Gadget sh*t” isn’t for him, so Karen and Matt depart to look for Foggy’s files while Frank makes other plans.
Justice for White Tiger.
Fisk kills Gallo, Frank is out, but everything in its right place
While Matt and Karen sorted through files and Matt’s moral compass, Fisk was busy setting up Gallo to execute him. Everything leads to Red Hook. Karen and Matt learned Foggy would argue that Benny committed no crime in NYC or even the US due to the unique location of the Red Hook port. Therefore, the court had no jurisdiction to prosecute. The Red Hook charter of 1855 showed it was a free port, and Vanessa had been using it for money laundering. No customs, no taxes, no laws, and it’s why the Fisks wanted it. Foggy was unaware of what he stumbled onto.
Karen decided to go to Red Hook, and Frank — on a solo mission — did too. He killed and maimed a bunch of Fisk’s task force cops until a group of them overtook him. All those guys had a Punisher tattoo, mistakenly believing they were the same.
Jon Bernthal as The Punisher/Frank Castle.
Elsewhere, Sheila snitched on Gallo (she felt bad about it), and he was driven to a warehouse by an officer formerly under his command. When he arrives at a plastic-covered room, Fisk rants to his corrupt cop squad that Gallo was never there for them while they risked their lives. Fisk then grabbed Gallo’s head to intimidate him and keep viewers on edge. It was disturbingly gruesome as Fisk killed Gallo with his bare hands (I won’t recap the gore). Why didn’t Fisk just let him resign when he wanted to? Some of the cops appeared shocked and scared.
That scene was juxtaposed with a beaten, bloodied Punisher trash-talking the other group of reckless, murderous cops. He doesn’t want to join them, so he’s punished and taken prisoner.
When Karen and Matt got to Red Hook, they realized they were outnumbered and decided to retreat. By morning, Fisk held a press conference to lie about Gallo, impose a curfew and appoint Heather Glenn as his mental health commissioner. At that moment, Matt and Karen had a heart-to-heart about him thinking he was “immune to the darkness.” He wanted Poindexter dead and lost himself after Foggy’s death. Karen reassured him Foggy believed in him, whether it’s wrath, mercy, dark and light — Foggy knew it and believed in him.
As Radiohead’s Everything in its Right Place played, the episode closed out with Matt’s narration about the city and how the system isn’t working when there’s so much corruption. Josie, Cherry and some good cops are shown, while it cuts to Kingpin and Vanessa walking through their dungeon den where Swordsman, Frank and other resistors are locked up. Though the Fisks are celebrating their sinister glory, season 2 means a fight is in store as Matt — and Karen — rallies support. With people like B.B. Urich, Angela Ayala and Poindexter out there, twists, turns and new types of heroes are possible. Exposing Red Hook is just the start.
Daredevil is riled up for season 2 now that he’s let the devil in.
Daredevil: Born Again mid-credits scene fires up Punisher
Don’t ever say Frank Castle isn’t a friendly guy. If you kept watching the finale after the credits began rolling, you saw the scene between Frank and one of the guards patrolling the Fisks’ caged enemies. Frank asks his name and where he’s from, talking with the man — Anthony — in a chummy way.
Toward the end of the minute-and-a-half sequence, Frank thanks him for engaging with him and extends one of his chained hands, “I appreciate you giving me a minute like this. It’s an honor to meet you.” The guard takes the bait.
“Thank you, Anthony,” Frank says as the guard sticks his arm through the cage to shake his hand. Frank pulls Anthony’s entire arm through and snaps it against the bars as he wails in agony. This is the Punisher we’ve come to know and love through all the seasons of Daredevil and The Punisher. Will he fully escape Fisk’s clutches in that dungeon? That remains to be seen, but fans can expect him and Matt to be on the same team the next time we see them.
Daredevil: Born Again season 2 is currently in the works, and, according to executive producer Sana Amanat, will have lots of action, “crazy sequences” and “a slightly different kind of New York.” For now, you can binge season 1.
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