Daredevil: Born Again Set Footage Confirms Return of Major Netflix Characters
The latest set leaks from Daredevil: Born Again promise a long-awaited reunion from the Netflix show.
This post contains spoilers to Daredevil: Born Again.
Daredevil: Born Again? More like Daredevil on Netflix: Born Again!
When Disney announced the MCU TV series Daredevil: Born Again, the studio played coy about the show’s relationship to the Netflix series that preceded it. Yes, Charlie Cox would once again play blind lawyer turned protector of Hell’s Kitchen Matt Murdock, and Vincent D’Onofrio would return as his enemy Wilson Fisk, the Kingpin of Crime.
At first, the distinction made sense. While Daredevil remained strong, especially through its third season, shows such as Iron Fist and The Defenders suffered from stories stretched thin and lackluster performances. Furthermore, the show’s rough violence and sexuality made them a poor fit with the MCU’s soft PG-13 aesthetic.
However, with each month, it seems more and more like Daredevil: Born Again will be a direct continuation of the Netflix shows. Not only did the MCU go the TV-MA route for Echo, matching the rating of the Netflix series, but Disney also announced that the Daredevil: Born Again cast will include Jon Bernthal as the Punisher and Wilson Bethel as Dex Pointdexer aka Bullseye.
No such announcement has accompanied the latest pair of Netflix stars to join the Daredevil: Born Again cast, but videos leaked from the set have already confirmed it. Deborah Ann Woll and Elden Henson will reprise their roles as Karen Page and Foggy Nelson, partners in Matt’s law firm Murdock, Nelson and Page. The videos don’t tell us much about their role in the plot, but they do find the trio laughing and smiling like old friends.
Woll and Henson were important parts of the three seasons of the Netflix series. The easy chemistry between the trio provided a nice relief to the grime and suffering of Matt’s life, and also recreated the camaraderie that people love about the MCU.
Furthermore, Foggy and Karen are a big part of Matt’s life in the comics. As in the show, Foggy has been Matt’s best friend since college and stuck by his pal through some pretty insane trials. Karen began as Matt’s initial love interest, one of many, and writers have put her through the wringer. In the “Born Again” story from the comics, writer Frank Miller makes Karen a drug-addled sex worker who sells Daredevil’s secret identity to Kingpin for enough money to get a fix. In the Guardian Devil story from Kevin Smith and Joe Quesada, Karen comes back into Matt’s life only to get killed by Bullseye.
Will Daredevil: Born Again have an equally bad end for Matt’s pals? Since Disney seems to be reworking the series on the fly, we have no idea. But at least the leaked video confirms that the three will have a few good times together.
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Joe George’s writing has appeared at Slate, Polygon, Tor.com, and elsewhere!