What to Watch Before Daredevil: Born Again

 

With Marvel Studios latest entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Daredevil: Born Again Season One fast approaching, I thought it would be fun to take a quick break from my usual content and make a guide for anyone wanting to catch up or refresh before it hits theatres. Here’s What to Watch Before Daredevil: Born Again.

 

The best place to start is with Daredevil’s Marvel Cinematic Universe debut, the first season of Daredevil which was initially produced for Netflix but which can now be seen on Disney+. This first season introduced Charlie Cox as lawyer and vigilante Matt Murdock aka Daredevil, Vincent D’Onofrio as Wilson Fisk aka The Kingpin along with Deborah Ann Woll as Karen Page, Elden Henson as Foggy Nelson and Aylet Zurer as Vanessa Marianna along with numerous other characters who would go on to appear in the various other MCU-related shows from Netflix.

 

Next up, Daredevil Season 2 introduced other key characters including Jon Bernthal as Frank Castle aka The Punisher, Matt’s former mentor Stick, played by Scott Glenn along with his former lover and trained killer Elektra Natchios as portrayed by Élodie Yung as a war with the criminal organisation The Hand escalates. It’s confirmed that Jon Bernthal will reprise his role in Daredevil: Born Again.

 

After this we have the crossover event mini-series The Defenders which sees Matt Murdock meet and team-up with the super strong private investigator Jessica Jones (Krysten Ritter), bulletproof badass Luke Cage (Mike Colter) and Danny Rand aka the Immortal Iron Fist (Finn Jones) to stop the machinations of The Hand, led by Alexandra (the stunning Sigourney Weaver). The series ends with Matt Murdock believed dead in massive building collapse which leads into…

 

Daredevil Season 3 opens with a recovering Matt Murdock and leads to Wilson Fisk being released from prison a free man. Wilson Bethel portrays Special Agent Benjamin Poindexter (known in the comics as Bullseye) who is recruited by Fisk to impersonate Daredevil, framing him for various slayings. The season and series ends with a three-way battle between Murdock, Fisk and Poindexter. Poindexter is left paralysed and undergoing surgery, while Kingpin is beaten and sent back to prison, with he and Daredevil reaching an uneasy agreement that Fisk will leave Karen and Foggy alone in exchange for Daredevil not revealing Fisk’s wife Vanessa’s criminal involvement in events. The Netflix era ends here and we wouldn’t see Charlie Cox in the role for quite some time.

 

Perhaps an expected place for Vincent D’Onofrio to appear as Wilson Fisk and cement the prior series events as ‘canon’ to the Marvel Cinematic Universe proper, the Disney+ Hawkeye series reveals The Kingpin to be the big bad behind the show’s events, having been released from prison once more and using the Tracksuit Mafia to reclaim his former empire. Notably, Fisk is shown to have a close relationship with protégé Maya Lopez (Alaqua Cox) until it’s revealed he is responsible for her father’s murder, resulting in her shooting him in the face.

 

Released in the same week, Spider-Man: No Way Home featured Charlie Cox reprising his role as Matt Murdock in a cameo appearance as Peter Parker’s lawyer. This moment got gasps and applause in the cinema when I saw it.

 

Matt Murdock returns in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law in Episode 8, even suiting up in a new Daredevil costume inspired by his earliest comic appearances and teaming up with fellow lawyer/superhero Jennifer Walters aka She-Hulk before the pair share a one-night stand. Daredevil briefly returns for a cameo in the show’s finale Episode 9.

 

Finally, during a flashback in the Disney+ mini-series Echo, we see Daredevil battle Maya Lopez in Episode One. The show follows Lopez returning to her home town and reveals Wilson Fisk survived being shot before culminating in the two facing off. Ultimately, Fisk returns to New York with his mind set on becoming the Mayor of New York City, leading into Daredevil: Born Again.

 

You may choose to skip some of these entries, but I’m sure watching them all will provide further depth and understanding for Daredevil: Born Again.

 

Until I discover how to fight blind, I remain

 

frogoat

 

  

 

 

 

 

History of the MC2: Daredevil

I was inspired recently to make a timeline of events covering the history of the MC2, spanning the nebulous 15 year stretch of time after the Main Marvel Universe (or Universe-616) split off and became the MC2 (or Universe-982) and before the next-generation of heroes began to debut starting with J2 #1, A-Next #1 and What If #105.

Given that Daredevil Season 3 is coming to Netflix, for the third installment of this series I've chosen to examine The Man Without Fear himself; Daredevil. We first learn that Matt Murdock aka Daredevil was killed in What If #105. However, a reoccurring mystery in the pages of Spider-Girl revolves around the identity of the vigilante known as Darkdevil and his connection to the man called Kaine. This is most prominently addressed in Spider-Girl #17 where we learn Wilson Fisk aka The Kingpin of Crime was responsible for Daredevil's death. The full story would finally be brought to light in the phenomenal Darkdevil mini series.

While we don't know the exact point at which the history of the Main Marvel Universe's Daredevil stops reflecting that of the MC2's Daredevil, we can make a very educated guess based on the evidence. In Daredevil (vol. 1) #354, Franklin 'Foggy' Nelson - lawyer and close friend of Matthew Murdock - began dating the widowed Liz Osborn. The couple are later split up through the machinations of Mysterio in Daredevil (vol. 2) #8. As we learn in the MC2 that Foggy and Liz eventually married and remained so until Liz's death, we can assume the point where the two Universe's stop sharing a common history is sometime prior to Daredevil (vol. 2) #8.

Spider-Girl #63

Beyond this, we don't know a huge amount about the intervening years before Matt Murock's death.  Phil Urich aka the good Green Goblin tells us in Spider-Girl #42  that at some point Daredevil was ultimately responsible for the capture of the mentally unstable villain Angel Face.

Several years later the District Attorney had collected enough evidence to finally put Wilson Fisk aka The Kingpin away for life. Confronting him, Daredevil finds himself in battle with Fisk's enforcer Kaine. With nothing to lose, Fisk orders his men to open fire on Daredevil despite Kaine being in their way. In a heroic final act, Daredevil dies shielding Kaine from the barrage of bullets with his own body (Darkdevil #2).

Deeply moved by Daredevil's selfless sacrifice, Kaine vowed to save the hero through any means necessary. Bringing the slain Murdock's remains to a hidden lab, Kaine endeavoured to revive the dead hero through scientific means. When this proved fruitless, Kaine turned to the arcane methods he himself had used to stave off the effects of clone degeneration.

Unfortunately, Kaine's well meaning actions would have unintended consequences. Nearly a year earlier, Kaine had found his 'brother' Ben Reilly and Elizabeth Tyne's son (later known as Reilly Tyne) dying as a result of Ben's clone nature. Having placed him in a Resuscitation Tube to save his life, the boy lay in stasis when Kaine summoned the demonic Zarathos. The Spirit of Vengence ignored Kaine's offer of his own life in exchange for Daredevil's. Instead Zarathos possessed the teenage boy, altering his body into a demonic adult form with the intent of walking the earth once more.

Suddenly confronted by the soul of Daredevil in spirit form, Zarathos and the hero battled for the body and soul of the innocent. The conflict raged until finally Daredevil succeeded in banishing the demon, with Zarathos leaving his marks upon the boy and swearing vengeance. 

 The boy eventually mastered the residual abilities Zarathos had given him, though he now appeared to be a man in his twenties. Driven by the spirit of Matt Murdock, he enrolled in college and eventually joined Foggy Nelson's law firm under the name Reilly Tyne while fighting crime as the vigilante Darkdevil.

Though Matt Murdock died years ago, Daredevil lives on within the soul of another hero dedicated to justice. 

Based on various comments throughout various MC2 titles, we can piece together the order of events surrounding Daredevil's death and afterlife. However, unlike previous entries in this series, we have far less definitive references to determine placement in the pre-history of the MC2. We know Murdock died 'quite a few years ago' thanks to a line in Spider-Girl #17 but that's not much to work from. 

That said, here's what we do know:

• Foggy Nelson and Liz Allan Osborn continue dating and eventually marry, raising Liz's son Normie Osborn together.
• Many years later, the 13 year old son of Ben Reilly and Elizabeth Tyne is found near-death by Kaine, who places him in a Resuscitation Tube to stave off his clone degeneration.
• Nearly a year later, the District Attorney has collected enough evidence to send Wilson Fisk aka The Kingpin to jail for life
•  Daredevil is killed saving Kaine from Fisk's gunmen.
• Kaine attempts to revive Daredevil using science but fails, and so resorts to the arcane.
• Kaine summons Zarathos and pleads with the demon to restore Daredevil to life in exchange for his own.
• Zarathos instead possesses and alters the body of Reilly and Tyne's son. 
• Daredevil's spirit battles Zarathos for the boy's soul and body, eventually driving the demon out.
• The boy eventually masters his demonic abilities and studies law, gaining a job at Foggy Nelson's law firm under the name Reilly Tyne while also operating as the masked hero Darkdevil in Murdock's honour.
• Daredevil's soul continues to guide Reilly Tyne.

*Theoretically, we could use 'Reilly Tyne's' age of 13 years (+1 year in stasis) to estimate how long ago Daredevil was murdered and Kingpin went to jail but that requires knowing when Tyne was conceived. While that might sound easy, we actually have at least two potential answers. But that's a topic for another day.*

The Darkdevil mini series represents a truly mind-boggling collection of concepts and ideas that somehow work really well together. I think it's a fitting end for the Man Without Fear to fight vengeance with justice. 

Until I go blind reading MC2 comics, I remain

frogoat

Previous entries in the History of the MC2 series to-date:

History of the MC2: The Avengers

History of the MC2: The Fantastic Four