WARNING!! SPOILERS FOR EPISODES 1 & 2 OF DAREDEVIL: BORN AGAIN ON DISNEY+After seven years, Daredevil: Born Again on Disney+. The Man Without Fear returns with an emotional gut punch right out of the gate, establishing a dark tone for the series and showing the personal consequences of Matt’s choices.
The series premiere of Daredevil: Born Again, entitled “Heaven’s Half Hour,” begins with paying respect and homage to the Netflix series by reuniting the little family of Nelson, Murdock, and Page – Foggy, Matt, and Karen, respectively.
But the excitement of seeing the trio reunite after all these years is short-lived, when classic Daredevil villain Bullseye aka Benjamin Poindexter – played by Wilson Bethel – exacts vengeance on Daredevil by shooting Foggy directly in the heart. Matt, already on Bullseye’s trail, hears the whizz of the bullet and his best friend’s heart struggling to beat. Even after defeating Bullseye, Matt’s life is ruined the moment his enhanced hearing loses the sound of Foggy’s heartbeat.
Foggy Death Scene In "Born Again" Has Parallels To His Classic Comic Book Demise From Nearly 40 Years Ago
Daredevil: The Man Without Fear – Written By Ed Brubaker; Art By Michael Lark; Released In 1988
Foggy has stood beside Matt since Daredevil’s inception in the 1960s, playing perhaps the most important role in Matt’s life. However, being best friends with a vigilante comes with serious ramifications. An unfortunate moment for Foggy comes in the very first issue of Ed Brubaker's widely acclaimed 1998 series, Daredevil: The Man Without Fear. In the issue, Matt Murdock is in prison after being outed as Daredevil. When Foggy visits Matt in prison, he is stabbed to death just outside Matt’s cell, leaving the disgraced former hero helpless to do anything but listen to his best friend die.
Someone Needs to Say It: A Key Part of Daredevil Lore Hasn't Made Sense for 30+ Years
Daredevil of the 70s and 80s had a crime-ridden city to protect. Today, Hell’s Kitchen is more upscale than the gritty den of crime to the Miller-era.
Similarly to how Daredevil: Born Again positions Daredevil on a rooftop above the scene of Foggy’s murder, unable to do anything but listen to his friend’s heartbeat go silent, in Brubaker’s story, Matt is trapped behind brick walls with only a small bar frame at the front. All he can do is listen to Foggy’s assailants helplessly as his best friend dies just on the other side of the door. While traumatizing for Matt, leading him down a road that would include teaming up with the Punisher to stage a prison break, there was more to the story than met the eye.
Foggy Nelson's History Of Near-Death Experiences Has Daredevil Fans Forecasting A "Born Again" Twist
How The Comics Predict TV Foggy's Comeback
In Brubaker's Daredevil run, Foggy’s apparently tragic demise was done in a public arena in front of Matt and his many enemies for a purpose; so all of those who could possibly target Matt’s best friend would simply think he was dead. Instead, the whole plan was orchestrated by Vanessa Fisk, who quickly ushered Foggy into witness protection program as part of an overarching plan to go up against her husband and Daredevil. Immediately, some Daredevil fans have drawn the connection to this classic storyline, and begun to theorize that Born Again's Foggy Nelson might have survived after all.
Notably, there are other precedents for this possibility in Daredevil lore. Though not as traumatic as being shot in the heart, or being shanked to death, Foggy fought death again in Mark Waid and Chris Samnee’s 2014 Daredevil run. After being diagnosed with cancer, Foggy faked his death yet again, with Matt's help, leaving everyone in New York to believe that he succumbed to his illness, while in reality, Matt and Foggy traveled to San Francisco where Foggy could get treatment and heal. Thankfully, Foggy quickly beat cancer and was ready to get back into action in New York.
As The Person Closest To Daredevil, Foggy Nelson Is Always In The Crosshairs
Born Again Continues The Tradition Of Punishing Matt Murdoch's Best Friend
The conventions of drama make it so that Foggy Nelson is a perennial target; as Matt Murdoch's best friend and confidant, he has both a literal and figurative target on his back. Not only are Daredevil's enemies coming for him, but writers are incentivized to put him in danger, because of the motivation it provides for Matt. Much of Daredevil stories' pathos has come from the impact of his secret superhero life on those around him, something that Born Again uses as its plot catalyst, and something that was no better encapsulated than in Frank Miller's tenure with the character.
Famous for making Daredevil what he is today, Frank Miller had a specific style that was both dark and gritty, throwing Matt into the criminal underbelly of Hell’s Kitchen. During his time as Daredevil, he accrued many enemies, including Kingpin, Bullseye, and even his ex-girlfriend, Elektra. Using Elektra’s mental instability, Fisk sent her to assassinate Foggy in order to hurt Matt. Upon seeing Foggy’s face, Elektra recognizes him and does not complete the mission. Sadly, her failure leads to her classic fight with Bullseye that claims her life, leaving her to die in Matt’s arms.
Past to Present, Daredevil Marks Marvel's Darkest Hero for Better or Worse
The Disney+ series, Daredevil: Born Again, is preparing to take Matt Murdock down a dark path. Let’s explore Daredevil’s history of trauma.
The action of the first 15 minutes of Daredevil: Born Again was executed in a way that remained true Daredevil lore, as established in the classic stories of Bendis, Brubaker, Miller, and Waid’s defining comics. Yet as much as it could have been seen coming, the shocking tragedy of Foggy’s death was a brutal twist, as Foggy had been Matt’s only family and best friend since their college days. Ultimately, the moment Foggy dies is the moment Matt gives up being Daredevil, as he cannot live with the guilt of his actions as a vigilante coming back to endanger his loved ones.
Daredevil: Born Again
- Release Date
- March 4, 2025
- Showrunner
- Chris Ord
- Directors
- Michael Cuesta, Aaron Moorhead, Justin Benson, Jeffrey Nachmanoff
- Writers
- Chris Ord
- Franchise(s)
- Daredevil, Marvel Cinematic Universe
Cast
Matt Murdock / Daredevil
Wilson Fisk / Kingpin
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