Warning: This article contains spoilers for Daredevil: Born Again episode 7, "Art for Art's Sake."

Marvel Studios might have already wasted the most terrifying new villain introduced in massive creative overhaul at the end of 2023 that completely changed the trajectory of the series. Even before these changes, Born Again was expected to introduce a haunting new villain, but I unfortunately found his MCU debut quite disappointing.

Daredevil: Born Again marked the returns of Charlie Cox's Matt Murdock and Vincent D'Onofrio's Wilson Fisk as archenemies Daredevil and Kingpin from Netflix's original Daredevil series. Having been elected as the new artistic serial killer, Muse, but Marvel made some huge and questionable changes to the latter.

Marvel Studios Made Huge Changes To Muse In Daredevil: Born Again

Muse Is Very Different In The MCU To His Marvel Comics Counterpart

Introduced back in 2016's Daredevil (Vol. 5) #11, Marvel Comics' version of Muse doesn't have a civilian identity, with his backstory and motivations being kept a mystery even to this day. This made Muse a terrifying villain for Daredevil, the Punisher and Blindspot on the streets of New York, particularly due to his Inhuman ability. This makes him a sensory void, which means it's incredibly difficult to track and see him, even for Daredevil with his heightened senses. This was completely changed for the live-action MCU, as Daredevil: Born Again's Muse is a human with a name.

I found it a bit of a shame that the mystery of Muse's backstory and identity wasn't retained for the MCU. Instead, Marvel Studios revealed that Hunter Doohan's Bastian Cooper is the man behind Muse's mask, but I preferred it when we didn't know his identity. Marvel Comics' Muse is made even scarier by the mystery surrounding his existence and origins, as this adds to the enigmatic nature and mythology of the powerful villain. Daredevil: Born Again pretty much ruined this for me, but I think Marvel can still fix this mistake.

I Preferred Muse When We Didn’t Know Who Was Behind The Mask

I Wish Marvel Studios Never Gave Muse A Human Identity

Don't get me wrong, I absolutely loved the scenes in which the masked Muse carried out his heinous acts in an effort to make his art. We saw Muse abducting innocent people, killing them in his underground lair, draining their blood and using it to make brilliant murals referencing many of New York's heroes and even villains, including Kingpin. However, it was the scenes where Muse wasn't in his creepy costume that I found disappointing, as I really wish Marvel Studios hadn't tried to give him a backstory and civilian identity.

Daredevil: Born Again episode 7, "Art for Art's Sake," saw Bastian Cooper in a therapy session with Dr. Heather Glenn, Matt Murdock's new love interest. This gave him the opportunity to reveal some of his backstory with his overbearing parents forcing him into taekwondo classes, but I found this backstory very disappointing, dull and underdeveloped. Much of the magic of Muse in Marvel Comics is that his identity is a secret, but Daredevil: Born Again giving Muse this lackluster backstory took away a lot of what makes the villain so great.

Daredevil: Born Again Season 2 Can Make Muse A Much More Threatening Antagonist

Muse Is Rumored To Return In Daredevil: Born Again Season 2

Daredevil: Born Again episode 7 ended with Muse being shot and killed by Heather Glenn after a battle with Daredevil. This raises some huge questions for Marvel Studios, as there was speculation that Muse would continue to have a key role in Daredevil: Born Again season 2, but his death throws a spanner in the works. I reckon there are ways that Muse can return in season 2 and become an even more terrifying antagonist, however, which can fix some of my biggest issues with Muse's depiction in Born Again season 1.

Daredevil: Born Again season 2 is currently filming, with the most recent set photos revealing that Charlie Cox's Matt Murdock will be suiting up in a black Daredevil costume that even has the iconic "DD" emblem from Marvel Comics.

Following his death in Marvel Comics, Muse found himself in Hell, where he encountered the rejected soul of artist Morgan Whittier. From Hell, he manipulated and influenced Whittier on Earth, allowing him to continue his sinister work. Daredevil: Born Again has already leaned into more mystical, MCU-inspired themes, so I could see this Muse story playing out in season 2. Alternatively, I think Muse's impact on New York could continue in the form of copycats, possibly even with Bastian Cooper being a copycat of the original, identity-less Muse, which would make me very happy, and the villain even more dangerous.

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