Born Again Closes With an Explosive Prelude to War

And here we are at the end of the road. The first season of Daredevil: Born Again hasn’t been without its faults, but last week’s “Isle of Joy” and our closer “Straight to Hell” has plenty of fun moments as its settles into the next chapter. A lot’s going on here, to the point it doesn’t feel like it’s just an hour long, and it’s all largely worth it in the end.

Last week, we learned Vanessa hired Poindexter to kill Foggy, and “Hell” opens with a flashback of that fateful meeting. She had his actions during the original show’s third season wiped clean from his record in exchange for his services. She needs Foggy and his client dead, and Dex is the best man for this kind of job. “Your history with my husband isn’t part of this,” Vanessa says, to which Dex groggily replies: “He’s always part of this.” He’s been felt more than seen this season, but if the brief tease of him in the closing montage is any indication, he might be all over season two and make getting revenge on the Fisks his priority.

Following the intro, Matt’s recuperating at the hospital after Dex shot him. (“Karen?” being the first thing he says upon waking, and with Heather in the room, is extremely messy.) He remains adamant the Fisks are up to something, and he’s got no idea how right he is; we later learn that Fisk has been so gung-ho about Red Hook because it’s a free port exempt from local and federal jurisdiction. As the mayor with crime families and corrupt cops on his side, he’ll happily turn the neighborhood into a city-state that can further his crime operation.

Now fully in Mayor Kingpin mode, he cuts off New York’s power, giving Buck a window to kill Matt and an opportunity for some good ol’ chaos to reign upon the streets. There’s plenty of that going on, and the snapshots we see feel like a dark payoff to the civilian interviews and shots of New York from previous episodes. One of the darker moments comes when a cop executes a looter before shoving a mask on the corpse so it looks like a “justified” vigilante killing. His partner is more shocked by the killing itself than the frame job, but he’s not angry enough to do anything about it. Various side characters throughout “Hell” react to what’s going on around them like it’s just dawned on them how much damage Fisk has done, and the position he’s put them in. Daredevil: Born Again has repeatedly shown how easy it’s been for the mayor to win people over with his charisma—Heather, after everything they’ve been through, is appointed as his mental health commissioner—or just find a weakness to exploit, while at the same time showing compliance can be as bad or worse than outright inaction.

Sheila is the best example of this: she’s always had a look of concern whenever her boss or Daniel did something that seemed to overstep boundaries. But instead of taking a chance to get the hell out of dodge, she chooses self-preservation and dimes out police commissioner Gallo before he leaves town to get help with unseating Fisk. Her betrayal leads to “Hell’s” most gruesome moment, wherein Fisk crushes Gallo’s skull with his bare hands in front of a dozen task force cops. Several are visibly rattled by what they just saw, but if any of them are truly having second thoughts, those feelings will presumably be explored next season. When all is said and done, it’s hard to imagine any task force dissenters or even Sheila coming back from this, either morally or alive at all.

As is, the fate of New York rests in the hands of its small number of vigilantes. Frank’s already at Matt’s apartment when he arrives, and after some fun banter, the two get to work taking down the task force cops storming the place. It’s fun to see the pair in action, particularly Frank, who can’t not kill these guys after everything he’s heard about them. The slow-motion and close-up shots of his feral face as he tears through the cops serves as a welcome reminder that he is the Punisher and on another level.

Only Cole North is lucky enough to survive the Daredevil/Punisher team-up, and it’s here where the show seemingly reveals he’s Hector’s Ayala’s killer. I say “seemingly” because it’s unclear how true this claim is; Matt doesn’t use his hearing to check Cole’s heartbeat, and Cole doesn’t confirm or deny his involvement. A grenade thrown from offscreen seems to put that to bed and possibly leave the door open for Cole’s return. But until then, Karen’s back! It’s nice to have her here, and Frank as a temporary third wheel makes things delightfully awkward when the three head back to his place. Matt, the little shit that he is, can’t help but comment on the “adrenaline” between Frank and Karen later on, giving fans of that pairing a small bone while leaving room open for more of them in the future.

Frank’s assistance ends there, because he’s got some cops over in Red Hook to take care of. Like a slasher villain on a rampage, he shoots, stabs, and hatchets his way through the task force before they manage to overwhelm him. If there were any doubts that he didn’t care for these Punisher wannabes, killing and insulting them to their faces is clear enough. To him, the greatest insult is the co-opting of his symbol without understanding or acknowledging what drives his actions. His very direct “go fuck yourselves” lands him in a cage alongside Fisk’s other enemies, including Jack. But if there’s one thing the Punisher’s good at doing, it’s persevering, and the mid-credits scene shows him begin his escape and eventual one-shot special.

On the other side of Red Hook, Matt and Karen learn this whole mini apocalypse isn’t going to be fixed with a simple one-on-one fight between Devil and Kingpin. Previous Daredevil finales had him going in sticks blazing for the fate of the city, but that can’t be the play this time. Martial law’s been declared and Fisk’s operation isn’t going anywhere, so the only thing to do is recover and gather forces. Currently, Matt and Karen’s ranks include some cops, plus Josie, Cherry, and Detective Kim. Not a great starter lineup, but they have other allies, whether they know it or not; Angela del Toro and Kirsten (who has the filing showing Red Hook’s a free port) are prominently featured over a montage of the principal characters, indicating they’ll have important parts to play going forward. Whoever else steps to up to help likely won’t be turned down, because from here on out, it’s a war for the soul of New York.

Thus ends the first season of Daredevil: Born Again. Over the last eight weeks, the show’s had its highs and lows, eventually evening out to conflicted but competent. It’s also found more of its own voice while continuing the spirit of its predecessor, and things end strong enough that another season would’ve been welcome even if it weren’t already announced. Hopefully we see you new and improved in 2026, Matt.

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