As we get closer to the release of Disney+’s upcoming revival series,Daredevil: Born Again, it’s important to reflect on where the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen was prior to his dramatic return. After the climacticThe Defendersminiseries that united all the Marvel/Netflix street-level heroes for one event series,Daredevilreturned for a third and final season, seemingly ending the Man Without Fear’s saga for good in late 2018. Ironically, it even adaptedthe very same “Born Again” storyline from the comicsthat the new series takes its name from. While this wouldn’t be the last we saw ofCharlie Cox’s Matt Murdock (who would later return to the MCU inSpider-Man: No Way Home), it was the end for quite some time. So, how didDaredevilSeason 3 conclude? Here’swhat you need to remembergoing intoBorn Again.
‘Daredevil’ Season 3 Focuses on Matt Murdock’s Inner Turmoil
Followingthe climactic events ofThe Defenders, Matt Murdock (Cox) has been presumed dead. Though Karen Page (Deborah Ann Woll) and Foggy Nelson (Elden Henson) have held out hope for their friend’s return, it’s now been quite some time since they last saw him as Daredevil and hope begins to waver. In the aftermath of the explosion that killed Elektra (Élodie Yung) and saved the city, Matt was severely injured. Only by the grace of God did he make it out alive. In fact, that grace continues to abound ashe is found by none other than Sister Maggie Grace(Joanne Whalley), a nun who helped teach Matt in his youth. Though Matt’s own Catholic faith has been ruptured due to recent events and the tragic loss he’s endured, Maggie continues to build the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen back up, hoping to return him to the righteous path.
She tells him that God works in ways we can’t always understand, giving the illustration of a beautiful tapestry. From the back, it seems to be a random series of strings and colors with no meaning, but when looked at in its entirety from a particular point of view, it’s a clear work of art.Maggie’s attempts to heal Matt’s spirit are interrupted, however, with the revelation that she isactually Matt’s long-lost mother. Having fallen in love with Battlin' Jack Murdock (John Patrick Hayden) in her youth, Maggie planned to leave the Church behind to make a life with him. She even birthed Matt in hopes of raising him as her own. But when her Catholic guilt mixed in with post-partem depression, Jack agreed that Maggie ought to return to the convent and follow the path she felt called to. While this feels at first like a betrayal to Matt, he later begins to understand the concept of a calling, forgiving her.
Additionally, Matt’s psyche has been fractured following the events in Midland Circle. When he returns to his vigilantism as Daredevil, he does so in an outfit that bears closer resemblance to his initial black appearance from thefirst season. Going back to his roots,Matt uses his heroics as an outlet to grow stronger, and to push himself into another confrontation with none other than Wilson Fisk(Vincent D’Onofrio), who has now returned. In fact, an illusion of Fisk torments Matt’s mind, pushing him to consider killing the Kingpin once and for all.
‘Daredevil’s Most Intense Episode Should Be ‘Born Again’s Standard
“Speak of the Devil” and he’ll give you great TV.
Kingpin Returns With a Vengeance
Following theevents of Season 2, Wilson Fisk makes a deal with the FBIto protect his love, Vanessa Marianna(Ayelet Zurer), and the Bureau soon puts him up in a fancy penthouse in the city. After an assassination attempt on Fisk forces Special Agent Benjamin “Dex” Poindexter (Wilson Bethel) to save his life,the Kingpin slowly molds the man into his own image, corrupting him into someone far more deadly. Over time, Dex and Fisk begin to bond, with the latter explaining that he is the only one who can understand his murderous impulses without judging him for them. It isn’t long before Fisk tasks Dex (who is put on leave for a time) with pretending to be Daredevil in an effort to destroy the vigilante’s reputation. Revealing himself by infiltrating theNew York Bulletin, the Devil-dressed Dex murders everyone in his sight and, on Fisk’s orders, sets his gaze on Karen next.
Of course, by this time, Matt has returned to his vigilante career and stops the faux Daredevil before he can kill Karen, who was the one responsible for helping expose Fisk back in Season 1 (and killed his ally, James Wesley). Knowing she won’t be safe anywhere but the Clinton Church where he’s been hiding, Matt takes Karen there, but Dex follows. Matt and Dex battle again, but the results are disastrous as Matt’s longtime friend and mentor, Father Lantom (Peter McRobbie), gives his life to protect Matt and Karen. Elsewhere,Fisk’s handler, Ray Nadeem(Jay Ali), slowly uncovers a criminal conspiracy within the FBI that points back to Fisk. The problem is, when he confronts those responsible, he is blackmailed into aiding and abetting Fisk’s shadow empire, completely powerless to stop it. After his family is attacked for aiding the real Daredevil (and once Matt reveals his identity to him), Nadeem publicly testifies against Fisk, with Matt and Foggy representing him. Though this very soon after leads to his death,Nadeem first records his confession, which Karen posts on social media. It isn’t long before the public sees Fisk for who he has always been.
Read Charlie Cox’s Foreword for Marvel’s New ‘Daredevil’ Comics Collection Ahead of ‘Born Again’ [Exclusive]
‘Daredevil: Born Again’ hits Disney+ on March 4.
‘Daredevil’ Ends With a Deal With the Devil (and a Tease for the Future)
In the season (and series) finale,“A New Napkin,“Matt decides to kill Fisk. Enraged at Nadeem’s death and Kingpin’s ability to rig the system, he arrives at his New York penthouse on the very day of Fisk’s wedding to Vanessa. However, he’s not the only one. After Matt previously revealed to Dex that Fisk was the one responsible for the death of the woman he stalked previously (a woman he claimed to love), the assassin comes to the same conclusion as well. Unfortunately for Dex, he is paralyzed by Kingpin, who beats Dex within an inch of his life due to his insubordination. At the very end of the season, we see that he is undergoing experimental spinal surgery, with his eyes reflecting the logo ofhis comic book counterpart: Bullseye.
This is when Daredevil arrives and battles Kingpin himself. Though his rage is red-hot,having recovered some of his Catholic faith, Matt refuses to kill the villain and instead makes him a deal– revealing his identity to Fisk. Matt is clear that, as a criminal, Fisk will spend the rest of his life behind bars, but if he agrees to do so, taking the fall for Nadeem’s death, the FBI conspiracy, and various other murders, he will personally see that Vanessa is kept out of it. Even though she was just as criminally involved, Matt vows to keep her out of prison so long as Fisk doesn’t come after Karen and Foggy ever again. With no other option,Fisk takes the deal and the war between Daredevil and Kingpin is declared over.
At Father Lantom’s funeral,Matt offers a eulogy that expresses his ideas of what it truly means to be a “Man Without Fear,“noting that Lantom was such a man. After so much time, separated from one another, all of this (especially Fisk’s defeat) finally brings Matt, Foggy, and Karen back together. Throughout the season, Foggy and Karen continually try to convince Matt to return to his life and leave Daredevil behind, and it’s only here that he is finally able to do so for the time being. In fact, the trio even hint at going back into the law profession together, with a new firm they wouldsimply title “Nelson, Murdock, & Page.“ThoughDaredevilconcludes herewith a near-perfect final season, there is more in store for Matt Murdock and his allies in the upcomingDaredevil: Born Again.
Daredevilis available for streaming on Disney+, andDaredevil: Born Againis set to release on June 27, 2025.
