It's been a long time coming, but the Devil of Hell's Kitchen is back on our screens. Daredevil: Born Again is a revival of the original Daredevil series that streamed on Netflix between 2015 and 2018, and it brings back the beloved characters of that series too. It also officially establishes the events of both shows within the Marvel Cinematic Universe, allowing it to share continuity with the other heroes and villains of the franchise.
You can see why the Disney Plus series is one of the most-anticipated that Marvel Studios has ever produced. The positive early reactions showcased that fans of the Netflix series would be very happy with what they were about to watch; all they had to do was wait for it to premiere. And now, the time has come.
If you haven't managed to watch the premiere of Daredevil: Born Again just yet or you would like some answers about the first episode's conclusion and the mysteries it sets up, stick around as we recap everything that happened in the first episode of the Disney Plus series.
*** This article contains MAJOR SPOILERS from Daredevil: Born Again season 1 episode 1. If you would prefer the episode was not spoiled for you, don't read on. ***
Reunited and it feels so good (for a moment)
The first episode of the series, "Heaven's Half Hour", opens with a look at New York City. The city is alive at night, as we see a much more vivid look at the lights and the skyscrapers than the Netflix shows offered up throughout most of their runs. Amidst the bustling city life is Matt Murdock, Foggy Nelson, and Karen Page. Their promise to each other at the end of the previous series to stick together has rung true, as they have spent the past six years working at their own, revived firm - as evidenced by the sign over their building: Nelson, Murdock, and Page.
The trio walk the streets of Hell's Kitchen with laughter, love for each other, as they make their way to Josie's; another familiar setting from the original series. There, Matt and Karen talk about how they have not yet violated the law of the "friendship rule" and rekindled their former romance, while Foggy talks to Kirsten McDuffie at the bar. Kirsten is also trying to get Cherry, a retiring police officer not to give the job up.
The laughter is cut short when Matt hears Foggy outside on the phone; he's speaking to a panicked client who had been securely put in a safe house by Foggy himself. But it's not safe anymore as someone has seemingly found him. Matt rushes into action as Daredevil to save the client Foggy hadn't told him about (Foggy was afraid Matt would don the suit again) but he keeps a close ear on his friends at Josie's. That's when he hears it: The bullet that shoots itself straight into Foggy's abdomen.
As Karen holds a bleeding Foggy in her arms, Benjamin Poindexter (a.k.a. Dex / Bullseye) appears through the fog, ready to turn the gun on her too. Matt arrives as Daredevil and an incredible fight breaks out between the two in Josie's itself. The action is crisp, but there is some CGI in there to allow for more extravagant action as the two continue their battle onto the roof. And with every punch he lands or blocks, Matt continues to keep an ear on Foggy's heartbeat, which gets slower and slower.
Foggy dies in Karen's arms, which sends Matt over the deep end; pushing Bullseye off the roof. He lands with a thud behind Karen and, for a moment, it seems as if he is dead too. But he isn't; just out of action (for good, possibly). An emotional Matt lets out a cry on the roof of Josie's, removing his mask right as Cherry makes his way through the rooftop door, seeing that Matt is Daredevil. But Matt doesn't care; all he can focus on is his fallen friend.
One Year Later
One year later and a lot has changed for Matt Murdock. For starters, he has a new apartment, for he no longer lives in Hell's Kitchen. He has a new firm now, titled Murdock/McDuffie, which he now runs with - you guessed it! - Kirsten McDuffie. The two have a great banter and very quickly make a case for themselves as a strong duo, but they aren't on their own either. Cherry, who now knows Matt's secret, works for them as something of an investigator, helping Matt keep his ear to the ground and find out information that few people could.
Matt attends Poindexter's sentencing, speaking to the jury as a witness and imploring them to put Bullseye away for his crimes, also speaking to the man that Foggy Nelson was and the life that he lived. He hears footsteps mid-statement and Karen enters the courtroom to watch. Dex gets sentenced to life imprisonment while Matt chats with Karen outside the courtroom. She's been living in San Francisco now and hasn't been returning his calls. Matt begs her to stay so that they can chat, but she's eager to get back. Before she does, she hands him one of the horns from his Daredevil cowl that broke off on that night.
Meanwhile, Vanessa Marianna-Fisk has taken over the Kingpin's operations in the criminal underworld since he left (presumably for the events of Echo after he recovered from being shot by Maya Lopez in Hawkeye). She's having a meeting with the gangs she oversees and everything is going smoothly. The banter is strong and the mood calm; they clearly respect her. However, Fisk quietly walks in and everyone scatters.
Fisk tells his wife that he's sorry for abandoning her but that he sees himself on a new path; a political one. In order to make his campaign for New York mayor work, he can't have either one of them attached to anything shady. And thus, the pair of them must distance themselves from the criminal underworld, which is clearly going to be a problem for Vanessa.
The person with the biggest issues with Fisk's mayoral campaign is Matt, who simply can't believe his former nemesis would think of such a thing. He wants to believe that people can change, but he knows Fisk - which makes him all the more uneasy. And with that, he does what any good lawyer would do: Arrange a meeting with the Kingpin himself in a public place.
Oddly enough, Fisk is receptive towards him, even telling him that it's not entirely unpleasant to see him again. But Matt isn't too thrilled about the idea of him running, telling him that he can't shake the feeling that he's "gaming the system". Fisk apologizes for Foggy's death, assuring him that he had nothing to do with it and reiterating that he kept the promise he made in the Daredevil series finale not to bring harm to him or Karen. However, he adds that if he does become mayor, he will be coming down hard on vigilantes, imploring that Matt never become Daredevil ever again.
Meanwhile, Kirsten tells Matt about a new client that she wants him to meet and he agrees to do so, but when he gets there, he very quickly realizes that he has been set up on a date with Heather Glenn, a therapist. The two get off on the wrong foot, with Matt thinking she's a client in need of legal representation and Heather thinking he's a client in need of therapy, but they laugh it off and talk, finding a chemistry very quickly.
Vanessa and Fisk share a moment, but there is clearly something they need to talk about. And it's at that moment that it comes up: Adam, the elephant in the room, and the man with whom Vanessa has seemingly had an affair with while Wilson was away.
We cut back to Matt, who is out on a second date with Heather. Things are going well between them as they make their way down a vivid, lively New York street. And then, Matt overhears it from the crowd: Fisk has won the election. He is New York's mayor now. The confirmation makes Matt a little jumpy, as he pulls Heather out of the way of a partying crowd of people; he's perhaps afraid for the people he cares about now that his archenemy has obtained power that no criminal should ever have.
Matt walks Heather back to her apartment as Fisk celebrates his win. The two foes engage in contrasting situations with their partners, as Matt bids Heather farewell at her door with warmth, hiding his potential fear for what a Fisk administration looks like, while Fisk himself puts on a fake smile to conceal the emptiness he feels due to the apparent crumbling of his relationship with Vanessa.
The kingpin heads to roof to look down on his new empire while Matt looks off into the distance, ready for him, and whatever he has in store for the good people of New York City; two parallels ready to collide all over again.
Although they have years of history behind them, this ending is symbolic of what's in store for Matt and Fisk. Their story is just beginning.