Marvel Telvision's newest series Daredevil: Born Again takes us back to the past. The show is a sequel series to Netflix's Daredevil, picking up six years after the events of the original show's season 3 finale and allowing us to catch up with Matt Murdock, Foggy Nelson, and Karen Page. It also shows us what Wilson Fisk has been up to since his recent "official" debut in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, fulfilling that Echo promise of having him run for mayor.
The show certainly didn't pull any punches as the premiere episode was as full of tragedy as it was action and that set the stage for a very different tale for The Man Without Fear. With new characters, new adventures, and a new chapter ahead of him, the second episode of Daredevil: Born Again, titled "Optics", looks to further that story,
With that in mind, let's dive into what it has in store for audiences and how it impacts the MCU series.
White Tiger arrives in Daredevil: Born Again
The premiere episode of Daredevil: Born Again name-dropped a familiar Marvel Comics hero and the second installment wasted little time in officially introducing him. Hector Ayala, a.k.a. White Tiger, makes his way into a New York City subway station when he sees two men assaulting another man. He attempts to break the fight up only to realize that the two attackers are corrupt cops, who turn their attention to him instead. And in the scuffle, one of the cops slips off the platform and ends up getting hit by a train, with the other framing Hector for his death.
Much like he had done in the original series, Matt Murdock overheard Hector being interrogated while at the police station. The officers were calling Hector a cop killer, which made Matt want to know more. With that, he decided to pay him a visit in the interrogation room, officially taking him on as a client. He could hear his heartbeat so he knew he was telling the truth, but there was something that he wasn't telling him too, and that made Matt determined to find out what it was.
Matt convinces partner Kirsten McDuffie that Murdock/McDuffie should take the case in spite of the fact that it meant going up against the entire NYPD in a high profile case - one that was sure to get the attention of his longtime archenemy Wilson Fisk, who had become the city's new mayor. He also asks Cherry to look into finding the man who the cops were assaulting in the subway as it would prove Hector's innocence.
When Kirsten and Cherry visit Hector's wife to discuss the case, the latter begins quietly investigating Matt's client by having a look around his house. After a few moments of professional snooping, Cherry discovers a box underneath the bed and opens it; that's when he sees it: The White Tiger suit and amulet. Understandably, he calls Matt, who is on a date with Heather Glenn.
Matt isn't pleased that Hector withheld that information, but he also understands his reluctance to bring that up given that he is, y'know Daredevil himself. But after discussing it with him in prison, he's more certain of Hector's innocence than ever. The only issue is that he can't use that in court. But, being the upstanding lawyer that he is, he asks that the revelation be kept out of the court case so that the prosecution won't try to use Hector's activities as a vigilante against him. The judge agrees, much to the upset of D.A. Benjamin Hochberg.
A dark new era for New York
The other major plot thread of "Optics" involved the Kingpin's ascension to mayor of New York City. The crook wasted little time in making his presence felt as Mayor-Elect, offering up a not-so-hopeful message to the New York people on New Year's Eve, promising a new era without the need for vigilantes. In his speech, he made reference to The Punisher, Daredevil, and Spider-Man - the latter of which is a huge moment for the world of Daredevil as it officially references a major MCU hero.
In his first few weeks as mayor, Wilson Fisk looks to make an impression, opting for an unorthodox approach. His campaign manager Sheila thinks he should keep things traditional and not alienate people with too much too soon but he wants to show himself off as a unique candidate (and not in the good way). He takes a liking to Daniel Blake (Michael Gandolfini), a young man who is part of his mayoral campaign with an unusually direct approach that goes against Sheila's advice.
In keeping things unusual, Fisk decides to seize an opportunity to do something different and use it as a good PR opportunity. Stuck in traffic on his way to a public appearance, he gets out of his vehicle and tells a nearby foreman to fill in the hole immediately (instead of taking the typical approach when it comes to approval) and speaks to the people around him, many of whom were also stuck in traffic. He's giving man of the people who gets things done, but we know there is a much darker creature behind that façade.
But there is one aspect of his mayoral appeal that is suffering and that's his public relationship with wife Vanessa; the reason being that their private relationship is also suffering. Fisk is determined to get their marriage back to where it needs to be as Vanessa is the one thing he loves more than anything in the world. Vanessa, though hopeful to save her marriage, isn't sure how she feels about her husband's return after he left her upon recovering from his near-death experience in Hawkeye.
The pair decide to go to marriage counselling with none other than Heather Glenn, which comes after Fisk's right-hand man Buck seeks her out at a book signing. This is sure to cause issues for Heather down the line as she is currently in a relationship with Fisk's archenemy Matt Murdock.
Daredevil: Born Again episode 2 ending explained: Letting the Devil out
Cherry eventually tracks down the witness who can testify to Hector's innocence. His name is Nicky Torres and Matt soon realizes that the corrupt NYPD officers, led by Officer Powell who arrested Hector, are on their way to "take care of him". The lawyer calls Cherry and asks him to go to Nicky's apartment while Matt himself arrives first, telling the witness to get out quickly and find Cherry as he can hear the officers approaching.
Powell and another officer enter the apartment to find Matt smirking at them. They're not happy that Torres has escaped and decide to take their frustrations out on Matt, who allows them to beat him down. When one pulls a gun on him, he snaps quickly, incapacitating them violently in seconds.
As Matt screams in anger to bring on the episode's credits, viewers are left in complete awe at what has just transpired. Mr. Murdock, who swore off violence and vigilantism as Daredevil after Foggy Nelson was killed, returned to fisticuffs to protect his witness and take down the corrupt officers. The roar that he let out was as satisfying for him as it was frustrating. Although he wasn't wearing the suit, Daredevil was still in there and it felt good to let him out for a moment.
The question remains: Just how far did Matt go? he swore off being Daredevil as "a line was crossed" when he threw Bullseye off the roof and very nearly killed him, but what state have the corrupt cops been left in at Nicky's apartment? Are the officers still alive and if so, will this violent altercation affect the case?
The interesting thing about all of this is that Powell and his corrupt friend can't legally do anything about Matt's assault, because not only was it self-defense on the lawyer's part, they would have to incriminate themselves by revealing that information. So Matt did what he had to do in order to protect Nicky, set in motion Hector's journey to freedom, and bring down two murderous, corrupt police officers. And he didn't even have to put on the suit to do it.
Daredevil Lives.
Daredevil: Born Again streams new episodes on Disney Plus on Tuesdays.