Daredevil: Born Again has been thrilling audiences since its game-changing premiere. The Disney Plus series wasted little time in reintroducing viewers to the gritty world of the Marvel Netflix shows, firmly establishing them in the Marvel Cinematic Universe continuity this time around. In just three episodes, Matt Murdock has experienced loss and tragedy. but as always, he has not allowed that to keep him down as he has proceeded to use the law to fight for others.
The early episodes of the series saw him continue to do that, defending Hector Ayala, a.k.a. the White Tiger, in his legal battle against corrupt cops, and ultimately winning. However, there were repercussions from that trial that left audiences in complete shock - and some pointing their fingers towards another major character from the Marvel Netflix shows.
The fourth episode of the series, titled "Sic Semper Systema", looks to answer some of the many, many questions fans were left with. So, let's dive into everything that goes down, and whether or not, they are the answers you're looking for.
Justice and Punishment
As the episode opens, Matt Murdock visits the morgue to see the medical examiner putting White Tiger's belongings in a bag. The gravity of the situation has set in, and Matt is struggling to comprehend the loss of Hector Ayala. He's not the only one, as Hector's niece, Angela, arrives and asks to see her uncle. Matt won't let her in, fearful of scarring her for life. She wants justice for Hector and hugs Matt, who responds by telling her that he has to believe justice will be served.
Speaking of justice, Matt meets a new client that he has taken on pro bono. His name is Leroy Bradford and he has been charged with petty larceny for stealing. He wants Matt to get his sentencing time down, but his rap sheet makes that difficult. Leroy won't do any more than seven days, so the offers of 30+ days don't work for him. Matt finally brokers a deal that gets it down to 10 days and he sees that as a win, but Leroy doesn't. Although Matt is frustrated with him, he listens to him too. Leroy points out that they'll spend more money on him by putting him in jail than his benefits cost, but they don't care because they cut his benefits... which makes him feel he has to resort to stealing to get food. The system is broken and Matt is starting to see that more and more.
Later in the episode, Matt visits the crime scene of Hector Ayala's murder. After some investigating he finds the shell casting from the bullet that was used to kill Hector. He senses The Punisher's symbol on that casing, which brings him to an abandoned building, where he crosses paths with - you guessed it! - The Punisher himself.
Frank Castle runs at his old pal with axe in what can only be described as an explosive reunion. Once he realizes that it's Matt - or, well, "Red" - he slams the axe into the wall and relents. Matt tells him about the symbol on the casing and Frank reminds him that there are a lot of Punisher fanboys out there who have claimed his symbol as their own (although he doesn't sound like he's a fan). Matt then takes this opportunity to appeal to Frank's better judgement, asking him to work with him in a bid to make the city a better place. But Frank still doesn't believe in that "hero sh*t".
The pair then get into it over why Matt really showed up, with The Punisher claiming that he's there for his permission to do something that he normally wouldn't do as Daredevil: Exact revenge and cross a line. The two then have an incredibly moving conversation in which Frank tells Matt that the reason the latter is out for revenge is down to the fact that he hasn't done anything about Foggy's death - a fact that Frank believes is eating him up. This pushes Matt too far and he snaps at his old friend. But, ever the gentleman, Matt apologizes and backs down.
Frank opens up a little about how he still hears his son's voice in his head, which is why he continues to do what he does. And that's what Matt is seemingly going through with Foggy's death. But Matt counters that belief, saying that Foggy Nelson was the kindest soul he had ever met and that men like Daredevil and The Punisher could spend their whole lives trying to live up to that level of decency and never do it.
This scene was somewhat reminiscent of the pair's conversation in the fourth episode of Daredevil season 2 at the cemetery. There is just something about the on-screen chemistry between Charlie Cox and Jon Bernthal; the two are absolutely incredible when their characters are together - whether they are roaring at each other and simply sharing emotional stories, it's must-watch. This was no different, as it is undoubtedly the best scene of the whole episode.
Matt returns home to see Heather Glenn waiting for him. He opens up to her, telling her that he is struggling right now. She's there for him and he tells her that he couldn't imagine coming home and not seeing her. They embrace, which settles him for now. But not for long, as he is having trouble sleeping later that night. And as a result, he makes his way to a secret room in his apartment. There, we see all of his Daredevil cowls and batons. He then makes his way to the roof and begins trying out his iconic grapple-powered billy club, reminding himself of what it was like to be Daredevil.
Trouble in paradise
Wilson Fisk may have made an immediate impression as Mayor of New York but it hasn't been going swimmingly at all. For starters, there are the marital issues to work through with wife Vanessa, and then there is the fact that much of his mayoral duties make him feel like a fish out-of-water. We see both of those elements in action in the fourth episode of Daredevil: Born Again, as Fisk quickly grows weary of all of the visits he has to make around the city, including a visit to a school (which results in a humorous reaction from him when asked to watch a concert from the schoolkids). He's just not cut out for that side of the political world.
Meanwile, the young man on Fisk's team, Daniel Fisher, is friends with BB Urich. Earlier in the episode, the two are on a night out together when Daniel spills some secrets about Fisk's plan to go aound the unions when it comes to recycling. That ended up coming back to bite him as BB covered the story, with the article referring to him as a "Union Buster". Fisk isn't happy and tells his team that there can't be leaks like this. Although Shiela, his campaign manager, tells Daniel to keep quiet, he owns up to the mistake. Fisk, surprisingly, doesn't come down too hard on him and instead tells him that he won't fire him, appreciating his loyalty and commitment.
Meanwhile, he and Vanessa continued to see Dr. Heather Glenn for marriage counselling. Fisk didn't want to speak about Vanessa's affair with Adam but Heather thought it was important that she did. And so she does, opening up about her attraction to Adam's hands and how his world took her out of the Kingpin's for a while. She felt abandoned by her husband after he recovered and it reminded her of the feelings of abandonment she felt when her father left her mother. Fisk says he wasn't aware of that and, for a moment, it seems like they are beginning to reconnect.
Both reveal that they don't know where Adam is and Heather tells them that need to really think about what it is that they want out of these sessions. However, when Vanessa attempts to leave, Heather asks her to stay behind. She then asks if Vanessa feels safe around her husband. She does, acknowledging that even though he's a dangerous man, she knows that she is never in danger.
Later in the episode, the pair talk about Vanessa's conversation with Heather. Vanessa asks him outright if she should feel safe around him, to which Fisk responds with a story about how his father was incapable of learning forgiveness. And yet, Fisk himself wants them to get back to the way they were before, acknowledging that Vanessa is even more extraordinary now.
However, towards the end of the episode, Fisk makes his way to what appears to be a dungeon. Outside of the cages, he sits down at a table and begins eating his dinner. It is in that moment that we learn that the man inside the cage is none other than Adam.
Daredevil: Born Again episode 4 ending explained: Meet Muse
Earlier in the episode, we see a figure in a white mask making his way through the subway tunnels. His mask covers his whole face and has blood-like formations running from the eyes. We see that figure again in the episode's closing scene, and it's a really haunting moment both times - but the second is so much more horrifying.
The man in the white mask lays a young man on a board and inserts a tube into his skin as he slowly begins draining him of his blood. The episode ends there, leaving us all with nothing but questions and fear - a lot of fear. And if one of those questions revolves around the villain's identity, we got you covered on that one.
This person is none other than Muse; the character who is shaping up to be the season's big bad. The show has only been loosely teasing him up to this point, with references to him via the focus on the citywide murals. Muse is an artist, and a homicidal one at that, as he incorporates his victims into his street graffiti. The character made his Marvel Comics debut in 2016 - after the original series had already premiered on Netflix, which makes him one of the more modern additions to the MCU. But new or not, he's not to be trifled with.
And taking that into account, it looks like Matt Murdock is going to have to bring out old horn head to save the city from him - because, as we learned in this episode, the system is broken and no amount of court victories is going to change that.
This looks like a job for Daredevil, and he's needed more than ever.
Daredevil: Born Again is now streaming on Disney Plus.