What's Next For 'Daredevil: Born Again'?

Marvel

May 11

With Season 1 of Daredevil: Born Again fully released to audiences, and Season 2 currently filming, CultureSlate thought it would be good to make some reasonable guesses at what we’ll see when Season 2 finally reaches audiences in 2026. It might take longer than we expect, but after all of the pain Season 1 suffered through behind the scenes, we think Season 2 will have a smoother production, given it has now settled on the stories it wants to tell.

The Punisher’s Special Presentation

Our first continuation of Born Again’s story might be the Marvel Spotlight release focused on The Punisher, Frank Castle, played by Jon Bernthal. Also being written by Bernthal, this release currently doesn’t have a release date beyond the year 2026, the same year Born Again Season 2 is set to debut. It might be a story explaining where Frank is if he is absent in Season 2, but he appears just angry enough to remain in New York so he can stick it to his fan club in Mayor Fisk’s task force, both in the special presentation and Season 2.

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So, this project’s storyline is highly likely to remain connected to this part of the MCU, even if it ends up releasing after Season 2. Echo is probably going to be a good template for what we’ll see in this miniseries, with an exploration of Frank’s backstory, while also having his actions matter in the moment and later on down the line as he confronts the threat posed by the Fisks.

The Aftermath Of Thunderbolts*

Since this film is newly released, we won’t go into great detail about what happens during its runtime. But suffice to say, the disruption to New York City is substantial, alongside some destruction to the city’s core. While Born Again’s events were not brought up in Thunderbolts*, there was little opportunity for that to happen anyway since the film’s events cover a single afternoon. In the wake of this chaos, though, and the way the film ends, you can be almost certain these events will be mentioned in Born Again Season 2. Heather will likely be busier than ever due to a mental health crisis, while the Fisks will certainly take objection to a team of gun-toting former criminals turned heroes taking up residence in the heart of their city, bankrolled by the director of the CIA.

Of course, at the same time, this unique circumstance might be exactly what Fisk is looking for to retain his power over the City of New York. In exchange for not pursuing and suing this new group that exists under the auspices of Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, Fisk might get the control over the city that he wants, even if someone like Bucky might be against it. The push and pull of power, responsibility, and influence is sure to play a role in the second season, regardless of how the Thunderbolts get a mention.

Fisk Momentum

Fisk, Daniel, and Buck, — Image Source: IMDb

The Fisks have seized the City of New York. They’ve locked a number of their opponents up in private prison cells that are little better than dog cages, and they’ve also blackmailed or killed other officials to ensure their grip on power remains absolute. What’s next? Well, getting ground properly broken on Red Hook and pushing through with their development is likely first up, but after that? Besides finding and fighting Daredevil, it will be to corrupt the state level of government, and find ways to deal with the federal level. The Fisks have taken one of the most prestigious cities in America down a dark path, with any number of external forces from the state governor to federal prosecutors surely paying attention to their ongoing activities. But, will they be immune or resilient in the face of the same tactics that helped Wilson Fisk retain his mayorship? Only time will tell.

There is also the matter of Mayor Fisk’s team members. There’s Daniel, who now liaises with the blackmailed City Council, while Buck Cashman effortlessly flits from vocal enforcer to assassin. Sheila, who chose to betray Chief Gallo, has been brought in line with fear, and Matt’s former love interest, Dr. Heather Glenn, accepted a job to serve as an advisor on mental health. Lastly, there is Officer Powell, de facto head of the Fisk task force assembled to combat the vigilantes of New York, but really, has simply become a gang of thugs that serve the Mayor’s office, committing whatever offenses they want in the name of public safety. All of these figures will need to be kept cowed or loyal to different degrees, but some cracks are liable to form, especially if new, more menacing faces join the mayor’s administration next season.

Daredevil’s Army

Lastly, we should consider who will be joining Daredevil’s small army, who currently stand against the control the Fisks have over NYC. At the moment, that room at Josie’s is made up of normal people, but what it could use is some superpowered assistance. Mrs. Marvel is incredibly likely after the specific tease from Season 1, but another likely figure is Maya Lopez, Echo, coming to face her adoptive uncle once again. As we spoke about recently, Echo attempted to heal Fisk, only for him to dive deeper into criminality, and she has a great deal of knowledge about his operations and operatives. Now that he’s returning to crime, some of that knowledge might come in handy.

There is also a decent chance that some of the Defenders make an appearance, particularly Iron Fist. Despite the Netflix-era actor making a plea to play the character again, What If…? Season 3 introduced a young Iron Fist who might prove a better template for that superhero’s return. There is every chance we might see some new heroes join Daredevil as well, from White Tiger reborn through Hector’s niece picking up the mantle, to simply newer Marvel characters created over the past decade. The villain Muse, for example, was created very recently and appeared prominently in Season 1, suggesting that the team might be looking at fresher faces and newer concepts for this revitalized part of the MCU.

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