We’re still a while away from Daredevil: Born Again dropping on Disney Plus, but even a full year in advance, Marvel has shed some light on what’s to be expected from the follow-up series. Showrunners Matt Corman and Chris Ord will be reimagining Matt Murdock eight years post-Daredevil, the Netflix series that began airing in 2015 and lasted for three seasons until its cancelation in 2018 and migration to Disney Plus.
Following the announcement, Cox was saddened by the knowledge that a fourth season would never see the light of day, despite the cast and crew anticipating it. He shared an interest in reprising the role for future MCU projects, which he did so for Spider-Man: No Way Home and She-Hulk.
Back in June 2022, Variety confirmed that Vincent D’Onofrio would be returning as Kingpin. In addition, more recent developments have revealed that Jon Bernthal will reprise his role as Frank Castle/Punisher, but as The Hollywood Reporter outlined just a few days ago, Deborah Ann Woll (Karen Page) and Elden Henson (Foogy Nelson) were unlikely to be making a comeback. That leaves Matt Murdock without two comic-central associates, so the door’s now wide open for replacements. There are a handful of candidates who could elevate Born Again to the next level, especially if the MCU is veering evermore towards crossover ventures.
Jessica Jones
She’s been absent from the MCU since The Defenders, having sang her solo swan song in 2018 — along with the other Marvel Television properties owned (at the time) by Netflix. Jessica Jones aired three seasons from 2015 to 2018, establishing itself as Netflix’s most-watched Marvel series behind Daredevil.
There were rumors that Jessica Jones would briefly appear in Disney Plus’ She-Hulk series, but they were since debunked and well… it didn’t happen. Ritter has shared her enthusiasm to return, so it’s just a matter of where/when, meaning Born Again could be the exact opening she needs.
Punisher
Until recently, we were still on the fence about whether Jon Bernthal would be joining Charlie Cox and Vincent D’Onofrio, but reports have confirmed that he’ll be joining the main cast. There’s some significance to Frank’s inclusion in Born Again, considering the comics make it exceedingly evident that Murdock and Castle don’t get along. Although they met in Daredevil‘s second season, they’re fundamentally different in many ways.
We can assume that Punisher will either be a reluctant hero aiding Daredevil in his efforts or an associate of the Kingpin, considering his off-hand nature and apparent disregard for human life urging him to cooperate with whoever benefits him personally.
Colleen Wing
Everyone has their own conflicting opinions of Iron Fist, but whether you loved it or hated it, we can unanimously agree that Colleen Wing was the saving grace of the series. Wing initially assisted Danny Rand with tracking down the Hand, but an altercation leads to Misty Knight (we’ll get to her) losing a limb as a sacrifice to save Wing’s life.
As per ScreenRant, Cox has even given his blessing for Jessica Henwick to return for a future MCU project. He said: “I don’t know what they’re thinking, but I will absolutely put in a good word. And you’re 100 percent right about that. [Jessica] is awesome.” If Cox himself is asking for it, why shouldn’t it happen? It’s only in The Defenders that we see Daredevil and Colleen Wing interact, but the latter proves herself as a worthy companion and earns the former’s respect and trust. There’s no reason that Murdock wouldn’t call upon Wing in a time of crisis.
Misty Knight
Introduced in Luke Cage, Misty Knight aided the titular Harlem-bred hero in taking down Cottonmouth, a criminal godfather and leader of the Stokes Crime Family. When enlisting Cage’s help in solving a case, Knight found herself in the middle of a conflict between The Defenders and the Hand. In saving Claire Temple from the Finger of the Hand Bakuto, Knight lost her right arm and was later outfitted with a bionic limb.
Upon returning from medical leave, Knight found herself ridiculed by her co-workers due to her disability, forcing her to prove herself to her peers. She even assisted Iron Fist and Colleen Wing in their fight against Davos, so Knight is a constant thread on the web that Marvel weaves.
Claire Temple
Although she debuted in Daredevil, Claire Temple has managed to sneak herself (inadvertently) into the lives of the other Defenders. Working as a night-shift nurse, Temple has aided Jessica Jones in saving Luke Cage’s life, nursed Murdock back to health, and later encountered Danny Rand and Colleen Wing during the fight against the Hand, allowing Wing to lend her knowledge of basic martial arts to Temple.
In fact, she was partly responsible for the forming of the Defenders, who went on to defeat the Hand. Let’s just hope that Born Again, if it brings Temple back, develops the character to some extent, even if all we get out of it is a five-minute cameo or a few lines of dialogue.
Quake
Although Matt Murdock and Daisy Johnson have never crossed paths in the MCU, it’s not for a lack of chances. Daredevil hasn’t been overly involved with S.H.I.E.L.D. during his days as a vigilante crime-fighter, but both Murdock and Johnson are fighting for the same cause, so it stands to reason that both of them should (realistically) interact soon enough.
S.H.I.E.L.D. agents are always on patrol around New York City in search of the darkest underbellies in the Big Apple, so if Daredevil operates within Hell’s Kitchen, there’s definitely a chance encounter to be had.
Karen Page
Just because Karen wasn’t expected to be involved, doesn’t mean we should rule her out just yet. Deborah Ann Woll’s character has been a long-time associate of Daredevil since the start. Their on-again, off-again relationship makes things all the more complicated, adding an extra layer of fragility to the double life Matt leads. Page is the former office manager of Nelson and Murdock — Foggy and Matt’s law firm — and was instrumental in bringing Kingpin to justice.
There’s a lot at stake with Page knowing Matt’s identity, especially as supervillains tend to use those types of intimate connections and vulnerabilities against their foes. Perhaps Page can go for a hat trick and get kidnapped by Kingpin in Born Again. That would cross off a lot of bingo cards.
Foggy Nelson
Just like Page, Foggy supposedly won’t be returning for Born Again, but how could you not include him in some capacity? Nelson is the comedic relief of the series, whether he’s intentionally wise-cracking or just being his usual, fun-loving self. Plus, he’s Matt’s best friend, so leaving him out of Born Again feels… for lack of a better and less ironic word, criminal. Even after Matt revealed his dual identity to Foggy, the latter remains loyal to him.
However, Foggy grew impatient with Matt’s escapades as his double life as Daredevil began to affect the smooth operation of their joint law firm. When Daredevil was presumed dead after The Defenders took on the Hand, Nelson and Murdock disbanded and Foggy found a job at Hogarth, Chao & Benowitz, but once it was revealed that Matt was alive, Foggy — like Page — played a pivotal role in bringing Fisk to justice. He proposed a new law firm, reigniting his passion for all things fair and just. Right now, Nelson doesn’t have a lot to keep him occupied, so one more run-in with Daredevil and Fisk wouldn’t do much harm.
Bullseye
Expertly portrayed by Wilson Bethel, Benjamin “Dex” Poindexter was never explicitly given the Bullseye moniker in Netflix’s series, though considering how the show’s third season ended, Poindexter’s alter-ego could be nobody else. Sadly, fans never got to further explore Netflix’s unique take on the villain due to Disney pulling the plug, and of all the villains introduced in the Defenders saga, the expert marksman was arguably shafted more than any other.
Ideally, Bethel would be brought back to pick up where he left off, though even if that’s not possible, continuing with the already established narrative would be an acceptable compromise.
Luke Cage
Why not? He’s already crossed over into the Jessica Jones universe before, as well as having a run-in with Daredevil in The Defenders, so Cage and Murdock are well-acquainted enough to consider one another teammates and partners. If Daredevil should ever find himself in a pinch around the Harlem area, who else could he call upon?
They come from two different worlds and live contrasting lives, but Cage is a reliable and honest man, so who’s to say that after teaming up with Daredevil before, he wouldn’t jump at the opportunity to do it again? Clearly, he respects Matt Murdock and vice-versa, so if the fight against Kingpin ever crosses over into Luke’s territory, you can bet he’ll have something to say about it. Besides, it would be an interesting pairing to pit someone like Luke Cage — in all his muscle-bound glory — against a behemoth like Kingpin. There’s nothing more thrilling than a battle of the brawn.