Daredevil: Born Again Director's Recent Comments About Episode 2's Ending Make It So Much Worse Than I Already Thought It Was

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Warning: This article contains spoilers for Daredevil: Born Again episode 1 & 2.The director of Daredevil: Born Again episode 2"s comments about its ending make it so much more grim by confirming my worst suspicions about its final scenes. Thus far, the story of the 2025 MCU Daredevil series has been exactly as dark as all the teases beforehand suggested it would be, with two major deaths having already taken place in the span of three episodes, and Matt Murdock"s life at something of a low point. That said, the end of Daredevil: Born Again episode 2 has actually teased that things could get yet worse.
With Matt Murdock being revealed to have retired as Daredevil after Foggy"s death in episode 1, the show has something of a slow start on the superhero front, since it makes sure to explore the period in the MCU timeline wherein Murdock refuses to don his mask again rather than getting right back to vigilante action. However, the ending fight of episode 2 suggests Matt"s mindset is in a place quite similar to some of his more worrying moments in the original Daredevil, which makes me equal parts interested and nervous to see where his story goes next.
Daredevil: Born Again Episode 2's Ending Provided A Bleak Moment In Matt Murdock's Life Close Following Foggy"s death, the subsequent trial and incarceration of Bullseye, and Matt preventing Nicky Torres from being killed by two corrupt police officers by sending him away from the location they"ve come to find him in, the currently retired hero is shown being beaten down by the men after telling them he can"t help them with Torres" whereabouts. The setup leads to a considerable period of time where Murdock is brutally attacked without fighting back, refusing to employ the skills he trained over the years as a vigilante even as he bares the brunt of their anger.
This continues until they go to shoot him, at which point Matt unleashes all his anger and battle talent, breaking one man"s arm in brutal fashion, smashing the other into a fridge and leaving a bloodstain, and then ending the fight after the now seemingly unconscious men are downed with a scream of rage. While Murdock getting the upper hand over two characters with immoral intentions is cathartic, his behavior throughout the scene is at least a little worryingly off-kilter - and this is doubly true after the director of the episode"s comments about what the scene means.
Daredevil: Born Again Episode 2's Ending Is Even Worse With The Director's Comments In Mind Close In an interview with Brandon Davis, Daredevil: Born Again episode 2 & 3 director Michael Cuesta delved into a lot of the creative decisions behind the two chapters of the MCU story, including the final scene of episode 2. When the topic arose, Cuesta mentioned that "What I remember the most is I put the camera underneath him, and you see him reacting to the beating, and I remember having a conversation with Charlie about, like, this is something that you need to go through - and it"s like you"re punishing yourself here."
After Davis asked whether the scene of Matt being beaten up without fighting back was supposed to be interpreted as either Murdock enjoying the beating because he "knew where it could go", or him wanting to be punished, the director elaborated that "I was in the "deserved to be punished" thing, but you know, a little moment of "you guys have no idea what"s coming" kind of thing was always latent, you know, was always there."
Seeing Matt be beaten by two corrupt characters who seemingly intended to assassinate a witness is by itself is a relatively grim scene, especially since they for all intents and purposes appear to believe Murdock is just an ordinary lawyer who can"t fight back. However, hearing confirmation that the scene is also Matt punishing himself and potentially even enjoying the idea it would allow him to wreak vengeance makes the sequence feel so much more grim, as it"s possible to believe or at least hope that Murdock simply didn"t want to reveal his secret identity in this scene until then.
The Daredevil: Born Again Episode 2 Director's Comments About Matt's Ending Scene Have Some Notable Parallels To The Original Show Close Throughout Daredevil, the titular vigilante struggles with a double-sided kind of guilt about his superhero double-life. Matt feels immense conflict about hurting others, and yet also has a profound sense of shame that he"s not doing more for those who could be benefited by his help, with this often leading him into a spiral about both his motivations and what the best path forward is. As such, it"s not a surprise that Murdock allows the officers to beat him up partially as a kind of penance, as these feelings of doubt and conflict have persisted even though he"s put the cowl and costume away for the time being.
Charlie Cox"s Daredevil also briefly retired from the hero mantle after the end of Daredevil season 2, coming back out of this retirement with the events of The Defenders and then Daredevil season 3.
Historically, Matt has often found what his best path forward is by talking to Foggy and Karen about what to do next, even before they were fully aware he was a vigilante. However, now that Foggy is dead and Karen has seemingly no contact with Murdock, it"s almost inevitable that the road Daredevil walks will be a far darker one, as he doesn"t have the same support system in place to try and ensure he doesn"t spiral yet further. While this bodes well for the drama of Daredevil: Born Again, it also suggests the worst is very much yet to come for its hero in the story thus far.
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Daredevil: Born Again TV-MA Crime Action Superhero Thriller Adventure

9/10 152 9.3/10 Release Date March 4, 2025 Showrunner Chris Ord Directors Michael Cuesta, Aaron Moorhead, Justin Benson, Jeffrey Nachmanoff Writers Chris Ord Franchise(s) Daredevil, Marvel Cinematic Universe Cast See All