Every Returning Marvel Character In Daredevil: Born Again

:0:1

Daredevil: Born Again is bringing back some highly-anticipated characters from the original Netflix Defenders shows, bringing many of them into the Marvel Cinematic Universe for the first time. The official trailer for Daredevil: Born Again has officially dropped, revealing some delectable details about the Marvel Cinematic Universe"s latest Disney+ series. Ever since Vincent D"Onofrio"s Kingpin returned to the small screen in Hawkeye, expectations were high for Daredevil and his related cast to officially reprise their roles in the MCU. Daredevil: Born Again is primed to do just that, re-introducing some long-awaited familiar faces.
At first, it wasn"t clear if the appearance of Kingpin and Daredevil were meant to simply homage the Netflix continuity with the same actors, or if Vincent D"Onofrio and Charlie Cox were indeed playing the same exact supervillain from the previous series. However, the dramatic conclusion of Echo revealed Kingpin"s memories, assuring that the events of the Netflix shows are now canon to the MCU. It"ll be interesting to see how the confirmed returning characters in the trailer are adapted in the wake of Daredevil: Born Again"s dramatic creative overhaul announced in 2023.
7 Matt Murdock/Daredevil Last seen in Echo

Image via Disney+ It goes without saying that Charlie Cox"s Matt Murdock, a.k.a. Daredevil, will be the star of the show for the upcoming series, once again reprising his beloved performance of the blind crime-fighting lawyer. The British actor was the second to portray Matt Murdock in live action following the abysmally-received Daredevil starring Ben Affleck in 2003. Thanks to Cox"s charisma, impressive physicality, and ability to weather the storms of Murdock"s fractured psyche, he quickly became a fan-favorite superhero actor. Charlie Cox"s accurate depiction of blindness also earned him such much-deserved kudos.
Cox first returned to the character in a brief cameo in Spider-Man: No Way Home, where he catches an errant brick thrown through Peter Parker"s window after giving him legal advice in the wake of his secret identity leaking to the general public. Daredevil then got a more extended cameo in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, making the trip to Los Angeles while wearing his yellow suit and establishing a romantic relationship with his fellow lawyer moonlighting as a superhero. Echo also gave Daredevil another brief MCU appearance during an intense fight scene with Maya Lopez.
Though Echo was his most recent appearance chronologically, his scene in that series takes place in 2018 during the Blip, making his attendance to the Banner family barbecue in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law his latest canonical showing. It"ll be interesting to see how Daredevil: Born Again pivots this sunny and bright ending to the more lighthearted series to the signature grim tone Daredevil is known for as a character. After all, Daredevil has been through a lot in the Netflix series, from his previous love interest"s death to a literal building falling on him.
6 Wilson Fisk/Kingpin Last seen in Echo

If it wasn"t for Vincent D"Onofrio"s Kingpin, it"s hard to say if the Netflix continuity would have ever made it into the Marvel Cinematic Universe proper. Daredevil"s archnemesis in the comics, movies, and TV shows, the man known as Kingpin is an imposing crime lord who leverages power both clean and dirty in order to fulfill his goal of maintaining a vice grip on the city. Over the course of their conflict in the Netflix universe, Daredevil and Kingpin"s relationship has gone from being the impersonal opposite sides of moral and legal battles to bitter enemies for very personal reasons.
However, Daredevil isn"t the only hero Wilson Fisk has contended with since his integration into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The events of Hawkeye saw Kingpin taking up arms against Kate Bishop and her mother, engaging directly in a one-on-one fight against the former after escaping from prison during the Blip. From there, he ends up squaring off against his old confidant and minion, Maya Lopez, after she becomes the hero Echo. Using her new powers, Maya forced Fisk to re-live his deepest, darkest traumas, leaving him emotionally shattered.
This trip down memory lane was also the first thing that definitively confirmed the Netflix shows were canon to the MCU. Fisk ends Echo by finding a way to grasp legal power in the New York City mayoral race, which a convenient news broadcast tells him has no clear frontrunner. Thanks to the latest Daredevil: Born Again trailer, it seems as though Kingpin was successful in his bid for mayor, confronting his old foe with a renewed lofty position. Of course, knowing Fisk, it"s likely only a matter of time before his old violent habits get the better of him.
5 Karen Page Last seen in Netflix's Daredevil

Daredevil"s original love interest and trusted confidant in the original Netflix Daredevil series, Karen Page is the focal point around which Foggy and Matt"s new law firm solidifies early on in the show. This professional and personal bond eventually boils over to a sort of love triangle between the three, with both Foggy and Matt vying for Karen"s affections at various different points. Karen works as Foggy and Matt"s office manager, eventually even putting in some work in the courtroom herself defending Frank Castle. Karen is the survivor of multiple harrowing kidnapping attempts by Daredevil"s many villains.
Karen was last seen going into business with her two best friends as the trio formed the law firm Nelson, Murdock and Page, having been through multiple attempts on her life. However, Daredevil and Karen may not be on good terms going into Daredevil: Born Again, with Karen appearing in a solitary solemn shot looking serious at the back end of a courtroom. It"ll be interesting to see her reaction, if any, to Daredevil"s romance with She-Hulk in addition to whatever harrowing developments the Marvel Cinematic Universe has in store for her.
4 Foggy Nelson Last seen in Netflix's Daredevil

Matt Murdock"s best friend and the "Nelson" in Nelson, Murdock and Page, Foggy Nelson is a civilian character that has been important to Daredevil"s growth in the original series. Initially unaware of his best friend"s powers and vigilante activities, Foggy eventually becomes wise to the danger Matt puts himself and his loved ones in, resulting in a huge schism in their relationship. Foggy"s wisecracking jokes and occasional whiny complaints sometimes irritated certain Daredevil viewers, but he serves as a great perspective character looking at Matt Murdock"s life from the outside.
Like Karen, Foggy enjoyed a relatively happy ending in Netflix"s Daredevil, going into business with his two best friends as a new law firm. However, Foggy is eerily absent in the latest trailer for Daredevil: Born Again, appearing only in a blink-and-you"ll-miss-it shot of the main trio walking together. Some fans have speculated on Foggy"s death being what Matt refers to when he says "a line was crossed" in response to Kingpin asking him why he stopped his vigilante activities. Foggy will at least get some amount of screentime in the finished product, though it may be in flashbacks only.
3 Frank Castle/The Punisher Last seen in Netflix's The Punisher

As if Charlie Cox"s Daredevil and Vincent D"Onofrio"s Kingpin weren"t already two incredible comic book character performances to come out of Netflix"s Daredevil, the series also introduced Jon Bernthal"s Punisher. A former soldier whose family was murdered in a brutal shooting orchestrated by criminals in Central Park, Frank Castle became a murderous vigilante bent on purging the streets of New York City. Donning the classic white skull, Frank Castle became The Punisher, and had several encounters with Daredevil as an enemy and ally.
Starring in his own spin-off series, The Punisher, Frank Castle ended his solo show embracing his new identity as The Punisher, recognizing that he was no longer just trying to avenge his family. Rejecting an offer from the CIA to work for the government, The Punisher seems to have gone completely off the rails killing criminals in New York. He"s seen in the Daredevil: Born Again trailer with longer hair swinging a hatchet at Matt, only to stop when he recognizes him. The assurance of the series" violent action the trailer gave will make Frank a great fit.
2 Vanessa Fisk Last seen in Netflix's Daredevil

Vanessa can claim to be one of the few characters in the Daredevil series to exert some level of power over Wilson Fisk, opening up his vulnerable side with her gentle touch. Vanessa"s safety and approval was a driving force for Kingpin earlier in the show, and she ended the third season getting married to the crime lord only for their wedding to end in disaster. Strangely, Vanessa wasn"t mentioned by Fisk in any of his subsequent MCU appearances in Hawkeye or Echo, despite her importance to the narrative.
Vanessa has finally appeared again thanks to the Daredevil: Born Again trailer, clearly enjoying her husband"s newfound status by sharing a toast at a fancy restaurant next to a painting not unlike the fateful work of art that brought them together. Despite initial murmurs that the character would be re-cast with actress Sandrine Holt, the trailer has confirmed that Ayelet Zurer will reprise her role as Vanessa from the Netflix continuity. It"ll be interesting to see how Vanessa"s influence plays out in Kingpin"s new political maneuvering.
1 Benjamin Poindexter/Bullseye Last seen in Netflix's Daredevil

Despite being such a ubiquitous Daredevil villain from the comics, the villain known as Bullseye doesn"t appear until the very last season of Netflix"s Daredevil, and even then, he doesn"t take up the true mantle of the name until the very end. Benjamin Poindexter worked for Kingpin impersonating Daredevil for a time, besmirching the hero"s good name by committing a series of murders in his costume. After threatening Vanessa, Poindexter was rewarded with a shattered spine that left him up for an experimental procedure that laces his bones with steel and seemingly enhanced his vision.
With his new powers, Poindexter is finally primed to officially become Bullseye just as he does in the comics. Though his costume has yet to be revealed, Poindexter is briefly seen in a shot of the trailer in a prison uniform, wearing an ominous look on his face. Hopefully, Daredevil: Born Again will finally give Daredevil the chance to go up against his famous costumed sharpshooter villain on the small screen.
Upcoming MCU Movies