The MCU’s Street-Level Heroes Will Never Be The Same Again

Daredevil: Born Again graced audiences with a surprising double bill this week as episodes 2 and 3 dropped together, and the city is in bad shape following a vigilante uprising at the docks. Matt Murdock is racing towards a conflict with Mayor Wilson Fisk, but along the way, he needs to weaken his enemy’s forces and try to rally others who believe in the cause behind him.

In episodes 2 and 3, we see Daredevil achieve some of these goals, but there is also unrest within his own camp, and despite pulling off a major breakout for several high-level enemies and targets of Fisk’s agenda, Fisk once again shows his hand and proves that he remains in control of the narrative in New York.

The BB Report Has Been Taken Over, But BB Is Fighting Back

BB Urich, the niece of Ben Urich, was a voice for the people in season 1 when her internet news show, The BB Report, shared important information about what was happening in New York. Unfortunately, due to her connection to Daniel Blake, Mayor Fisk’s newly appointed director of communications, it appears that her show has been transformed into a propaganda engine.

Despite this, BB is not one to let herself be muted, and we learn that she is behind the City Without Fear broadcast, where she wears a Fisk mask and places a namecard on the table that reads Mayor Kingpin. This broadcast seeks to unravel the lies of The BB Report and provide a true look at what’s happening around the city.

Mayor Fisk Put A Target On Matt Murdock’s Back… As A Hero

When asked why he hasn’t revealed Daredevil’s secret identity, Mayor Fisk highlights the fact that Matt Murdock very publicly saved his life. If Fisk were to put a target on Murdock’s head, it would likely cause some backlash and paint Murdock, aka Daredevil, as a true hero, rather than a deranged vigilante.

However, Fisk does have a plan to try and take back control of the narrative, which is what leads him to declare Matt Murdock as a hero on a city-wide broadcast, and ask for help finding him to reward him. This is clever, as Fisk isn’t revealing his intentions about what to do with Daredevil, but it also makes life on the run much harder for undercover Matt Murdock and Karen Page.

Matt Murdock & Karen Page Have Very Different Plans For How To Deal With Fisk

While in hiding, Matt Murdock and Karen Page have rekindled their romantic connection. After years of back and forth, they finally appear to be settling into a relationship where they can be honest and open with one another, as Matt no longer hides his Daredevil identity, and Karen puts her considerable skills to good use in aiding his vigilante efforts.

However, we see in these episodes that Karen and Matt are also butting heads when it comes to deciding what should be done with Fisk. Matt learned the hard way that he cannot cross the line of killing someone again. Meanwhile, Karen has taken several lives in situations that may have warranted her self-defense, but also irreversibly changed her.

From these two different positions, Karen feels strongly that Matt should deal with Fisk in a permanent and final way, but Matt believes fervently in granting even the Kingpin mercy. At the end of episode 3, we also see Karen shooting an AVTF agent, which further cements her willingness to use extreme measures.

Daredevil Frees The Prisoners Of Red Hook With Some Surprising Allies

As the action comes to a head in Daredevil: Born Again season 2, episode 3, we see Daredevil break into the secret prison camp in Red Hook. Thanks to the AVTF agent that Karen kidnapped at the end of episode 1, and Matt’s law partner, Kirsten McDuffie, Matt had a card and a rough idea of how to navigate the prison.

He broke in, managed to free the hostages, and Jacques Duquesne put his vigilante skills as the Swordsman to good use to help fight their way out. But perhaps most surprising was the appearance of Angela del Toro wearing the White Tiger amulet. Angela’s help was invaluable in getting the hostages clear of Red Hook and ensuring the AVTF couldn’t follow due to her slashing their tires and stealing one of their vehicles.

However, there is still no sign of Jessica Jones, despite her being heavily teased in the trailers for this season. It is possible that she will arrive in the next few episodes, but admittedly, there is no clear indication of when the character will show up and join the fight for New York.

Kingpin Retaliates By Blowing Up The Northern Star Shipwreck

In a shocking move from the twisted Kingpin, after Matt and the others get clear of Red Hook, Fisk orders the shipwreck of the Northern Star to be blown up in the docks. This is even more evil due to the fact that there was still some crew on the ship, who are now inevitably dead in the water.

Fisk likely did this in part to protect himself from the investigations about what was onboard the ship (illegal weapons that were being smuggled overseas), but pulling the trigger at this moment was strategic, allowing Fisk to frame the vigilantes as the heartless monsters who killed innocent people on the boat, and sowed more unrest in New York.

While Matt Murdock got a small and quiet win, freeing several victims of Fisk and his AVTF militia, this retaliation was a brutal and public strike that is sure to do more harm. However, Daredevil finally has some people to join his fight, and hopefully, they can push back against the terrible, growing threat of the empowered AVTF.

All of that being said, Matt Murdock needs to make some tough choices about how he intends to handle Mayor Fisk. He needs to reconnect with Benjamin Poindexter, aka Bullseye, and ensure he doesn’t do more harm to the vigilante cause, and he needs to do all this and more while avoiding himself or anyone close to him being targeted and attacked by the AVTF.

Daredevil: Born Again season 2 is certainly heating up, and the stakes have never been higher as Matt Murdock and Mayor Wilson Fisk fight for the heart and soul of New York. But neither one can do it alone. Will Matt be able to rally his army in time? And will it be enough to fight back against the fear-inspiring crooked cops of the AVTF?