Daredevil: Born Againkicked off with a bang, and the season finale will leave fans talking. The newest entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe sees Charlie Cox and Vincent D’Onofrio reprise their roles as Matt Murdock/Daredevil and Wilson Fisk/The Kingpin, respectively, in a continuation of the originalDaredevilseries. While fans might have been worried given thatDaredevilpreviously went through some of the most iconic Daredevil stories, including “The Elektra Saga” and even put its own spin on the “Born Again” series that the Disney+ series draws its name from, the creators pulled from various corners of the Daredevil universe to craft this latest season.
Daredevil: Born Againfeatures plenty of callbacks and Easter eggs from both the originalDaredevilseries and comics, but it also features some interesting nods and references to the larger MCU and the various heroes that occupy New York. From The Punisher, Spider-Man, Luke Cage, Ms. Marvel, and Ant-Man, there are plenty more references to show that Daredevil operates in a much larger sandbox than before. Here are the biggest Easter eggs and references inDaredevil: Born AgainSeason 1.
Daredevil: Born Again
Callbacks and References to the Previous ‘Daredevil’ Series and Other Marvel Titles
Daredevil: Born Againis a continuation of theDaredevilseries that originally aired on Netflix from 2015 to 2018, with many of the stars of the series calling the new series Season 4. This meansthe series features many notable callbacks to the original series, particularly in the opening episode prologue that kicks off the main story.Matt Murdock, Karen Page, and Foggy Nelson are seen hanging out at Josie’s Bar, the local Hell’s Kitchen Bar that was a frequent hang-out spot in the originalDaredevilseries. Foggy Nelson’s time working at Hogarth, Chao & Benowitz LLP is also referenced. That was the law firm of Jessica Jones’s supporting character, Jeri Hogarth, which Foggy Nelson worked at inThe DefendersandDaredevilSeason 3.
Kingpin speaks with Vanessa about “healing” following his accident, a direct reference to Maya Lopez shooting him in the eye at the end ofHawkeye, which wasfollowed up on inEcho. In the first episode,Wilson Fisk even alludes to Maya Lopez as the protégée he was training before she shot him. The Tracksuit Mafia, first introduced inHawkeye, returns inDaredevil: Born Againas one of the many criminal organizations Vanessa Fisk has been running in her husband’s absence. The Tracksuit Mafia made their Marvel Comics debut inHawkeyeVol. 4 #1 in August 2012 and were created by Matt Fraction and David Aja.
‘Daredevil: Born Again’s New Supporting Characters Have Marvel Comics History
Following the conclusion ofDaredevil: Born Again’s prologue, the series jumps forward to the main action of the series, which sets up a new status quo for Matt Murdock, including a new business partner and a new love interest. Since Foggy’s death, he has started a new law firm titled Murdock and McDuffie alongside his new business partner, Kirsten McDuffie, played bySeverance’s Nikki M. James. McDuffie was created by writer Mark Waid and artist Paolo Rivera and introduced inDaredevilVol. 3 #1 from July 2011. McDuffie herself is named after the late great comic book writer Dwayne McDuffie, who passed away in February 2011, five months before Kirsten Duffie’s comic debut.
Daredevil: Born Againalso introduced a new love interest for Matt Murdock, Heather Glenn.Glenn is played by Margarita Levieva, who previously appeared as Mother Koril on Disney+‘sThe Acolyte. Created by writer Marv Wolfman and artist William Robert Brown and first appearing inDaredevil#126 in July 1975, Glenn was another brief love interest for Daredevil.
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While a lot of attention has been paid to Michael Gandolfini, son ofThe Sopranos’James Gandolfini, playing one of the Kingpin’s new right-hand men, it is the one played by Arty Froushan that should draw more attention.Froushan is playing Buck Cashman, who in Marvel Comics goes by the name of Bullet. Created by Ann Nocenti and John Romita Jr., Bullet first appeared inDaredevil#250 in January 1988. Much like the MCU version, the comic book Buck Cashman works closely for the Kingpin, though the comic version is a mercenary who typically wears a mask.Buck Cashman earns his Bullet comic book moniker when he kills Luca for Fisk in a set-up assassination attempt on Fisk to get rid of his enemies.
One of the newest characters in the series has connections to the previousDaredevilseries. B.B. Urich, played by Genneya Walton, is a young reporter who runs her own social media news organization called the BB Report. B.B. Urich is Ben Urich’s niece. Played by Vondie Curtis-Hall inDaredevilSeason 1, Ben Urich was a reporter for the New York Bulletin who helped Karen Page and Foggy Nelson investigate the identity of The Kingpin, discovering it is Wilson Fisk. Fisk later killed Urich, but it is unclear if he was ever tried for this crime. This raises questions about whether B.B. knows that Fisk killed her uncle, but it seems like a plot point that will have to come out. Ben Urich is a major supporting player in the Daredevil comics, and his legacy now lives on through his niece inDaredevil: Born Again.
Episode 6 also introduces Cole North, played by actor James Earl. Cole North was introduced inDaredevilVol. 6 #1 in February 2019 and was created by Chip Zdarsky and Marco Checchetto. In the comics, North is a police officer who doesn’t hold vigilantes in high regard. The MCU version is a corrupt police officer and a member of Wilson Fisk’s anti-vigilante task force. Set photos forDaredevil: Born Againfeatured Earl wearing a Punisher-inspired outfit, identifying him as the killer of White Tiger in Episode 3. Cole North is confirmed to be the killer of White Tiger in the season finale.
Comic References in ‘Daredevil: Born Again’
The opening ofDaredevil: Born Againfeatures the death of Foggy Nelson. In the comics, Foggy Nelson was famously killed inDaredevil Vol. 2 #82, written by Ed Brubaker, with art by Michael Lark in their debut issue on the title. Published in February 2006, the comic famously saw Foggy Nelson stabbed and killed by an inmate when he was visiting Ryker’s island to visit Matt Murdock when the character was under arrest. Like inDaredevil: Born Again, Matt Murdock hears Foggy Nelson’s heartbeat stop.Yet in #88, the twist was revealed that Foggy Nelson didn’t die and was in witness protection in a storyline titled “The Secret Life of Foggy Nelson.“This could open the door for Foggy Nelson to return to the MCU, particularly following news thatElden Henson is expected to reprise his roleas Foggy Nelson inDaredevil: Born AgainSeason 2.
In the first episode,Karen Page moves to San Francisco following the events of the opening prologue. San Francisco has notably been a second home for Daredevil in the comics outside of New York. The first time the character moved there was inDaredevil#86 from 1972 by Gerry Conaway, the co-creator of The Punisher. Then, in 2014, during Mark Waid’s run on theDaredevilcomic, Matt Murdock once again moved to San Francisco and started a new life there.
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The plot around Wilson Fisk running for mayor, first hinted at in the post-credit scene ofEcho, is taken from a plotline in Charles Soules’s Daredevil storyline. Wilson Fisk’s Kingpin was elected mayor of New York inDaredevil #28in October 2017, following the devastation of theSecret Empirestoryline. Fisk’s tenure as the mayor of Marvel Comics leads him to outlaw super-powered individuals from the city, which the season finale fully adapts, setting the stage for Season 2 to be a city under martial law.Daredevil: Born Againis adapting a comic book storyline created during the middle of the previous series’ run on Netflix. Following Fisk’s tenure, Luke Cage became the mayor of New York City, possibly setting up how that character could return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
The plotline of Matt Murdock representing Hector Ayala/The White Tiger in court in Episodes 2 and 3 is taken from the “Trial of the Century” storyline fromDaredevilVol. 2 #38 to #40.Published between October 2002 and January 2003 during Brian Michael Bendis’s tenure with the character, this storyline marked The White Tiger’s big return to the Marvel Universe before meeting a tragic demise.Daredevil: Born Againadapts the story’s ending with White Tiger getting killed, although, in the comics, he was killed before evidence came forward that proved his innocence. White Tiger’s death could set up another story arc during Bendis’s tenure, where he introduced Hector Ayala’s niece and the fourth White Tiger in Marvel Comics, Angela del Toro.
White Tiger in ‘Daredevil: Born Again’
In the first episode ofDaredevil: Born Again, it is established that Daredevil isn’t the only notable vigilante operating in New York. A new characteron the scene is White Tiger. There have been many White Tigers in Marvel Comics over the years,but the one scene inDaredevil: Born Againis Hector Ayala, the first White Tiger introduced in Marvel Comics back inDeadly Hands of Kung Fu#19from December 1975 and was created by writer Bill Mantlo and the legendary artist George Pérez. The White Tiger gets his powers from a batch of mystical amulets that enhance his strength, speed, agility, reflexes, and balance and has a connection to Daredevil’s former Defender, Iron Fist, as the amulets draw their power from K’un-Lun. However, none of that is mentioned inDaredevil: Born Again.
Episode 2 introduces audiences to Hector Ayala in his civilian identity, breaking up what appears to be a mugging before an accidental death reveals one of the assailants is an undercover cop. The audience later discovers that Ayala is the vigilante in the episode alongside Matt Murdock. Hector Ayala’s introduction episode is alsodedicated to Kamar de los Reyes,who plays Hector Ayala/White Tiger inDaredevil: Born Again. The actor passed away from cancer on August 06, 2025, after the first batch of episodes ofDaredevil: Born Againwere shot, and shortly after, filming began on the rest of the series.
Episode 3 ofDaredevil: Born Againalso established Hector Ayala’s niece, Angela. In the comics,Angela del Toro becomes the White Tigerafter her uncle’s murder. Angela del Toro gets a bigger role in the subsequent episodes, investigating her uncle’s murder and later being captured by the villain Muse before being saved by Daredevil. Her willingness to seek justice and her encounter with Daredevil could likely lead her to become the new White Tiger, as she did in the comics. It isn’t hard to see Angela del Toro picking up the white tiger amulet and becoming a new hero in Phase 7 afterAvengers: Secret Wars.
‘Luke Cage,’ ‘Ant-Man and The Wasp,’ and ‘The Avengers’ References in Times Square
Episode 2 begins at a New Year’s celebration in Times Square, with the Kingpin addressing the citizens of New York. While the previous use of Times Square in the Marvel Cinematic Universe,Captain America: The First Avenger, was used to get much of the movie’s product placement front and center for the mostly period-piece set film, here,Times Square is filled with a few references to the wider MCU.
Spider-Man and The Punisher in ‘Daredevil: Born Again’
In Wilson Fisk’s speech to the citizens of New York,he drops small hints at two of the MCU’s most famous vigilantes in New York with strong ties to Daredevil: The Punisher and Spider-Man. The Punisher is inDaredevil: Born Again,with Jon Bernthal reprising his role. However,don’t expect Spider-Man to appear, as Marvel Studios does not have the live-action television rights to the character, which blocks him from appearing in the Disney+ series.
Kingpin calling out Spider-Man is fitting as the villain first appeared inThe Amazing Spider-Man#50 and was commonly associated as a Spider-Man villain until Frank Miller’sDaredevilrun made him Daredevil’s archenemy. It is also fitting that The Punisher and Spider-Man are linked together since The Punisher first debuted inThe Amazing Spider-Man#129. While filmingPilgrimage,Jon Bernthal and Tom Holland recorded audition tapes togetherto land the parts of The Punisher and Spider-Man, respectively, which eventually paid off, further connecting the two characters.
The Punisher Returns in ‘Born Again’
Episode 4 ofDaredevil: Born Againsaw Jon Bernthal make his return as Frank Castle/The Punisherinto the Marvel Cinematic Universe six years afterThe PunisherSeason 2 aired on Netflix.Daredevil: Born Again’s showrunner, Dario Scardapane, was a writer for both seasons ofThe Punisherseries, so he is certainly familiar with the character.
The Punisher was first introduced inThe Amazing Spider-Man#129 in 1974 and was created by writer Gerry Conway and artists John Romita Sr. and Ross Andru. Initially trying to kill Spider-Man, the Punisher has become one of Marvel’s most famous anti-heroes.After three failed feature films, The Punisher seemed to finally click into place when Bernthal debuted as the character inDaredevilSeason 2 back in 2016. Bernthal’s depiction of the character was so popular that Marvel and Netflix greenlitThe Punisherspin-off series, which aired in 2017 and 2019.
The scene in Episode 4 ofDaredevil: Born Againimpliesthat this is not the first time Frank Castle and Matt Murdock have seen each other sinceDaredevilSeason 2. This could mean the two recounted one another during the five-year period betweenAvengers: Infinity WarandAvengers: Endgame.Echoestablished that Matt Murdock / Daredevil was active during this period, yet it is unclear if Frank Castle was blipped away.
The Punisher returns in the Season finale again, given a much more substantial role. It is also revealed that he and Karen Page (Deborah Ann Woll) have maintained contact over those years, even when she was not speaking to Matt after Foggy’s death. Karen Page was a major part of the Punisher subplot inDaredevilSeason 2, forming a close bond with Frank Castle. Woll reprised her role as Karen Page in both seasons ofThe Punisher, further establishing the link between these two characters.
Unpacking the Controversy Around The Punisher in 2025
At the end of Episode 2, a pair of corrupt cops can be seen sporting a Punisher logo tattooed on their arms. Then, in Episode 2, another cop is seen wearing a Punisher tattoo while a copycat Punisher killer shoots White Tiger at the end of Episode 3. It appears that Marvel is looking to tackle thecontroversial status of The Punisher in recent years, particularly with his skull logo. It became a popular symbol among members of the United States Armed Service division during the Iraq war to paint the Punisher logo on their uniforms, with one notable individual being Chris Kyle, the subject of the Best Picture nomineeAmerican Sniper. The logo has become particularly popular among police officers in the Blue Lives Matter movement, including making unofficial Punisher logo items with a thin blue line through it.
Gerry Conway, the co-creator ofThe Punisher, commented on police officers using the Punisher logo, comparing it to putting a Confederate Flag on a government building, and stated:“To me, it’s disturbing whenever I see authority figures embracing Punisher iconography because the Punisher represents a failure of the Justice system…. The vigilante anti-hero is fundamentally a critique of the justice system, an example of social failure, so when cops put the Punisher’s skulls on their cars or members of the military wear Punisher’s skull patches, they’re basically siding with an enemy of the system.“In a separate interview, Conway said, “They are embracing an outlaw mentality. Whether you think the Punisher is justified or not, whether you admire his code of ethics, he is an outlaw. He is a criminal. Police should not be embracing a criminal as their symbol.”
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In July 2019, writer Matthew Rosenberg tackled the Punisher controversy head-on inPunisherVol. 12 #13. Frank Castle comes across two police officers who are fans of his as they proceed to take a selfie with him and show they have a sticker of his logo on their car before comparing their work to his. The Punisher tears up the sticker, saying:
“I’ll say this once: we’re not the same. You took an oath to uphold the law. You help people. I gave that up a long time ago. You don’t do what I do. Nobody does. You boys need a role model? His name’s Captain America, and he’d be happy to have you…. If I find out you are trying to do what I do, I’ll come for you next.”
This is the stance that Marvel has taken on The Punisher logo being used by police since 2020, particularly after members of the Detroit Police Department were seen wearing the Punisher skull during the George Floyd protests in 2020. Around that time, Conway and others called on Marvel and Disney to take legal action to prevent law enforcement from using the logo. With a group of corrupt police officers wearing Punisher tattoos and The Punisher himself set to appear,Daredevil: Born Againlooks like it will tackle the controversy head-on.
While the original Punisher comic sold a little less than 20,000 copies when it was first published,Daredevil: Born Againhas a chance to reach a much wider audience and allow Marvel to make their stance on certain individuals co-opting The Punisher logo clearer. This is seemingly set up in the final episode, where The Punisher confronts the corrupt cops before being captured. With the mid-credits scene showing Frank Castle breaking out, it seems the concept of The Punisher challenging corrupt law enforcement might be the main plot ofhis 2026 Special Presentation.
‘The Sopranos’ and Daredevil Connection
Daredevil: Born Againfeatures Michael Gandolfini as an original character, Daniel Blake.Michael Gandolfini is the real-life son of the late great James Gandolfini, who played Tony Soprano in the landmark seriesThe Sopranos. Michael Gandolfini stepped into his father’s most iconic role inThe Many Saints of Newark, a prequel film that featured a young Tony Soprano. While Gandolfini’s real-life son now joins the Daredevil universe, hisfictional son fromThe Sopranosalso has connections to Daredevil.
Robert Iler played A.J. Soprano, the son of Tony Soprano, in all six seasons ofThe Sopranos. After the series concluded, he largely retired from acting, but one of his few credited screen appearances was in 2003’sDaredevil. In the film,Iler plays a bully to a young Matt Murdock. James Gandolfini’s onscreen and real-life son starred in Daredevil projects.
Daredevil: Born Again’s subplot of Wilson Fisk and his wife Vanessa undergoing marriage counseling can’t help but feel like a homage toThe Sopranos, which begins with mob boss Tony Soprano going to see a psychiatrist, Dr. Melfi, played by Lorraine Bracco. Much ofThe Sopranoscenters on Tony Soprano needing to balance his dual life as a mob boss and his personal life, a similar struggle that Wilson Fisk has as The Kingpin.
‘Daredevil: Born Again’ Features an Unfortunately Timely Subplot
Daredevil: Born AgainEpisode 4 (which was initially conceived as Episode 3 before the reworking of the show) sees a small break after the two-episode White Tiger trial and shows seemingly the everyday part of being a lawyer for Matt Murdock as he takes on a low-level case trying to help Leroy Bradford, a person who was caught stealing dessert from the grocery store. It is a standard case that fits right at home in a typical lawyer series and helps flesh out Matt Murdock’s day-to-day life and the types of cases he would take on. However,it also illuminates an issue the original series ignored while highlighting a significant issue happening in the United States, one the series’ writers likely couldn’t have anticipated when they wrote the episode.
While Matt Murdock seems annoyed with Leroy’s attitude, despite Murdock getting him a reduced sentence, Matt is later made to understand that even a few days in jail can have a big impact. The topic of how being in prison means someone could miss their appointment to renew their food stamps, which can then be hard to get back on.The Guardianreports that SNAP (formerly food stamps) helps more than 42 million Americans. It is a key tool in fighting hunger in the United States, particularly now that one in eight households says they struggle to make enough for groceries.
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In February 2025, House Republicans passed a budget of $4.5 trillion in tax cuts and $2 trillion in mandatory spending, which includes programs like Medicaid and SNAP. Some estimates say funding for SNAP could be reduced by at least 20%, meaning millions of Americans will receive less help, and many of them could lose assistance altogether despite the price of groceries increasing. In March, asDaredevil: Born Againbegan its run, it was reported that some states would pay out benefits late (viatododisca).
This episode does a lot to refocus Matt Murdock and the audience on what a “criminal” is. Should a man stealing a box office caramel popcorn be treated the same as a killer? Or why is it okay for someone who commits a high-profile white-collar crime that defrauds people out of millions of dollars to get off with a much easier sentence than a simple crime such as stealing food? The idea of stealing a loaf of bread to feed a family is now a universal shorthand for a necessary crime that most people accept as a justified one.Many of these minor crimes result from an unfair system that Daredevil can’t just punch away. Daredevil might be able to chase down and bring in a murderer, but how does he fight against systemic injustices that are designed to keep people in poverty?
