Daredevil: Born Again’s Charlie Cox and Vincent D’Onofrio Break Down Episode 1’s Huge Twist

Warning: Full spoilers travel for Daredevil: Born Again Episodes 1 and 2.

Well, they did it. Many observant fans person been predicting this, and present it’s happened.

They killed Foggy Nelson!

Specifically, Wilson Bethel’s “Dex” Poindexter (that’s Bullseye to comics readers) resurfaces successful the opening minutes of Born Again and assassinates Foggy (Elden Henson), the champion person and longtime instrumentality spouse of Matt Murdock/Daredevil (Charlie Cox). Foggy dies successful Karen Page’s (Deborah Ann Woll) arms, truthful that conscionable erstwhile you thought the caller Disney+ amusement was picking up close wherever the Netflix bid near off, each of that goes consecutive retired the (stained glass) window.

I asked Cox and his Kingpin costar Vincent D’Onofrio however they felt erstwhile they recovered retired Foggy was doomed. The brace seemingly had been heavy briefed by the Marvel military-industrial analyzable to support that uncover precise quiet.

“Oh, my God,” says D’Onofrio. “It's truthful scary to notation that.”

“When you said that, my bosom conscionable dropped,” adds Cox.

“It's specified a large deal,” continues D’Onofrio.

The Death of Foggy Nelson

“Look, connected a idiosyncratic level, it's devastating,” explains Cox. “It's besides devastating from the show's position due to the fact that determination is truthful overmuch that relationship, that dynamic, offers. And there's truthful galore much stories to tell. So it's truly sad, genuinely sad.”

There was, of course, a crushed to termination the quality off, however. “Unfortunately, there's a batch of stories that his decease does offer,” says D’Onofrio.

Born Again has been successful the works for years astatine this point, with a well-publicized behind-the-scenes displacement successful originative direction that saw caller directors and a caller showrunner being brought in. The thought of bringing backmost Foggy and past sidesplitting the quality was archetypal presented to Cox astir precocious 2022 oregon aboriginal 2023, and the histrion thinks that portion viewers are going to beryllium troubled by Foggy’s fate, it is simply a large catalyst for the caller show.

“The information is, it's been six years since we've made the [Netflix] show,” says Cox. “We're coming successful with an idea. … We person to person a crushed for remaking the show. You've got to beryllium brave and bold. And we had this large idea, oregon the writers had this large idea, astir Matt truly swearing disconnected the suit entirely, which is the reverse of the past play we had implicit connected Netflix. But successful bid to bash that, there's got to beryllium a existent reason. It can't conscionable beryllium anything. It has to beryllium a bombshell.”

Showrunner Dario Scardapane, who antecedently served arsenic a shaper and writer connected the Netflix Punisher series, notes that successful immoderate ways the determination was “kind of baked in” due to the fact that successful the comic books some Foggy and Karen person died successful the past. “His curse is that his loved ones get caught up successful this combat and die,” says Scardapane of Daredevil.

Foggy Nelson (Elden Henson) successful Daredevil: Born Again Episode 1.

“And astatine the extremity of the Netflix show, determination are 3 names connected a napkin,” helium continues. “That is the imagination that we spell disconnected into this satellite with. We prime up that imagination and we’ve got to smash it apart. It was done ace mindfully, and the happening is this is the inciting incident, not conscionable for this full series, but what goes into Season 2. It's massive. And we needed to springiness Matt thing that broke isolated his satellite wrong and outside. And successful galore ways, Foggy was the conscience, Foggy was his Jiminy Cricket, and what happens erstwhile you don't person that touchstone? So it was cruel successful galore ways, but sometimes communicative is cruel.”

(And yes, Season 2 is presently shooting successful New York City. “There's already accusation astir what we're astir to commencement shooting successful the 2nd play that I had to person a small outcry about,” says D’Onofrio. “This amusement tin beryllium rather aggravated arsenic an actor.”)

Where’s Karen Page, and Did Matt Murdock Go Too Far With Dex?

As for Karen, she is estranged from Matt and surviving successful San Francisco successful the aftermath of Foggy’s death, but Scardapane says she’s inactive precise important to the show.

“Karen Page is the bosom and psyche of this beingness and of this Daredevil mythology, and Karen's enactment with our communicative successful this play and beyond is huge,” says the showrunner. “I can't springiness excessively overmuch away, but families thin to fracture erstwhile a loved 1 passes. And successful that fracture, they tin re-bond successful ways that are astonishing and new. And that's what I deliberation we’re going for.”

Karen (Deborah Ann Woll) and Matt (Charlie Cox).

Of course, this each sends Matt into a spiral. When helium realizes Foggy has died, helium tosses Dex disconnected of the rooftop wherever they’ve been fighting. Dex, due to the fact that of his superhuman abilities, doesn’t die, but arsenic Scardapane points out, “Regardless of whether helium did oregon didn't [kill Dex], helium wanted to. So arsenic a lapsed Catholic, the misdeed is successful the tendency arsenic good arsenic the action.”

The effect is Matt nary longer wants to beryllium Daredevil, which is simply a precise melodramatic script for the character, but besides a situation for the filmmakers who present person a superhero quality who doesn’t privation to deterioration a costume oregon combat atrocious guys.

“That was really the amusive part, for deficiency of a amended word,” laughs Scardapane. “For a chunk of this, it is Matt holding Daredevil astatine bay, and past determination is simply a turning constituent and past things alteration and we way that the full way. And what's comic is if you're paying truly strict attention, the aforesaid thing's going connected with our villain. So these 2 men really are catalysts for each other. They bring retired the champion and the worst successful each other, and that's what we tried to way done this. So there's inactive action. And if Matt Murdock's throwing a punch, is Matt Murdock throwing the punch oregon is Daredevil throwing the punch? And [stunt coordinator and 2nd portion director] Phil [Silvera] and [stuntman] Dave Macomber did a truly bully occupation successful the enactment of, ‘Oh, that's Daredevil, right? Right.’”

About That Punisher Tattoo

At the extremity of Episode 2, Matt finds himself up against the soiled cops who person framed White Tiger (played by the precocious Kamar de los Reyes, who is large successful the role). A precise Matt Murdock combat country takes spot (Oh, that’s Daredevil, right?), but during it, Matt notices a tattoo connected 1 of the cops’ arms – a saltation connected Frank Castle’s iconic Punisher skull symbol.

We already cognize that Jon Bernthal is reprising his relation successful Daredevil arsenic the Punisher, so…

“Yes, that tattoo should beryllium a hint,” says Scardapane. “There is simply a Frank Castle storyline that is, I think, heavy and affluent and has been begging to beryllium told. It was successful 1 of the comics, but Frank's quality is not random. It comes backmost to [the idea] of who is simply a vigilante, who's good, who's bad, and Frank is 1 of those incredibly galvanizing characters. Frank comes into our satellite with a purpose. That intent is executed. Does it person thing to bash with these men that we spot successful that apartment? Yes.”

In reality, the character’s skull logo has been utilized by immoderate successful the constabulary and military, and Punisher co-creator Gerry Conway has spoken retired against this successful the past. As a result, this is simply a peculiarly salient taxable for Daredevil: Born Again to present to the MCU.

“It's incredibly important to me, and I deliberation it's incredibly important to Marvel, and I cognize it's incredibly important to Jon,” says Scardapane of including the contented successful the show. “And that treatment and that dichotomy and … the feelings, emotions, and speech astir that circumstantial contented is tackled successful this season. And I deliberation it's tackled truly well. And I deliberation Jon successful peculiar knows however to dependable that treatment astir apt amended than anybody.”

We’ll person to spot wherever each of this goes arsenic Daredevil: Born Again rolls retired successful the coming weeks. In the meantime, fto america cognize what you thought of Foggy’s decease and everything other successful the comments!