Daredevil: Born Again Season 1 Ending Explained - How the Series Sets Up Season 2 and the Punisher Special

Warning: this nonfiction contains afloat spoilers for Daredevil: Born Again Episode 9! Be definite to cheque retired IGN's reappraisal of the Season 1 finale.

Daredevil: Born Again has conscionable ended its archetypal play connected Disney+, and the finale is rather a doozy. We’ve seen Charlie Cox’s Matt Murdock brought debased respective times implicit the years, but this mightiness beryllium the bleakest ending yet for aged Hornhead. Suffice it to say, MCU fans are successful for a precise absorbing Season 2 erstwhile the amusement makes its instrumentality successful 2026.

As the particulate settles from the latest clash betwixt Daredevil and Vincent D’Onofrio’s Kingpin, let’s interruption down the melodramatic ending to Season 1. Who’s inactive standing, and however does it each acceptable up Season 2? And what astir that precocious announced Punisher special? Here’s what we larn from Born Again’s play finale.

Daredevil: Born Again Season 1 Ending Explained

All play long, Born Again has been exploring the question of whether a idiosyncratic tin permanently and fundamentally alteration themselves. Can Matt Murdock conscionable beryllium a lawyer, escaped of the load of acting arsenic a vigilante and defying the instrumentality he’s sworn to uphold? Can Wilson Fisk genuinely unrecorded connected the close broadside of the law, oregon is helium simply talking a large crippled erstwhile helium claims to beryllium looking to marque his metropolis a better, safer place?

By the events of the finale, the reply appears to beryllium a resounding “No.” Matt has been called backmost into enactment arsenic Daredevil, spurred connected by his clash with Muse and his renewed feud with Fisk. Not that this is needfully presented arsenic a nonaccomplishment connected Matt’s part. He’s been forced to judge that there’s nary constituent successful adhering to “the system” erstwhile determination are galore whom the strategy simply doesn’t protect. As overmuch arsenic he’d similar to judge otherwise, the metropolis inactive needs Daredevil.

As for Fisk, astatine 1 point, helium whitethorn person had genuinely bully intentions successful moving for mayor, but we cognize what they accidental astir those with bully intentions. Repeated clashes with disloyal underlings and contemptuous billionaires - arsenic good arsenic his hopeless tendency to rekindle Vanessa’s (Ayelet Zurer) emotion for him - person caused Fisk to retreat into his aged persona. By this point, Fisk has afloat reverted to Kingpin mode and has surrounded himself with an service of cops proudly wearing the Punisher skull and operating wholly supra the law.

Again, the likelihood are stacked against Matt similar ne'er earlier successful the finale. No sooner does helium statesman to retrieve from virtually taking a slug for Fisk than Fisk attempts to region him from the committee permanently, reasoning that a martyred leader tin lone further his mayoral agenda. Fisk’s archetypal large determination is to unopen disconnected powerfulness to the metropolis and crook his service escaped connected the looters, justifying the request for martial law.

It’s present that the wounded, hopeless Matt finds 2 severely needed allies successful Jon Bernthal’s Frank Castle and Deborah Ann Woll’s Karen Page. Karen has called successful a favour with Frank (building connected their agelong shared past successful some the archetypal Daredevil bid and The Punisher spinoff), forcing Frank to instrumentality enactment adjacent though helium claims to beryllium disinterested successful the chaos sweeping the city.

After a bloody showdown that leaves Matt’s flat successful shambles, Matt, Frank, and Karen regroup and crippled their adjacent determination against Fisk. Matt and Karen cognize that the cardinal to taking down the Fisks is to find the ineligible question Foggy (Elden Henson) was preparing to record earlier his death. They find that question tucked distant successful Foggy’s retention locker. Frank stays behind, again feigning disinterest successful the combat against Fisk and his service of “fanboys.” But that facade breaks, and Frank yet confronts the corrupt cops, sidesplitting respective earlier being captured.

Daredevil and Karen hole to tempest Fisk’s compound astatine the Red Hook port, but adjacent Matt can’t contradict that the likelihood are excessively stacked against them. He won’t beryllium one-shot hallway warring his mode retired of this predicament. Instead, the 2 retreat to lick their wounds and stitchery what allies they person to combat different day.

And that’s fundamentally wherever the bid leaves things astatine the extremity of Season 1. Fisk is triumphant, having extended his grip implicit the metropolis and imprisoned oregon killed astir of his enemies. Costumed vigilantes are present strictly outlawed successful the city. Evil wins, for now. But that doesn’t halt Matt from delivering a rousing code astir the value of absorption and the enduring spot of New York successful Josie’s Bar. The code has been acceptable for Season 2. Matt has erstwhile again embraced his Daredevil persona and is acceptable to combat for his metropolis by immoderate means necessary.

Does Daredevil: Born Again Have a Post-Credits Scene?

Like truthful galore MCU projects earlier it, Daredevil: Born Again does so person a post-credts country (or a mid-credits scene, to beryllium specific). That country revisits Frank Castle, who aft enduring a savage beating astatine the hands of Fisk’s fanatically loyal cops, is present imprisoned successful Red Hook alongside the city’s billionaire elite. Frank wastes nary clip cozying up to the guard, who makes the mistake of shaking hands with The Punisher. One savage bony breaking later, Frank is escaped and acceptable to resume his run of vengeance.

Does that mean we tin expect Bernthal to reprise his relation successful Season 2? Possibly, but Marvel appears to person different plans successful caput for The Punisher arsenic well. We’ll get to him successful a bit.

What to Expect From Born Again Season 2

Marvel doesn’t person a beardown way grounds of pursuing up their assorted Disney + shows with 2nd seasons. On the live-action front, truthful acold lone Loki has returned for Season 2. Given that Born Again efficaciously ends connected a cliffhanger, it would beryllium beauteous frustrating if the bid met with the aforesaid fate. Luckily, fans needn’t interest astir Born Again becoming trapped successful limbo. Season 2 is decidedly happening.

Marvel primitively announced Born Again arsenic being an 18-episode series. Plans person shifted somewhat since then, but present we tin expect an 8-episode 2nd play to travel up connected this archetypal batch of 9 episodes. Dario Scardapane volition again service arsenic showrunner of Season 2, and directors/producers Aaron Moorhead and Justin Benson are besides returning. Best of all, the caller play is already successful production, making a 2026 merchandise precise possible.

In a roundtable interrogation with IGN, D’Onofrio revealed that he’s work the scripts for Season 2 and had a precise affectional reaction.

“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,” D’Onofrio tells IGN. “So it's rather something. This amusement tin beryllium rather aggravated arsenic an actor.”

Based connected however Episode 9 ends, we person a beauteous bully thought of the code and absorption of Season 2. Expect an adjacent darker pivot adjacent clip around. Fisk has successfully installed himself arsenic the each but untouchable monarch of the city. He’s outlawed costumed vigilantes, which gives his militant constabulary unit carte blanche to people anyone rioting oregon protesting against the government. Daredevil has a fewer allies - Karen, Clark Johnson’s Cherry, Ruibo Qian’s Detective Kim, etc. - but he’s inactive conscionable 1 antheral staring down the void of facism and systemic rot.

Art by David Mazzucchelli. (Image Credit: Marvel/IDW)

It’s present wherever the thematic similarities to the archetypal Daredevil: Born Again comic truly commencement to go apparent. In the comic, Fisk systematically dismantles Matt’s beingness aft discovering his concealed identity, leaving Matt stateless and destitute. But arsenic Fisk soon discovers, a antheral without anticipation is besides a antheral without fear. Matt rises from the ashes much driven than ever, delivering a shattering stroke to Fisk’s transgression empire and nationalist reputation.

The circumstances successful this bid are somewhat different. Fisk has already known Matt’s concealed for immoderate clip now, and Matt’s arc successful Daredevil: Season 3 was arguably a much nonstop adaptation of the Born Again comic. But this bid inactive presents a script wherever Daredevil’s backmost is against a partition and he’s been stripped down to his core. His beingness arsenic Matt Murdock is seemingly implicit until the contiguous situation is dealt with. He’s present 100% Daredevil, reborn and afloat committed to bringing down Fisk’s regime. Thanks to Foggy, helium and Karen person the ammo. Now they person to marque their metropolis recognize the information astir the monster they elected.

We’re expecting astir of the Season 1 supporting formed to instrumentality for Season 2. That includes Woll’s Karen Page, who appears to beryllium positioned for a bigger relation adjacent clip around.

Scardapane tells IGN, “I volition accidental lone arsenic I've said clip and clip [again], Karen Page is the bosom and psyche of this beingness and of this Daredevil mythology and Karen's enactment with our story. And this play and beyond is huge.”

However, Season 2 besides opens the doorway for much costumed vigilantes to marque an appearance. Fisk’s prohibition connected masks affects a large galore characters successful the MCU. It’s benignant of Captain America: Civil War’s Sokovia Accords successful a New York microcosm. Anyone successful the metropolis who wears a disguise and attempts to usage it for either bully oregon sick is present straight successful Fisk’s crosshairs.

Rumors person persisted that Born Again volition bring backmost different actors from the Netflix days, specified arsenic Krysten Ritter’s Jessica Jones and Mike Colter’s Luke Cage. The presumption quo heading into Season 2 surely justifies bringing some characters into the fold. Born Again hints that we whitethorn conscionable astatine slightest 1 caller costumed leader successful Season 2. Camila Rodriguez’ Angela Ayala is showing each motion of wanting to travel successful her uncle’s footsteps and becoming the caller White Tiger (as happened successful the comics). She whitethorn not person overmuch successful the mode of training, but a mystical amulet has to number for something, right?

Check backmost time for a deeper dive into the MCU’s existent lineup of street-level heroes and vigilantes.

How Born Again Sets Up the Punisher Special

If there’s 1 takeaway from the Season 1 finale, it’s that there’s a definite aboriginal for Bernthal’s Frank Castle successful the MCU. We spot Frank making his convulsive flight from Fisk’s homemade prison. There’s decidedly going to beryllium immoderate much punishment connected the menu.

Bernthal astir apt has a portion to play successful Season 2, but that’s not all. We precocious learned that Marvel is processing a standalone Punisher Disney+ peculiar successful the vein of Werewolf by Night and The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special. Bernthal volition prima and is besides penning the screenplay alongside We Own This City’s Reinaldo Marcus Green.

Presumably, the Punisher peculiar volition delve deeper into the struggle betwixt Frank Castle and the corrupt cops who person co-opted his representation and mission. It’s a large real-world occupation facing the quality that Marvel has yet started to address, and Born Again appears to beryllium conscionable the commencement of a larger storyline. We’ll astir apt spot Frank spell connected the violative again, and apt present immoderate mentation of his celebrated code to 2 NYPD officers from 2019’s The Punisher #13:

"We're not the same. You took an oath to uphold the law. I gave each that up a agelong clip ago. You don't bash what I do. Nobody does."

That doesn’t needfully preclude Bernthal from besides appearing successful Born Again: Season 2. As agelong arsenic Frank remains progressive arsenic a vigilante, the Fisk authorities is simply a wide and contiguous danger. That means we tin astir apt expect different reluctant Daredevil/Punisher team-up successful the adjacent future. And who knows? Maybe Karen volition yet judge that connection of a cupful of coffee.

Which vigilante bash you astir privation to spot successful Born Again Season 2? Vote successful our canvass and fto america cognize successful the comments below.

For much connected the aboriginal of the MCU, larn astir the 75 comics that whitethorn beryllium inspiring Avengers: Doomsday and brushwood up connected each Marvel movie and bid successful development.

Jesse is simply a mild-mannered unit writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intelligence thicket by following @jschedeen connected BlueSky.