When Daredevil: Born Again was first announced by Marvel Studios, celebrating fans quickly noticed troubling signs. The most prominent source of distress was that actors Elden Henson (who played Foggy Nelson) and Deborah Ann Woll (who played Karen Page), weren’t returning with Charlie Cox and Vincent D’Onofrio.

Additionally, production on Daredevil: Born Again shut down shortly after filming began, and the show was creatively retooled. This resulted in the two beloved actors being brought back into the show, along with Vanessa Fisk actor Ayelet Zurer and Bullseye actor Wilson Bethel. In the first minutes of the first episode, however, Bullseye killed Foggy Nelson. It seemed like a cruel joke from Marvel, bringing the character back just to kill him. Interestingly, a seemingly innocuous number has fans hoping for a tried-and-true comic book resurrection.

The Number 468 Appeared In the First Scene With Daredevil’s ‘Big Three’

Karen Page, Foggy Nelson and Matt Murdock Were Sights for Sore Eyes

The ever-faithful fandom breathed a sign of relief when Born Again set photos reunited the Daredevil stars on the streets of New York. It was visual confirmation that the characters would return, making the new series a true continuation of the show they campaigned to save for years. However, the celebration was, again, short-lived. Because the characters walking happily weren’t the only set photos seen from that night of shooting.

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Along with Karen and Foggy, Bethel’s Bullseye (in a new costume), showed up and caused some mayhem. Reports from bystanders said that both Henson and Woll were seen covered in fake blood. Fans’ fears were confirmed in the premiere episode, when Bullseye shot Foggy dead. An intense fight scene between Daredevil and Bullseye was made all the more heartbreaking as Foggy’s ever-slowing heartbeat stayed in Matt’s ears the entire time.

“I think of Karen and Foggy as being the heartbeat of Daredevil. Without them, nothing that Matt does really has any emotional impact. The humanity and vulnerability that they brought to those characters allows me as Matt to really delve into the darkness.” — Charlie Cox in an interview.

Denial and bargaining are part of the stages of grief, and that’s where many of the Daredevil fans find themselves now. Specifically, they are pointing to a conspicuous set of numbers seen on the wall after Karen, Foggy and Matt first appeared. The blue “468” is seen as a sign of hope that Foggy isn’t exactly dead, especially if it is an Easter egg to a specific comic from Daredevil’s past.

Why People Think Daredevil #468 Is a Sign Foggy Nelson Might Still Be Alive

The Second Volume of the Daredevil Comic Involved a Foggy Fakeout

There have been many significant deaths in the Daredevil comics, some of which are present in Born Again. In Daredevil Volume 2, Foggy Nelson was seemingly stabbed to death after visiting Matt (who’d been outed as a vigilante) in prison. In a scene reminiscent of the series, Matt heard his friend’s heartbeat slow and stop. Matt attended his funeral and acted out as the grief overtook him. In Daredevil #88, fans learned Foggy was alive and well.

The 468th issue of the series, “The Secret Life of Foggy Nelson,” revealed that Matt’s longtime friend was alive and in witness protection. He agonized over lying to people, knowing his friends, estranged wife and even his mother all believed he was dead. He also worried about Matt and how his “death” affected him. In the story, he sneaks away from FBI custody, into the hands of waiting mobsters. Oddly, he’s saved by ninjas seemingly working for the Hand.

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It was all part of an elaborate plan by Vanessa Fisk, who was dying from an illness and out for a long game of revenge. Still, Matt and Foggy were eventually reunited. It also wasn’t the last time Foggy Nelson died in the comics, though through mysticism and Marvel Comics’ magic, he was again returned to the land of the living. This is why seeing 468 on the wall in the Daredevil: Born Again premiere has given fans hope Elden Henson’s Foggy may enjoy a similar return.

Why Fans Think Foggy Nelson Faked His Death in the Born Again Premiere

He Owes Matt Murdock That Kind of Scare After Daredevil Season 3

The idea that Henson and Woll were brought back for just a single scene in a single episode is hard to believe. Given how impermanent death can be in comic book storytelling, the idea that Foggy Nelson could come back isn’t that far-fetched. Even in a relatively grounded series like Daredevil, the Hand resurrected Elektra, matching her comic storyline.

Similarly, as the second episode of Daredevil: Born Again showed, Wilson and Vanessa Fisk are at odds. She resented him for leaving after being shot by Maya Lopez in Hawkeye. He’s angry with her after an apparent affair with a man known only as Adam. Since Vanessa facilitated Foggy’s faked death in the comics, perhaps she somehow pulled strings to save the live-action version of the character. Of course, the two versions of Matt Murdock’s best friend are very different.

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Put another way, faking his death and hiding out in witness protection feels out of character for Henson’s Foggy. Though, given how things played out in The Defenders and Daredevil Season 3, Foggy does kind of “owe Matt one” in that regard. Matt let Foggy and Karen think he was dead for months after deciding to give up his civilian identity and commit to being a vigilante. Yet, after Foggy’s death, Matt gives up the suit rather than going on a tear like he did in the books.

The Appearance of 468 Was an Easter Egg at Most, Not Foreshadowing

Foggy Nelson May Come Back, But Only as a Memory or ‘Ghost’

The idea that Foggy will return is likely a vain hope. The main reason is that Nelson’s murder was always part of Born Again. Before the retooling, Foggy’s death would have happened off-screen. Showing this moment was important enough to bring the character back for just a single scene. After all, fans can’t deny that Henson was able to convey so much with just mere “face acting” as he lay there dying.

Unlike Daredevil #468, Foggy died on the sidewalk in front of Josie’s Bar. Karen was there, and Matt was up on the roof, with his friend’s heartbeat in his ears until it wasn’t. While the show skipped over the funeral, there simply doesn’t seem to be the kind of opportunity for Foggy to have been medically saved and then hidden. Similarly, Vanessa’s story is different from the comic version. If anything, her involvement in the criminal underworld would make her as eager to take out these meddlesome lawyers as her husband.

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Fans are understandably furious at Foggy’s death, but it’s unlikely to be undone. It is still possible that Henson does get to reprise his role again. He could appear in flashbacks to the time between the original series’ end and Born Again‘s premiere. He might also “haunt” Matt as a memory, just like a vision of Fisk followed him in Season 3. Still, this is likely a death that will stick in the canon of the show, as much as viewers would accept any excuse to bring Foggy Nelson back.

Daredevil: Born Again debuts new episodes Tuesdays at 9 PM on Disney+.

Daredevil: Born Again

Release Date

March 4, 2025

Showrunner

Chris Ord

Directors

Michael Cuesta, Aaron Moorhead, Justin Benson, Jeffrey Nachmanoff

Writers

Chris Ord

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  Charlie Cox

  Matt Murdock / Daredevil

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  Vincent D’Onofrio

  Wilson Fisk / Kingpin