Daredevil: Born Again makes it clear from its first episode – and its first act – that the show isn’t holding back on anything. The one-take fight scene, followed by a shocking death, left fans speechless, with some even wondering if the Marvel series just erased an important character arc from the previous Netflix show.

While Daredevil: Born Again is meant to be a continued revival of the three-season Netflix series within the MCU, the new show feels like its own thing; not that it’s a problem. The two-episode premiere felt like a giant leap forward for Matt Murdock, especially considering how much had already happened in such a short time. This raises the question: has the new Disney+ Marvel series already undone his character development from the original Netflix show? Be warned: spoilers follow down below!

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Daredevil: Born Again’s Premiere Changes Everything

Opening Act Pushes Matt Murdock Too Far

In the opening act of Daredevil: Born Again season 1, episode 1, “Heaven’s Half Hour”, Benjamin Poindexter a.k.a. Bullseye, delivers a devastating blow to Matt Murdock’s world by killing his best friend, Foggy Nelson. Overcome with grief and rage, Matt loses control and throws a beaten-up Bullseye off the roof of a multi-story building. What makes the moment even more shocking is how casually it happens. As Dex smirks at him, Matt repeatedly cries out, “Why?”, before giving a simple push to the side of Bullseye’s head and letting go, which sends the psychopathic ex-FBI agent plummeting to the ground.

This move felt a lot like Daredevil giving up on his ideals out of sheer shock over losing his closest friend. One could see it as a sudden jolt in his character arc due to the gravity of what had just happened. At the same time, it also feels like it contradicts his character development from Netflix’s Daredevil season 3. In the Netflix series, much of Matt’s journey centered on his internal struggle over whether to abandon his moral code and kill Wilson Fisk. So, one can’t help but wonder whether this moment is a deliberate evolution for Daredevil or just a momentary blip shock Matt back into hiding.

Born Again Takes Daredevil Beyond Netflix Limits

Foggy’s Death Rewrites Matt Murdock’s Character Arc

Matt hearing Foggy’s dying breaths from the street below while fighting Bullseye must have obviously pushed him past the point of no return. The show clearly intended to create a moment that would push the hero over the edge, and killing Foggy served as the ultimate catalyst. This moment is especially significant given that, at the end of Daredevil season 3, Matt made a deal with Fisk to keep Foggy and Karen safe, threatening to turn Vanessa in if Fisk ever targeted them.

The fact that Foggy is killed despite this agreement possibly explains Matt’s actions. While pushing Poindexter directly contradicts Matt’s previous character arc, it is understandable given the circumstances. In Daredevil season 3, much of Matt’s internal conflict revolved around whether he should kill Fisk. Despite all the suffering and the intense emotional turmoil, he ultimately couldn’t bring himself to do it.

The Show’s Title Hints At Daredevil’s Transformation

Breaking Moral Codes To Be “Born Again”

What kept him grounded thus far were friends like Foggy and Karen, who were his moral anchors. Now, Born Again challenges that by stripping him of that foundation. This is why the new show’s title itself holds deeper thematic meaning. It explores how Matt gives up his vigilante persona at first, and attains rebirth as Daredevil in a new light. In fact, he addresses this in a conversation with Fisk in the same episode when he says:

My best friend was killed. A line was crossed.

The line being crossed here doesn’t refer to Bullseye claiming the life of Foggy, but rather Matt himself caving in to his darker instincts. While he never admits it to Fisk, the implication is clear that he made a choice he never thought he would. Matt’s relentless pursuit of justice has always been integral to his character. Now, if Daredevil: Born Again wants to live up to the original, it could be about him overcoming his dark side rather than being consumed by it. A week ago, the premiere episode’s director, Aaron Moorhead, addressed this in an interview with Variety:

The reason that it’s so violent is that the violence is grotesque and has real consequences. If there’s going to be two acts of violence, Foggy’s death and then Matt trying to kill someone and crossing this line, the grief needs to ripple out — not through the end of the episode, but forever. This is the question that he now has to grapple with: how to go on as a person that no longer believes, as a Catholic superhero, he’s worthy of God’s grace.

There is one more important plot point to remember here – Bullseye doesn’t die after all. Having previously reinforced his skeleton through special surgery, Dex survives a four-story fall despite hitting the pavement. Does this undermine the impact of Matt’s decision? Maybe, since Matt didn’t break his no-kill rule after all. It would have been more compelling if he had, since he would be forced to deal with the weight of that choice in the rest of Daredevil: Born Again‘s first season.