The finale of Daredevil: Born Again season 1 has landed on Disney+ – and, Hell’s bells, does it paint a bleak yet hopeful picture of New York City.
This season’s ninth and final episode, titled ‘Straight to Hell’, has it all. Indeed, it’s a heady mix of melodrama, ultra-violent action, and crime-based storytelling that sets up gripping events to come in the Marvel TV show’s next installment.
As the dust settles on Daredevil‘s first standalone adventure in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), I imagine you’ve got plenty of questions about what happens in its latest entry. So, let’s break down the who, what, and why of it all.
Full spoilers immediately follow for the final episode of Daredevil: Born Again‘s first season. Do not proceed if you haven’t watched it yet.
Who dies in Daredevil: Born Again episode 9?
Nobody of note. Well, unless you consider Police Commissioner Gallo to be an important character in the Marvel Phase 5 TV series. He had part of his head caved in and his lower jaw ripped from his skull by Wilson Fisk, who fully entered his Mayor Kingpin phase in the popular show’s latest chapter.
Gallo aside, the only people who are bumped off in Born Again‘s ninth episode are a bunch of Anti-Vigilante Task Force (AVTF) officers. A number of them are executed by Frank Castle/The Punisher when, at Karen Page’s request, he helps Matt Murdock/Daredevil escape Murdock’s apartment when the AVTF hunt down the latter at his home.
Does The Punisher die in Daredevil: Born Again?
No. As I said, nobody who’s a part of the MCU TV show’s main cast is killed in ‘Straight to Hell’.
However, I can see why people might think The Punisher isn’t long for this world. He tries to take on the AVTF single-handedly and, while Frank Castle is an expert fighter and marksman, not even he can fight an entire army of corrupt cops. That’s proved as much when he’s taken hostage by Fisk’s militia and subsequently beaten up by them.
Thankfully for fans of Jon Bernthal’s iconic take on the anti-hero, Castle lives to fight another day. Towards the end of this episode, we learn he’s been imprisoned in Wilson Fisk’s secret lair. With Castle set to appear in Born Again season 2 (more on this later) and/or his own Disney+ special presentation, we’ll be seeing more of him in the future, too.
What is martial law and why does Mayor Fisk impose it in the Daredevil: Born Again season 1 finale?
Martial law has different meanings across the globe. In the US, it’s defined as the temporary implementation of military authority over civilian rule, which is usually invoked during a time of war, rebellion, or natural disaster.
So, why does Mayor Fisk – or, as we’ll now refer to him, Mayor Kingpin due to his criminal activities in a governmental position – impose martial law on the state of New York?
The main reason is to continue his battle against the so-called vigilante scourge. Kingpin has no time or patience for those who take the law into their own hands. Indeed, he’s battled his fair share of vigilantes in Daredevil’s TV shows on Disney+ and Netflix, aka two of the world’s best streaming services, so outlawing them completely will allow him to fulfill one of his mayoral promises to clean up the streets of his home city.
Implementing martial law will help with that aim. As a by-product of its enactment, Kingpin can enforce a daily curfew that’ll prevent vigilantes from roaming the streets at night. It also allows his AVTF to use military force on anyone it suspects of being a criminal, whether they’re a masked law enforcer or a simple crook. Lastly, martial law can restrict freedom of speech, which enables Kingpin to dictate the narrative if people try to voice opposition to his totalitarian leadership.
All of this, then, just made it much harder for the likes of Daredevil, The Punisher, and even Jack Duquesne/Swordsman – the latter of whom was also incarcerated alongside Castle – to carry out their personal crusades across New York City.
Is there a post-credits scene in Daredevil: Born Again’s season 1 finale? And how does it set up The Punisher’s Special Presentation?
Yes, but it’s more of a mid-credits scene than an end credits stinger.
In it, we see Castle puts on a charm offensive to convince an AVTF officer, who’s called Anthony Petruccio, that he’s not as bad as he’s been made out to be.
Once Petruccio is in striking range of Castle’s prison cell, the latter grabs Petruccio’s hand, breaks his arm, and strangles him to death. All Castle has to do now is grab the keys off Petruccio’s body, free himself (and, potentially his fellow captives), and escape.
Armed with a newfound vengeance, I suspect Castle will go on the warpath to eradicate the AVTF. This could form the basis of The Punisher’s special presentation, which is currently being co-written by Bernthal (per Collider) and could be released in 2026 (per The Hollywood Reporter).
Is Foggy actually alive in Daredevil: Born Again?
At this point, it’s incredibly unlikely. Yes, we all saw him die at Bullseye’s hands in Daredevil: Born Again‘s two-episode premiere, but that hasn’t stopped a wild Marvel fan theory from spreading about him faking his own death. Indeed, following the release of last week’s chapter, viewers continued to fiercely debate the fact that Foggy was alive.
Well, it seems like he isn’t. Foggy doesn’t make a surprise return before episode 9’s end credits roll. Okay, this reveal could be held back for the show’s sophomore season – and, with Marvel’s head of TV Brad Winderbaum confirming Elden Henson is part of season 2’s cast (via Phase Hero’s Brandon Davis), this is a possibility.
As of ‘Straight to Hell’, though, we’re none the wiser about the actual fate of Murdock’s fellow lawyer and closest friend.
Where is Spider-Man in Daredevil: Born Again episode 9?
Who knows? You would think that, with Kingpin imposing martial law and hunting down masked individuals, Peter Parker would, at the very least, be preparing to join Daredevil’s cause to fight for New York’s soul. After all, the city is as much his home as it is Daredevil and Kingpin’s.
Despite clear references to the webslinger in Born Again episode 2 and Born Again episode 3, though, Spider-Man is conspicuous by his absence. However, that isn’t a complete surprise. Sony owns the live-action rights to one of Marvel’s most famous heroes, so the prospect of Spidey making a cameo in this show was never on the cards.
Does Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, or any other Netflix Marvel heroes appear in Born Again’s season 1 finale?
Nope. Fans had hoped for a crowd-pleasing cameo from one of these heroes after Murdock and Page talked about assembling an underground resistance to take the fight to Kingpin.
So far, though, Murdock’s army consists of himself, Page, Cherry, Josie, Angie Kim, and a couple more New York police officers. That group will grow in season 2 but, right now, Daredevil is the only superpowered being who’s part of it.
How Daredevil: Born Again’s latest episode sets up its second season
The cameras started rolling on Daredevil: Born Again season 2, which will be part of the Marvel Phase 6 line-up, in late February. But, we’ve known that another installment has been in development since early 2023.
A lot will have changed narratively, though, since season 2’s inception. Indeed, following Born Again‘s creative overhaul amid the 2023 Hollywood strikes, which led to the hiring of a new showrunner and directing team partway through season 1’s development, one of the best Disney+ shows has gone in a different direction to its initial design.
So, how does ‘Straight to Hell’ set up the series’ next chapter? Aside from everything I’ve already discussed, we don’t know. A bunch of leaked Born Again season 2 images, which spoiled aspects of its forebear’s ending, gave us some clues, but there’s little else we know about what’ll happen in season 2.
There are plenty of interesting plot threads left hanging, however. Will Sheila’s guilt over Gallo’s death convince her to join Murdock’s group of renegades? How will Murdock react to Heather Glenn’s defection to Fisk’s team? What role will Bullseye play in season 2? Will Murdock’s group succeed in bringing down Kingpin? And will all of this play out before Avengers: Doomsday completely flips the table on the MCU as we know it?
With Born Again season 2 reportedly eyeing a 2026 release, we won’t have a ridiculously long wait to get answers to those questions. The devil, after all is in the details, so Marvel will want to provide as many as possible next time around.
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tom.power@futurenet.com (Tom Power)
