Shortly after the third season launched in 2018, excitement built among fans, especially at San Diego Comic-Con. However, this initial enthusiasm was quickly overshadowed by growing worries about the show’s direction.
Marvel Studios has brought back Charlie Cox as Matt Murdock and Vincent D’Onofrio as Wilson Fisk, but surprisingly, Deborah Ann Woll and Elden Henson, who played Karen Page and Foggy Nelson, weren’t asked to return. Thankfully, Ayelet Zurer’s return as Vanessa helped the show Born Again avoid a major plot problem. Audiences connected with Fisk’s grief over Vanessa’s death in “The Grand Design” because of the established relationship with Zurer’s character. Likewise, a longer flashback scene featuring Foggy effectively showed what mattered most to Matt, making Foggy’s eventual death feel especially painful – like a sudden, sharp ache.
Foggy Nelson Reframed Matt Murdock’s Priorities as a Hero and Reminded Fans His Loss Is Supposed to Hurt
Woll’s presence makes sense given her significant role in Season 2 of Born Again. Meanwhile, Foggy served as a stabilizing force, preventing Matt Murdock from making reckless decisions.
Foggy was deeply hurt by Matt’s secret, but he was even more upset by Matt’s use of violence, particularly killing. He only allowed Matt to act as a hero when lives were at stake. This complicated history was revisited in the first episode of Born Again, as when Foggy collapsed, Matt lost control and attempted to kill Bullseye.
Even though there was a story reason for it, Daredevil’s actions didn’t make Bullseye disappear from the plot. For most of “The Grand Design,” Daredevil surprisingly focused on saving Bullseye’s life, even after Bullseye attacked Fisk. Daredevil, acting in line with his strong moral beliefs, explained that saving Bullseye was his way of atoning for the earlier attack.
There was a fascinating moment when Daredevil spoke, and I got the sense he wasn’t telling us everything. It cut to a flashback showing a younger Matt Murdock and Foggy Nelson, and it became clear Foggy actually shaped Matt’s entire understanding of justice and what it means to show compassion. Charlie Cox has talked about this before, not necessarily in terms of sticking to the comics, but about how it affects Matt’s internal struggle. It’s ironic, really – Foggy might be the one who unintentionally created the split between the lawyer and the masked vigilante we see on the streets.
Their client, Lionel, was a drug dealer who had also bullied Foggy when they were children. This made Matt want to see Lionel punished, even if it meant ignoring Lionel’s legal rights and potentially causing his death. Despite his heightened senses, Matt could only view Lionel as a criminal. Foggy, however, remembered the abuse Lionel suffered as a child and recognized that this explained, but didn’t excuse, his actions. Upholding his duty as a lawyer, Foggy secured Lionel’s release and gave him money to leave the city and avoid danger, effectively saving his life.
The saddest part of the flashback was realizing Lionel saw Foggy not as an enemy, but as a friend – someone he genuinely connected with. Like others used in the flashback, such as Bullseye and Buck, Lionel was simply a pawn in Fisk’s plans, manipulated and used to achieve Fisk’s goals.
I always hated Bullseye for what he did to Foggy, but Daredevil helped me understand that Bullseye was also a victim, really. He wasn’t trying to be good, exactly, but in his own messed-up way, he was trying to make things right for the bad things he’d done, even if it meant sacrificing himself. I know I’m not Matt’s friend, but I think he sees me as someone fighting on the same side. And saving me wasn’t about him forgiving what I did; it was about honoring the memory of the person Bullseye killed, the one he regretted taking a life from.
The Stakes for Bullseye and Vanessa Fisk Resonate More Strongly Because of Viewers’ Past Connections With Them
In Season 3 of Daredevil, Kingpin exploited Dex by feigning concern for him, turning him into a tool. Meanwhile, Vanessa fully embraced her husband’s criminal world, a significant change from her initial innocence. The conclusion of Born Again Season 1 felt like a recommitment of vows between her and Fisk.
Dex initially served as a weapon for Wilson Fisk, the Kingpin, but Vanessa drew him back into conflict. She manipulated him into killing Foggy Nelson, mirroring her husband’s tactics, and then discarded him. Without knowing the backstory from Daredevil Season 3, that final scene in Born Again doesn’t have as much impact.
The connection between the actors doesn’t just enhance the viewing experience of Born Again; it also benefits their performances. Regarding Vanessa and Wilson’s relationship, the actress notes that Vanessa sees Wilson as a complete person, flaws and all, and he seems to feel the same way about her. The role of Vanessa, regardless of who played it, would have essentially been a fresh take on the character.
If Vanessa and Wilson recommit to their relationship, it would feel fresh and different. Seeing Zurer reprise her role feels like a genuine reunion. Regardless of how audiences feel about Vanessa, the show has spent a lot of time establishing Wilson’s deep love for her. Therefore, her death and his grief carry significant emotional impact.
A moment from the last episode of Born Again foreshadows what’s to come. Vanessa served as both Wilson Fisk’s guiding light and his anchor, keeping him grounded. Now that she’s gone, Fisk will likely unleash his fury and become incredibly violent.
The danger isn’t limited to Daredevil and Bullseye. Doctor Merati, who offered Vanessa a chance at survival, may have inadvertently sealed Fisk’s fate by trying to help her. This could be hard for audiences to believe, considering Fisk is now the mayor. But it’s important to remember his extreme brutality – he once beheaded someone with a car door just for disrespecting him in front of Vanessa.
What makes “The Grand Design” so powerfully emotional is the weight of history that familiar characters carry from the original Daredevil series. It’s one of the most heartbreaking episodes of Born Again so far.
With ‘The Grand Design,’ Born Again Proves the Series Needed to Directly Connect to the Original Daredevil
Before production started on Born Again, the actor discussed the difficulty of the new show. He explained that the biggest challenge would be blending his original character with the reimagined version for the new series.
Maybe the new show tried to distance itself from the original to have more creative control, but it didn’t succeed. Thankfully, the strikes of 2023 pushed Marvel Studios to change direction. It seems the difficulties Chris Cox mentioned were more than the actors could handle.
As a huge fan, I always appreciated how the creators approached adapting the source material. They explained that they deliberately avoided a complete reboot. Instead of trying to drastically change the characters everyone already knew and loved, they focused on letting them grow and change naturally, like real people. It wasn’t about reinvention, it was about believable evolution, and that really resonated with me.
The series Born Again directly continued the story of Daredevil, bringing back familiar faces like Rosario Dawson, Deborah Woll, Charlie Cox, Vincent D’Onofrio, and even Jon Bernthal as the Punisher. While challenging to pull off, these choices ultimately made the show stronger. Most importantly, the episode “The Grand Design” demonstrated that Born Again wasn’t limited by what happened in Daredevil.
The show’s existing backstory allowed the new series to focus on its own story, without needing to explain the characters’ histories. It offered the perfect balance: viewers already knew Daredevil’s origins, and the years between the previous season and the start of this new one were left open, letting the audience imagine what happened in between.
Daredevil: Born Again debuts new episodes on Tuesdays at 9 PM on Disney+.
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2026-04-16 20:38