Warning: SPOILERS for the Daredevil: Born Again episodes “With Interest” and “Excessive Force” are ahead!
To say the first four episodes of Daredevil: Born Again were uneventful would be a bald-faced lie. From Bullseye murdering Foggy Nelson in the premiere to Matt Murdock defending the late Hector Ayala and reuniting with The Punisher, Born Again delivered plenty of material in its first half to keep viewers entertained. And while it wasn’t anything game-changing, I especially got a kick out of seeing Wilson Fisk uncomfortably sit through children poorly singing “We Built This City.”
However, the latest two episodes to premiere on the 2025 TV schedule kicked things up a notch with various big moments, including Matt finally suiting back up as Daredevil. That’s all well and good, but before we get into all that, I need to talk about the new Marvel superhero who was sneakily introduced and is almost certainly someone MCU fans have already met.
It Looks Like Swordsman Has Made His MCU Debut
“Excessive Force,” the second of the new Daredevil: Born Again episodes that can be streamed now with a Disney+ subscription, began with a BB Urich montage, i.e. another round of her interviewing New Yorkers. One of the people she spoke to showed her a video that was sent to him of a masked swordsman who was disarming some street toughs.
The superhero Swordsman was introduced in 1965’s Avengers #19, and now he’s finally made his live-action debut 60 years later. Well, sort of. You see, while we don’t technically know with 100% certainty yet who’s underneath the mask, if the source material is being followed, then the person wielding that blade is the Hawkeye alum who returned in this episode.
Later on in “Excessive Force,” Wilson Fisk attended a fundraiser to hobnob with New York’s elite and convince them that his plan to rebuild the city’s port is worthy of their time and money. Unfortunately, he failed to effectively persuade them, but Tony Dalton’s Jack Duquesne went a step further and told the newly-elected mayor that the changes he was making with the police and his “obsession” with vigilantes was “just not going to work,” and that the port project doesn’t “align” with their interest. Jack warned Fisk not to underestimate the people attending that fundraiser, as they could undermine him with just a phone call.
Jack may have been putting up a front as just another average wealthy guy throwing his weight around, but considering that he’s Swordsman in the comics, I think it’s logical to assume he holds that mantle in the MCU too and is using his special talent to help people. Let’s also not forget that after it was discovered that Jack had been framed by Eleanor Bishop in Hawkeye, he helped Kate Bishop out with fighting the Tracksuit Mafia. He’s already demonstrated himself to be a good person, and it’d be weird to have Tony Dalton reprise the role, but then have someone else be Swordsman. The pieces are all in place for him to be revealed as this superhero, so bring on the unmasking!
The Other Big Events From Daredevil: Born Again’s New Episodes
Swordsman’s cameo/the return of Jack Duquesne was just one of the big developments from the latest Daredevil: Born Again episodes. In “With Interest,” Matt Murdock foiled a bank robbery being committed by Devlin. He worked for Luca, the man who was instructed by Buck Cashman, Wilson Fisk’s righthand man, to pay $1.8 million restitution to rival crime boss Viktor. With the help of Assistant Bank Manager Yusuf Khan, a.k.a. the father of Kamala Khan/Ms. Marvel, Matt was able to switch out the diamond Devlin and his men tried to steal and keep it within the bank’s walls.
As for “Excessive Force,” in addition to the Swordsman content, Luca telling Wilson Fisk he won’t pay the $1.8 million, and Fisk beating Adam, with whom Vanessa had an affair, into a bloody pulp, the Muse subplot was also finally placed front and center. After the serial killer kept a low profile in the first four Born Again episodes, Fisk learned of his existence when it was discovered that the murals going up around NYC were painted with human blood. In response, the mayor formed the Anti-Vigilante Task Force, with Detective Powell and former detective Cole North being among its members.
This comes at an unfortunate time for Matt, because upon learning that Angela del Toro, Hector Ayala’s niece, had gone missing, he suited back up as Daredevil for the first time since Foggy’s death to go find her. Angela, whom I suspect will become the new White Tiger, had gone to investigate the missing people her deceased uncle had been looking into after Matt refused to help, and that led to her being snatched up by Muse. Fortunately, Matt was able to track down Muse’s hideout in a subway tunnel using his enhanced senses.
A fight broke out between Daredevil and Muse, and while the former emerged victorious, the latter escaped when Matt was focused on resuscitating Angela after getting those blood-draining tubes out of her body. So Muse is still on the loose and free to kill people for his perverse artwork. Hopefully it won’t be too long until Matt finds him again, as this is just the kind of threat he’s qualified to take down and get off the streets.
There are four episodes left to go in Daredevil: Born Again Season 1, but don’t worry about this being one of Marvel’s one-and-done shows. Born Again Season 2 has begun filming, and Matthew Lillard is among the actor who’ve been cast in undisclosed roles. Additionally, showrunner Dario Scardapane told EW in February that Muse will leave a "ripple effect that extends beyond" season 1.
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