For all that I’m enjoying the post-holiday comfort of 2025’s TV premieres and midseason returns, it all feels like a lengthy preamble to one of the biggest debuts of the year: Marvel’s Daredevil: Born Again. No other upcoming Marvel TV show could possibly have me this ramped up, save for a potential Agatha All Along return, and the long-awaited first trailer’s release only strengthened that fan-fueled glee, while also sparking a storyline theory or two and some costuming questions.
In particular, amidst all the conversational moments shown between Charlie Cox’s Matt Murdock and Vincent D’Onofrio’s Wilson Fisk, viewers witness the Hell’s Kitchen vigilante in action, despite claims that the persona was more or less retired. But before anyone can start up any deeper speculation about how this timeline matches up with the Netflix series’ events, we get a shot hinting at much more going on in the Man Without Fear’s night life than expected.
Are These Daredevil Masks Plot-Related Or Just Fun Easter Eggs For Comic Fans?
By and large, Daredevil fans have seen Charlie Cox suited up in essentially two suits: the red-tinged outfit that most people would automatically connect to the character, and the classic red-and-yellow suit that the actor donned for his more comedic cameos in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law. And those two looks were definitely represented in the lineup of masks on display in the Born Again trailer.
In fact, it appears as if two of the five masks are meant to reflect the go-to red suit, albeit with some specific aesthetic differences, such as horn shape, tinting and the general layout. As well, the "yellow" mask looks more shiny gold than anything else, but still in a familiar way. But what about the other two?
Daredevil's White Mask
The leftmost mask to viewers appears to a metallic silver, but in a way that skews white, which is likely a reference to the culmination of the character's "Red Fist Saga" arc crafted by Chip Zdarsky and Marco Checchetto. There, Matt Murdock gets his first all-white suit during a trip down to Hell, and later dons a spruced-up and sleeker version of the costume, with the white color denoting Daredevil's "purified" nature.
As much as I would love to see the live-action series delve into the entirety of Zdarsky's plotting, it seems highly unlikely that we'll get a huge Doctor Strange cameo in the TV series. Though I guess we can still all keep hope alive for now. And it actually does border on possible that Benedict Wong's MCU sorcerer could show up.
Daredevil's Black-ish Mask
At the moment, without further confirmation, it's not entirely clear which costume is being represented by the Born Again trailer's darkest headgear. It appears to be not-quite-black, and possibly as deep as maroon can get in that capacity.
Which means it's likely a nod to the somewhat polarizing Armored Suit that was introduced in the 1993 "Fall From Grace" arc written and illustrated by D.G. Chichester and Scott McDaniel, respectively. It was designed out of necessity after other outfits were completely destroyed during battles with Silver Sable and others, with Matt realizing that he needed more protection when facing such deadly adversaries. He continued wearing it for a while after its introduction, and inspired new fits for other Marvel characters, but was never really a go-to option over the years.
Additionally, the darker costume could be a reference to the more recent Shadowlands crossover arc from Andy Diggle and Billy Tan. But that would probably require some deeper backstory focus, since that costume represented Daredevil's time as a villain, with Ghost Rider, The Punisher, Elektra and more teaming up to take their friend and former team member down. That would rock, but I can't imagine the Disney+ series making that canon without giving that story a whole season.
Alas, I'll no doubt continue wondering about all this until Daredevil: Born Again actually debuts on March 4 at 9:00 p.m. ET, for those streaming with Disney+ subscriptions.
