Warning: spoilers ahead for the first episode of Daredevil: Born Again.
Fans of the newly rebooted Daredevil: Born Again have been left crying their eyes out after watching the first two episodes, with a ‘sickening’ twist happening in the first 15 minutes.
It’s been seven years since the original Daredevil series starring Charlie Cox as Matt Murdock was cancelled on Netflix, and dedicated fans have been waiting with bated breath ever since for it to make a comeback.
Now that it has, with the first two episodes dropping on Disney Plus, viewers are distraught after a fan-favourite character was murdered – a shock twist that two of the bosses behind the thriller have defended while speaking to Metro.
In the opening scenes of the season premiere, which takes place a few years after the events of the Netflix series, the original friendship trio Matt, Karen Page (Deborah Ann Woll) and Foggy Nelson (Elden Henson) are enjoying a drink at their local haunt Josie’s when disaster strikes.
While standing outside of the bar, Elden is shot, prompting Matt to don his Daredevil suit and chase after the attacker, who turns out to be lethal assassin Poindexter (Wilson Bethel), aka Marvel villain Bullseye.
As Daredevil and Poindexter become embroiled in a bloody brawl, Karen tries desperately to keep Foggy alive while he lies on the ground… but sadly, Matt’s best friend and partner at his legal firm dies.
In an outburst of grief, Daredevil – who usually avoids killing at all costs – pushes the defeated Poindexter off of the roof… but the villain still survives the fall, receiving a life sentence in prison instead.
Did Foggy need to die in Daredevil: Born Again?
As a diehard fan who inhaled every episode of Daredevil when it aired on Netflix, I’m with all of the gutted fans who are crushed beyond belief that Foggy dies in the first episode of Daredevil: Born Again.
When the reboot was originally announced, there were fears that several members of the original cast wouldn’t have the chance to reprise their roles, including Foggy star Elden Henson.
Then finally, it was confirmed that Elden would be among those returning… only for his character to be killed off right away (or so we think).
As much as the death of a character as beloved as his is a powerful way to propel the plot forward, with Matt deciding to hang up his Daredevil horns as a result, we can’t help but question if it was really necessary for Foggy to die for that to happen.
But – while viewers are distraught, they’re also on the edge of their seats, desperate to find out what’s going to become of Matt as his entire life unravels. So it has certainly done its job as a plot device, even if our hearts were ripped out in the process.
Brad Winderbaum, the head of TV, streaming and animation at Marvel Studios, confirmed to Phase Hero that Foggy and Karen will be returning for season two of Daredevil: Born Again, so we’ll just have to wait and see if this means he’ll show up in flashbacks, or if his death was actually faked. (We can only pray).
Ahead of the launch of Daredevil: Born Again, Metro spoke to showrunner Dario Scardapane and executive producer Sana Amanat, where we asked about the decision for Foggy to die in the opening episode.
‘It was a series of discussions,’ explained Dario, who was a producer and writer on The Punisher.
‘In the earlier iteration of the show [Foggy’s death] had occurred, but it was off-screen, and that was one of the things that we were like, oh, it can’t be. It has to be seen and felt.’
The screenwriter continued: ‘When you’re going to do something that essentially… it’s the meteor that crashed into his world so that it could be reborn.’
Dario then recalled something that Sana had said about Daredevil: Born Again, that ‘this is another origin story, and that tragedy is what creates the blank slate or a new beginning’.
Sana, who’s the executive of production and development at Marvel Studios, chimed in, sharing that they had ‘a lot of really great material to work with’.
‘Honestly, the Foggy of it all was something that was an impactful event, but that was one of the first things that we felt like we really needed to feel. As Dario said – it’s an earthquake and we need to experience the earthquake.’
Dario then reiterated: ‘You can’t talk about the earthquake. You gotta be in it.’
Fans who tuned in to watch the first two episodes of Daredevil: Born Again – many of whom will have watched all three seasons of the original show when it aired on Netflix from 2015 to 2018 – were devastated beyond belief to lose Foggy.
Daredevil: Born Again is available to watch on Disney Plus, with new episodes released on Wednesdays.