Marvel Studios has promised some brutal moments inDaredevil: Born Again, but theMCUwill certainly find it difficult to match some of the most shocking and graphic moments from Netflix’sDaredevilseries. Before Charlie Cox made his first official appearance in the MCU as blind lawyer-come-vigilante Matt Murdock, he debuted as the gritty and grounded antihero in Marvel Television’sDaredevilseries in 2015. This was the first installment inNetflix’s Defenders Saga, which has been confirmed to be canon to the MCU, bringing some of Daredevil’s most epic moments into the MCU’s main continuity.
Daredevil: Born Again, set to premiere on Disney+in March 2025, is expected to directly continueDaredevil’sstory, with several actors returning, led by Charlie Cox andVincent D’Onofrio’s villainous Wilson Fisk, a.k.a. Kingpin. Anticipation has been raised for the series even further, however, as Marvel Studios' Head of Streaming Brad Winderbaum revealed toEntertainment WeeklythatBorn Againwill include"some of the most brutal action"ever seen in the MCU. While this is exciting, Netflix’sDaredevilalready featured some incredibly brutal moments, making this a very high bar to reach.
10Kingpin Kills Anatoly Ranskahov With A Car Door
Daredevil Season 1, Episode 4, “In The Blood”
A villain such as Wilson Fisk needed a powerful and frightening debut inDaredevilseason 1. After making his first appearance in the previous episode, “Rabbit in a Snowstorm,” Fisk had a larger role in episode 4, “In the Blood,” which saw him offer the Russian brothers, Vladimir and Anatoly, a deal to buy their business after they failed to capture “the Masked Man.” The Russians initially refused this deal, butAnatoly later changed his mind, and approached Fisk in public during a dinner date with Vanessa to exclaim his willingness to accept the deal.
DaredevilSeason 1-3
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2021
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Daredevil: Born Again
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In a sheer act of brutality for interrupting his dinner with Vanessa,Wilson Fisk attacked Anatoly Ranskahov, tearing him out of a car, and using the car door itself to decapitate the Russian. This was a remarkable and shocking way to demonstrateWilson Fisk’s immense strength, and the fact that he simply wipes Anatoly’s blood from his face nonchalantly after this attack proves he is remorseless. It’s hard to forget this iconic moment fromDaredevilseason 1, though it’s exciting to imagine Wilson Fisk pulling off more feats like this in the MCU’s future.
9Elektra Makes Matt Murdock Beat Up Roscoe Sweeney
Daredevil Season 2, Episode 5, “Kinabalu”
Daredevilseason 2, episode 5, “Kinbaku,” revealed Matt Murdock’s history withÉlodie Yung’s Elektra Natchios, a woman who shares similar fighting skills and vigilante talents with Murdock. In 2005, Elektra forced Murdock to confront Roscoe Sweeney, a fixer for the Hell’s Kitchen Irish mob who had arranged Jack Murdock’s murder after Matt’s father refused to throw a boxing match.Elektra wanted Murdock to kill Sweeney out of revenge for his father, and Murdock came very close, beating Sweeney to a pulp while Elektra watched in enjoyment.
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Chronologically, this was the first time that Matt Murdock had accessed his brutality and his more unhinged sides, which terrified him.He refused to finish the job, instead calling the authorities to come and arrest the badly-beaten Sweeney, much to Elektra’s chagrin. Even so, Matt Murdock delivered an intense and emotionally-charged beating on Sweeney, which was, at times, difficult to watch. Prior to this moment, Murdock was somewhat innocent, but this kick-started his morally-gray career as the vigilante Daredevil.
8Frank Castle Is Tortured By Finn Cooley
Daredevil Season 2, Episode 4, “Penny And Dime
The episode prior to Matt Murdock’s brutal beating of Roscoe Sweeney sawJon Bernthal’s Frank Castletortured by Finn Cooley, a high-ranking member of the Irish mob. This came after Frank Castle had massacred the Kitchen Irish at the Burren Club.The Kitchen Irish abducted Castle from Central Park, and Cooley takes the opportunity to torture him using a drill, hoping to get the location of $1.2 million that they assume Castle stole from them. When he refuses, Cooley threatens to torture Castle’s dog, Max, showing just how inhumane he really was.
Jon Bernthal went on to receive a solo two-season series as Frank Castle titledThe Punisher, and was one of the first Defenders Saga actors to be confirmed to be returning in the MCU.
Frank Castle gave the Kitchen Irish the location of a decoy van, which exploded and killed some of Cooley’s men. The distraction gave Castle enough time to get free, andhe delivered his own vigilante justice on Cooley and other members of the Kitchen Irish, but was stopped from killing them all by Daredevil. Since Jon Bernthal is reprising the role ofFrank Castle’s Punisher inDaredevil: Born Again, more intense and brutal moments such as this could be expected for the upcoming series.
7Bullseye Attacks The New York Bulletin
Daredevil Season 3, Episode 6, “The Devil You Know”
Daredevilseason 3 was perhaps the most powerful, emotional and haunting of the lot, as while Matt Murdock struggled with the events ofThe Defenders, his reunion with his mother, and his vigilante career as Daredevil, Wilson Fisk was once again scheming. Kingpin’s plans includedpsychopathic FBI agent Benjamin Poindexter, whom Kingpin dressed up as Daredevil to frame the hero for a series of violent crimes, discrediting him.One of these included an attack on the office of the New York Bulletin, which led to the deaths of many staff members, including Mitchell Ellison.
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Even when Matt Murdock showed up to try and protect Karen Page, Poindexter proved why he was gifted the title of Bullseye. His incredible aim made Daredevil an easy target, even when hiding behind cubicles or around corners. This was an incredibly tense and dramatic scene that culminated in the death of Jasper Evans, an important witness against Wilson Fisk.A scene such as this could easily be repeated inDaredevil: Born Again, as Wilson Bethel is returning as Bullseye, perhaps answering what happened to him afterDaredevilseason 3’s cliffhanger ending.
6Daredevil Is Brutally Injured By Nobu
Daredevil Season 1, Episode 9, “Speak Of The Devil”
When Daredevil made his way to Pier 81 inDaredevilseason 1, episode 9, “Speak of the Devil,” he was expecting to come face-to-face with Wilson Fisk. However, it was Nobu Yoshioka who met him there instead, leading to a lethal and harrowing battle between the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen and thehigh-ranking Hand member.Nobu slowed his heartbeat and lowered his body temperature, making it impossible for Matt Murdock to “see” him in battle, allowing Nobu to deliver some serious blows to Daredevil with his Kyoketsu-shoge knife.
The Hand was led by five “fingers” who had found the secret to immortality while studying in K’un-Lun: Sigourney Weaver’s Alexandra Reid, Wai Ching Ho’s Madame Gao, Ramón Rodriguez’s Bakuto, Yutaka Takeuchi’s Murakami and Babs Olusanmokun’s Sowande. Elektra also became a Hand leader inThe Defenders, but her fate, as well as those of Madame Gao and Murakami, were left uncertain.
Matt Murdock was cut with deep incisions several times during this spar, and Nobu took the liberty to use his knife to drag him around, leaving a trail of blood wherever he went.Daredevil eventually defeated Nobu by setting him on fire and killing him, though this was later reversed. Even so, this battle directly led to Foggy Nelson finding his best friend broken, cut and close to death in his apartment, leading to an emotionally-brutal exchange between the pair, and forming one ofDaredevil’smost memorable and poignant episodes.
5Bullseye Tries To Kill Karen Page At Clinton Church
Daredevil Season 3, Episode 10, “Karen”
After threatening to reveal the truth about Wilson Fisk’s father’s death and unveiling the fact that she killed James Wesley to Kingpin, Karen Page became a clear target for the villain. She planned to leave New York, but was instead convinced to stay in hiding in the Clinton Church byMatt Murdock’s mother, Maggie Grace. She was found by the FBI, however, allowing Fisk to send Bullseye to assassinate her.This led to the dramatic duel at the Clinton Church, during which Bullseye murdered Father Lantom with a billy club, and attempted to kill Karen.
This was a haunting fight set in the moody atmosphere of the church.
The fight between Bullseye and Daredevil culminated in the latter being too beaten and exhausted to continue, leaving Karen Page exposed. However,she used a large cross to knock Poindexter off the balcony down to the ground, ending his attack and he sulked away, injured. This was a haunting fight set in the moody atmosphere of the church under red lighting that accentuated every blow. It would be fantastic to see cinematically-spectacular scenes like this included inDaredevil: Born Again, especially ones so charged with anger and action.
4Frank Castle Takes Down Dutton & His Men
Daredevil Season 2, Episode 9, “Seven Minutes In Heaven”
In an attempt to take control of Ryker’s Island prison, Wilson Fisk employed the help of therecently-incarcerated Frank Castleto take out Dutton, the previous top-dog of the prison. Unbeknownst to Castle, Fisk also planned for Dutton’s men to take out Frank Castle after Dutton’s assassination, as Fisk locked Castle in the corridor with all of Dutton’s loyal soldiers.This led to one of the bloodiest and most gruesome moments inDaredevilseason 2, as Frank Castle killed each of Dutton’s men, proving that Fisk had underestimated him.
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As payment, Wilson Fisk gave Frank Castle a way out of prison, allowing him to continue his vigilante career as the Punisher. This opened the door for Kingpin to take full control of Ryker’s Island, which would prove pivotal in his manipulation of the FBI inDaredevilseason 3.Watching Frank Castle take out all of Dutton’s men inDaredevilseason 2, episode 9, “Seven Minutes in Heaven,” is not for the faint of heart, and could provide a glimpse at some of the brutality yet to come inDaredevil: Born Again.
3Wilson Fisk Kills His Own Father
Daredevil Season 1, Episode 8, “Shadows In The Glass”
One of the most surprising and most tragic backstories inDaredevilis that of Wilson Fisk himself, who, as a child, was witness to the abuse his mother faced at the hands of his father, Third District Council candidate Bill Fisk. After losing the election, Bill Fisk began beating his wife in a drunken rage, only to be stopped by the youngWilson Fisk, who murdered his father by delivering many blows to the head with a hammer. To cover up the crime, Marlene Fisk cut up her husband’s body, and dumped the remains in the river.
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The death of Bill Fisk had a huge impact on Marlene and Wilson Fisk for the rest of their lives, understandably.This was a harrowing backstory for one of Marvel’s most powerful villains, making him almost relatable and sympathetic, while also being even more haunting to actually watch unfold.Marvel Television’sEchoseries, despite changing some details, confirmed this backstory is canon to the MCU’s main continuity, and revealed that Fisk keeps the same hammer used to kill his father as a reminder.
2Daredevil, Kingpin & Bullseye Fight At The Presidential Hotel
Daredevil Season 3, Episode 13, “A New Napkin”
To endDaredevilseason 3, a three-way battle between Daredevil, Kingpin and Bullseye ensued at the Presidential Hotel, only moments after Wilson Fisk’s wedding to Vanessa.This fight wasDaredevil’sbloodiest, most intense and most heated, with each party using their brute force and unhinged qualities to try and best the others. Benjamin Poindexter ended up smashed into a wall, his back broken, while Matt Murdock got the upper hand on Wilson Fisk, beating him bloody. Even so, Kingpin didn’t relent.
Following this battle, Benjamin Poindexter was taken into an experimental surgery to graft metal to his spine. In Marvel Comics, this metal is adamantium, which will debut in the MCU in 2025’sCaptain America: Brave New World.
After Fisk threatened the lives of Karen Page and Foggy Nelson, Daredevil came very close to killing him, but instead struck a deal with his nemesis.If Kingpin let Karen and Foggy alone, Daredevil wouldn’t expose Vanessa for ordering the murder of FBI agent Ray Nadeem. Fisk agreed, protecting his new wife, but being sent back to prison in the process. It’s unclear what happened between this andKingpin’s appearance inHawkeye, but a lot seems to have changed during the Blip thatDaredevil: Born Again can explore.
1Daredevil Fights In That Iconic Hallway Scene
Daredevil Season 1, Episode 2, “Cut Man"
At the end ofDaredevilseason 1’s premiere, a young boy was kidnapped by the Russian mafia, and Matt Murdock set out to find him in season 1, episode 2, “Cut Man.” This led him to thenow-iconic hallway of the Troika Restaurant, in which the Man Without Fear battles several members of the Russian mafia who have been guarding the boy.This scene, while not the bloodiest, most gruesome, most cringeworthy or most dangerous, has become perhaps the most notable moment inDaredevil’sentire run.
The hallway battle at the Troika Restaurant was made to seem like one continuous take.
The hallway battle at the Troika Restaurant was made to seem like one continuous take, with Matt Murdock fighting members of the Russian mafia in the hall and through doors into various rooms.This scene was repeated for Daredevil and the Punisher’s battle with the Dogs of Hell and the Punisher’s prison brawl inDaredevilseason 2, and for Matt Murdock’s 11-minute escape from prison inDaredevilseason 3. It was even teased inShe-Hulk: Attorney at Law, and will surely be reinvented forDaredevil: Born Again, which is very exciting for fans of the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen.
Cast
Daredevil: Born Again follows blind lawyer Matt Murdock, who uses his heightened abilities to pursue justice in New York. As he manages a bustling law firm, former mob boss Wilson Fisk navigates political ambitions, leading both men toward a confrontation as their pasts resurface.
