Warning! This article contains SPOILERS for Daredevil: Born Again.
It looks like theMCUis mistreating Karen Page inDaredevil: Born Again, and I’m not very happy about it. I’ll readily admit that theDaredevilsequel series has hit the ground running, with two of the highest-quality opening episodes I’ve ever seen the MCU release. After touring various other MCU installments likeSpider-Man: No Way HomeandShe-Hulk: Attorney At Law, Matt Murdock is back in earnest as the foremost protector of Hell’s Kitchen and one of manyNew York-based MCU superheroesand vigilantes now dishing out street-level justice.
While I am stunned by its quality,Daredevil: Born Againisn’t quite perfect. Some critics have leveled criticism at the fact it treads familiar ground, for instance, with Matt Murdock renouncing his vigilantism only to be drawn back in. Others suggest that it doesn’t quite merge as well as might have been hopedwith the wider MCU, owing in part to its grittier tone. For my part, I think the primary issue forDaredevil: Born Againis how it has treatedthe legendaryDaredevilcast- especially regarding Karen Page.
I Can’t Believe What Daredevil: Born Again Did With Karen Page
Karen May Be Entirely Absent From Here
Daredevil: Born Againopened strong, with the first minutes revisiting the magic of Matt Murdock, Foggy Nelson, and Karen Page’s relationship after establishing their own law firm. In a particularly controversial move, Foggy Nelson was then swiftly assassinated by Benjamin Poindexter, AKA Bullseye, ostensibly writing Foggy out of Daredevil’s story for good. Karen Page survives the ordeal, which would suggest that the show is setting up a tragic continuation of her relationship with Matt - exceptDaredevil: Born Againall but writes her out of the show as well.
After her departure, I’m forced to wonder if Daredevil: Born Again even intends to bring her back into the fold.
After a year’s time jump, it is revealed thatKaren moved to San Francisco and seemingly wants nothing to do with Matt. When visiting the courthouse to witness the conviction of Poindexter, Karen speaks briefly with Matt but turns down his offer to spend further time together. After her departure, I’m forced to wonder ifDaredevil: Born Againeven intends to bring her back into the fold. If not, it would be a difficult hurdle for me to overcome, as Karen has been expertly characterized as an integral part of Matt’s life, and sidelining her would be a disservice.
Karen Page Was As Important To Daredevil As Foggy Nelson
Karen Page Understands Matt Like Foggy Never Could
Karen’s ties with Matt are just as inexorable as Foggy’s, despite the latter’s longer history with him. Both suffer from the consequences of Matt’s double life and illegal activities as a vigilante and help to guide him both morally and legally. Whereas Foggy shares a history with Matt, Karen shares past trauma. From this to their romantic involvement, Karen understands Matt on a level that Foggy never could, with their relationship developing over three seasons ofDaredeviland securing itself as one ofthe deepest bonds in the entire MCU.
Daredevil: Born Again Full Season 1 Review - I Refuse To Say “Marvel Is Back” Because I’m Not Sure It’s Ever Been This Good
7 years after Daredevil’s last season on Netflix, Charlie Cox’s masked vigilante is back and better than ever in the MCU.
The same could be said for Karen’s relationship with Wilson Fisk, another of the most important characters in Daredevil’s history. Karen Page shares a fraught history with the series' arch-villain, even going so far as to stand up to him and paint a target on her back when confronting him at the end ofDaredevilseason 3 and revealing that she killed his right-hand man, James Wesley.Karen’s importance to the Daredevil lore is far too rich to have her bow out now, and I’m hoping her departure in the first two episodes isn’t the last we’ll see of her.
Karen Needs To Keep Daredevil On The Right Path
I sincerely hope Marvel hasn’t lost sight of what made the original show work so well.Karen and Foggy are expressly designed to balance Daredevil, providing him with the moral compass that stops him from spiraling out of control and emulating the violence of his arch-nemesis, Kingpin. Optimistically, I think the moments following Foggy’s death were a prime example of this, with Daredevil immediately attempting to murder Bullseye the moment Foggy’s heart stopped beating, punctuating the loss of one of the main characters responsible for keeping Daredevil on the straight and narrow.
Daredevil: Born Againhasn’t yet referred to Poindexter as Bullseye, though he is seen wearing gloves with a bullseye design on them.
In Foggy’s absence, Karen should have been there to fill the void.Daredevil is more than his rivalry with Kingpin, and it feels like a waste of three seasons of development to omit one of the original series' most prevalent motifs. I’m therefore hopeful that Karen will step up down the line, particularly if Daredevil continues down a road of violence as teased by theDaredevil: Born Againepisode 2’s ending.
