Warning: This article contains spoilers for Daredevil: Born Again.
The finale ofDaredevil: Born Againseason 1 set up a massive new story for theMCU, but Marvel Studios is running the risk of repeating one of the biggest mistakes fromSecret Invasion. After a dramatic finale released on Disney+ on April 15, Marvel has left many unanswered questions for Charlie Cox’s Man Without Fear that will likely be addressed in next year’sDaredevil: Born Againseason 2. The follow-up season is expected to explore one of the most notable Daredevil story arcs from Marvel Comics, but Marvel may unfortunately make some irredeemable changes.
For most ofDaredevil: Born Againseason 1,Matt Murdock was retired as Daredevil, operating as a simple lawyer, while Vincent D’Onofrio’s Wilson Fisk had also left his life as Kingpin behind to become the Mayor of New York City. By the end of the season, however,both Murdock and Fisk had resumed their old antics, and this culminated in a dramatic finale. With New York now under martial law, Commissioner Gallo dead, vigilantes outlawed, the Anti-Vigilante Task Force established and Wilson Fisk’s enemies imprisoned, Marvel has set up one of thecomics' best Daredevil stories.
Born Again’s Finale Just Set Up My Favorite Daredevil Storyline From Marvel Comics
Daredevil: Born Again Started The MCU’s Devil’s Reign Storyline
It was clear from quite early on that Marvel Studios was usingDaredevil: Born Againseason 1 to establish the foundations of aDevil’s Reignadaptation. This was teased in thepost-credits scene of 2024’sEcho, which saw Wilson Fisk express interest in becoming New York City’s new Mayor. This is crucial to Marvel Comics’Devil’s Reignevent from 2021. During this arc,Mayor Fisk outlawed vigilantism in New York City, and used the Purple Man’s power and his villainous Thunderbolts units to enforce his laws, but the heroes of the city fought back.
Written by Chip Zdarsky and drawn by Marco Checchetto,Devil’s Reignran between December 2021 and May 2022, and quickly became one of the most important chapters in the stories ofMatt Murdock and Wilson Fisk, and even impacted New York as a whole. This story saw Mayor Fisk obtain almost unstoppable influence, and this is now being explored in the MCU, with Kingpin giving himself full control.I can’t wait to see howDaredevil: Born Againseason 2 expands on theDevil’s Reignstory, but Marvel might have already set this story up to fail.
I’m Worried Marvel Will Make The MCU’s Devil’s Reign Much Smaller Than The Marvel Comics Story
The MCU’s Devil’s Reign Might Not Include The Same Marvel Comics Roster
While it’s exciting to seeDevil’s Reignstart to be explored in the MCU, this Marvel Comics storyline is huge, expanding into several spinoffs and subplots, so it might be too large to be crammed into just one season ofDaredevil: Born Again.Devil’s Reignisn’t just a Daredevil story arc in Marvel Comics, but the Man Without Fear is joined by almost every other superhero operating in New York City, as Kingpin’s new law impacts all of them. Unfortunately, it seemsDaredevil: Born Againseason 2 will make huge alterations to the Marvel Comics story.
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In Marvel Comics,Mayor Wilson Fisk’s outlawing of vigilantesin New York City means that notable heroes such as Captain America, Iron Man, the Fantastic Four, the X-Men, Spider-Man, Moon Knight and more all become involved in the fight against Kingpin. Whileit seems thatDaredevil: Born Againseason 2 might be trying hard to bring a somewhat-comic-accurateDevil’sReigninto the MCU, this massive storyline will surely be made significantly smaller for its live-action interpretation. This meansBorn Againmight copy Phase 5’s most divisive series, which would be a strange choice.
Marvel Already Made This Change With Secret Invasion & It Didn’t Work
Marvel’s Secret Invasion Story Was Changed Significantly & For The Worse In The MCU
Marvel Studios making the hugeDevil’s Reignstoryline smaller to better fit the MCU wouldn’t be the first time this has happened, as the same thing was done with theSecret Invasionevent.2008’sSecret Invasionstory in Marvel Comicswas enormous, asit saw almost every Earth-based character in the Marvel Universe fighting alongside each other to stop a massive and destructive Skrull invasion, with many members of the Avengers being revealed to have been replaced by Skrulls for quite some time. This did not translate to the screen, however.
2023’sSecret Invasionseries,Samuel L. Jackson’s first solo MCU project as Nick Fury, unfortunately became one of the MCU’s most criticized and berated projects, due in part to the changes it made to Marvel Comics’Secret Invasionevent. While the comic storyline included a plethora of superheroes, including the Avengers, the live-actionSecret Invasionrepeatedly saw Nick Fury refuse to call his super-friends.This stripped theSecret Invasionstory of everything that made it so enjoyable in Marvel Comics, and I’m worried Marvel will do the same toDevil’s ReigninDaredevil: Born Again season 2.
Marvel Needs To Be Careful Not To Ruin The Devil’s Reign Storyline
Image via Disney+
There’s little doubt that Marvel Studios will be forced to make theDevil’s Reignstoryline smaller to better fit the limitations ofDaredevil: Born Againseason 2. While this meansmajor notable heroes in New York City likely won’t be included in the story, there are steps that Marvel Studios can take to makeDevil’s Reignas comic-accurate as possible in the MCU and avoid the mistakes ofSecret Invasion. Most notably, this could include bringing some street-level heroes intoDaredevil’s new army, perhaps including former Defenders members Jessica Jones, Luke Cage and Danny Rand.
Krysten Ritter, Mike Colter and Finn Jones haven’t yet been confirmed to be reprising their Defenders Saga roles, though there has been speculation of the Defenders team’s return. Other street-level heroes in the MCU could join them, including Moon Knight, Spider-Man, Echo, Kate Bishop and more.
Marvel Studios could also make theDevil’s Reignarc more expansive by having several upcoming projects explore its themes, rather than just 2026’sDaredevil: Born Againseason 2.New York-set stories, includingThunderbolts*, Vision Quest, Spider-Man: Brand New Dayand the Punisher’s upcoming Special Presentation could all focus on the impact of Mayor Wilson Fisk’s actions. This would allowDevil’s Reignto be as large and as game-changing as its Marvel Comics counterpart, makingDaredevil: Born Againjust the start of this incredible new chapter of the MCU.
