Daredevil: Born Again has barely warmed up, and fans are already anticipating what’s to come for the adventures of ol’ horn-head beyond season 1. The conversation sparked from showrunner and co-creator Dario Scardapane teasing to Empire magazine that “Unless you dig really deep into the books, the place that Kingpin and Daredevil wind up at the end of Season 2 is unfathomable, given where they’ve been.” Naturally, fan speculation kicked off on Reddit, with fans pointing to three key story arcs involving the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen.
One fan said, “His hint is interesting, I wonder if they’re going to go into Matt becoming the new Kingpin.” Shocking as that may seem, during Brian Michael Bendis’ run with Daredevil in 1998, the red renegade did indeed take over his neighborhood after putting an unconscious Fisk at the feet of local thugs to show just how serious he was. It was a power shift that didn’t last long but would still make a startling switch if it ever came to pass in the MCU.
Given the tone that’s been set following the passing of Foggy (Elden Henson), other fans are predicting things will get even darker for the blind lawyer, who is already going through enough as it is. One Redditor said, “My prediction is that season 2 will either be an identity reveal, leading into the Devil in Cell Block D adaptation, or a Shadowlands adaptation where Matt takes over Hell’s Kitchen.”
Both are undoubtedly compelling directions to take things that could lead Matt to go off the rails that he’s fighting so hard to keep a grip on. For example, the Devil in Cell Block D story arc sees Daredevil’s secret identity revealed, putting all his hard work as an attorney into question. He’s then sent to prison for his time as a vigilante and, as luck would have it, thrown into jail with criminals that he put away as Daredevil. This forces him to eventually team up with Frank Castle, who is also behind bars, as well as Wilson Fisk himself.
The other option that could make for one of the MCU’s bravest ventures would be Shadowlands, which sees Daredevil taking over The Hand Ninja clan and slowly being corrupted by an unseen force. Luke Cage, Spider-Man, Moon Knight, and more have to team up and give Matt a stern talking-to after he takes on Bullseye and kills him (for real this time).
For now, all we can do is sit and wait to see how Matt’s return to the MCU plays out and if it will lead him down a path as dark as some devoted fans expect. Should you still be sketchy about what happened before Daredevil: Born Again, check out our full Daredevil recap here.