Daredevil: Born Again’s major death could cause a big problem for the show
**Warning: Major spoilers for Daredevil: Born Again episode 1.**
It only took eight minutes for the world of Daredevil to be changed forever in its new Disney Plus sequel Daredevil: Born Again, with the death of Foggy Nelson (Elden Henson).
Some eagle-eyed fans might have figured it out pre-release (considering the shots we saw of Henson in the show were incredibly limited), but there’s no doubting it’s still a shocking, bold and, very possibly, a misjudged move.
So how did it happen? You could say Foggy ended up being a victim of his own good nature, drawn in by a client who seemed to need his help – only to discover they were aiding Benjamin ‘Dex’ Pointdexter AKA Bullseye.
With Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox) drawn away from the scene, he realises his mistake too late, racing back when he realises his best friend is in danger. But, by then, it’s too late.
With a shot to the chest from Bullseye, Foggy is just one of about a dozen to be killed, with Karen (Deborah Ann Woll), left desperately, and to no avail, begging him not to die.
[image id="484001" size="landscape_thumbnail" title="Elden Henson as Foggy Nelson in Marvel's Daredevil" alt="Elden Henson as Foggy Nelson in Marvel's Daredevil" classes=""] Elden Henson as Foggy Nelson in Marvel’s Daredevil.
Considering everything that Foggy represents in Daredevil, it’s a shockingly quick death. Plus, it’s one that’s left the show with quite the conundrum – will the show lose its heart without Foggy?
Since the original Daredevil series’ inception on Netflix, Foggy in particular has acted as Matt’s conscience, holding him accountable, preventing him from crossing a line, and keeping him grounded.
When Matt was off risking his life as Daredevil, it was Foggy that all but held his life together, from covering for him in court to lying to those closest to him to protect his identity, to actually saving his life on number of occasions.
Crucially, Foggy was a key part of Matt’s character development and growth throughout the original series, acting as a tether to his real life. How many times, when Matt was in danger or about to cross a line in his ventures as Daredevil have we seen Foggy calling him at the right moment – often unknowingly – and pulling him out of the depths.
With Foggy no longer around, what’s to stop Matt from going off the rails? Of course, this will result in some glorious action sequences, with showrunner Dario Scardapane insistent that the series will stay true to the original in terms of its brutal violence and dark tone – but this has to be balanced out by something lighter – a sense that there is still good in the world. And without Foggy, where is that going to come from?
Foggy was also the closest thing Matt had to a family in his adult life – something he’d always been missing, from their college days, to choosing to go into business together, and even to the brutal fallouts they had, most notably when Foggy discovered Matt’s identity as Daredevil. Foggy and Karen, played by Deborah Ann Woll, have figuratively and sometimes even literally, provided Matt something to fight for. But what does he have to fight for now?
Foggy didn’t just have this grounding impact on Matt, though – he had it on the show as a whole. One of Daredevil’s biggest strengths was giving us characters that felt so incredibly human and Foggy was perhaps the most prominent part of this.
[image id="2199385" size="landscape_thumbnail" title="Daredevil/Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox)" alt="Daredevil/Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox)" classes=""] Daredevil/Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox)
In a world of vigilantes, superheroes, villains, ninjas and, at times, a whiff of the supernatural, Foggy not only served a essential comedic relief, he was an imperfect character who felt incredibly real. Alongside his good nature, he could be selfish, greedy and single-minded. But all of that served to make him feel like a real person you could meet on the streets of New York.
Presumably, other characters will need to fill the gap left by Foggy’s death – but Karen can’t do it alone, not least because her dynamic with Matt just doesn’t really work that well without Foggy. Plus, we’ve seen from the first two episodes how strained her relationship with Matt has become after Foggy’s death.
Episode 1 of Born Again has introduced us to various new characters, including Kirsten McDuffie (Nikki M James), and new love interest Heather Glenn (Margarita Levieva). But it’s way too soon for us to care about these characters, let alone see them as an option to fill a gap left by one of the show’s longest running and best-loved characters.
[image id="2208482" size="landscape_thumbnail" title="Karen Page (Deborah Ann Woll) and Daredevil/Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox) in Daredevil: Born Again" alt="Karen Page (Deborah Ann Woll) and Daredevil/Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox) in Daredevil: Born Again" classes=""] Karen Page (Deborah Ann Woll) and Daredevil/Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox) in Daredevil: Born Again.
All of this is not to say that it’s impossible for the show to recover – after all, we’ve still got seven episodes ahead of us, during which anything could happen, and it’s very possible we’ll be pleasantly surprised.
Plus, it has to be noted that the writers needed a reason for Matt to pick up his Daredevil mask once again to justify the show and to bring him back to us in the first place. But killing off the character at the heart of the show is an incredibly risky move.
As for whether it’s one that the Man Without Fear – and the show itself – can survive, only time will tell.
Daredevil: Born Again is streaming weekly on Disney Plus.
Check out more of our Sci-Fi coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what’s on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
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