Season 1 of Daredevil: Born Again came to an explosive conclusion after nine intense episodes that grappled with identity, power dynamics, and morality. The series began quite literally with a bang, as Matt Murdock’s long-time best friend and legal partner, Foggy Nelson, was assassinated on the streets of Hell’s Kitchen by Benjamin Poindexter, aka Bullseye. Foggy’s shocking death was only the first of three more that were to come throughout the season, making one question the importance of new characters, despite how integral they are to Daredevil lore. While Foggy is not one of the new characters, he was an essential part of who Matt was, and his death (or fake death, if the theories are true) was the catalyst needed to remove Matt from being Daredevil for the overarching plot. But the other three – Hector Ayala, Muse, and Cole North – feel like a missed opportunity, especially considering their major significance to Daredevil as a hero.
Let’s take a look at the four dearly departed Daredevil characters, their importance, and why their deaths are a waste.
Warning! This article contains spoilers for the season finale of Daredevil: Born Again.
Foggy Nelson
From the first ten minutes of the first episode, Foggy Nelson’s death was heartbreaking to both in-universe characters and audiences. If you have watched Daredevil since its Netflix’s day, the excitement of seeing Matt, Foggy, and Karen back together after a full decade and a lot of development hell was palpable. Foggy is the heart and soul of the series, and seeing a cherished and beloved character die on the streets after ten years was emotionally draining. While the whole point of Foggy’s death is to have Matt give up being a vigilante, it still is a waste of an important fan-favorite character.
However, since the first episode, theories that Foggy’s death was fake and he is in the witness protection program have been flooding the internet. Even the official Daredevil social media accounts gave a wink and a nod to the theory, furthering fans’ hopes that maybe this wasn’t the end for Foggy Nelson. It wouldn’t be the first time in Foggy’s comic history where he was presumed dead, and not even the first time Vanessa was the one behind the trigger. Fans cling to the hope that Foggy is still alive because he is one of the most important characters in Daredevil. Matt and Karen, without Foggy, feels both unnatural and wrong.
White Tiger
Hector Ayala, aka The White Tiger, was another shocking death, especially considering how the series was promoted prior to its release. From the way things looked in trailers, White Tiger – a known and frequent vigilante companion to Daredevil – was slated to play a big part in the entire series. After Matt Murdock successfully gets Hector off from a murder charge, Hector’s first order of business is to go back home and suit up. As Hector walks the streets in his full White Tiger outfit, one can feel the excitement of his whole life ahead of him, perhaps taking up the spot Daredevil left behind. But all that comes to a screeching halt when Ayala is shot point-blank by one of Fisk’s cops (who we later learn is Cole North), immediately dropping to the ground, dead.
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White Tiger is an iconic superhero, not only because he was the first Latin American superhero in any comic, but his powers are so unique. As Ayala walked the street right before his death, I didn’t have the slightest inkling that he would be killed because audiences still hadn’t seen the White Tiger in action, and ultimately never did. For Marvel to bring in a character of such significance, never fully show him using his powers, and limit his character arc to a court proceeding to further Matt Murdock’s storyline and journey into becoming Daredevil again, felt like a wasted opportunity for a beloved hero.
Muse
When Marvel announced that Muse was going to be the main villain (beside Kingpin) for Daredevil: Born Again, I was personally excited to see this character brought to life, despite how creepy and outright violent he is. Muse is one of those characters that truly shines in the comics, for the worst reasons possible. He is a serial killer who uses his victims’ blood and body parts to create paintings and art, and he is also one of Daredevil’s toughest foes to beat.
By the time Born Again finally got around to the Muse storyline, it lasted only a few short episodes and ended with Muse being shot dead. Muse is a villain who deserves a whole season devoted to his development, as well as a cat-and-mouse game with Daredevil, pushing the hero to his limits. However, Muse’s sole importance in Born Again seemed to be to endanger Heather and lure Daredevil out for Fisk to use as anti-vigilante propaganda. There is so much more to the character and the dark depths that the already dark tone of the series could have explored through Muse.
Cole North
I’ll be honest – I’m still not convinced North is dead. Though he was last seen unconscious in Matt’s building before it blew up, the lack of visual evidence of Cole North’s death leaves the door open. Although it would be very difficult to survive an explosion in his already battered state, Cole North is another character whose potential has been wasted if he is actually gone. The entire point of North as a character (based on his comics background) is that he comes to New York with a no-nonsense and frankly violent approach to the law. This aligns with the North that Fisk puts on the anti-vigilante task force, as North does not have the strongest morals or record.
However, North’s journey in the comics brings him into frequent contact with Daredevil, and he finally starts to see another side to the violence happening in New York City. Instead of contributing to it or making it worse by impeding vigilantes, North becomes an ally to Daredevil and others, as well as a more ethical and respectable police officer. Throughout the first season of Born Again, it felt as though Cole North was on the same path of reevaluating his actions – an evolution that would pay off in Season 2. However, if North truly did die in the explosion, it would be a tragic waste of a genuinely interesting and morally complicated character trying to better himself.
Season 2 of Daredevil: Born Again is already filming. Until then, we will have to wait to see if any of these deaths are truly permanent (except Hector, he’s clearly gone).
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