Born Again’s Finale – ryan

Warning! Spoilers for Daredevil: Born Again.The season one finale of Daredevil: Born Again had some astounding implications for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, drastically affecting various heroes of the franchise. The ending of Daredevil: Born Again‘s first season saw Wilson Fisk enact his Safer Streets initiative as mayor of New York City, making all vigilante activity officially illegal and granting absurd legal powers to his corrupt cadre of cops. Of course, this has drastically altered the lives of many of the MCU’s heroes, who are based in New York City.

For those based in one of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s most important cities, Kingpin’s declaration is an open act of war. Granted, not every active hero based in New York has to worry about the consequences of the law, with Doctor Strange, Wong, and the Sanctum Santorum not concerned with nonmagical society. Heroes like Ms. Marvel, just outside of New York City, also barely escaped Kingpin’s criminalization of heroes. It’s likely that Daredevil’s “army” will be made up of those who are irrevocably affected.

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Daredevil

Obviously, His Archnemesis Has Made His Life Much Harder

Of course, Daredevil himself is dramatically affected by the events capping off the first season of his namesake series. By the end of the first season, Daredevil has officially returned to hero work at the worst possible time, donning his demonic cowl once again just as Kingpin comes into power and declares doing so officially illegal. As if that weren’t bad enough, Kingpin has already made two attempts on Matt Murdock’s life, both at the hospital and at his own home.

To survive in Daredevil: Born Again season 2, Matt will have to be careful and gather as many allies as he can. It’s possible that Daredevil won’t even be able to live his normal civilian life as Matt Murdock with Kingpin sending out hit after hit on him and the Anti-Vigilante Task Force bearing down on his personal life. Hopefully Matt missed being a hero, because he’ll be stuck doing so until Wilson Fisk is out of office for good.

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The Punisher

Seems To Have Broken Out Of Captivity

Another major player in the series itself dramatically affected by the events of Daredevil: Born Again is The Punisher. Initially uninterested in helping Daredevil face off against Kingpin’s task force, a phone call from Karen Page had Frank changing his tune, going after his fanboys with everything he had. Despite being overpowered and captured, The Punisher was ultimately taken alive as a prisoner, possibly due to the corrupt police force’s idolization of him.

The post-credits scene of the season finale sees Frank Castle breaking out, luring an unsuspecting fan into shaking his hand before taking them down and stealing the keys. The Punisher may have been afforded a degree of protection from the police before, but with Kingpin’s new laws in effect, he’ll likely have an even larger target on his back. Worse yet, he may find himself with a score to settle against Fisk and his cronies.

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Spider-Man

Has Nothing But His Hero Activity

Somehow, Spider-Man was absent for Daredevil: Born Again the entire season. The last audiences saw Tom Holland’s Peter Parker, the entire world had lost their memory of him, leaving him totally isolated from his former friends. With nothing else left, Peter sets out in a home-made Spider-Man costume, effectively debuting as a hero again for the first time in the minds of MCU citizens. Spider-Man is now surely counted among the vigilantes Kingpin wishes to eradicate.

Spider-Man may be easily the most powerful New York City-based hero, and he’s also the most protected against Kingpin. With no existing connections to anyone, his real identity may be impossible to determine, and the Anti-Vigilante Task Force will have a hard time apprehending him. However, considering being a vigilante is pretty much all Peter has at this point, the fact that masked heroes are now illegal is a huge affront to his existence.

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Swordsman

Also In Kingpin’s Custody

One hero that only got a handful of minor appearances in season one of Daredevil: Born Again was Jack Duquesne, a.k.a. Swordsman. In Hawkeye, Jack was a red-herring villain who actually turned out to be quite the heroic rich man, with the series teasing his comic identity as Swordsman with a brief scene of him handling some mafia thugs with his fencing skills. By the time of Daredevil: Born Again, Duquense has officially become Swordsman as proven by some cell phone footage.

Jack is seen interned in Kingpin’s horrific secret dungeon along with The Punisher and several other of Kingpin’s enemies. It’s possible that he’ll be freed by Frank Castle on his way out, but considering how poorly The Punisher plays nice with other heroes, his freedom is far from a guarantee. Outside his hero work, Jack Duquesne is one of Kingpin’s most dangerous opponents due to his legal and financial power as one of New York City’s wealthy elites.

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Kate Bishop

One Of New York’s Newest Heroes

Another hero with a base of operations in New York City is Kate Bishop, currently sharing the name “Hawkeye” with the original Avenger. The protagonist of the Hawkeye series, Kate Bishop comes into her own as a hero, even issuing Kingpin a humiliating defeat. While a lot has happened since her last encounter with the terrifying criminal overlord, his ascendancy to mayor poses some grave risks to her.

Kate Bishop is far from a subtle hero, not even wearing a mask to disguise her identity and being relatively high-profile as a scion heiress of a major enterprise. Kate was last seen being approached by Ms. Marvel for the formation of a Young Avengers team, but will likely be more invested in stopping Kingpin’s horrific reign of terror against heroes. Kingpin might get around to personally seeking out Kate to settle their very personal score.

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Luke Cage

A Powerful Crime Boss In His Own Right

The integration of the Netflix continuity into the Marvel Cinematic Universe means that Daredevil and The Punisher aren’t the only vigilantes now a part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Luke Cage is another major player holding over from the Netflix continuity, a man with super strength, durability, and impenetrable skin as a result of an experiment. After the final season of his own series, Luke Cage has become the ruling crime lord of Harlem.

Not only does Luke Cage threaten Kingpin as a superpowered vigilante, but he also poses a risk to his criminal activities. After all, Luke Cage is a rival crime boss that might seek to disrupt Kingpin’s activities in a bid for power, especially with vigilantes now being less of a threat thanks to the Safer Streets Initiative. Though he may technically be a criminal now, Luke Cage still has a heart of gold and a real sense of empathy that may push him into action alongside his former Defenders comrades.

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Iron Fist

Technically A Hero No Longer, But Still A Major Player

Iron Fist is an interesting case for a person being affected by Fisk’s rule, as he’s technically no longer an acting vigilante, either. The end of Iron Fist season 2 saw Danny Rand pass on the power of the Iron Fist to Colleen Wing, leaving New York City for Asia to search for Orson Randall. In doing so, he managed to re-ignite the power of the Iron Fist, even able to manifest two chi-powered limbs at once now.

Rand is still out of the country as far as audiences know, but Fisk’s effects still have some hard-hitting implications for him should he return. Danny Rand is no stranger to vigilante activity, and it’s possible he’ll feel the need to resume it whenever he finds what he was searching for in the East. With his new ability to empower firearms with Chi, he’ll be a dangerous enemy for Kingpin to make.

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Colleen Wing

The Next Iron Fist And Current New York City Protector

Though Danny may be absent, there is still a current Iron Fist active in New York City. Enter Danny Rand’s primary love interest, Colleen Wing, a talented martial artist and former soldier of criminal organization The Hand. Wing ended up on the heroic side of the conflict, gaining Danny Rand’s Iron Fist powers along the way and using Chi to infuse her katana with immense strength.

As an active vigilante in New York fighting the likes of bank robbers, Colleen Wing is a prime target for Kingpin‘s Safer Streets Initiative. She doesn’t even have a costume or real hero identity keeping her safe in her day-to-day life, making her a prime target for one of the Anti-Vigilante Task force’s raids. Colleen wouldn’t be an easy opponent to take into custody, but her entire world is certainly affected by Kingpin’s new dictatorship of New York City.

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Jessica Jones

A Rough-And-Yumble P.I. With A Vigilante Streak

Calling Jessica Jones a straightforward superhero would certainly be a misnomer, but she’ll almost certainly be affected by Kingpin’s martial law. A hard-boiled private investigator with incredible superpowers, Jessica Jones ends up getting pulled into all sorts of intrigue thanks to her job. Her encounters with multiple supervillains have given her quite a heroic resume, even if her cynicism has remained intact throughout her career.

While Jessica Jones technically has a legit business, the usage of her powers will likely come into the purview of Kingpin’s new rules. It can’t be long before Jones ends up taking a case that leads her right to Fisk at the center of some sort of corruption, possibly assigned such a task by one of his many enemies. Jessica Jones may not be a masked hero, but she’s still a vigilante of sorts, putting a target on her back in Kingpin’s New York City.

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Misty Knight

Still Not Sure If She’s A Cop Or A Hero

Misty Knight’s world isn’t changed by Kingpin because she’s on the receiving end of his corrupt police force, but because she’s currently in it. As a New York City police detective, Misty Knight became embroiled with Luke Cage, Colleen Wing, and Danny Rand, lending her expertise to their various exploits and even losing her arm saving Claire Temple’s life. Equipped with a bionic arm, Misty Knight was last seen struggling to decide if she’s a vigilante or a police officer, but it’s possible Kingpin’s rise to power made her choose the former.

With the normal police gutted and the Anti-Vigilante Task Force being given tyrannical emergency powers, Misty Knight is likely to have left the NYPD for good. Otherwise, it may be impossible for her to be true to her conscience while continuing to do Fisk’s dirty work, if she was able to work at all. Misty is a character fence-sitting on the law that might have finally been pushed to one side by the climactic events of Daredevil: Born Again.

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