Muse Is Unlike Every Other MCU Villain
Warning! This article contains spoilers for Daredevil: Born Again season 1, episode 7.
Daredevil: Born Again introduced Muse to the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), and he was a perfect villain for the show and Matt Murdock. Daredevil: Born Again initially saw the return of the Netflix Daredevil season 3 villain, Bullseye, aka Benjamin Poindexter, but most of the first season of Born Again has shifted the focus to villains like Kingpin and Muse. And with this lesser-known rival having such a prominent role in this debut MCU season, it was a big gamble, but it's worked out perfectly.
The thing is, Muse isn't like any of the other villains in the MCU. And his role in Daredevil: Born Again has been such a driving force to the story of not only the show as a whole, but also to motivate characters like Wilson Fisk, aka Kingpin, and Matt Murdock, aka Daredevil, to make choices and become the people they are meant to be. And without Muse as a driving force in all of this, the story could have looked very different.
How Muse Is Unlike Every Other MCU Villain
Muse Created His Own Story In The MCU
When you think about the villains in Marvel Studios projects, such as Loki, Thanos, Hela, and so on, they all appear to have driving forces rooted in a motivation that is not pure evil. Loki is a misfit kid who felt isolated, and wanted to prove his own worth and find the glorious purpose. And this led to him becoming a savior of the multiverse. Thanos had noble but misguided intentions to ensure resources in the universe were not stretched to thin by reducing the surplus population. And after his death, some groups like the Flag-Smashers grew to embrace that gift despite the loss of life.
Who Is Bastian Cooper In Daredevil: Born Again? Muse's Identity Reveal Is A Major Change From Marvel Comics
Daredevil: Born Again episode 7 reveals the backstory of Bastian Cooper, the vigilante known as Muse, marking a major change from Marvel Comics.
But Muse is just an evil, monstrous, disturbed figure. He's angry, filled with rage, and while Born Again tries to present some rooted trauma of not feeling seen by his parents, Muse decides to murder people brutally, and then take their blood to make art. It's insane behavior, and it reflects a truly deranged character who operates freely on his evil will. And in reality, this makes him stand out from other MCU villains in an incredibly satisfying and important way.
Why Muse Is A Perfect Marvel Villain For Daredevil: Born Again
Muse Provides A Perfect Contrast To The Hero, Daredevil
Daredevil is a character who is constantly struggling between his will and his responsibility. Matt Murdock is a deeply religious man who believes in damnation, heaven, hell, and right and wrong. He sees evil in the world, and he feels compelled to be a part of repelling that evil. However, Matt also recognizes evil in himself because of how much he enjoys wearing a mask, being a vigilante, and brutally beating up people who may technically deserve it. However, he tries to draw a firm line at not killing anyone.
In some ways, Muse is a polar opposite in this regard, because there is no internal struggle. He wants to hurt people, and he does it. He wants to murder people to fuel his own selfish desires, like making murals, and he does it. This level of abandoning any burden of shame, guilt, or responsibility is the complete opposite to Daredevil. And that's exactly what he needed to see to pull him out of retirement and don the suit once again, to take down a greater evil.
How Muse Could Return After His Death In Daredevil: Born Again
Muse May Still Return In The Future Of The MCU
Now, while Matt doesn't believe in killing people, his girlfriend Heather clearly does not have the same boundaries. After being brutally attacked and shaken up by Muse attempting to kill her, Heather grabs a gun, and unloads several rounds into Muse's chest, adding new bloodstains that decorate his chest. But just because he is technically dead in the show, that is not to say the Multiverse Saga couldn't see the character brought back in some unusual way. Perhaps even drawing inspiration from the comics where Muse is brought back as a ghost.
Daredevil: Born Again Just Proved The Punisher Was Right
Frank Castle a.k.a. The Punisher predicted Muse's Daredevil: Born Again episode 7's attack both in episode 4 and in Netflix's original series.
In the comics, Muse passes away and is damned to Hell. However, he makes Hell a new home. And he meets people who he can influence and appear to as a ghost to inspire them to kill and continue his legacy. Ghosts have already appeared in the MCU as seen in Agatha All Along. But beyond that, as the Multiverse Saga moves towards its end with Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars, there is a chance that Muse could return as a variant in the Battleworld. Beyond that, Daredevil: Born Again season 2 may find some way to bring him back to wreak havoc in Hell's Kitchen.
Daredevil: Born Again
- Release Date
- March 4, 2025
- Network
- Disney+
- Showrunner
- Chris Ord
- Directors
- Aaron Moorhead, Justin Benson, David Boyd, Jeffrey Nachmanoff
- Writers
- Jesse Wigutow, Jill Blankenship, Thomas Wong, David Feige, Grainne Godfree
Cast
Matt Murdock / Daredevil
Wilson Fisk
- Franchise(s)
- Daredevil, Marvel Cinematic Universe
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