Why Daredevil Is Retired In The MCU & What Line Was Crossed
The new Daredevil: Born Again trailer confirms a significant status quo change for Matt Murdock with the reveal that he retired from his life as a vigilante. Connecting to the first three seasons of Daredevil on Netflix and his subsequent appearances in MCU projects such as Spider-Man: No Way Home and She-Hulk: Attorney At Law, it seems a major event occurred that motivated Murdock to hang up the horns. However, it seems as though new threats and old foes will eventually convince Murdock to return.
The new trailer for Daredevil: Born Again opens with a meeting between Charlie Cox's Matt Murdock and Vicent D'onofrio's Wilson Fisk. They both confirm that they've both moved up in the world, especially with Fisk having become the new mayor of New York City. However, the real surprise is that Murdock has retired from his life as Daredevil, leading the former Kingpin to question why in the new MCU trailer.
Daredevil: Born Again's Trailer Reveals Matt Murdock Is No Longer A Vigilante
"A Line Was Crossed"
According to Murdock, "a line was crossed" as a shot reveals his mask falling from a rooftop, the presumption being that Murdock himself likely dropped it as a sign that he was done being "The Devil of Hell's Kitchen". In the present, it looks as though Daredevil: Born Again will open with Matt Murdock only being a lawyer in New York and finding increased success. After all, Fisk does say in the new trailer that Murdock has also come up in the world.
Seen spending time with his friends and partners Foggy Nelson (Elden Henson) and Karen Page (Deborah Ann Woll), one could imagine that Murdock was happy with leaving his life as Daredevil behind. Murdock was also recently involved in a pretty public trial involving Spider-Man and his secret identity being outed might have earned him a better reputation with higher-profile cases (though Doctor Strange's spell at the end of Spider-Man: No Way Home admittedly makes that somewhat confusing). Nevertheless, it stands to reason that life without Daredevil was good, especially if life as Murdock was improving.
What Crossed Line Would Make Daredevil Retire
A Potential Murder?
As far as what the crossed line actually was to make Daredevil retire, there's likely only two options that would motivate Murdock to hang up his mask. The first option is that Daredevil ended up murdering someone in the past, a major line in the previous three seasons of his Netflix series that he struggled not to cross. This was especially true at the end of Daredevil season 3, where it took everything in Murdock's power not to kill Wilson Fisk after everything he'd done.
Conversely, it's also possible that the line being crossed was Daredevil's friends getting put in harm's way. While it would be massively tragic, it's entirely possible that Foggy and Karen might have been killed in the past due to Murdock's double life as Daredevil. After all, Benjamin Poindexter's Bullseye (Wilson Bethel) is shown in the new Daredevil: Born Again trailer as well. Seeing how Bullseye knows Daredevil's secret identity and all about Karen and Foggy, flashbacks to the past could get really dark. As such, losing his friends could easily motivate Murdock to retire Daredevil as well (though that's currently just conjecture).
Daredevil Killing Someone Would Pay Off His Coolest Quote
"Let The Devil Out"
If it does end up being revealed that Daredevil killed someone by letting his rage get the better of him, it would pay off one of his best quotes from Daredevil season 3:
"You can suffocate evil. Starve it. Lock it behind bars. But it will find a way to come back even stronger. There's only one true way to end evil. To finish it for good. Let the Devil out."
While Daredevil season 3 was all about Murdock resisting the temptation to kill Fisk by its end, perhaps circumstances were too much and the anger too great at a later point, forcing him to retire in the aftermath. At any rate, it will be fascinating to see what gets Murdock to wear his iconic mask once more now that Fisk is mayor, Frank Castle's Punisher is back, and new threats emerging in New York like the brutal new serial killer from the comics named Muse.
Daredevil: Born Again is set to premiere March 4th on Disney+.
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
Daredevil: Born Again follows blind lawyer Matt Murdock, who uses his heightened abilities to pursue justice in New York. As he manages a bustling law firm, former mob boss Wilson Fisk navigates political ambitions, leading both men toward a confrontation as their pasts resurface.
- Franchise(s)
- Daredevil, Marvel Cinematic Universe
- Main Genre
- Adventure
- Seasons
- 1
- Story By
- chris ord
- Streaming Service(s)
- Disney+
Upcoming MCU Movies
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