Warning: The following article contains spoilers for the season one finale of Daredevil Born Again. If you haven’t watched the episode yet, consider bookmarking our story and return later.
The final episode of Daredevil Born Again has aired on Disney+ and season one has come to a close. But after the credits rolled on episode nine “Straight to Hell,” I found myself unable to move from my couch, lost in thought about the episode.
Season one of Daredevil Born Again has followed two story arcs on crossing trajectories: Matt Murdock’s slow acceptance that New York City needs his vigilante alter ego, and Wilson Fisk’s ascension to absolute ruler of New York as “Mayor Kingpin”. By the final episode, these transformations are complete, and while we finally see Matt fully embrace Daredevil again, things are BLEAK.
Kingpin has broken the city council by using their own corruption (insider trading, off-shore accounts, etc.) to blackmail them and has brutally murdered the police commissioner with total impunity in front of police officers. He has his own squad of thugs, Punisher cops whom he has empowered with “no more due process” and the directive to use deadly force. Residents of the the city are locked in secret cages far from the public eye.
Matt Murdock’s season-long attempts to find justice through the legal system have failed. Even when he seemingly wins as previously seen with the not-guilty verdict for White Tiger (Hector Ayala), his client is brutally murdered by the very cops who falsely accused him. By the season’s end, it is clear that the legal system cannot deliver the justice and peace civilians need.
I had to remind myself that this was written months and months ago, that many of these issues have been around in some form or another for much of this nation’s history. But my god—that finale resonated.
To say that this past month in American politics has been rough is an understatement. Between spiraling markets, on again / off again tariffs, corruption scandals, extrajudicial kidnappings and the apparent abandonment of due process, things have felt bleak. Worse, it’s felt like both major political parties are unable to halt the decline of American life and the destruction of Constitutional protections.
The episode reflected back so much of what makes the current crisis facing America feel impossible. How can one stand against injustice when every mechanism of civilized society is compromised, corrupted, or broken? Marvel’s New York City needs Daredevil, desperately; and season two will likely give viewers the catharsis we crave.
But there’s no masked vigilantes coming to save Americans from the mess we’ve created. For that, we must find the strength and answers within us.
Tell us what you think! Did the final of season one of Daredevil Born Again get too political or did it validate many of the fears and issues facing Americans during this moment of time? Share your reactions in the comments below or join the conversation on Boss Rush Network’s Discord, Facebook, and Twitter.
Featured Image: Marvel
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