Commentary: ‘Daredevil: Born Again’ Ending Is A Perfect Allegory For Our Times

It’s hard not to see the real-world parallels within Daredevil: Born Again. The story centers on a ruthless and criminal businessman being elected to a high-ranking office. In this case, Wilson Fisk (Vincent D’Onofrio) — also known as the Kingpin — was elected as the mayor of New York City. In the show’s second season, it had Fisk create an initiative that placed vigilantes as public enemy #1. The policy and the task force that enforced it were meant to go after Daredevil (Charlie Cox), but the entire city was caught up in the crossfire. Innocent civilians were detained without due process. The rule of law had been stripped away. Seemingly, the only thing that mattered was Fisk’s will. Protests popped up to stand against what New Yorkers believed to be fascist rule, even going so far as storming a government building when Fisk barricaded himself inside. All of these real-world parallels felt eerily reminiscent of our times, and the ending of the season represented the ultimate capstone to this allegory.

First, Fisk went after the vigilante known as Swordsman (Tony Dalton) to put his new extrajudicial law to the test. After that, Karen Page (Deborah Ann Woll) was arrested to draw out Daredevil. In a surprise move, Matt Murdock showed up at the trial to defend her and even called Fisk to the stand in a dramatic play. During questioning, Murdock pressed Fisk about illegal arms shipments, eventually confessing to being Daredevil to pin Fisk to the crime. Left with no other alternative, Fisk went on a murderous rampage before Murdock managed reason with him. The deal they reached: Fisk would not face prosecution if he resigned and left the city. Fisk accepted, but Murdock had to face punishment for Daredevil’s crimes. This meant the season ended with Murdock behind bars and Fisk on a tropical island far from New York.

There’s a lot of talk of injustice in the world today. People considered criminals act with impunity and walk free, never facing justice. Meanwhile, those who try to stand up for what’s right are character-assassinated and often arrested on flimsy charges. There is a definite feeling of unfairness in today’s political climate, which is exactly how this season of Daredevil ended. The superhero who gave his all for the city winds up locked up while Kingpin, the undisputed criminal who has ruined so many lives, gets to walk free in a paradise-on-earth. In the end, Daredevil feels as if he won because he got Fisk to leave office while Fisk feels he lost because he no longer has the power of being mayor. But for those watching the show, seeing the locale of where each of them wound up doesn’t feel like justice prevailed. Instead, it feels like an accurate reflection of our times.

Daredevil: Born Again is now streaming on Disney+.