Born Again Season 3’s Story Proves the Marvel Series Is Already Solving Its Biggest Villain Problem
We have the impression that the devil of Hell’s Kitchen has never left our screens following Daredevil: Born AgainSeason 1 finale of , “Straight to Hell”. Filming for the second season began almost immediately afterwards, constant interviews with its stars and announcements such as the return of Jessica Jones (Krysten Ritter), the series has managed to keep himself firmly in the spotlight. However, Wilson Bethel may have gone too far in promoting the series for fans when he confirmed a small spoiler about the future of his character.
Rather than this teasing ruining the issues or tensions before Daredevil: Born again Season 2, it actually reveals how the series learns from one of its biggest mistakes from season 1: his treatment of villains and their killing too soon. Although the creative overhaul may have played a role in the disappointing arc of characters such as Muse (Hunter Doohan), it doesn’t make up for the fact that what was designed to be a massive part of Daredevil (Charlie Cox) the trip disappeared without a trace. However, Bethel’s comments promise a deeper arc that could see Bullseye placed in more fascinating positions the longer he exists in the series.
Wilson Bethel Reveals Bullseye Will Be In ‘Daredevil: Born Again’ Season 3
During a panel at Spacecon in San Antonio, Bethel inadvertently revealed that her character would be part of Daredevil: Born Again season 3, stating, “As some of you may know, we already have [got] picked up for another new season which we will start doing next year. We’ll have more Bullseye on the way, Kingpin (Vincent D’Onofrio) and everything in between. The statement also technically spoils the fact that Fisk will survive Season 2, although it’s unlikely anyone really thought Kingpin was going to be snuffed out so quickly.
With how tight Marvel usually is when it comes to spoilers, it’s surprising that Bethel even shared this much, but there have already been a lot of contradictions regarding previous comments made about certain characters in Daredevil: Born again. The most notable recent example involved Brad Winderbaum confirming that Foggy Nelson (Elden Henson) would return to the series after Henson himself denied it. It may be increasingly difficult for actors to keep spoilers and reveals appropriate, but Bethel’s comments represent a positive step in the right direction for Daredevil: Born Again after an uneven season 1.
“Daredevil: Born Again” Muse Horribly Misused in Season 1
Muse is the clearest example of a villain who deserved more time in Season 1 of Daredevil: Born Again. The character was established through his gruesome murals constructed with the blood of his victims. While the omnipresent serial killer has proven particularly elusive to local law enforcement, Muse felt like the perfect threat to force Matt to suit up again, especially after the kidnapping of Hector Ayala (Kamar de Los Reyes) niece, Angela (Camila Rodriguez). Yet when Muse was finally killed after detaining Matt’s girlfriend, Heather Glenn (Marguerite Levieva), hostage, it was a huge waste of the character’s potential.
After his death, Muse had very little impact on the series. In fact, it was probably ignored in the future. Fisk ended up using another excuse, getting shot by Bullseye, to induce martial law, and Heather’s eventual grievance revolved more around his refusal to be honest about his secret identity. Even the conflict initially generated by Muse was replaced by Matt and Heather’s differing views on his partnership with Fisk. Although the show’s creative overhaul likely meant Muse was a spare for the new showrunner Dario Scardapane had no use for it, the show’s reveal and ultimate abandonment of his character was particularly egregious.
Bullseye Deserves a Longer Arc in ‘Daredevil: Born Again’
Bethel’s comments hint at the strong possibility that what happened to Muse was just a singular mistake and not a recurring theme, and that’s fantastic news. Even though single arc antagonists can be fascinating in their own right, like THE Dark KnightGenerally, the longer a villain can stick around, the more interesting he becomes. Their evolution can then become more fluid, allowing them to become anti-heroes or even achieve complete redemption as heroes. James GunnDCU already has success in this area, with the upcoming The man of tomorrow hinting at the idea of Lex Luthor (Nicolas Hoult) as being more of an anti-hero than the real villain he was in Superman.
Bullseye gets a longer arc Daredevil: Born Again puts more pressure on Daredevil’s no-kill rule and invites the villain to play a bigger role in the battle for New York, especially since he has both grudges and reasons to work with Matt or Fisk. This would make him a much more interesting character, able to influence the story in different ways, rather than just the pawn that Muse turned out to be. The introduction of more heroes, such as Frank Castle (Jon Bernthal) and Jessica Jones, offers Bullseye the opportunity to face other characters; Bethel previously said that her character had “some of the best action sequences in the entire series” in season 2.
If the actor’s comments will pay off Daredevil: Born again hasn’t been seen yet, but it appears the Marvel series is taking active steps to not repeat the mistake it made in Season 1 of killing off a villain too soon. Bullseye remaining throughout Season 3 can only be a good thing for Daredevil: Born Againespecially since the character’s original arc in the Netflix series was too short with its cancellation.
