Daredevil: Born Again Episode 9 Answers A Huge Mystery
We finally know how Fisk became the king(pin) of New York again.
Somehow, Wilson Fisk (Vincent D’Onofrio) became mayor of New York City. Even before his exploits in the season finale of Daredevil: Born Again, fans knew the people of New York had made a huge mistake. Whatever Fisk may say about himself, this is a man who’s taken heads off with car doors and run his own crime syndicate. Oh, and influence nearly destroyed the FBI from the inside out. He should be rotting in a jail cell, not signing bills.
Naturally, that irony fuels much of Born Again’s tension, but the Daredevil revival is also pretty vague about Fisk’s past crimes. The Disney+ show is technically a continuation of the original Netflix series, but it’s not always clear if the Fisk from Daredevil Season 3 is the same Fisk trying to restore “law and order.” There’s been no mention of his corruption of the FBI and NYPD, not even from those who doubt his sincerity. Has that event somehow been covered up or erased from the Daredevil timeline? The truth remained a mystery for weeks, but a throwaway line in the Season 1 finale just set the record straight.
Born Again’s big flashback reveals how Fisk became Kingpin again.
In Born Again Episode 8, Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox) revealed that the true mastermind behind the Fisk Empire’s recent crimes is Fisk’s wife, Vanessa (Ayelet Zurer). He believes she sent Bullseye (Wilson Bethel) to assassinate Foggy Nelson (Elden Henson), and Episode 9 proves Matt’s hunch correct as it turns back the clock to the days before Foggy’s murder.
The flashback reveals that Vanessa visited Bullseye in an institution to recruit him. She reveals that Fisk was recently acquitted, citing the “FBI corruption scandal” involving Agent Ray Nadeem (Jay Ali). The details of his acquittal aren’t specified, but what matters is that Fisk (and Bullseye) will be able to walk free. It’s a convenient way to bring the Kingpin back, but it’s a tough pill to swallow given everything Nadeem sacrificed to put Fisk away.
Ray Nadeem’s legacy looms large over Daredevil: Born Again.
Daredevil Season 3 explored how strong Fisk’s grip on the city of New York was, and how far someone would have to go to escape it. Ray Nadeem was an honest FBI agent blinded by ambition: he thought he could use Fisk, then a prison informant, to climb the ladder. By the time he learned about Fisk’s true intentions, it was too late. Nadeem tried to testify against Fisk in court to no avail, and ultimately, he had to sacrifice himself to bring the Kingpin’s crimes to light. Bullseye murdered Nadeem for Fisk, but Nadeem recorded a confession that proved instrumental in toppling Fisk’s syndicate.
Nadeem’s story is one of the most tragic in Daredevil history, but it ends in a hard-fought victory against Kingpin. Born Again undermines his sacrifice to bring Fisk back, but at least it hasn’t erased it. Nadeem remains a crucial figure in the franchise, and hopefully our heroes won’t have to follow in his footsteps to defeat Fisk this time around.
