Not to get too existential, but what exactly is the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Daredevil: Born Again?
The presence of Charlie Cox’s Matt Murdock and Vincent D’Onofrio’s Wilson Fisk would indicate that it’s a continuation of the three-season Netflix series, with Jon Bernthal’s widely-celebrated – and immediately pilloried – comeback as the Punisher only serving to solidify that sentiment.
And yet, respective appearances by Cox and D’Onofrio in Spider-Man: No Way Home, She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, and Hawkeye hinted that the events to have transpired on a rival streaming service wouldn’t be acknowledged or referenced during the 18-episode Disney Plus original.
Leaving Elden Henson’s Foggy Nelson and Deborah Ann Woll’s Karen Page out in the cold upset fans to a furious degree, and the same can now be said of Vanessa Fisk after it was revealed that Sandrine Holt would be stepping in to replace Ayelet Zurer. Nobody from Marvel has come right out and confirmed whether Born Again exists in a different pocket of the multiverse from its predecessor – which would helpfully explain a lot – but Daredevil diehards can’t even seem to decide if it’s a reboot or not.
The most straightforward explanation often tends to be the correct one, so the most likely scenario is that Netflix’s Daredevil took place in a different timeline from Born Again, which is why the likes of Cox, D’Onofrio, and Bernthal can return at the same time as other key parts are being recast.
Some clarity would be nice, though, especially when the backlash has already started mere days into shooting.