She-Hulk‘s writer, Jessica Gao, shared that they were shocked that they were able to use Charlie Cox’s Daredevil, considering the character first appeared in the Netflix titular series and took until Spider-Man: No Way Home to make him canonical to the MCU. The Man Without Fear has been one of the most compellingly written superheroes in the genre and comic book medium, and the success of him and his world of characters are deservedly taking more shape in the mainstream space with Marvel Studios’ Daredevil: Born Again.
It’s set to have an 18-episode first season, and with the likes of Vincent D’Onofrio’s Kingpin confirmed to return, fans are expectedly wondering what other villains might appear opposite Charlie Cox’s Daredevil. Whether it’s in this initial season or a potential season 2, fans on Reddit are excited about the possibility of the sequel/soft-reboot series expanding on the hero’s rogues’ gallery. From the ominous return of Bullseye to the more obscure villains like Muse, there’s a diverse list of villains to choose from.
Muse
Certainly one of the more recent and overlooked villains, Muse struck a chord with comic book fans for being as creative and disturbing as he was. He was a deranged artist and serial killer whose “work” involved murdering people and turning them into set pieces. He also had metahuman abilities that made even Daredevil’s keen Radar Sense difficult to pinpoint.
Understandably, he’d be a rather unknown character, given the fact that his first appearance was only in 2016 during the Charles Soule’s run on Daredevil. Redditor Wild_Process_6747 had an interesting concept for how a villain like him could be worked, suggesting Muse function as an elusive killer “who confused his senses and DD being criticized in the press, to Fisk’s amusement, for not capturing him.” It’d also be admittedly tough to imagine a Disney+ version that does justice to the villain, as he’d likely be notably sanitized.
Bullseye
There were many exceptional elements about the original TV series, and Wilson Bethel’s Bullseye was certainly one of the highlights of Daredevil‘s third season. The creative team took some liberties with the psychotic villains, but they succeeded in making this live-action iteration of Bullseye as an unnerving and chaotic threat in his own right. Redditor damientepps hoped to see Bethel return as the character, saying they “just want Bullseye [to] return. Give him his costume.”
Season 3 managed to tie up the vast majority of the show’s loose ends nicely, but the final cliffhanger with Bullseye having his spine repaired is a perfect setup for a grand return in a soft-reboot series that satisfies as a payoff for longtime fans without alienating new audiences. There’s been enough time between season 3’s timeline and the upcoming Born Again to avoid any confusion.
Typhoid Mary
Introduced by writer Ann Nocenti, Typhoid Mary is undoubtedly one of Daredevil’s most compelling villains, but fans only just missed out on seeing her make a proper appearance in live-action. She’s technically also had a portrayal in the Marvel Cinematic Universe — played by Alice Eve. But she was unfortunately used as a villain in Iron Fist, despite being a major antagonist in Daredevil’s corner of Hell’s Kitchen.
Redditor Chrispy_Kelloggs hoped for a worthy re-debut of Alice Eve’s rendition, while also noting that “maybe something a bit closer to the comic version” would be more fitting. There could be a compelling story arc focused on her dissociative identity disorder or her pyrokinetic powers while staying true to the street-level atmosphere.
Gladiator
Getting a full live-action version of the Gladiator seemed like something the original Daredevil series was alluding to, especially given his fate in season 3. Played by Matt Gerald, Melvin Potter was a recurring character who designed Daredevil’s suit, but his arrest at the end may indicate an inevitable villainous arc. At least in the comics, Potter dons the costumed persona due to his angry delusions over his superiority over superheroes.
After being caught by the FBI in season 3 for working for Wilson Fisk again, a similar motivation and grudge against Daredevil could be justified in Born Again. Redditor Chrispy_Kelloggs also hoped to see this iteration come back, saying they’d “also like to reintroduce Melvin Potter, but show that he actually became The Gladiator in the years after S3.” It’s something that also seems reasonable, thanks to the time between the original show and Born Again in 2024.
Stilt-Man
There were many over-the-top campy heroes and villains during the ’60s and ’70s eras of the comic book industry. Unsurprisingly, many of those characters were treated as jokes that didn’t age well, and Daredevil’s Stilt-Man is certainly one of them. He’s as ridiculous as his name sounds, but some fans think that goofiness could work to his advantage.
The MCU has been reasonably criticized for leaning too hard into comedic relief, but fans like Redditor Uncanny_Doom think “Stilt-Man would be perfect to use in a brief fashion the way we’ve seen characters like Batroc or Crossbones appear briefly in the Captain America stuff.” They also added that Born Again could open up with Daredevil putting him in his place as a way to acknowledge his rather pathetic gimmick. He would still be a joke, but not to the extent of ’70’s-era comics. Instead, a Stilt-Man who has a level of self-awareness in Chip Zdarsky’s current run on the comic book series could be the better approach to showing his genuine threat, which, coincidentally, is another of the best Daredevil comics for new fans.
Ikari
While asking Born Again to maintain the original series’ gritty, crime-noir feel is unfortunately too much to ask from an ardently family-friendly company like Disney, inspiration from Mark Waid’s Daredevil comics would be an excellent middle ground in terms of tone. Likewise, his run was well-received for bringing in a revolving door of Daredevil’s colorful rogues’ gallery, including the likes of the mysterious Ikari.
This mysterious assassin wore a Japanese-themed Daredevil suit and claimed to have the same powers, making for an exciting dark mirror of the hero. Redditor LR-II had an intriguing way to introduce him, suggesting, “they should use Ikari as a way to reintroduce Elektra. Make it a surprise twist that she’s been brainwashed into fighting him, so it can be a reference to both Ikari and Elektra’s time as Daredevil.”
Mister Fear
It’s no secret that both Marvel and DC Comics took turns copying each other’s concepts for heroes and villains alike, and the argument could be made that Daredevil’s Mister Fear is the equivalent of Batman’s Scarecrow. Still, Redditor Tgk230987 felt that he was one of the “other classic villains” that Born Again should capitalize on. That being said, the third incarnation of Mister Fear — Lawrence Cranston — could potentially be made into an exciting villain in his own right.
This Mister Fear has a motivation more directly involved with Daredevil than what Scarecrow typically is to Batman, as Cranston developed a deep-rooted hatred for Matt Murdock after the latter defeated him in a mock trial in law school. Having Born Again use him as an increasingly obsessive and upset antagonist would help Fear stand apart.
The Owl
As far as other classic Daredevil rogues go, Redditor Tgk230987 also suggested The Owl appear in the upcoming series. The Owl technically did feature in the original show already and was killed off by the Kingpin. But this take on Leland Owlsley, while fitting for the type of character the creative team was going for, certainly wasn’t on the “supervillain” side.
He was corrupt, serving as Fisk and co.’s dirty accountant, but no more than that. However, he did mention he had a son living out of state, who some fans assumed would come to move into Hell’s Kitchen to become the more conventional Owl crime lord from the comics. A lot of competition has been wiped off the board in the organized crime world since Endgame, and introducing The Owl proper could be an interesting way to create tension and rivalry in Kingpin’s life — and Matt Murdock’s.
