MCU’s Daredevil Can Repeat Netflix’s Best Fisk Story (Thanks To Thanos)

Daredevil: Born Again, an MCU Disney+ show featuring Charlie Cox as Daredevil and Vincent D’Onofrio as Wilson Fisk, already has the perfect setup to tell its own version of Netflix’s Daredevil best Kingpin story. While questions about whether Netflix’s Daredevil is canon remain unanswered, audiences will at least get to see more of Matt Murdock and Wilson Fisk – now as part of the MCU sandbox. Marvel Studios’ Daredevil: Born Again cannot simply copy what Netflix’s Daredevil has done, but still, trying to mirror Daredevil and Kingpin’s arc from the original show now in a different context can help the MCU Daredevil series be both its own thing and a spiritual successor to Netflix’s Daredevil.

After years of rumors and speculation, Charlie Cox and Vincent D’Onofrio finally appeared in Marvel Studios productions Spider-Man: No Way Home and Hawkeye, followed by the announcement of other appearances in shows like She-Hulk and Echo. Despite having so far only appeared through cameos, Daredevil and Kingpin are expected to be major players in the MCU’s Phase 5, including in their own Disney+ show, Daredevil: Born Again. That is no surprise considering how successful Netflix’s Daredevil was.

Related: Daredevil Has Gone From Nowhere To 1 Of MCU’s Biggest Characters

Even before it starts shooting, Daredevil: Born Again is already different from all the other Disney+ MCU productions. Daredevil: Born Again will have 18 episodes, far more than any Marvel Disney+ show or even Netflix’s Marvel shows have had. The high number of episodes reveals that Marvel is aware of how well-received Netflix’s Daredevil was and that it has to treat Daredevil: Born Again not just as a new Disney+ series but as a continuation of the Daredevil series’ legacy – even if the former is not considered MCU canon. The MCU has to tell its own Daredevil stories, but shifting away completely from the tone of Netflix’s Daredevil could be a mistake. Therefore, inspired by the title Born Again, the MCU’s Daredevil show should use the Blip setup to organically revert Matt and Fisk back to where the characters were in Daredevil season 1. In other words, the MCU should use the chaos and the power vacuum left by Thanos’ Snap to justify how Kingpin was able to rebuild his empire, thus mirroring Fisk’s Hell’s Kitchen takeover story from Daredevil season 1.

How 2012’s The Avengers Shaped Daredevil’s Wilson Fisk Story

Although the Marvel Studios movies never referenced the Netflix Marvel shows, Daredevil would sometimes reference characters and elements from the MCU. More specifically, Daredevil season 1 dealt directly with the aftermath of The Avengers’ Battle of New York. The destruction left by the Avengers’ battle against the Chitauri was one of the main reasons why Hell’s Kitchen was going through a real estate crisis, something that Wilson Fisk and his allies used as a business opportunity. Fisk, the Hand, and all the other factions were using the rebuilding of Hell’s Kitchen as a way to take over the city – and the entire Kingpin operation was based on the real estate opportunities left by the Battle of New York. By the time Ben Urich, Karen, and Matt realized what was really going on with Hell’s Kitchen’s reconstruction project, Wilson Fisk had already established his power.

The MCU’s Daredevil Revival Only Works If Fisk Wasn’t Snapped

If Marvel is to consider Netflix’s Daredevil canon, then Matt and Fisk’s returns in the MCU only work if Daredevil was Snapped but not Kingpin. Daredevil season 3 ends with Matt finally defeating Fisk once and for all, as Daredevil threatens to expose Vanessa and destroy her life if Fisk ever breaks out of jail or reveals Matt’s identity to the world. Matt Murdock would never let Fisk reestablish his empire, nor would Fisk ever risk Vanessa’s safety to get back on the streets. Therefore, Kingpin’s role in Hawkeye only makes sense if Fisk had a clear path to rebuild his operation. In other words, Daredevil has to have been Snapped, offering Fisk five years of no opposition.

Thanos’ Snap & Hulk’s Blip Can Make The Perfect Daredevil: Born Again Fisk Story

Similar to what the Battle of New York represented to Fisk’s story in Daredevil season 1, both Thanos’ Snap in Avengers: Infinity War and Hulk’s Blip in Avengers: Endgame can be behind Fisk’s new rise to power. The Snap and the Blip did not have the same physical impact as the Battle of New York, but the chaos, the losses, and the power vacuum left after the events of Infinity War and Endgame are far bigger than the one caused by Loki and the Chitauri in 2012. If the aftermath of the Battle of New York was enough for Wilson Fisk to establish himself as the unofficial owner of Hell’s Kitchen, then the Snap and the Blip must have sure been a huge business opportunity for the Kingpin. Therefore, Daredevil: Born Again can show how Fisk was able to rebuild at least part of his operation thanks to that power vacuum, thus being a spiritual successor to Daredevil season 1 even if the Netflix show does not turn out to be MCU canon.