Warning: This article contains spoilers for Daredevil: Born Again episode 1, “Heaven’s Half Hour.”
Several brilliant Marvel Television characters returned inDaredevil: Born Again, and it was shocking to see one of the best meet a tragic fate in the newMCUseries.Daredevil: Born Againfinally kicked off with an intense double-premiere on March 4, and while the majority of the series' first two episodes, “Heaven’s Half Hour” and “Optics,” have been fairly subdued to build tension, the opening moments of the series premiere delivered one of the biggest shocks in the MCU’s history. This sets a dark tone forupcoming episodes ofDaredevil: Born Again, and could be Marvel’s biggest risk.
Alongside Charlie Cox and Vincent D’Onofrio, who have returned inDaredevil: Born Again’scastas Matt Murdock’s titular Daredevil and Wilson Fisk’s Kingpin, several other stars from Netflix’sDaredevilseries have also reprised their roles.Wilson Bethel, Jon Bernthal, Ayelet Zurer, Deborah Ann Woll, Elden Henson, and more have already returned, allowingBorn Againto continueDaredevil’sstoryline perfectly. However, the continuation ofDaredevilseason 3’s themes and endingmeant one fan-favorite supporting character was doomed, and that’s a hard pill to swallow.
Daredevil: Born Again Has A Major Character Death In The First 13 Minutes
Daredevil: Born Again’s Opening Is Seriously Intense
Seven years sinceDaredevilwas canceled, it was brilliant to see Cox’s Matt Murdock, Woll’s Karen Page andHenson’s Franklin “Foggy” Nelsonback together in the MCU. However, our happy reunion with the trio was short-lived, as, while celebrating the retirement of associate Cherry at Josie’s bar, the group are attacked by a vengeful Benjamin Poindexter, with Bethel reprising his role of Bullseye.Poindexter murders eleven innocent people during his fight with Daredevil, and one of these innocent bystanders is Foggy Nelson.
Benjamin Poindexter has a vendetta against Matt Murdock after the events ofDaredevilseason 3, which saw the former FBI agent’s life unraveled in the midst of Kingpin’s war with the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen.Daredevilended with Poindexter’s back being broken, but subsequently being reinforced with metal, which allows him to survive being thrown off the roof inDaredevil: Born Again’spremiereafter Foggy Nelson dies in Karen Page’s arms. This long-take scene is shocking, visceral and heated, and features the catastrophe that will drive Daredevil through the rest of the series.
I Can’t Believe Daredevil: Born Again Killed Off Foggy Nelson!
Foggy Nelson Is One Of Daredevil’s Most Important Allies
Even though it had been heavily theorized prior toDaredevil: Born Again’spremiere, it was still a huge shock for us to witness Foggy Nelson’s death in the MCU.Foggy is one of, if not the most important supporting characters of Daredevil in Marvel Comics and in his live-action history, as he is not only Matt Murdock’s business partner and best friend, but also a staunch ally and confidant to Daredevil. Elden Henson, additionally, was inspired casting for the role, as he played opposite Charlie Cox beautifully, so it’s incredibly sad to see him removed fromBorn Againso early.
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First introduced to Marvel Comics in 1964’sDaredevil #1,Foggy Nelson is Matt Murdock’s oldest and most notable ally, and this was translated perfectly into Netflix’sDaredevilseries. Some of the series' most memorable moments involved Foggy Nelson, particularly after season 1, episode 10, “Nelson v. Murdock,” in which Foggy learned of Matt Murdock’s vigilante alter ego.It’s hard to imagine Marvel Studios exploring more Daredevil stories without Foggy Nelson, and while it seems his death was always intended, Marvel might still have an opportunity to redeem it.
Foggy Nelson Originally Died Off-Screen Before Born Again’s Creative Overhaul
Image via Disney+
Both Deborah Ann Woll and Elden Henson were not involved in the original plans forDaredevil: Born Again, andthey were only confirmed to be reprising their roles of Karen Page and Foggy Nelson after the series underwent a major creative overhaul. This followed 2023’s WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, which prompted Marvel to adapt its TV series production techniques and connectBorn Againmore closely to the original Netflix series. Even so, this didn’t change the plan for Foggy Nelson very much, as showrunnerDario Scardapane revealed in an interview withScreen Rant’sLiam Crowley.
It was an inevitability! Truth be told… In the original version, before I came in, [Foggy] had died, but it was off-screen, and for me, it couldn’t be off-screen. You had to feel it and that’s why that statement happened literally. It’s like [if] you’re going to kill off Foggy, it has to be the three of them [who] come back. That loss has to be felt, and that loss has to be an earthquake. That shatters Matt, [it] makes him put away the mask, [it] has a ripple effect. And again, Karen’s not gone. So what is the breakup of a family after a death in the family, and what happens when they come back together?
It was not taken lightly. There was a lot of conversation about how to do it, and it was Charlie who came up with the idea of having Foggy’s heartbeat in his ear the entire time. Charlie came in, we played out a whole lot of that action sequence, and we were basically boarding it, and Charlie was like, ‘Well…what if? And it was like, ‘Of course, yes!’
Dario Scardapane’s comments confirm that Elden Henson was only asked to come back forDaredevil: Born Againso that he could be killed on-screen. The original plan would have been far more controversial and much less effective, as Foggy would have been meaninglessly killed off-screen in the gap betweenDaredevilseason 3 andBorn Again. Either way,this development is remarkably sad, and has been a blow to Marvel’s audiences, the majority of whom adore Elden Henson’s Foggy Nelson, so Marvel has certainly taken a massive risk by killing him off.
Daredevil: Born Again Must Justify Foggy’s Death Or Marvel Risks Losing Me
Marvel Needs To Give Foggy’s Death Meaning (Or Reverse It)
Killing off Foggy Nelson in the first 13 minutes ofDaredevil: Born Again’spremiere episode sets the tone for the rest of the series, practically manipulating the audience into feeling the pain and torment that spurs Matt Murdock to hang up the Daredevil cowl.Murdock’s retirement is a huge plot point inBorn Again, which makes Foggy’s demise very important, but Marvel must continue to make it a significant event if audiences are expected to stay connected to the story. DuringScreen Rant’sinterview, executive producer Sana Amanat reveals that we"will continue to feel [Foggy’s] presence,“which is paramount.
Elden Henson: 10 Best Foggy Nelson Daredevil Moments
One of the characters on Netflix Daredevil was Foggy Nelson, played by Elden Henson. Here are his best moments in the show.
Of course, Marvel Studios could take this in a different direction and actually reverse Foggy Nelson’s death. We’ve seen Elektra Natchios be resurrected in the Defenders Saga already, and characters are always coming back to life in Marvel Comics, so it would make sense for fan-favorite Foggy Nelson to be brought back, too.Elden Henson has been confirmed forDaredevil: Born Againseason 2, which gives us hope that Foggy Nelson will continue to play a major role in Matt Murdock’s newDaredevil: Born Againnarrative.
New episodes ofDaredevil: Born Againrelease every Tuesday at 6pm PT/9pm ET on Disney+.
