With Matt Officially Back in His Suit, ‘Daredevil Born Again’ Needs To Introduce His Comics Sidekick in Season 2 -

Editor’s Note: The following contains spoilers for ‘Daredevil: Born Again’ Season 1.

To say Daredevil: Born Again shook up the status quo with its Season 1 finale is an understatement. Wilson Fisk (Vincent D’Onofrio) has declared martial law in New York and outlawed vigilantes – meaning that Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox) and his fellow heroes are now public enemies in the eyes of the law. But Matt isn’t taking the news lying down: with the help of his longtime friend Karen Page (Deborah Ann Woll), he intends to build an army of vigilantes to combat Fisk’s tyranny. Fans have immediately clamored for the rest of the Defenders, the Punisher (Jon Bernthal), or even Spider-Man to make an appearance in Daredevil: Born Again Season 2, but there’s one character who definitely needs to make an appearance: Sam Cheung, aka Blindspot.

Blindspot Became Daredevil’s Crime-Fighting Partner In The Comics

Sam Cheung made his first appearance as Blindspot inAll-New, All-Different Marvel Point One #1, in a story byCharles Soule andRon Garney.Much like Matt Murdock, Sam has two distinct lives: as Blindspot, he assists Daredevil in cleaning up the streets of New York, but during the day, he works at the Church of the Sheltering Hands, which is run by the crime lord known as Tenfingers.Though it seemed like Sam was under Tenfingers’ thrall, he was secretly working with Daredevil to bring the Church of the Sheltering Hands down. They wound up fighting the Hand in the process, as Tenfingers was secretly connected to the death cult. Sam defeated Tenfingers, but in the process, grew estranged from his mother, Lu Wei. He would wind up working for Matt Murdock as a legal assistant shortly after breaking his arm, eventually returning to his Blindspot persona when he was fully healed. In addition to being a skilled martial artist and expert gymnast, Sam Cheung is also a genius inventor, with his greatest invention being his Blindspot suit.The suit renders Sam invisible, letting him infiltrate various criminal strongholds and even defeat his foes without them knowing he’s there. The only person who isn’t fooled by it is Daredevil, since the Man Without Fear’s heightened senses let him pinpoint Sam’s heartbeat.

Blindspot Could Rectify Some of the Mistakes That Both ‘Daredevil’ Series Have Made

Blindspot’s presence in Daredevil: Born Again Season 2 could give the show a chance to rectify one of its lingering issues: the treatment of the serial killer Muse. Muse and Blindspot have a bitter rivalry that resulted in a gruesome showdown; when Blindspot sought to save a judge from becoming the latest victim of Muse’s “art”, his invisibility suit malfunctioned, allowing Muse to ambush Blindspot and gouge his eyes out. Later, Muse and Blindspot would face off one more time, with Blindspot becoming possessed by the demon known as the Beast…which the Hand worships. This brought his mother back into his life, as she had traded her soul to restore his eyesight. Like most deals with the devil, this went south since Blindspot was forced to become a member of the Hand, but Daredevil ultimately freed him. After he was hit by a truck and hospitalized, Matt made Sam promise to give up being Blindspot…but the two would later reunite in Daredevil (vol. 7) #12 by Chip Zdarsky and Marco Checchetto, where it was revealed that Sam was guarding a cave that led to the Beast.

The rivalry between Muse and Blindspot is too good to pass up, and it could even lead to a more comic accurate version of the character. While Daredevil: Born Again gave Muse a real name and didn’t hint at his powers — decisions that don’t fit with the character’s nature — it’s entirely likely that a new version of Muse could rise up that was inspired by the original’s crimes. After all, serial killers have had acolytes or inspired others in real life; wouldn’t it make sense if a new Muse rose and fought Blindspot? Blindspot’s connection to the Hand means that the ninja death cult could show up, allowing showrunner Dario Scardapane to present a version of the Hand that’s more in line with the comics. Considering their less than flattering appearance in Iron Fist and The Defenders, it’s be more than welcome.

Blindspot Could Provide a New Dynamic With Matt Murdock In ‘Born Again’ Season 2

Matt (Charlie Cox) as Daredevil talking to Frank Castle (Jon Bernthal) in Daredevil: Born Again Season 1, Episode 9 — Image via Disney+

Blindspot showing up in Daredevil: Born Again wouldn’t just be a chance to tackle more aspects of the Daredevil comics; it would also allow for a different dynamic with Daredevil. While bringing back Karen Page, Frank Castle and Wilson Fisk was a genuinely great idea, at this point the interactions Daredevil has with these characters is something fans can expect. With Karen, there’s potential romantic tension; with Frank, it’s an argument about the merits of killing (or not killing) your enemies; with Fisk, it’s a struggle to hold onto his ideals. Sam, on the other hand, is a younger hero who could learn from Daredevil or even potentially inspire him to tackle a problem in a way he hadn’t considered before. In the same way, Matt could teach Sam what it truly means to be a hero. Daredevil: Born Again has given its audience different sides of Matt Murdock including the vigilante, the grieving friend, and the lawyer — why not Matt Murdock, the teacher? If Matt is going to lead an army against Fisk, he could provide Blindspot with some genuine inspiration.

Bringing in Blindspot would also continue to highlight the immense influence of Charles Soule and Ron Garney’s Daredevil run on Daredevil: Born Again. Most of the concepts in the show, including Muse and Fisk becoming the Mayor of New York, were pulled directly from this run; bringing in Blindspot is the best way to continue utilizing that source material. Sam Cheung is the partner that Daredevil needs and deserves, and hopefully Daredevil: Born Again is working on bringing him into Season 2.

Season 1 of Daredevil: Born Again is available to stream on Disney+.