A Demon From Matt Murdock’s Past Returns

Editor’s note: The below recap contains spoilers for Daredevil: Born Again Episode 8.

As those who have been very closely following the development of Daredevil: Born Again already know, the new Disney+ series experienced a dramatic creative overhaul after originally being conceived as a new series that just so happened to feature Charlie Cox and Vincent D’Onofrio returning to their iconic roles. While these were initially treated as two completely different characters despite being played by the same actors, Marvel Studios wisely predicted that this would not go over well with fans of the universally beloved Netflix series that inspired it, so steps were made to codify the first three seasons of Daredevil (and tentatively, the other Marvel Netflix shows) as MCU canon. That being said, Daredevil: Born Again Season 1 has almost concluded, and, apart from the opening scene featuring familiar faces and the re-recasting of Ayelet Zurer as Vanessa Fisk, the series feels largely unchanged from the original version.

This is representative of some of the show’s most significant issues, as, thus far, Daredevil: Born Again has been juggling one too many storylines instead of a wider central narrative, leading to some shortcomings like the now-infamous bank episode and a woefully disappointing conclusion for Muse (Hunter Doohan). With Daredevil: Born Again Episode 8, things have finally begun to revert to the elements that made the original show so great. That includes the return of one of the original show’s characters as the Disney+ revival starts barreling towards the Season 1 finale.

Bullseye Is Back in ‘Daredevil: Born Again’ Episode 8

It’s been far too long since we saw Wilson Bethel‘s Benjamin “Dex” Poindexter, who has now completed his bloody evolution into the ultimate assassin known as Bullseye. Season 3 of Daredevil directly teased that the once-by-the-books FBI agent would turn into a true killing machine, and that reveal wasn’t paid off until the Daredevil: Born Again premiere, where he committed the unspeakable crime of shooting and killing Foggy Nelson (Elden Henson). Since that moment, we haven’t seen one bit of Bullseye since…until now.

In the months since his assassination of Foggy, Dex has been held in a maximum-security prison with his arms restrained, seeing as his trademark is being able to kill anyone with anything. Despite him being an extremely dangerous individual, even Dex is surprised when he’s sent to the general population of the prison. That’s certainly not ideal for a former government agent like him, but Dex frankly has more pressing matters to worry about when Matt comes to visit him.

Following the ordeal with Muse, Heather Glenn (Margarita Levieva) is still shaken up after having to put the serial killer down herself. While she still doesn’t know Matt’s true identity, their relationship has really started to strain, especially since she has his arch-nemesis, Wilson Fisk, as a client. Still, Matt doesn’t have time to worry about that right now, as he’s begun to suspect that there might have been more to Foggy’s murder than a simple revenge scheme. Matt visits Dex in prison, where he begins to put two and two together to infer that Bullseye may not have been acting alone that fateful night.

Wilson and Vanessa Patch Things Up in ‘Daredevil: Born Again’ Episode 8

Much of Daredevil: Born Again has seen Wilson and Vanessa Fisk work through a fairly tumultuous relationship. With Wilson taking a hiatus after the events of Echo, Vanessa began having an affair with a man named Adam (Lou Taylor Pucci), and Wilson is hardly a fan of this infidelity — so much so, to the point where the seemingly reformed Fisk abducts Adam and repeatedly beats him to a pulp.

Eventually, after Vanessa seemingly attempted to have her husband killed in an apparent coup, Wilson makes one last effort for his wife to prove her loyalty to him. Wilson takes Vanessa to where he’s been hiding Adam and gives her the definitive ultimatum of killing her lover or setting him free. Whether her choice is made out of fear or proof that she’s recommitted to her husband, Vanessa murders Adam almost without a second thought. It seems safe to say that it doesn’t look like the two will be filing for divorce anytime soon.

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If it wasn’t glaringly apparent already, the Wilson Fisk who seemingly was trying to make a good name for himself as New York’s new mayor is completely gone. He’s completely reverted to his old ways as the Kingpin of crime, except now he doesn’t have to rely on Vanessa as someone to rein him in from going on a rampage. However, Vanessa may be a lot more cutthroat than she seems, as Matt will very soon learn.

Who Hired Bullseye To Kill Foggy in ‘Daredevil: Born Again’ Episode 8?

Up until he slammed his friend’s murderer’s head into a metal table, Matt was starting to get more and more information on how and why Bullseye managed to kill Foggy. The trail leads Matt to the latest gala that Fisk is hosting for his socialite friends, rivals, and donors, where Heather is still not feeling wonderful about her and Matt’s relationship. It’s right here where it hits Matt… Vanessa is the one who ordered the hit on Foggy, who was conducting his own investigation that would’ve threatened her criminal empire.

Sadly, Matt has bigger problems right now. Slamming Dex’s head into a table had an unintended consequence, as he accidentally gave Bullseye ammo to use. That can be taken in the most literal sense, as Poindexter uses one of his own dislodged teeth to kill both the prison doctor and a guard. This once again gives him the opportunity to escape, and the assassin decides his first target after his hiatus will be none other than Matt. The entire room is shocked to see that a seemingly innocent bystander has been shot in cold blood, but this is likely only the inciting incident of a much larger conflict that may very well change New York City forever.

The first eight episodes of Daredevil: Born Again Season 1 are available to stream on Disney+.

Daredevil: Born Again

Bringing things back to the glory days, Daredevil: Born Again Episode 8 sets the stage for an ambitious finale.

Release Date

March 4, 2025

Showrunner

Chris Ord

Writers

Chris Ord

Pros & Cons

• Bullseye is back!
• Dex’s tooth kill balances stupid and creative in an entertaining way.
• Wilson and Vanessa’s dynamic is one of the best in the show.

• The fakeout shootout death for Matt feels pretty pointless.