Daredevil: Born Again – Blood, Justice, and a Killer in the Shadows

Only three episodes into Daredevil: Born Again, and we’ve already witnessed two major deaths. In the first episode, Foggy Nelson fell at the hands of the relentless Bullseye after a brutal hand-to-hand fight with Daredevil. Then, in the third episode, The Hollow of His Hand, we witnessed an epic legal battle in which Matt Murdock fought against the State to keep Héctor Ayala out of prison. His last resort was to reveal Ayala’s identity as the vigilante White Tiger.

Murdock managed to save him from jail, and unlike in the comics, Ayala wasn’t killed upon leaving the courthouse. However, as if fate had a cruel sense of humor, the moment he donned his White Tiger suit again, a gunshot to the head ended his life. The killer remains unknown, but all signs point to The Punisher.

White Tiger was Marvel’s first Latino superhero. He debuted in 1975 in Kung Fu comics and later appeared in Spider-Man stories. But his story was never one of triumph—it was a tragedy rather than an inspiration. His real identity doomed several of his loved ones, he became addicted to the power of the amulets that granted him his abilities, and ultimately, being a superhero turned into a curse. In the comics, Murdock couldn’t save Ayala from the justice system, and while trying to escape, he was gunned down by the police. His death paved the way for a niece and a sister to take on the White Tiger mantle.

Daredevil: Born Again originally started as a legal drama, sidelining the superhero aspect. However, at some point, the producers decided that wasn’t enough and infused it with the brutal essence of Frank Miller’s era. That influence is evident in every episode, and it seems the series is setting up the return of The Defenders, the team consisting of Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist. There are even rumors that characters like Moon Knight, She-Hulk, and possibly a relative of Ayala could join the group.

The show’s future looks complex, balancing courtroom battles—where Murdock upholds the law as it should be—with the chaos of the streets, where costumed heroes unleash their fury against crime. But every great comic book adaptation needs a formidable villain, and while Vincent D’Onofrio as Kingpin is a solid choice, it’s unclear if he’ll be enough. However, the arrival of The Punisher—another character with Miller’s brutal essence—in the episode Sic Semper Systema makes it clear that things are far from settling down for Daredevil.