12 characters who should return in Daredevil: Born Again

The Daredevil series, which originally streamed on Netflix, is finally set to get its long-awaited revival thanks to Disney+’s Daredevil: Born Again in 2024. Thankfully, since his show’s cancellation, Matt Murdock has appeared in the MCU projects Spider-Man: No Way Home, She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, and the upcoming Echo series, though he’s yet to be a main character since his own MCU project ended in 2018.

On the plus side, Marvel Studios is making up for lost time as Daredevil: Born Again will not only feature both the titular character and his nemesis, Kingpin, but will span a whopping 18 episodes. Given that large episode count, there must be a large cast of characters appearing in the revival, with hopefully several returning cast members joining their ranks. So, without further ado, these are 12 characters who should be returning in Daredevil: Born Again.

Warning: Spoilers for most of The Defenders shows below.

Foggy Nelson and Karen Page

The two most obvious options are without a doubt Matt Murdock’s best friends and legal partners, Foggy and Karen. It’s really surprising that they obviously haven’t been jailed for return yet, given how important they are to Daredevil’s story. However, according to Karen’s actress Deborah Ann Woll, she has not been contacted by Marvel Studios, while there has been little or no news of Foggy’s return.

In the closing moments of Daredevil’s original show, Matt restarted his legal business and formed a trio with Foggy and Karen, naming the law firm Nelson, Murdock, and Page. It’s worth noting that Daredevil was apparently referring to the deal in She-Hulk; However, he did not do so by name, leaving it unclear what exactly he was talking about. All in all, it just wouldn’t be an MCU Daredevil show without his two best friends, so hopefully Marvel Studios have plans for the two to return in Born Again.

Claire Temple

The first full-fledged romantic partner of Matt Murdock that audiences got to know, Claire Temple was a significant part of the Daredevil series and was the link between the other Defenders shows. It would be incredibly fitting to see Temple return in the first mainline MCU entry exploring The Defenders’ corner of the Cinematic Universe.

Watching Claire’s character go out with a whimper, it’s easy to forget how important she was to the characters of The Defenders and had a serious relationship with Luke Cage. It would be awesome if Claire could get some redemption for the horrible way she left the franchise.

It’s worth noting that Claire’s actress Rosario Dawson obviously has a good relationship with Disney, having played the live-action version of Star Wars’ Ahsoka in a variety of projects it seems she wouldn’t have a hard time returning to Marvel for a cameo appearance. This could especially be the case if Disney wanted to create some kind of synergy between two of its most popular brands.

Electra

Undoubtedly one of the most notable Daredevil characters, it would be fantastic for fans of the mainline MCU entries to meet Elodie Yung’s Elektra. Well yes, she apparently died in The Defenders, although it was the same destruction that seemed to have killed Daredevil. So it’s entirely reasonable to assume that she might as well have survived, particularly given her mystical abilities.

Elektra certainly doesn’t need to be a main character in Daredevil: Born Again, but given her somewhat unknown status, it would be nice to give her a little more farewell. Not to mention that the title “Born Again” could very well refer to multiple people like Elektra, not just Daredevil.

She’s such an important character in the Daredevil lore that not including or even mentioning her in a future MCU project would feel odd for her. Maybe she could even be just a joke for a future season. Whatever the case, Elektra undoubtedly deserves some credit in Daredevil: Born Again, preferably with a full-fledged performance.

direct hit

One of the strangest decisions the Daredevil series made was that they never properly adapted its main villain, Bullseye. Now, of course, the show has introduced his civilian identity, Benjamin Poindexter, in Season 3. However, his supervillain alter ego never officially emerged, only facilitating Bullseye’s official arrival in the very final scene of the series.

Daredevil: Born Again would be the perfect place to right those wrongs and finally have the bullseye that comics fans have come to know in the MCU. It would be incredibly easy for the revival to get this well-known Daredevil character into the mix, and with the series having to fill 18 episodes, it seems like a no-brainer for the writers to try and involve the villain in some way.

The Punisher

Despite having its own series, the MCU version of The Punisher was introduced in Season 2 of Daredevil, which pitted the two Marvel heavyweights against each other. Jon Bernthal’s Punisher was well received by fans and was one of the most requested characters to return, which the Daredevil revival could easily do.

The Punisher series ended with Frank Castle returning to his war on crime, so perhaps his war sends him straight into the arms of his former ally Kingpin, who will seemingly once again be the main villain. That being said, the fact that The Punisher is a fan-favorite character and his second season ends with him being in New York City makes Frank a perfect candidate to re-engage in Daredevil’s story.

jessica jones

Another high-demand character set to return to the MCU is Jessica Jones, with Daredevil: Born Again providing an excellent opportunity for her reappearance. Given that both of Matt’s appearances in the MCU so far have focused on his legal side, it’s reasonable to assume the revival series will do the same, which would provide the perfect opening for Jessica Jones.

It is conceivable that in Born Again, Matt will find himself on a case where his opposition has hired Jones as a private investigator. Perhaps just as She-Hulk needed Daredevil’s help, he needs help from Jessica Jones in a court case he was involved in. Daredevil: Born Again has far too many episodes not to include at least one of the defenders of the title character, and Jessica Jones is the clear front-runner.

Kilgrave

One villain that should be in Daredevil: Born Again that wasn’t in the original Daredevil series is the terrifying mind controller Kilgrave. While it would probably be more appropriate for him to appear in a Jessica Jones revival, for now, that’s the more sensible place to call for his return. It would be pretty fascinating to see how the MCU would handle a complex and genuinely evil character like Kilgrave.

Also, Kilgrave’s comic book counterpart, Purple Man, actually started out as a Daredevil villain, not a Jessica Jones villain, so it wouldn’t be uncommon for the man to face off against the Purple Man without fear. Still, it’s worth noting that Kilgrave is dead, but that hasn’t stopped Jessica from needing to hear him from beyond the grave, meaning his appearance will likely depend on Miss Jones appearing in Daredevil: Born Again herself.

Misty Knight

Although Misty Knight is more of a Luke Cage and Iron Fist character, she would be a perfect fit to guest star in Daredevil: Born Again. Since she’s a cop, it would be easy for starters to include her in a case he’s involved in. Also, thanks to The Defenders series, Knight has interacted with Daredevil, so they both know each other very well.

It would be exciting to see what the likeable Misty Knight has been up to since Season 2 of Iron Fist. Not to mention that her bionic arm has a ton of fantastic potential for a bigger budget entry, something that was never fully realized in her previous appearances.

Typhoid Mary

Perhaps the most unlikely person on this list, Typhoid Mary is someone who should make a full MCU return in Daredevil: Born Again. First off, she actually came about as a Daredevil character, so they have a comic book background that might support her looks. However, a big reason why she should return to the MCU is how well she would fit into the already established timeline.

For those who don’t remember or know, Typhoid Mary has Dissociative Identity Disorder, just like Moon Knight, making this a perfect place to discover more of her now that she’s reintroduced in Daredevil: Born Again. Also, Mary’s DID came from being trapped in a Sokovian prison, so she could fit into a storyline about Sokovians Wanda Maximoff and Baron Zemo.

At the end of the day, Daredevil: Born Again should be where she should be reintroduced because this is likely to be the series that will be the main jumping point for integrating the characters of The Defenders. Why she’s unlikely to return despite fitting well into the MCU is because her appearance was in Iron Fist Season 2, the series that’s widely considered to be the worst of The Defenders shows.

Iron Fist and Luke Cage

Despite being important parts of The Defenders team, there’s almost no word on whether or not Luke Cage and Iron Fist will eventually return to the MCU. But if they were, Daredevil: Born Again would be perfect as it would get fans incredibly excited, especially if all four defenders returned in the same episode. Like the aforementioned Jessica Jones, a great way to involve these two is when a case involving Matt Murdock requires the help of Luke Cage and/or Danny Rand.

Sadly, the two actors appear to have moved on, but never never say they could return at some point, possibly in a Heroes for Hire project. Although the Daredevil revival would undoubtedly be the perfect place to reintroduce the two Defenders for fans who have only seen the main MCU projects.