While I very much enjoyedDaredevil: Born Againseason 1, having rewatched all ofDaredevilreally underlines to me how much Bullseye’s story in theMarvelshow is improved and made more interesting by having the original series fresh in the mind.The MCU timelinehas steadily expanded into new realms within the past few years - both in a literal sense with the multiverse, and a metaphorical sense by pushing boundaries like having its first R-rated movie. This is also evidenced by the Defenders shows being made more concretely canon than ever before, as can be seen withDaredevil: Born Again.
Daredevil: Born Againis made so new viewers can experience the series without having to necessarily watch through all 30+ hours that make up the original three seasons ofDaredevil- but also so that those who did see it aren’t left spending episodes rehashing events they already know. I think this balance was ultimately the right call for the series, but certain plot elements are still massively enhanced by giving the original a rewatch, with Bullseye’s own on-screen story being one such example.
Daredevil: Born Again’s Bullseye Return Is A Highlight Of The Plot
While Foggy’s death is emotionally a lowlight ofDaredevil: Born Againepisode 1,the decision to have Bullseye return in such a dramatic fashion immediately puts the show in a great place in terms of imbuing it with narrative weight. This amps up the action from the get-go, and adds a huge and dynamic event to not only Matt Murdock’s arc, but also several other characters who are directly or indirectly affected by his demise, most obviously starting with Karen.
Given it initially wasn’t clear whether we’d ever see the actual payoff or aftermath of theDaredevilseason 3 endingscene wherein Bullseye gets surgery to fix his broken bones after the final fight between him, Kingpin and Daredevil, this moment felt even bigger, and even more like Bullseye’s return, murder of Foggy, and then subsequent escape from jail to try and kill Kingpin had been drawn directly from the kind of unhinged storylines Bullseye is responsible for throughout his comic history. However, it’s all the better with the full backdrop that the originalDaredevilprovides.
Watching The Original Daredevil Adds So Many More Layers To Bullseye’s Story & His Actions In Daredevil: Born Again
WhileDaredevil: Born Againis able to efficiently explain or allude to many of the most crucial parts of Benjamin Poindexter’s previous arc, this naturally isn’t quite the same as seeing the hours worth of his on-screen storyactually unfold. Perhaps the most important part of this is Bullseye’s backstory, which is shown inDaredevilseason 3, episode 5, revealing Benjamin’s upbringing as an orphan, and his first murder, which he carries out in childhood by using his perfect aim to strike his baseball coach with a ball after he benches him from a game.
This leads into Benjamin’s years of therapy to try and deal with his psychopathic tendencies, as he confesses to his therapist that his coach’s death wasn’t an accident. All of this adds crucial layers to Bullseye’s later murder of Foggy, and reactions in court and when Matt goes to visit him in jail afterward. Pondexter’s total lack of remorse makes more sense in this context - suggesting early that this wasn’t a revenge killing as it may at first appear - and his casual greeting to Karen also makes more sense watching theirDaredevilhistory and knowing Nelson and Karen tried to fight against him before.
Poindexter’s decidedly complicated relationship with his first therapist may also add some context to how Vanessa is able to convince him to kill Foggy for her despite him holding a huge grudge against her husband and having tried to kill her to get back at him previously. Eileen Mercer is Bullseye’s “North star”, and kicks off his obsessive fixation on having someone to turn to and guide him in life - which we see manifest through his stalking of previously co-worker Julie Barnes and then blind loyalty to Kingpin himself, until Daredevil reveals to Benjamin that Wilson Fisk killed Julie.
As such, the version of Bullseye that Vanessa gets to agree to kill Foggy - one who’s lost any “guiding star”, and who seems disorientated as Vanessa places her hand on his to console him and promises him she’s offering a chance to “get your mind back” while taking away his medication and complimenting him on his murder skills - seems like it may intentionally or otherwise play into Bullseye’s vulnerabilities and hopes to replicate his relationship with Mercer. That said, given he also killed Mercer, this may not ensure Vanessa’s safety going forward.
I’m So Interested To See How Daredevil: Born Again’s Future Will Handle Bullseye
GivenDaredevil: Born Againseason 1’s endingtakes the time to show a now-escaped Bullseye who is on the run from Mayor Fisk’s anti-vigilante taskforce returning to his old apartment,it very much seems like we haven’t seen the last of the Marvel villain in the show by any means. This opens up the opportunity for the show to mirror one of the most fascinating aspects of the original series, as the way in which the trifold conflict between Daredevil, Kingpin, and Bullseye unfolded added even more nuance and suspense to the final chapters ofDaredevilseason 3.
Since Bullseye is now on the warpath against Wilson Fisk once again, this may mean he ends up being an unexpected ally for Daredevil, though likely unintentionally - much in the same vein as when he joined the fight against Fisk in the finale ofDaredevilseason 3, tiring Fisk out so that Daredevil could gain a further advantage against his foe. However, this also adds further complications for Daredevil, as both the original Netflix show andDaredevil: Born Againhave shown Matt Murdock having to go to great lengths to prevent Bullseye from outright killing Fisk at the same time.
Daredevil: Born Againseason 2 is set for a March 2026 release date, leaving a relatively short window between the events of season 1 and season 2.
Similarly, seeing how Bullseye’s characterization and past may factor into things like his dynamic with Vanessa Fisk - or his potential interactions with other characters like Karen - and how he may develop as a character going forward seem like they could be exciting parts ofDaredevil: Born Againseason 2 or onward, depending on how the series develops. That said, the matter of how Bullseye’s experimental surgery affected him could end up being the most focal aspect of all of this, as it’s still not totally clear what theDaredevilseason 3 closing scene means for the MCU now.
