The first four episodes of Daredevil: Born Again have several Easter eggs and references, not just to the previous Daredevil series, formerly on Netflix, but also to Marvel Comics and the MCU as a whole. Here are some key references from the first four episodes Daredevil: Born Again that you might have missed.
Daredevil: Born Again Easter Eggs Jump To: Episode 1 // Episode 2 // Episode 3 // Episode 4
Daredevil: Born Again Episode 1’s Easter Eggs and References
Daredevil: Born Again Introduces Kirsten McDuffie, Matt Murdock’s Love Interest From Marvel Comics
After the death of Matt Murdock’s best friend and partner, Foggy Nelson, in the opening moments of Daredevil: Born Again, we cut to a year later. Matt Murdock now has a new law practice with an attorney named Kirsten McDuffie (Nikki M. James), and this is a reference right to Marvel’s comics. In the comics, creators Mark Waid and Paolo Rivera introduced McDuffie in their 2011 run of Daredevil. She was the assistant district attorney who eventually dated Matt Murdock and was always suspicious that he was secretly Daredevil. For a time, Kirsten and Matt set up their own law firm in San Francisco. This was a city that Matt had lived in once before. In Daredevil: Born Again, Kirsten McDuffie and Matt Murdock seem to just be platonic friends and business partners. But who knows? That might all change down the line.
Born Again‘s Mayor Wilson Fisk Is a Reference to the Daredevil Comics
In the comics, Wilson Fisk, New York’s Kingpin of Crime, becomes Mayor of New York City, just as he does in Daredevil: Born Again. This Born Again reference is to a relatively recent development in the Daredevil comics. In 2017, Fisk first ran for Mayor of NYC, promising to restore order after a Hydra attack. He won, although Marvel later revealed he fixed the election. He even makes Matt Murdock his Deputy Mayor. But when Fisk’s meeting with criminal organizations is discovered, he loses his Mayoral position. He eventually gets it back, but not before fighting Daredevil in the streets, causing a public humiliation for himself. During his time as Mayor in Marvel Comics, he bans all vigilante activity, something he’s also doing in Daredevil: Born Again and an Easter egg we appreciate. None other than Luke Cage succeeds Fisk in office in the comics.
Daredevil: Born Again Brings in Heather Glenn, Another Romantic Reference to Marvel Comics
One of Matt Murdock’s many love interests from the comics is Heather Glenn. And she makes her way into the MCU continuity in the first episode of Daredevil: Born Again. In the MCU, Heather Glenn is a celebrated therapist and published author. She meets Matt Murdock on a coffee date set up by their mutual friend Kisten McDuffie.
In the world of Marvel Comics, Heather Glenn is the daughter of a wealthy CEO. Sadly, she dies tragically after a stormy on-again/off-again relationship with Matt Murdock. Her characterization is quite different in the MCU. But her name, at least, and romantic interest in Matt Murdock in Daredevil: Born Again, is a direct reference to Marvel’s comics.
Matt Murdock References Echo Shooting Wilson Fisk in the Face in Daredevil: Born Again
During the tense diner meeting between Wilson Fisk and Matt Murdock, Matt asks Fisk if he’d started a family in the years since they’d seen each other. Fisk answers by saying, “I tried to mentor someone, but that’s the closest I’ve come.” This is a reference to Maya Lopez, a.k.a. Echo. She referred to Fisk as “Uncle,” and was very close to him. Matt Murdock retorts by saying, “Didn’t she shoot you in the face?” Which Echo did, in fact, do, at the end of the Hawkeye series. This happens once Clint Barton reveals to her that Fisk was responsible for her father’s death. The fallout of all of this played out in the Echo series, which ended with the tease of Fisk contemplating a Mayoral run in New York City.
Daredevil: Born Again Episode 2’s Easter Eggs and References
Rogers! The Musical Easter Egg in Daredevil: Born Again Will Delight MCU Fans… And the Harlem’s Paradise Reference Will Bring Joy to Netflix Marvel Enthusiasts
In Times Square, we saw an assortment of digital billboards, just as in real life. But two are MCU-specific Easter eggs hidden in these Daredevil: Born Again ads. The first is one for Rogers! The Musical, the cringey Broadway smash about Steve Rogers/Captain America, that we first saw in Hawkeye. We guess it’s a success and still running on the Great White Way years later. The other MCU reference in Daredevil: Born Again is a billboard for Harlem’s Paradise, the nightclub last owned by none other than Luke Cage. Does that mean that Cage (Mike Colter) is coming to visit Daredevil? It might be time for a Defenders reunion.
Daredevil: Born Again Slips in a Spider-Man Easter Egg
In episode two of Born Again, the newly elected Mayor Fisk’s address to the city on New Year’s Eve, he mentions how the city no longer needs vigilantes on its streets, like a gun-toting maniac with a skull on his chest or a man with devil horns. Of course, we know who those guys are. But he also mentions “a man who dresses in a spider outfit.” This is, of course, a Daredevil: Born Again reference to the Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man. Although the MCU can’t actually call him Spider-Man on a Disney+ show like Daredevil: Born Again. This is because Sony only allows Spidey to be officially referenced in live-action MCU films and not TV. (Animation is exempt). But, we all know who he means here. And it’s fitting, as Fisk was originally a Spider-Man villain. This was long before he was reimagined as Daredevil’s arch-enemy.
The White Tiger Comes Onto the Scene in Daredevil: Born Again
Another vigilante Daredevil: Born Again introduces from Marvel Comics is Hector Ayala, the White Tiger. Matt Murdock represents him in episode two when he’s arrested for killing a police officer while defending a man from assault.
In the comics, White Tiger is an expert martial artist, whose powers come from mystical Jade Tiger amulets. Hector Ayala is Marvel’s first-ever Hispanic superhero, not to mention the first Latin-American main character in mainstream American comics. The mantle gets passed down to others in the comics, something Daredevil: Born Again may be setting up. In the series, he’s played by the late actor Kamar de los Reyes, who passed away in 2023 shortly after Born Again season one wrapped.
Daredevil: Born Again Episode 3’s Easter Eggs and References
Much of Episode 3 Adapts “Trial of the Century” from Daredevil Vol.2, by Brian Michael Bendis, Manuel Gutierrez, and Terry Dodson
Much of this episode, as well as the previous one, deal with the trial of Hector Ayala, the White Tiger. In 2002’s Daredevil Vol.2 #38-40, Hector Ayala is arrested for murdering a cop, after being framed for robbing a store (he was actually stopping a robbery). Matt Murdock defends him in court, although the outcome of the trial is different with Hector being found guilty. This makes him snap and he steals a gun in the courtroom after the verdict. He is soon killed on the spot on the courthouse steps. This differs from the show, where Hector is judged not guilty, and killed presumably by a crooked cop at the end of the episode.
We Possibly Meet the New White Tiger
During Hector Ayala’s sworn testimony, he mentions having a sister and a niece that he lives with. Both of them are there to support him. Eventually, his sister (Ava Ayala) and his niece (Angela Torres) inherit the White Tiger mantle and mystical amulets after Hector dies in the comics. We expect one (or both) of them will likely pick up Hector’s legacy in future Born Again episodes.
Did Matt Murdock Namedrop Spider-Man Miles Morales’ Dad?
When Matt Murdock presented evidence to prove that Hector Ayala was a true hero, among the reports of White Tiger’s heroism he read to the jury were from police officers. Once cop he mentioned was an “Officer Morales.” The father of Miles Morales/Spider-Man is part of the NYPD in the comics. Originally called Jefferson Davis, he legally changed his name to Jefferson Morales. And we know from Spider-Man: Homecoming that Miles Morales exists in the MCU. This might be another shout-out to Miles.
Daredevil: Born Again Episode 4’s Easter Eggs and References
Skrulls Get Mentioned for the First Time Since The Marvels
Daredevil: Born Again is as grounded a show as any MCU show to date. And yet, it’s the first Marvel Studios project in almost two years to mention the Skrulls. The alien shapeshifters were the main focus of Secret Invasion, and they were revealed to the world at the end of that series. And yet, Captain America: Brave New World made no mention of the Skrull infiltration. But Matt Murdock’s client Leroy Bradford tries to get Matt to play the “Was it a Skrull?” card in his defense, which he flat-out refuses to do. But it’s nice to know someone in the MCU remembers Skrulls are still out there.
Punisher Fanboys
When Matt recovers the bullet that killed Hector Ayala, he finds that is has the Punisher logo on it. When he goes to question Frank Castle (Jon Bernthal) about it, the Punisher says it wasn’t from him, but “one of his bullsh*t fanboys.” Crooked cops inspired by the Punisher to kill with Impunity is straight from the comics, and Frank didn’t like it much there either.
“Rabbit in a Snowstorm”
Somewhere in a secret part of his mansion, we see that Wilson Fisk is holding Adam, the man who had an affair with his wife, as his prisoner. In that room, we see the white painting that he bought from Vanessa when he met her, “Rabbit in a Snow Storm.” But fans of the Netflix Daredevil series will notice that the painting also includes the blood spatter on it from Daredevil and Fisk’s fight in the original series’ finale.
Matt’s Collection of Daredevil Masks
Toward the end of the episode, Matt Murdock goes to a secret room where he keeps his Daredevil masks. Each helmet is a reference to either previous appearances, or the comics. We see his mustard and red mask from She-Hulk (a nod to his original comic book costume) and his original Netflix mask. There’s also a silver mask that might be a reference to his early ’90s armored look, and a black mask, which is probably a nod to Matt’s mask from the Shadowlands stories in the comics, where he led the ninja clan the Hand. Finally, there’s a mask like the one he wore in the season opener.
More Marvel and MCU References and Easter Eggs to Come on Daredevil: Born Again
The above are all the Easter eggs and references we’ve seen so far in the MCU’s Daredevil: Born Again so far. But if we know Marvel, there will be a ton more winks and nudges, both obvious and subtle, to come in future episodes. And we’ll be here to keep track of them all as they emerge from around the city corners.
Originally published March 4, 2025.
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Source: Kiat Media
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