Daredevil: Born Againhas done something unique in theMarvel Cinematic Universeby treating its villains as important characters in their own right who do not need to be immediately killed off. Even thoughMarvel’s Phase 6 villain rosteris promising, excitement about this lineup has been tempered by the fact the franchise has tended to dispose of its best villains far too quickly. However, ifBorn Againis a good example of Marvel’s future, it seems that the series may be changing their outlook, and could follow inDaredevil’s footsteps in the future.
When considering thestrongest MCU villains,Born Again’s more grounded characters may fail to quite live up to some of the universe-threatening antagonists found in other stories. However, due to the depth of the storytelling, the foes that have appeared in this series have still been some of the best yet seen in the franchise. Kingpin continues to be touted as one of the best villains in all of Marvel, despite not having superpowers in most iterations. This points toward the importance of using villains in clever and creative ways, rather than showing their powers and then throwing them away.
Daredevil: Born Again Episode 6 Saw Muse Escape To Live Another Day
Daredevil Is Forced To Leave The Fight To Save Angela
Theending ofDaredevil: Born Againepisode 6saw a direct confrontation between Muse and Daredevil.In an intense action scene, a brutal fight took place between the hero and the serial killer.They traded blows back and forth in the abandoned train station for several minutes, with some of the most exciting action that the season has yet seen. This culminated with Muse being defeated, and nearly killed by Daredevil’s constraining him against a wall.
However, in the heat of the moment, Daredevil noticesBorn Again’s Angela Del Toro, discovering her to be close to death.to save her, he is forced to retreat from his fight with Muse.This speaks to Daredevil’s heroism, and allows him to save the girl, living up to his promises to Hector. However, in doing so, Muse is released, and is able to escape for the time being to no doubt come back into the story in the near future.
Daredevil: Born Again Keeps Bringing Back Great Marvel Villains
Multiple Daredevil Villains Have Recurred In The Show
Daredevil: Born Againhas done a great job with continuing to bring back villains from the past. The series opened with the return of Benjamin Poindexter, with the villainBullseye confirmed for several episodesof the show.Punisher - an anti-hero who served as one of the primary antagonists in season 2 of the Netflix series - is also back, in a role that rivals his best appearances from the past.Now even Muse has the potential to come back in the future, after surviving this latest episode.
Most importantly, however,Kingpin remains the main recurring villain of the show.This is unusual in Marvel, where villains have tended to be the focus of one film or season before being disposed of. Fortunately, Vincent D’Onofrio has been treated as a member of the main cast ofDaredevil: Born Again. After multiple appearances throughout the original Netflix series, the actor and character remain part of the core appeal ofDaredevil: Born Again, and have received a prominent role in the successor show.
Marvel Has A Problem With Making Its Best Villains One-Offs
Too many excellent Marvel villains have been done away with too quickly. Hela could have been a larger threat across multiple projects due to her links to Loki and Thor, and Ultron could have remained a consistent threat afterAvengers: Age of Ultron, though the antagonist is hopefully set to return soon.Even characters like MODOK and Ronan the Accuser were treated as disposable,leading to forgettable iterations of characters that could have played significant roles in the franchise. Unfortunately, Marvel has used too many of its best villains as one-off characters.
However, the most significant of these underutilizations is likely Killmonger, asErik Killmonger was one of the most complex, relatable, and interesting villains to appear in the MCU.While he certainly played a direct threat to T’Challa, his motivations were believable, and his passion was infectious. Many have wished to see more of the villain in the MCU, despite him being killed off. This led to asurprise return inBlack Panther: Wakanda Forever, although even this was not sufficient for the character’s potential.
Marvel Should Learn A Lesson About Villains From Daredevil: Born Again
The Return Of Familiar Villains Helps Each Project Feel More Interconnected
Marvel should treat its villains as a more consistent part of their main cast. Yes,the heroes in the MCU have been recurring, and will surely continue to be the main focus of stories, but a hero is only as strong as their best villain.The wayBorn Again’s recurring use of these foes benefits its story shows exactly why the larger MCU should treat their villains in a similar fashion. Rather than disposing of them quickly, the villains in the franchise should come back in further projects, whether in movies or TV. This has been done inWhat If…?, but works much better in the larger, live-action projects.
Fortunately, with the Multiverse Saga, there are many opportunities to bring back even villains who have been killed off. The concept of variants opens up potential for many villains to return via their alternate universe selves, and Ultron is even slated to come back in the upcomingVisionseries on Disney+.It seems that Marvel is beginning to learn their lesson about the importance of recurring villains,and that more could even return soon. This is a refreshing and exciting prospect for the future of the franchise as a whole.
Okay Marvel, I’m Actually Not Mad Daredevil: Born Again Totally Left Out Muse’s Superpowers From The Comics
Daredevil finally fights Muse in Daredevil: Born Again episode 6, and I’m actually glad that he doesn’t seem to have his superpowers from the comics.
Audiences love Marvel’s villains, and with good reason. The best-used characters have been complex, charismatic, and a great deal of fun to watch. However,these villains shouldn’t be treated as disposable,but instead as important parts of the larger franchise.Daredevil: Born Againhas done a great job with this, allowing characters like Muse to survive and creating the opportunity to bring them back later, serving as an example that the wider franchise could learn a valuable lesson from.
