Daredevil: Born Again episode 9 review – A journey "straight to hell" and back

If the beginning of Season 1 was a simmering pot of fire, the ending is the summer explosion you've been waiting for. This episode in particular mostly serves as a payoff: an extensive war that selflessly attempts to tear New York apart, limb from limb.

The episode serves not just as a display of raw, chaotic violence, but a love letter to the long, suffocating slow burn from the beginning of the season.

Let’s analyze just how this episode is setting a new record, and let’s get into why I think this episode is not good, but great.

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Truth, blood, and Foggy Nelson

The episode does not pull any punches. The shocking revelation about why Foggy died is finally clear: it wasn’t Fisk, but rather the scheming Vanessa Fisk pulling the strings. Such a bold decision makes Vanessa the new and proper monster, using Bullseye as her assassin in exchange for his freedom.

This prompt feeling strikes in multiple ways—not only due to Foggy's demise, but also how the narrative is subverted. Rather, it undermines the very premise the show was built. The most powerful anti-villain of the series ended up mercilessly dispatching Foggy. And Matt? He's hurt. Again. But this time, he knows why he’s hurting.

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Mayor Fisk unleashed

In the dark comics run of Secret Empire, one iteration of Fisk has until now been absent: the man who owns the system, cunningly navigating the law’s boundaries to his advantage. Fisk withdraws law enforcement and institutes martial law across New York. A section of the Anti-Vigilante Task Force is militarized, and the existence of costumed superheroes has been disallowed, which also includes Daredevil.

His ace? A loophole tucked away under an 1855 charter suddenly transforms Red Hook Port into his privately owned, laundering-used slum. It is classic Fisk - legal yet precedented with violence.

Yet, it remains to be seen what is so petrifying about this figure for this finale - the imbalance of his havoc leaking mayhem, as well as the reintroduction of brutality, adds a wrinkle.

He says Classic Kingpin is back on his romp to slaughter in a suit blended with layers of marvelous fury scattered across Boston. He doesn't need to justify himself as Kingpin metamorphosing from merely a metropolitan figure but rather a city butcher. Matt already knows the truth, and it is frightening.

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The Punisher’s brutal redemption

In the finale of ‘Daredevil’, there’s only one character who completely overshadows the title character, and that’s Frank Castle. Man unleashed, Jon Bernthal bursts free from his underground prison to exact revenge on the task force that desecrated his name.

Frank capturing the logo on the bullet used to murder White Tiger (Hector Ayala) is bone-chilling, and rightfully so. It’s a brilliant piece of writing—Frank’s legacy turned into a badge of fascism, then reclaimed through bloodshed.

Their confrontations with each other rekindle the fire of their brute chemistry that had long been hibernating: two soldiers of justice. One has a completely different ideology, and the other shares the same scars. Castle asks not for forgiveness, but rather clarity. And he gets it through violence.

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Karen Page returns – And so does heart

Right on cue, Deborah Ann Woll portrays Karen Page, who takes the spotlight when the show requires an emotional core. Their first encounter post-separation is quietly tender. Not too much romance. Rather, there’s history and understanding. Frank’s the one she sent. And she remains by his side.

Still, stirring the pot is the finale: the original Netflix Punisher-Karen-Matt love triangle gets further fleshed out here. With The Defenders now effectively canon again, Defenders’ Karen just might be the emotional center of this conflict.

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Easter eggs, echoes, and everything in its right place

• The blackout evocative of Secret Empire descends on the city.
• Fisk’s bloodstained shirt echoes Muse, illustrating the chaos-control balance.
• The return of the “Avocados at Law” nameplate brings both sad and sweet reminiscences.
• Even the score is purposeful, starting with the turbulent gospel set piece and the unsettling finale: Radiohead’s “Everything in Its Right Place”, a sinister goodbye to the preceding reality.

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Performances: Grit, pain & power

• Charlie Cox is undoubtedly at his peak in this performance. There is a softness to Matt in this episode—an internal maelstrom of guilt, grief, and resolve. Cox earns and maintains Matt’s shift from the depths of despair into a position of leadership.
• Jon Bernthal does not know how to be stopped. There is a noble yet savage aspect to his Punisher, but underneath all the carnage lies something far more shattered. This man understands he is already in hell, but he chooses to continue fighting anyway.
• Vincent D’Onofrio is all at once full of terrifying finesse, brutal royalty, and a bewildering kind of humanity. The scene where he coolly eviscerates a legion of mask-wearing heroes while sipping tea is worthy of an Emmy.
• Deborah Ann Woll returned as Karen, and she did not disappoint. Ever so subtle in her sorrow and unwavering in her devotion, reveals just why she was always more than a mere romantic interest.

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Direction: Cinematic street justice

Since the inception of Born Again, one overarching inquiry set the baseline:

• What is the outcome when faith is shattered?
• This finale resolves it systematically: you rebuild. Not without reason. Not in a blind manner. But with intent.
• Matt’s journey is towards making sense of moral clarity from a world that does not make sense.
• Fisk's arc is that of the dangerously attractive notion of lawful evil—the way tyranny often arrives in tailored suits rather than chaos.
• Frank Castle embodies the murky region in the midst—evidence that justice without mercy is simply violence masked under compassion.
• And Karen? She is the one who reminds us that memory is indeed resistance. That a city built on lies, clinging to truth, becomes rebellion.

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One last round at Josie’s

In the climax of the entire episode, Matt, together with his allies, meets up with Karen at the Bar, Josie’s. It’s not just a sentimental recap, it’s a rallying cry. Josie’s transforms into their war room, their sanctuary, and base for strategizing for season 2’s recomposing counterattack.

Fisk controls the system. Matt handles the streets. And the populace—all at once—have something to fight for.

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What’s next: Burning questions for Season 2

Daredevil: Born Again season one's end doesn't only end a season- it opens up a battle. The moment Kingpin, with all the power he has, and Daredevil, along with his people's union, the season 2 of the series is looking to be the Empire Strikes Back. On the other hand, the fans can expect both joyful and frightening issues.

• What's gonna be Vanessa's next move?
• What has Bullseye planned for the future?
• Is there hope for Matt and Karen's love story?
• Who else will join Daredevil next?
• Will Frank ever find peace? (And does he actually break out of Fisk's prison?)
• Can the system be saved? Or must it burn?

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Final verdict

I'll have to give this episode a full 10/10⭐

Marvel's premiere finishes need to be something like "Straight to Hell": outspoken, unyielding, focused on the characters, and changing the world at the same time.

Although characters such as Muse were sidelined, the reappearance of Karen and Frank, the fact that real consequences were the core of the episode, and the incredible setup for the next episode are enough to make the audience happy with the episode.

Marvel with Born Again has probably got its lost spirit back, one that was lurking in the darkness of Hell's Kitchen.