Daredevil: Born Again showrunner had a special condition on doing the Marvel show

Dario Scardapane was hired as the showrunner for Disney’s Daredevil: Born Again in October 2023; however, the creator placed a special condition ahead of the studio before coming on board for the project.

The superhero series is set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and is a revival of Netflix’s Daredevil, which aired from 2015 to 2018. When the series went into development in 2022, iconic characters from the original show, like Matt Murdock and Kingpin, were confirmed to return.

However, other main characters like Foggy Nelson and Karen Page were not envisioned as part of the reboot initially. When Dario Scardapane joined Daredevil: Born Again, he told Marvel Studios that he would not be making the show without Foggy and Karen, and the two are now set to appear in the series.

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Dario Scardapane ensured Foggy and Karen's appearance in Daredevil: Born Again

In Netflix’s Daredevil, Elden Henson played Franklin "Foggy" Nelson, Matt’s best friend and partner at his law firm. Meanwhile, Deborah Ann Woll starred as Karen Page, Matt’s friend, law firm partner and former reporter.

When Daredevil: Born Again was announced in 2022, Foggy and Karen were skipped from the list of characters whose story was supposed to be continued from the original show.

However, the project went through a creative overhaul, and Dario Scardapane, who earlier worked on Netflix’s The Punisher, joined it as the new showrunner in October 2023.

On taking the creative lead, he made sure that Karen and Foggy returned to the franchise. Talking about how he put the condition in front of Marvel Studios, Scardapane said in an interview with Empire:

“That was actually one of the first things I said to the bosses. You can’t do this show without Karen and Foggy. They’re Matt’s family. They’re the heart of his world. You can’t take them out without explaining why, and if that explanation doesn’t ring true, don’t take them out.”

Scardapane added that the two characters were necessary to explain what happened after the Netflix series, as in the original show’s finale, Karen and Foggy agreed to establish a new law firm with Matt. The showrunner said he was willing to depart the project had the two characters not been a part of the new show:

“I was willing to lose a job over this one. Because Season 3 of the Netflix show ended with a dream, with the names on that napkin. If you don’t pay that off, you’re not giving your characters context. You can’t ignore that dream.”

Thanks to Scardapane’s efforts, Elden Henson and Deborah Ann Woll are now reprising their roles as Foggy and Karen, respectively, in Daredevil: Born Again.

The show also marks the return of Charlie Cox as Matt Murdock, Vincent D'Onofrio as Wilson Fisk/Kingpin, Jon Bernthal as Frank Castle/Punisher, and Wilson Bethel as Benjamin "Dex" Poindexter. The official synopsis for the show reads:

“Matt Murdock, a blind lawyer with heightened abilities, is fighting for justice through his bustling law firm, while former mob boss Wilson Fisk pursues his own political endeavors in New York. When their past identities begin to emerge, both men find themselves on an inevitable collision course.”

Other cast members include Margarita Levieva as Heather Glenn, Zabryna Guevara as Sheila Rivera, Genneya Walton as BB Urich, Nikki M. James as Kirsten McDuffie, Arty Froushan as Buck Cashma, Michael Gandolfini as Daniel Blade, Clark Johnson as Cherry, and Ayelet Zurer as Vanessa Marianna-Fisk.

Daredevil: Born Again will premiere on Disney+ on March 4, 2025.