Daredevil: Born Again Episode 7 finally did what fans had been waiting for. It unmasked the terrifying villain who has been leaving a bloody trail of “artwork” across Hell’s Kitchen. Muse is none other than Bastian Cooper.
The name sounds familiar because we first saw him way back in Episode 2. He was that seemingly harmless guy at Dr. Heather Glenn’s book event. Now it has been revealed that he’s the twisted mastermind behind some of the most disturbing crimes in the city.
But Daredevil: Born Again has given Muse a whole new backstory. The MCU villain did not have one in the Marvel comics. In the original comics, Muse was always a mystery. No one knew much about him, be it his identity or his story. But the show has changed that. It has added layers to his character that we’ve never seen before.
Let's explore a bit more.
Daredevil: Born Again—The therapy session that unmasked Muse
We first met Bastian Cooper back in Episode 2 when he attended Dr. Heather Glenn’s book event. At the time he seemed like just another fan asking for an autograph. But he also asked if she was taking new clients. That small moment didn’t seem significant then. But now in Episode 7 it all comes full circle.
Episode 7 brings us to the therapy session Bastian had been waiting for. As he sits across from Dr. Glenn, we can feel the unspoken heaviness in the room. Even before we know for sure that he is Muse, we know that something isn’t right with him.
Meanwhile, the cops are digging deeper into his background. Detective Kim delivers her findings to Mayor Wilson Fisk. And he summarizes them for us:
“Involuntary commitment when he was 15. Expelled from Phillips Exeter. Involuntary commitment when he was 17. And another one when he was 20. He certainly does have issues.”
It’s a disturbing pattern. Bastian wasn’t just a troubled kid. His past is littered with dark secrets. We get to know that his Taekwondo coach died just three months after Bastian began training under him when he was 16. There was no investigation, and the cause of death too remained unknown.
This isn’t just a troubled past. It’s a past stained with blood.
Bastian opens up in a way that feels almost too calm back in the therapy session. He thanks Dr. Glenn for changing his life. He calls her "the key."
“You’ve unlocked something in me, Dr. Glenn. Something I didn’t know was missing. You’ve allowed my creativity to flourish, to soar to heights I never even imagined.”
Then when his nose starts to bleed, he smears the blood onto paper instead of wiping it away. That moment seals it. Bastian Cooper is Muse. And Dr. Glenn knows it. The terror on her face says it all. Tears roll down her cheeks as the realization sinks in.
Muse attacks her before she can escape. He slashes her arm and leaves a deep bleeding wound. But Daredevil arrives just in time to rescue her in Daredevil: Born Again.
How Daredevil: Born Again changed Muse from the comics
One of the biggest differences between Daredevil: Born Again and the comics is Muse’s death.
It’s Dr. Heather Glenn in the show who pulls the trigger and kills Muse in self-defense after he attacks her. But in the comics, Muse meets a different fate.
The character Blindspot is responsible for his death in the comics. Blindspot defeats him in combat. But even then, Muse’s death isn’t a typical one. He ultimately dies by suicide in the comics. He walks into a fire because he didn't want to get caught.
But the biggest change isn’t just how he dies. It’s who he is.
Muse is a mystery in the comics. He has no backstory. There is no real history. He is just an unhinged artist who sees murder as a form of expression. He creates brutal and bloody paintings across New York City. And that’s about as much as we know. There is no explanation behind his madness.
But in Daredevil: Born Again Muse has a past. He has a history and a mental illness. He had a troubled childhood. His parents forced him into Taekwondo. His coach mysteriously died. He was institutionalized multiple times.
These details aren't from the comics. They are completely original and crafted specifically for the show.
It is likely that the showrunners wanted Muse to be more than just a faceless killer. They wanted to give him depth and make him a person with a psychological struggle. And honestly, that makes his story much more compelling than the comics.
The Daredevil: Born Again version of Muse is someone shaped by trauma and neglect. He isn’t just a lunatic with a paintbrush. He’s a man who was pushed to the edge.
This kind of adaptation is one of the biggest advantages TV shows have. They have the creative freedom to expand on their stories and give them layers.
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