What was the original opening scene of 'Daredevil: Born Again' before the creative overhaul?

While Disney+'s Daredevil: Born Again concluded its season finale on April 15, 2025, Foggy Nelson's tragic death in the opening scene will forever haunt Matt and every fan.

A reboot of Netflix's 2015 Daredevil series, the reboot series debuted on Disney+ on March 4, 2025, with Foggy Nelson's murder at the hands of Benjamin "Dex" Poindexter/Bullseye, which set a grim tone for Matt Murdock's story.

While Foggy's death shocked everyone, director Aaron Moorhead recently revealed that the show was initially supposed to have a different opening scene, in which Matt mourns the death of Foggy.

Since the show had many reshoots before its premiere, creative overhauls led to a change, and the series instead opened with Bullseye fatally shooting Foggy outside a bar in front of Karen and Matt.

More on the creative overhaul of the opening scene of Daredevil: Born Again in our story.

Daredevil: Born Again was initially not supposed to open with Foggy's death

While Foggy's death in the opening scene of Daredevil: Born Again was a shocking event, it was not always a part of the script.

As revealed by Aaron Moorhead, who directed the show's episodes 1, 8, and 4, to The Hollywood Reporter, Foggy's death was initially supposed to take place off-screen, with Born Again to open with Matt Murdock suiting up:

''During the first round of shooting, there was a shot that isn’t in any of [Daredevil: Born Again]. This shot used to open the show, I believe, and Matt was in the outfit. He then pulled off his mask, and he was just so unbelievably sad, crying and all that. Then he dropped the mask, and that was the whole scene.''

He added:

''It was supposed to be the last thing that happened after Foggy died, and it explained why he didn’t put the suit on for so long. But now we have a whole episode [101] about that.''

Moorhead discussed how the show was initially intended to open with Matt Murdock in a suit, mourning Foggy's death. Later, he would take off his mask and decide to retire from his vigilante life, only to later suit up against Bullseye.

Foggy's death scene in Daredevil: Born Again set the tone for Matt Murdock's story

Since Foggy and Karen were Matt's OG friends from Netflix's Daredevil, they were fan-favorite characters. While Foggy's death in the opening scene was tragic and heartbreaking for the viewers to witness, treating his death off-screen would have been a dishonor to the character.

In addition to Karen, Foggy was Matt's biggest confidant and moral compass, and witnessing his murder in the opening scene of Daredevil: Born Again set the tone for Matt's story in the reboot. Not only did it fuel his upcoming revenge against Bullseye, but it also made his upcoming arc on the show worthwhile.

Moreover, the reboot series opened up with a mood of celebration for the two friends, who are heading to a bar. The tonal shift from this happiness to Foggy's sudden death plunged the viewer into total chaos, suggesting a brutal violence for the superhero.

This creative overhaul, as revealed by Moorhead, worked in favor and delivered one of the most tragic deaths of the show. The moment when Karen tries to stop Foggy's blood while Matt fights against Bullseye is an intense sequence.

The following montage of Matt mourning the loss of his friend while deciding to retire as a vigilante held more gravitas because the audience also experienced the character's death with the protagonist. This kind of familiarity with the tragic incident bred sympathy among the viewers and further justified the superhero's actions.

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Also Read: First official glimpse of Daredevil and The Punisher in the ‘Daredevil: Born Again’ season finale

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