Daredevil fans are theorizing about why Matt Murdock hung up the mask, and some of the suggestions are seriously dark

Upcoming Disney Plus show Daredevil: Born Again is set five years after the original Netflix series, and it looks like Matt Murdock has hung up his Daredevil mask by the time the new show begins. But we've previously seen him suit up for She-Hulk, so this must be a relatively recent development for the lawyer-turned-vigilante. So, what could have happened for him to pack in his crime-fighting? Marvel fans are certain it's something pretty dark, and involves at least one death.

"Given the timeframe of the series being around winter 2025 for the New York election, and his appearance in She-Hulk was around the summer of 2025. This is clearly a pretty recent thing that happened after the She-Hulk appearance," pointed out one Reddit user. "But now begs the question of what happened? The best theory I have seen is that they could be adapting the first storyline from Chip Zdarsky's run, of Matt accidentally killing a man. Which I would be so down for that, because I read that first volume for the first time this year, and loved it. I wonder if it would be too much to hope for a Spider-man cameo then, like in that first story."

"Accidental killing is my most probable choice, and it would have happened within the last couple of months in order to make his appearances in She-Hulk and Spider-Man work," suggested another.

"First theory is that this is following Bullseye's attack on the trio and something must've happened to either Foggy or Karen which caused Matt to retire," said someone else, referring to Wilson Bethel's villain, also known as Benjamin "Dex" Poindexter, who'll be making a return in Born Again. "Alternatively, Matt saves the both of them and gravely injured Bullseye, almost to the point of killing him. Planting a deep seated hatred in Bullseye which puts him in a position to sink deeper into upgrading himself to kill Daredevil and could be a motive to reluctantly work with Fisk."

"Karen is thankfully in one more scene from the trailer. We see her in a courtroom I believe, wearing black. Also in that same shot, you can see half of Dex's face in the foreground just below her," another fan wrote. "It's very interesting to debate when this scene takes place. Before or after Dex's likely attack on the main trio. I'd certainly assume after (which means at minimum Karen lives the attack) but who knows."

Daredevil: Born Again will arrive on Disney Plus on March 4 and will consist of nine episodes. Alongside Charlie Cox, Elden Henson, and Deborah Ann Woll returning as Matt, Foggy, and Karen, Vincent D'Onofrio is back as Wilson Fisk, AKA Kingpin, and Jon Bernthal is reprising his Defenders Saga role as Frank Castle, AKA Punisher.

First up for the MCU, though, is Captain America: Brave New World, which hits the big screen on February 14. In the meantime, get up to speed on the story so far in Marvel Phase 5 and take a look at what's still to come in Marvel Phase 6.