Daredevil: Born Again season 1 ending explained: Who dies? What does it mean for season 2?

Daredevil: Born Again season 1 has now come to a brutal end on Disney Plus as we find out the fates of Matt Murdock and his nemesis Wilson Fisk. The final hour featured plenty of gore, blood, and denouement for the characters of the Marvel Phase 5 show – and set up what's to come next. So if you're still reeling from everything that happened and want to know what it all means, you're in the right place.

Below, we'll be taking a deep dive into everything that happens in the show's final hour, including some big deaths and some even bigger reveals. Then we'll get into just what this might mean in terms of Daredevil: Born Again season 2, which has already started filming on the streets of New York City.

It goes without saying that we'll be getting into huge spoilers below as we tackle all aspects of the finale. So make sure you've seen Daredevil: Born Again season 1 episode 9 before reading on…

Daredevil: Born Again season 1 ending explained

The season finale of Daredevil: Born Again begins with a cold open with Bullseye, set one year previously. This sees Vanessa Fisk meeting with Benjamin Poindexter to offer him a way out of prison, provided he does one thing for her: kill Foggy Nelson and his client.

The episode then skips back to the present day in the aftermath of the climactic black and white gala hosted by the Fisks. If you need a quick recap on that, it saw Matt Murdock inexplicably jump in front of Wilson Fisk, saving him from being shot and taking the bullet himself.

He's recovering well in his hospital bed with Heather Glenn on hand to help him out. However, Matt is distracted by his discovery about Vanessa's role in Foggy's death and tries to tell Kirsten the truth. However, both are unimpressed with his preoccupation and refuse to help him out.

Meanwhile, Wilson and Vanessa are reeling from the attempt on their lives as Vanessa confirms what Wilson has been suspecting: she was behind Foggy's death. It seems his almost death is a turning point for Wilson who tells her that he wants to be true partners again and they can restart their enterprise moving billions of dollars through Red Hook. He also issues an order to kill vigilantes on sight, including Mr Murdock – it seems Matt can't catch a break even after sacrificing himself.

Things go from bad to worse when a city-wide blackout causes mass unrest with looting and marital law in place. Matt's back at home, after avoiding Buck's attempt to kill him and he finds Frank Castle in his flat. It turns out Karen called him and wants him to protect Matt. It proves very necessary too as the anti-vigilante taskforce make an appearance and the pair destroy them, with The Punisher being a lot more permanent in his methods. Matt still can't take a life, even when one of the cops is revealed as White Tiger's killer. But the pair just make it out before a grenade blows up the building. Luckily, Karen pulls up as their getaway driver.

After patching themselves up and some awkward romantic tension, Karen and Matt head to try and find out what Foggy had been working on just before his death. It turns out Red Hook is actually a "free port", which would have got Foggy's client off scott-free but was also a big secret that Vanessa had been hiding. This is because it has no regulations, which means it's the perfect place for Vanessa to have been laundering money and art.

Meanwhile, Frank heads to Red Hook where he's captured by the task force. Turns out they're big fans of The Punisher, wearing outfits dedicated to him. Frank is less than flattered and tells them where to stick their admiration. "You think you know my pain? You think you know my loss?" he asks them.

Fisk is truly back as Kingpin too. After realizing that Commissioner Gallow was not completely on his side, he brings him in and crushes his skull. Yeesh. Matt and Karen make it to Red Hook but it's clear they're outnumbered and have no chance of winning. They need another way, he realizes. "We need an army," as Matt puts it.

The next day everything is brighter as the lights turn back on in New York City. Fisk recruits Heather to be his minister of mental health and announces his plans for Safer Streets. Curfew is at 8pm and New York City is now under martial law. "Never forget, I love New York," Wilson tells the city. He's also rounded up all the vigilantes he can find – including Swordsman and Frank – and imprisoned him in his lair.

Matt is recruiting his own team too. Back in the Daredevil uniform, he returns to Josie's to announce his plan to take back the city. Among those gathered there are Josie, Clark, Karen, and Angie. "Resist, rebel, rebuild," Matt tells them, "because we're the city without fear." It seems like he might have one more ally soon too as a post-credits scene sees Frank work out his escape route.

How does Matt Murdock survive?

Luckily it seems the bullet missed everything important with Matt brought to the hospital speedily. He's not quite given enough time to recover though before new attempts are made on his life, first and foremost on Wilson Fisk's orders.

What happened to Bullseye?

We don't see much of Bullseye in the final episode after the shooting at Fisk's ball, but we know that he's pretty high on the anti-vigilante task force's hitlist. At the very end of the episode, he appears in the montage that mainly focuses on Matt and Wilson but he's seen in an apartment. We'd predict we'll be seeing Benjamin Poindexter again in season 2.

Who dies in the Daredevil: Born Again season 1 finale?

Most of the main characters make it out of the Daredevil: Born Again finale alive, after a fair few close calls with death. However, most of the anti-vigilante task force are wiped out, including the cop who was actually behind White Tiger's death. The only major death in the season finale is Commissioner Gallow who gets the Kingpin treatment for his disloyalty. Wilson squashes his skull between his hands. Yikes.

Who was behind Foggy's death?

In the final two episodes, we learn that it was actually Vanessa Fisk who was behind Foggy Nelson's death. She hired Bullseye to kill him because he was getting too close to finding out the truth about the Red Hook port. It turns out it's actually a free port, which means it's the perfect spot for criminal activity including importing art and money laundering. Foggy had found this out and was planning to use it to win a case, but he never got the chance.

What's Wilson Fisk's plan – and what has he done to New York?

Wilson Fisk seizes a hell of a lot of power in the Daredevil: Born Again season finale. Imposing martial law on New York City and bringing in a curfew of 8pm, his plan is to take control of the city by force. His anti-vigilante task force is the key to enforcing his Safer Streets plan too as he plans to rid the city of the masked criminals for good. We also see that he's set up a prison in his lair, trapping in everyone from Frank Castle to the Swordsman.

How is Matt Murdock planning to stop Wilson Fisk?

By the end of the season, Matt Murdock has realized that he can't take down Wilson Fisk on his own. He needs to embrace the Daredevil mantle once again and he needs the help of his friends to do so. The last time we see him in season 1, he's back in the costume in Josie's bar and is encouraging his colleagues to join the fight. "Resist, rebel, and rebuild," is his plan.

What happens to Frank Castle?

Frank Castle doesn't get so lucky. He turns up at Red Hook and refuses to be won over by the anti-vigilante task force, who it turns out have a bit of a fan club going for Punisher. He winds up in Wilson Fisk's basement prison where he's being held alongside other masked vigilantes. However, he's not going to be kept in for long, as we see in the post-credits scene.

He'll also be coming back in a new Disney Plus special, which will air in 2026.

Is there a Daredevil: Born Again finale post-credits scene?

Yes, as aforementioned, the Daredevil: Born Again post-credits scene features Frank Castle. It comes after the first stylized credits so make sure you don't switch off straight away. In it, we see Frank make friends with one of the security guards patrolling the prison. Realizing that he's also from New Jersey, Frank charms him into moving closer to shake his hand. As soon as he does, Frank yanks his arm through and breaks it, securing his way out of the prison.

Will there be a Daredevil: Born Again season 2?

Yes, Daredevil: Born Again has already been confirmed. The second season has started filming in New York City and we already know that Deborah Ann Woll and Elden Henson will be returning, alongside Charlie Cox, Vincent D'Onofrio, Margarita Levieva, Arty Froushan, Michael Gandolfini, and Ayelet Zurer.

No release date has been confirmed yet, but Marvel's head of television Brad Winderbaum has spoken about wanting to see the show to a yearly release. This means, all being well, Daredevil: Born Again season 2 should be released in 2026.

Daredevil: Born Again is available in full on Disney Plus now. For more, check out our guide to all the upcoming Marvel movies and shows you need to know about and our guide to how to watch the Marvel movies in order.