Warning: This article contains spoilers for Daredevil: Born Again episodes 1 and 2.
Daredevil: Born Again has finally crashed onto our screens with a highly emotional double-episode premiere. However, in the midst of all the carnage, one major Netflix star made a small appearance – and the theories have already started about who exactly he is.
Wednesday star Hunter Doohan appears in episode 2 of the new Marvel Phase 5 show. He's in the background of Heather Glenn's book signing in New York City, where she's giving a presentation about 'Living Without Fear' – which, side note, is a clear nod to Daredevil's nickname.
"Confronting one's past trauma can lead to building skills and techniques to find peace," she tells the audience. "Like the book says, identify, interrogate, release." She also shares that she wanted to write another book about people wearing masks. Doohan's character then approaches her and asks her to sign his copy.
"I love your work," he says, "Dr. Glenn, I need help, are you taking any new clients?" She gives him her email, and that's the last we see of him in the episode. But who is he? Just an interested fan or another character entirely?
Who is Hunter Doohan playing in Daredevil: Born Again?
At the moment, the name of Hunter Doohan's character hasn't been revealed. However, given his relative star power, we'd be surprised if we didn't see him again before the season was out. He's best known for appearing on Wednesday as one of the main characters, Tyler Galpin.
Ever since he was cast on the Disney Plus Marvel show, fans have been speculating about his character. The biggest theory is that he's playing Muse, a character who appears in costume in some of the show's trailers so far.
Sharing their theories on Twitter, it seems plenty of fans think this too. One wrote, sharing a look at his character in episode 2: "Hello Hunter Doohan. Maybe someday you will play a good guy, but I am looking forward to seeing you as Muse either way."
Another speculated: "He’s definitely Muse, but I’m kinda mixed on it, since the whole thing about Muse is he’s supposed to be creepy and mysterious. He’s like a horror villain who once his face is revealed you just stare right into the abyss. The fact that he’s a teenager reduces the stakes a bit."
Meanwhile, a third wrote: "Muse... definitely gonna push Matt over the edge when he finally does that therapy session with Matt’s new love interest…"
Muse is taken straight from the comics and is a serial killer who uses the blood of his victims to paint murals. Yikes. Speaking about the character, Marvel's head of television Brad Winderbaum told us: "I'll tell you this, the show is about Matt and Fisk. At the end of the day, these two men are trying to live in the light, even though they've got darker halves that are scratching at their doors.
"So that pressure's gonna come to bear and eventually explode when they can no longer tamp down their alter egos, Muse represents the biggest pressure put on them in the story. The world is chaos. He represents that chaos and when he emerges and fills the city with fear, it's going to fast forward the collision course between these two characters."
However, it's also possible Doohan is playing an entirely different role too in the new Marvel series, with some fans already debunking the theory based off of moments in the show's trailer.
Posting on Twitter, one wrote: "Nah, I don’t think Hunter Doohan is under Muse's hood. I believed the rumors and backed them, but after seeing the Daredevil: Born Again trailer, his build doesn’t match. Doohan’s taller, more athletic. I think Muse is Lou Taylor Pucci."
Meanwhile another wondered: "Is Sam Vartholomeos playing Muse?" This came after Doohan didn't make an appearance at the Daredevil: Born Again premiere.
After the first two episodes aired, another suggested: "He might be Muse...but then again there's two other dudes acting a little suspicious...especially one in particular working for Fisk."
So who else could Doohan be playing? It's possible that his character could have some links to Wilson Fisk, given right after he appeared, Fisk's second-in-command Buck approached Glenn. It seems only time will tell on this one…
Daredevil: Born Again is airing weekly. For more, check out our guide to the Daredevil: Born Again release schedule as well as our Daredevil: Born Again review. We also have everything you need to know about all the upcoming Marvel movies and shows on the way.
