Daredevil: Born Again Season 2 Ending Explained: Why Did Matt Murdock Reveal His Secret Identity?

Daredevil: Born Again Season 2 has reached the end with a magnetic and fast-paced episode, which offers some of the best moments of the series. Under the title “The Southern Cross”, the final episode of Daredevil: Born Again Season 2 is arguably one of the best, not only from the Disney+ series but also from the Netflix era. A very intense episode where you can see Matt in his role as lawyer and vigilante, bringing out the best in both cases. All to finally manage to overthrow Fisk, who in this episode 8 loses the mayoralty of New York, but not before showing his wildest side, being able to see him completely unleashed. After the events of the seventh episode, which ended with Matt injured after being attacked by the AVTF, Karen’s trial continues without him arriving on time. This is because Matt is being healed by Jessica from a shot to the leg, while they both draw up a plan to end Fisk’s reign of terror.

In the last episode of this installment, Matt makes a momentous decision. A moment that will be a before and after in your life. And, during Karen’s trial, she finds the perfect opportunity to confront Kingpin in public, without the villain having the option to escape. In the trial, in a moment that will be forever marked in the retinas of Marvel fans, Matt Murdock reveals to the entire world who he is Daredevil. Since the Netflix original series started, and also during the two deliveries of Daredevil: Born Again, the lawyer had always kept his identity a secret. But this was the only way that Wilson Fisk would pay for his crimes.

Daredevil: Born Again Season 2 Ending Explained: Why Did Matt Murdock Reveal His Secret Identity?

Lame and bruised, Matt arrives at the courthouse, having a plan to publicly expose Fisk. To do this, surprisingly, he summons the mayor as a witness; this is intended to show irrefutable proof of Fisk’s criminal practices. Clearly, the mayor agrees to testify because he is aware that he has bought prosecutor Hochberg and the court, this being evident by Judge Waters’ totally partial way of acting, accepting all of the prosecutor’s protests. However, Matt has an ace up his sleeve, leading Fisk down the path he wants by asking him who sank the Northern Star. Matt asks the mayor if it was Daredevil who did it, and Fisk replies that the evidence indicates yes.

“No, no, the evidence doesn’t say that”, Matt argues that the only evidence presented is the testimony of Agent Powell, who is an employee of his and therefore has no validity. The same thing happens with Hochberg, whom he also calls someone who is under Fisk’s influence, which causes the prosecutor himself to protest such a claim. However, to the surprise of the courtroom, the judge decides for the first time to deny said proposal, understanding that it is already going too far. Waters decides to take a stand on the side of justice, being fully aware that he has been breaking the basic principles of this.

With the judge lined up on the side of the truth, Matt drops the bomb, presenting video testimony from Kristofi, the first Northern Star officer Buck has already killed. The fact is that before that happened, Kirsten had already taken his statement, this being the beginning of the end for Fisk.

Why Did Matt Murdock Reveal His Secret Identity?

Despite the prosecutor’s desperate attempts to have the evidence invalidated, the judge considers it good and, as a consequence, it is shown in the courtroom. Kristofi’s testimony relates that Daredevil, although he was on the ship, had nothing to do with its sinking, but rather it was the captain who was in charge of doing it by order of Fisk in case they were boarded, all due to the illegal weapons they transported. The courtroom is a clamor, the judge asks for order, and the prosecutor tries to discredit Kristofi’s testimony because he is not present in the courtroom. Hochberg argues that such testimony is irrelevant unless corroborated by someone on the ship.

“And that’s just what I intend to do”, says Matt, who continues with his previously outlined roadmap. In those, Governor McCaffrey appears with Jessica, both waiting for Matt’s next move. And this is nothing other than to reveal himself publicly as Daredevil to attest to Kristofi’s testimony about the sinking of the Northern Star.

Faced with overwhelming trials, regardless of whether Matt is Daredevil or not, Judge Waters acquits Karen. Upon leaving the courtroom, McCaffrey tells Fisk that the attorney general has filed charges against him for everything he has done, but he refuses to resign. As he leaves the courthouse, Matt confronts Fisk, telling him that he has lost the city. “I haven’t lost anything”, he says, thinking that he is going to escape, among other things, because he has orchestrated Matt’s murder at the hands of a fake Bullseye. Luckily, Poindexter kills the imposter and subsequently shoots Buck before he can use his gun.

What About Kingpin?

With this new scenario, and after that Bullseye creates chaos in a new assassination attempt, Fisk completely lose your temper. The angry citizens force their way into the building and head for their corrupt mayor. But he, far from accepting his destiny, unleashes a brutal attack of anger against them. One by one, he beats and even murders all those who dare to confront him in the halls of the courts. His destiny is clear: he wants to face Matt again. And no one can stop him, even if he has to savagely kill several innocent people along the way. In the end, they both see each other’s faces in the hall. But Matt, once again, shows off his self-control and morals. He asks everyone to stop fighting, takes off his mask, and tries to reason again with Fisk.

So, at the end of Daredevil: Born Again, he manages to convince him to stop this nonsense. The acts of confrontation between the two have only brought misery and pain to the city, they both say they love. Therefore, instead of putting him in prison, he asks him to leave forever. An exile that, surprisingly, the villain accepts. In one last scene, we see him on a paradisiacal beach, alone, far from New York.

Fisk Unleashes All His Fury?

From here, chaos prevails, and the court is closed tight, guarded by the AVTF so that no one enters or leaves. Fisk makes an institutional statement, urging people to choose sides, which they do, though the majority is in favor of Daredevil and a free New York, partly because of BB. The fact is that this angry crowd ends up breaking into the building. And all thanks to Cole North turning against Powell, realizing that he is a despicable guy when he tries to kill Cherr, plus that all this time he had lied to him about what happened with Héctor Ayala. After giving Fisk’s lapdog what he deserves, North gives the order to let people into the courthouse.

The place becomes a battlefield, with a large number of people trying to reach the mayor to get him out of there. Meanwhile, Sheila conveys to Fisk the deal the attorney general has offered her, the conditions being that he resigns from the position of mayor, leaves the city, and, in exchange for this, he will not be prosecuted. However, a guy as proud as Fisk rejects him in the first instance, leaving the room to confront the people who are against him. Bringing out his most psychopathic side, Fisk makes his way, beating and killing anyone who gets in his way. In addition to all this, Matt and Jessica also knock out the AVTF agents who are still close to Fisk, both arriving at the hall of the building. There, they join a large group of people, when suddenly Fisk, with his white suit all stained with blood, appears at the top of the stairs.

The End of Matt Murdock in Daredevil: Born Again Season 2?

In this way, the end of Daredevil: Born Again season 2 seems to have hit the outcome Matt always looked for. This time, it seems that he has managed to free New York from the criminal acts of Wilson Fisk. However, the superhero also knows perfectly well that his destiny is not going to be ideal. He has revealed his identity to the world and must therefore be tried for breaking the law by acting as a vigilante all these years. In this way, in a last romantic dinner with Karen, the police show up at the scene and arrest him peacefully. Just as it had been leaked through the filming images from the third season, the end of Matt Murdock in Daredevil: Born Again it’s jail. New York has thus lost one of its greatest heroes, who will spend his days behind bars. At least for the moment.

The Return of The Defenders?

But although this sequence of Matt being stopped could perfectly have been a worthy ending, the truth is that the series still had some more surprises in store. The most important is the long-awaited return of The Defenders. The superhero team we saw on Netflix will return in full in the third season of the series. And we know it thanks to a final scene of Jessica Jones in which the heroine reunites with her daughter. Suddenly, the girl’s father enters through the door: Luke Cage. The actor Mike Colter has returned for this season 2 finale, Daredevil: Born Again, before assuming greater prominence in the third installment. We also know that Finn Jones will return as Iron Fist in the next batch of episodes. And most likely, faced with some threat that is too great for the city, the three will work together to remove Daredevil from prison.

The Fate of Other Characters?

Regarding other characters of Daredevil: Born Again, the season 2 finale also hints at what’s to come. On the one hand, Heather Glenn, the ex-girlfriend of Matt and a close friend of the Fisk, assumes the new identity of Muse. The therapist was attacked by that villain in season 1, whom she murdered in self-defense, leaving him with great trauma that he has not been able to overcome. The next step in his process is to directly put on the mask of his deceased attacker. Everything indicates that she will be an antagonist in the next installment of the series.

As for Bullseye, in this outcome, it seems that he has come to his senses thanks to his conversations with Matt. Not only did it help bring home Luke Cage, but he has also decided to leave New York with Mr. Charles. For now, it looks like he will act as his mercenary, although we all know that Pointdexter cannot stand being abused and is likely to explode again and trigger a new cycle of violence. Lastly, BB Urich follows in the footsteps of his late uncle and joins the Bulletin staff as a journalist. A new step in their career that can come in handy for heroes when it comes to getting sources and information to stop the threat that comes their way in the following season.

A New Threat: Heather Glenn Becomes Muse?

The ending also introduces the main antagonist of the future. Heather Glenn (Margarita Levieva), traumatized by the events of the first season, seems to have assumed the identity of Muse. In a scene reminiscent of Norman Osborn’s transformation into the Green Goblin, Heather gives in to his dark visions. Will she be a ruthless vigilante or a new art criminal?

Why Didn’t the Punisher Appear in the Finale?

Many fans were disappointed by the absence of Frank Castle (Jon Bernthal), but narratively, the choice makes sense.

• Production reasons: Bernthal was busy filming Spider-Man: Brand New Day.
• Narrative motifs: Placing Punisher would have resolved the conflict with Fisk too quickly (and with too much blood). Use Bullseye, how “replacement antihero” allowed Matt Murdock to explore the theme of forgiveness towards Foggy’s killer, adding a moral depth that a Frank Castle shootout would not have allowed.