Daredevil: Born Again - episode 3 - review: The Hollow of His Hand - Who punishes the punishers?

Daredevil: Born Again continues to prove that justice in Hell’s Kitchen is never served in black and white but in distinct shades of gray. Matt Murdock still wants to believe in the law, Wilson Fisk wants to rewrite its rules, and Hector Ayala, aka the White Tiger, wants to 'do the right thing'. But belief means nothing when the system has already decided who lives and who dies.

This episode—named The Hollow of His Hand—pulls no punches. It is a masterclass in tension, corruption, and how power is not just about force but also about control. And in the end, justice is not defined by who is right but by who gets to tell the story.

A trial that was never just about justice

Hector Ayala, accused of killing an officer, steps into the courtroom not just as a man fighting for his life but as a symbol. He is Puerto Rican. He is a vigilante. He has already been labeled guilty long before his case begins. No matter the evidence, the odds are against him.

Matt knows this. He pushes through anyway, dismantling every argument thrown against Hector. He brings in witnesses, drags the truth into the light, and forces the jury to see the man behind the mask. For a moment, it feels like justice might actually win.

When the not guilty verdict is read, Matt lets himself believe. He faces the cameras, standing next to an also relieved Ayala.

"We're grateful that justice was served, everyone."

It feels like a real victory, like the system worked for once. Even Foggy's ghost would have smiled at this moment.

However, just beneath the surface, cracks are already forming. Justice in Hell’s Kitchen is an illusion, and Matt should have known better. One citizen being interviewed on the street by BB said it before the trial even began:

"Mr. Ayala is not gonna get a fair trial." And why? "He's Puerto Rican."

Fisk plays the long game

The headlines barely have time to print before Wilson Fisk starts shaping a different reality. While Matt toasts to a rare win, Fisk is already rewriting the city’s truth.

"These vigilantes are a threat to any society based on the rule of law."

His words are measured, deliberate. He does not need to raise his voice or act like a tyrant. The weight of his presence alone is enough to shift the tide. And while he speaks, Hector does exactly what Fisk predicted. He steps back into the night, wearing the mask he was just exonerated for.

Hector fought for his name, for his freedom, but freedom means nothing if it comes at the cost of standing by while injustice thrives. Matt had a bottle of bourbon waiting to celebrate. Hector had unfinished business.

Fisk does not wait for fate to make its move. He ensures it. Hector barely gets the chance to breathe as a free man before the city swallows him whole. A shot rings out. The White Tiger falls.

Somewhere, behind a desk, untouched by the blood he spilled, Fisk leans back.

"The rule of law must prevail," he says.

Who punishes the punishers?

The hypocrisy is suffocating. Fisk calls vigilantes cowards, but he never gets his hands dirty. He condemns those who take justice into their own hands while using the very system he claims to uphold as a weapon. He does not need to kill Hector himself. He does not need to pull the trigger. The system does that for him.

Hector’s death is not just an execution but a message. The court may have freed him, but Hell’s Kitchen never would. Fisk ensures that any symbol of resistance is erased before it has the chance to inspire. White Tiger had to die because he won.

But that is not the end of the game. Fisk is not just tying up loose ends. He is moving pieces. Because with Hector gone, there is another figure left standing in the shadows, one perfectly positioned to take the fall for his murder. A man whose symbol has already been twisted, used, and co-opted by dirty cops.

Frank Castle.

Fisk does not just eliminate threats. He replaces them. And in one calculated move, he shifts the blame onto the Punisher, turning the city’s rage onto a man who was never innocent but whose crimes have now been rewritten into something far more convenient.

Matt does not see it yet. He still thinks this is about the courts, about winning cases, about proving innocence and guilt. But Hell’s Kitchen does not play by those rules.

Because while men like Hector Ayala fight and die for their sense of justice, the real power lies in the hands of those who dictate what justice even means. The corrupt wear badges, sit in high offices, and decide who gets punished—not based on guilt, but on convenience.

"Murder is justified when it serves the 'greater good.' Assassinations are dressed up as law enforcement. Crime lords become political figures. And behind it all, the ones pulling the strings never get their hands dirty."

And just like Watchmen once asked, "Who watches the Watchmen?" the real question now is not just about who enforces justice, but who gets to rewrite it in their favor.

Because when the ones in power decide what justice is, who is left to punish them?

Daredevil: Born Again - Episode 3 - Final verdict

[Life is what happens while I wait for Frank to show up in Daredevil to deal with the corrupt cops using The Punisher's symbol. It’s going to be beautiful. #DaredevilBornAgain]

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Daredevil: Born Again does not just tell a story about justice. It tears it apart. Every victory comes at a price, and every system meant to uphold the law is a weapon waiting to be aimed at the right target. Hector Ayala did not just lose his life. He lost the chance to define his own legacy. The moment he walked out of that courtroom alive, he was already marked for death.

And now, with the Punisher’s name being dragged back into the light, the real question is not just who kills in Hell’s Kitchen.

It is who gets to decide what justice really means.

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars.

Rating with a touch of flair: 5 out of 5 hollow victories.