Daredevil: Born Again — From vigilante to punisher? What lies ahead after Foggy’s murder. Possibilities explored

Matt Murdock has spent his entire life walking a tightrope between justice and vengeance. In Daredevil: Born Again, that rope is snapping.

The system he spent years defending has betrayed him. His best friend, the one person who could talk him off the ledge, is gone. And the one thing still keeping him tethered to the idea of justice is starting to feel like a joke.

At what point does a man stop fighting his demons and start listening to them?

Disclaimer: Speculation? Absolutely. Facts? As solid as they can be for now. Until Daredevil: Born Again hits its final chapter (maybe?), consider this a just a dive into the storm brewing around Matt Murdock. Buckle up.

The German poet Rainer Maria Rilke once wrote:

"I fear that if my demons leave me, my angels will take flight as well."

And that’s the thing about Matt Murdock. His demons are what drive him. They are the fire in his veins, the reason he gets up after every beating. If he lets them go, what’s left?

With Frank Castle soon to be back in the mix and Fisk tightening his grip, Daredevil: Born Again isn’t just about Matt’s fight against crime. It never was, actually. It is about his fight against himself, and this time, he might not win.

How far can Matt fall until he is 'Born Again'?

Matt Murdock was never just a hero. He was a man forcing himself to be one. He clung to the idea of justice like a lifeline, convincing himself that if he believed in it hard enough, it would believe in him, too.

But Foggy’s murder is a wrecking ball to whatever was left of that belief.

We've seen this before. In Daredevil Season 3, Matt shuts out the people who love him because he thinks he is better off alone. In The Defenders, he was willing to die just so Elektra wouldn’t have to. And now, in Daredevil: Born Again, when corrupt cops try to kill him, he doesn't hesitate. He breaks them.

But this time, he has nothing left to hold him back. No best friend, no moral compass, no faith in the system.

And this time, Frank Castle will be right there, ready to remind him that maybe, just maybe, he was always meant to end up here.

The Punisher won’t just be back. He is a warning.

Frank Castle has been saying it since day one. Matt Murdock is one bad day away from realizing they are not so different.

And now, this day might be coming sooner rather than later.

Frank isn’t the kind of guy who offers condolences. He is not going to tell Matt that Foggy’s death was unfair. He will look at him dead in the eye and say something along the lines of, "What are you gonna do about it?"

And that is where things get dangerous. Because Matt will do something about it. The only question is how far he is willing to go before he realizes he is not Daredevil anymore. He is something else entirely.

The ‘Half Dark’ that Fisk saw in Matt is real

If anyone knows how close Matt is to losing himself, it is Wilson Fisk.

That is why their confrontation in Daredevil: Born Again hits so hard- Fisk does not need to manipulate Matt anymore. He just has to point out the obvious: Matt is not who he thinks he is.

And he is right.

Matt has spent years pretending that he is different, that he is in control, that there is a line he will never cross. But if that were true, why is he already teetering on the edge?

Fisk does not need to push. He just has to wait. Because when Matt finally falls, it won’t be Fisk who broke him. It will be the truth.

Matt’s girlfriend isn’t just a love interest. She is a ticking time bomb.

If Matt was looking for stability, he sure as hell picked the wrong woman.

His new love interest is a therapist. The kind of person who talks about multiple personas, about the masks people wear. This would already be a little too on the nose for a guy like Matt.

But here is the real problem. She is also Fisk’s marriage counselor.

Matt nearly lost his mind when he discovered that corrupt cops were out to kill him. Imagine what will happen when he realizes the woman he has been opening up to is sitting in a room with Wilson Fisk and his wife, listening to their deepest secrets.

And what if she knows who Matt is? What if she doesn’t? Either way, it won’t matter. He is going to feel played, manipulated, and betrayed. And when Matt Murdock feels betrayed, he doesn’t walk away. He destroys.

Can Daredevil survive without his demons?

Matt Murdock isn’t just fighting criminals. He is fighting himself.

That is why Rilke’s words hit so hard. If Matt lets go of his demons, his angels go with them. His pain isn’t just something he carries. It defines him.

The system he believed in is a lie. The people he trusted are either dead or deceiving him. The line between him and the Punisher is so thin that it is barely visible anymore.

Maybe Matt won’t start putting bullets in criminals’ heads. Maybe he won’t become the Punisher.

But by the time Daredevil: Born Again is over, will he still be Daredevil?

Or will he have finally turned into something much worse?