Warning! This article contains SPOILERS for Daredevil: Born Again season 1, episodes 1 & 2.
Daredevil: Born Againjust effectively erased one long-termMarvelshow storyline and character in the sequel series - and made it basically impossible to undo given the first episode’s major death.Daredevil: Born Againepisode 1 & 2have brought the story of the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen back to our screens, albeit by showing a currently retired Daredevil, who also is far less involved with Hell’s Kitchen. However, this doesn’t seem like it will last forever - first and foremost because his retirement happens in the first episode of the show, and also because similar storylines also cropped up in Netflix’sDaredevil.
WhileDaredevil: Born Againlooks set to mirrorDaredevilin this way - and follow up on a lot of threads the original Marvel release put in place - there is one key storylinethe MCU showcuts ties with via its first episode. Given the priorities of and circumstances aroundDaredevil: Born Again, I think this makes a lot of sense on one hand, but I’m also still surprised at the lengths the first hour of the installment goes to to erase one storyline fromthe Defenders timelinethat was a key ongoing part of every season of the originalDaredevilfrom its own MCU narrative.
Daredevil: Born Again Brings Back Foggy Nelson Just To Kill Him Off In Its First Scenes
Daredevil: Born Againbegins in pretty intense fashion - especially for long-termDaredevilfans - asthe show opens with the death of Foggy Nelson, Matt Murdock’s best friend and business partner at the law firm they and Karen Page created together. After having some drinks and discussing how their lives and New York had changed, Foggy receives a call from a client he tried to protect from harm’s way by letting them stay at his apartment, only for them to be found there and interrogated, revealing Foggy’s location and resulting in Bullseye gunning down Nelson and the bar they were in.
While Daredevil eventually gets back in time to fight Bullseye - having initially gone to try and rescue their client Benny from harm’s way - Foggy succumbs to his wounds, which Murdock hears when his heart stops beating. Because of how colossal this is for the show’s story, it’s naturally the focal point of the first two episodes and Foggy’s story within the sequel series, making it all the more interesting that one major character from Foggy’sDaredevilarc is totally missing inDaredevil: Born Again.
Daredevil: Born Again’s Foggy Story Carefully Cuts One Major Character Out Of The Sequel
Foggy’s love interest and later long-term partner inDaredevil- Marci Stahl - is notably absent from the sequel story, despite being a core part of Foggy’s life for seeming decades, and his romantic partner for the majority of the series. Indeed,Daredevilseason 3 even ends with the pair talking about marriage, and with Marci seemingly unperturbed by Nelson deciding to once again start up a law firm with Matt Murdock, this time with Karen Page as a main figure too in order to create the Nelson, Murdock, and Page firm.
Given the last we saw of the pair’s relationship was it being seemingly stronger than ever, it’s something of a jump cut forDaredevil: Born Again, which avoids even really alluding to Marciand her place in Foggy’s history. This is especially apparent since one of the last things Foggy does before he dies is attempt to flirt with Kirsten McDuffie, leaving Matt and Karen looking on in joking horror. As Foggy and Marci never appeared to be in an open relationship - and there’s no reference to her in response to Foggy’s death - it seems the show effectively removes her from the story in the sequel series.
With Foggy now dead, it seems unlikely this storyline will ever be addressed again as well, short of the theories that his death was somehow faked coming to fruition. Even then, it seems like a reunion with a seemingly long-lost girlfriend would be very low down on the list of storiesDaredevil: Born Againwould want to address if something as dramatic as a fakeout death became part of the narrative. Instead, it’s likely Marci will never be a part ofBorn Again, with her removal from the Daredevil world looking to be for more than one reason.
Why Marci Doesn’t Appear & Isn’t Mentioned In Daredevil: Born Again
There’s a considerable timeskip betweenthe end ofDaredevilseason 3and the start ofDaredevil: Born Again, which means it first and foremost makes sense that Marci is absent from the show as it appears the pair may have split up during this time. If this breakup was long enough ago for the main trio, it would make sense that they don’t so much as reference it, even though it appears to have been Foggy’s main and longest romantic relationship in the universe.
While it seems a little odd there’s no reference to Foggy’s former long-term partner in the series, the pair’s early relationship was certainly far more rocky, and Marci’s initial disregard for Foggy’s wellbeing does suggest a particularly unpleasant breakup could now be in the past here. This would encourage none of the characters to discuss her, even when it comes to matters like Foggy’s death and funeral - which she’d also be far less likely to attend if things ended poorly.
On another level, this seems perhaps par for the course, asDaredevil: Born Againis intended to work for viewers who saw the original show, and those who haven’t. Marci was a key part of Foggy’s story, but not so crucial that she couldn’t be removed from the narrative for the sake of keeping things as uncomplicated as possible.Keeping Foggy’s long-term partner would’ve also provided Matt or Karen another person to grieve with, which would’ve likely hampered the narrative dramaof their reactions to Foggy’s death and it driving a wedge between them.
That said, given the trajectory of Foggy and Marci’s story, the fact Marci is missing inDaredevil: Born Againis hard not to wonder about based on all that came before. With more episodes - and another outright season at least - left of the show, there is always the chance the sequel story could choose to address this matter, but it’s also fair if the series decides to focus on paving the way for the future, instead.
Daredevil: Born Againseason 1, episode 3 is set to release on July 25, 2025.
