Daredevil: Born Again has reignited the fire that once burned through the shadowy alleys of Hell’s Kitchen, this time with a chilling twist. While fans initially expected Wilson Fisk, aka Kingpin, to reclaim his title as the ultimate nemesis, it’s an obscure serial killer named Muse who has forced Matt Murdock back into his crimson suit. As Episode 6, “Excessive Force,” landed on Disney+, it delivered not only a brutal reckoning but also a seismic shift in the dynamics of the series’ antagonistic hierarchy.
Matt had been navigating life as a lawyer without the Daredevil persona following the devastating death of Foggy Nelson. But justice through the legal system proved insufficient. It was only when Angela Del Toro, the niece of the fallen White Tiger, went missing while investigating the horrifying street murals painted in blood, that Matt could no longer ignore the devil within.
The Artist of Blood: Muse Unmasks a New Depth of Horror
In a city already familiar with chaos, Muse introduces a form of evil that’s deeply unsettling. As revealed in “Excessive Force,” the New York Sanitation Department discovered that the grotesque murals popping up across the city weren’t painted with just symbolism in mind. They were literal crime scenes. According to what Matt learns from the NYPD, the blood used in Muse’s work came from at least 60 victims.
With Wilson Fisk now operating from the Mayor’s office, his political influence shields him from immediate confrontation. This absence of direct action contrasts sharply with Muse’s visceral and immediate terror. The confrontation with Muse doesn’t unfold in the courtroom but in the dark corridors of an abandoned train line, where Matt finally dons the Daredevil suit once again, driven by a need for direct justice and a personal mission to save Angela Del Toro. As described by CBR, this moment is a dual rebirth: Matt as Daredevil, and Muse as the nightmare New York didn’t see coming.
Kingpin’s Reign Is Distant, Muse’s Reign Is Personal
While Wilson Fisk may still cast a long shadow over Hell’s Kitchen, it is Muse who physically and psychologically torments the city’s soul. Fisk’s slow-burn manipulations and calculated power grabs operate from the safety of closed doors, whereas Muse—an agent of chaos—thrives in visibility. This visibility is blood-soaked and terrifying, making him far more than a thematic villain. He’s a visceral presence that leaves no room for indifference.
The psychological warfare that Muse deploys hits Matt on a personal level. The catalyst wasn’t political corruption or organized crime, but the immediate threat to a life—Angela Del Toro’s—and the gruesome spectacle left behind. As CBR noted, Matt’s decision to hang up the phone on 911 and suit up once more wasn’t just a turning point for him. It was the moment the series confirmed that Daredevil is born out of necessity, not nostalgia.
Even more revealing is how Muse forced a response from a man who had resisted violence for five full episodes. That restraint, once noble, becomes untenable in the face of a serial killer who kills for expression rather than gain. Matt’s reawakening wasn’t symbolic—it was survival.
A Chain Reaction of Violence and Identity
Muse might be the tipping point, but Daredevil: Born Again has been building towards this reckoning since its premiere. The murder of Hector Ayala, the confrontation with a resurrected Punisher, and Matt’s reluctant involvement in a bank heist were all red flags that the devil was never far. Each incident pulled Matt closer to the edge, but it was Muse who shoved him over.
This trajectory offers a more layered take on Daredevil’s mythology. It’s no longer just about opposing the Kingpin. It’s about wrestling with the multiplicity of evil in New York. As noted by CBR, even with Fisk back in power, it wasn’t his machinations but Muse’s savagery that rekindled the Daredevil within Matt.
The question now isn’t whether Daredevil is back—it’s whether Hell’s Kitchen is ready for the kind of justice he’ll dispense when confronted with monsters like Muse. The moral ambiguity is gone. The devil has returned, and he’s done asking permission.
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