‘Daredevil: Born Again’ season 2 has embraced the consequences, as no character is really safe. The outrageous death of Daniel Blake in episode 7 is shocking, but it doesn’t just hurt; it begs a larger question: has Marvel pulled the trigger too soon?
A Character Arc That Ended Just When It Started To Get Interesting
The last moments of Daniel are when the war between Matt Murdock and Wilson Fisk is at its peak. And the tension is overflowing in all corners of New York. Between loyalty and conscience, Daniel decides to save BB Urich and loses his life in the process. It is bleak, abrupt, and undoubtedly strong.
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However, take a step back, and it begins to feel more like a grand gesture of narration and less like an opportunity missed. The brutality of Daniel’s death is frustrating, and also its timing. So far, he had been walking a very interesting tight-rope between blind obedience to Fisk and an increasing realization that something was not right.
That internal conflict? There was the true story. You could watch the cracks develop. Daniel was not another background player. He was becoming a person who could perhaps even threaten Fisk internally. There is a whole new dimension to the political and emotional stakes of the show that would have been created by watching that transformation occur.
Instead, such an evolution is interrupted. No denouement, no closure. Just a hard stop. And although the shocking deaths can elevate the stakes, they must be earned in hindsight. This one seems to have interrupted itself.
The Bigger Missed Opportunity Marvel Didn’t Take
This is where it hurts the most: Daniel Blake was in a good position to grow into something much greater. There were even some faint clues, his admiration of Fisk, the mentorship relationship, the mystery of his past, that hinted that he might be more than a faithful aide.
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Imagine if he’d been revealed as Fisk’s secret son, inspired by comic arcs where legacy and power collide in unexpected ways. It would have enriched the story of Fisk, particularly after the death of Vanessa Fisk, and forged an inherent successor storyline.
The conflict between father and son could have been heavy with a possible season 3 that was driven by the legacy. That door is now closed. And the fact that there was supposedly another version in which Daniel survived is just salt to the wound, it means that Marvel at least thought of letting this story breathe.
It was daring to kill Daniel Blake. But courage is not always clever. There are occasions when the actual danger is allowing a character to live long enough to make them memorable.
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