‘Daredevil: Born Again’s Original Ending Would’ve Completely Ruined This Polarizing Character

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By

Ryan Cortero

Published May 1, 2026, 7:52 PM EDT

Ryan Cortero was born and raised in Toronto, Ontario, the home of Scott Pilgrim vs. the World and The Boys. He's passionate about all types of movies and shows, especially reality TV, superhero content, and indie dramas. When he travels, it’s mainly to Disney Parks around the world (Tokyo Disneyland Resort is his favourite). He graduated from Carleton University with a postbaccalaureate in Film Studies. He’s been working in the journalism industry since 2022 as a social media director and writer. Ryan has interviewed talents such as Joe Locke, Sean Gunn, Chukwudi Iwuji, Kevin Durand, Owen Teague, and John Paesano.

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Throughout Season 2, Daniel has been heading down a dark path as he gets more involved with Mayor Wilson Fisk's (Vincent D'Onofrio) criminal dealings. But the season also tracks Daniel's resistance to this influence, especially as Fisk's right-hand man/hit man, Buck Cashman (Arty Froushan), continually hovers over him and makes him feel unsafe. By Season 2, Episode 7, just when it seems like Daniel is about to fully embrace his dark side, he lets BB Urich (Genneya Walton) run away instead of turning her in to Buck. But this decision comes at a cost, as Buck ultimately executes Daniel for his disloyalty. It's a shocking moment to leave audiences with before the Daredevil: Born Again Season 2 finale. It seemed that Buck might have actually warmed up to Daniel after their time together and would let him walk away. In fact, that was almost the case.

Daniel Blake Was Supposed To Live After 'Daredevil: Born Again' Season 2, Episode 7

In an interview with Collider's Tania Hussain, Gandolfini revealed that Daniel was actually going to survive his confrontation with Buck and even filmed scenes for the Daredevil: Born Again Season 2 finale. He notes that when Daniel lets BB escape, "it still wasn't 100% clear if I was going to die or not. That was not really 100% written in stone yet when we finished Season 2. That was decided in post." Gandolfini also mentions how it's even more **tragic that Daniel doesn't get a proper goodbye **with any of the characters he's built relationships with throughout the series.

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COLLIDER Collider · Quiz

Collider Exclusive · Marvel Personality Quiz Which MCU Hero_ Are You? Spider-Man · Daredevil · Iron Man · Punisher · Thor · Cap

Six heroes. One destiny. Answer 10 questions to discover which Marvel Cinematic Universe hero shares your personality, values, and fighting spirit. Will you swing, fly, or thunder your way to glory?

🕷️Spider-Man 😈Daredevil 🤖Iron Man 💀Punisher ⚡Thor 🛡️Cap

FIND YOUR HERO →

QUESTION 1 / 10MOTIVATION

01 What drives you to do what's right? Choose the answer that feels most like you.

AWith great power comes great responsibility — I protect those who can't protect themselves. BMy faith and my conscience — I believe justice must be served, even in the dark. CLegacy and ego, honestly — but I've learned that others depend on me now. DThe system failed. Someone has to make sure the guilty actually pay. EDuty to the innocent and honour to my name — I was born to protect realms. FThe values I was raised with — freedom, decency, and never backing down from a bully.

NEXT QUESTION →

QUESTION 2 / 10YOUR CITY

02 It's 2 AM. Where are you? Your answer says more about you than you'd think.

ASwinging between skyscrapers, keeping an eye on the neighbourhood. BRunning rooftops in Hell's Kitchen, listening for trouble. CIn my lab, upgrading my suit with a cold cup of coffee nearby. DStaking out a target I've been tracking for three weeks. ESomewhere between the stars, or at a feast that got out of hand. FOn a morning run — I was up at 4, actually. Couldn't sleep.

NEXT QUESTION →

QUESTION 3 / 10CONFLICT STYLE

03 How do you handle a villain who keeps escaping justice? Every hero has a method. What's yours?

AWeb them up and leave them for the police — again. BBuild an airtight case and dismantle their entire operation from the inside. CDeploy a containment system I designed specifically for them. Tech wins. DMake sure they don't escape a third time. Permanently. EChallenge them to single combat. Honour demands a decisive end. FRally allies, adapt the plan, and bring them in — by the book, even if it's hard.

NEXT QUESTION →

QUESTION 4 / 10SECRET IDENTITY

04 How do you feel about keeping a secret identity? The mask — or the lack of one — says everything.

AEssential — my loved ones would be in danger if anyone found out who I am. BCritical — the mask protects my mission as much as my face. COverrated — I announced myself to the world and I'd do it again. DI'm a ghost. The less people know about me, the better. EMy name is known across the Nine Realms. There's no hiding it. FI don't hide — but I understand why some need to. Transparency builds trust.

NEXT QUESTION →

QUESTION 5 / 10LOSS & GRIEF

05 You've lost someone important because of your heroism. How do you carry that? Every hero pays a price. The question is how they pay it.

AWith guilt that never fully goes away — it pushes me to do better, every single day. BI channel it into purpose — their memory is the reason I keep fighting. CI buried myself in work for years. I'm only recently learning to face it. DIt transformed me completely. I'm not the same person I was before. EWith warrior's grief — I honour them by fighting with everything I have. FI keep moving forward. Stopping means letting the loss win.

NEXT QUESTION →

QUESTION 6 / 10TEAM DYNAMICS

06 What's your role when working with a team? Who you are under pressure is who you actually are.

AThe enthusiastic wildcard who somehow makes it work — and keeps the mood up. BThe strategist who works best alone but shows up when it matters most. CThe one who funds it, equips it, and occasionally takes over the whole operation. DI don't do teams. I'm more effective operating solo, on my terms. EThe heavy hitter — I crash in, draw fire, and turn the tide of battle. FThe leader — I earn trust, build the plan, and make sure no one gets left behind.

NEXT QUESTION →

QUESTION 7 / 10MORAL CODE

07 Where do you draw the line between justice and revenge? The answer defines what kind of hero you really are.

AClearly — I don't kill, and I wrestle with that line constantly. BI try to hold the line, but I've come terrifyingly close to crossing it. CPractically — I do what's necessary to protect people, including hard calls. DI crossed that line long ago. What I do is justice — the system just won't admit it. EIn battle, victory is justice. Mercy is earned — not automatic. FFirmly. The moment we abandon our principles, we become what we fight against.

NEXT QUESTION →

QUESTION 8 / 10EVERYDAY LIFE

08 When you're not saving the world, what does life look like? The person behind the mask is always the more interesting story.

ATrying to juggle school, a part-time job, and not failing my friends. BWorking as a lawyer by day, fighting for justice in court and on the streets. CRunning a global company, attending galas, and pretending I'm sleeping enough. DQuiet. Isolated. Surviving with a clear mission and no distractions. ENavigating a bizarre and fascinating mortal world — coffee is extraordinary. FAdapting to a world decades ahead of everything I knew. Quietly, stubbornly.

NEXT QUESTION →

QUESTION 9 / 10FEAR

09 What keeps you up at night? Fear is useful data — if you're honest about what you're actually afraid of.

AThe people I couldn't save — and the ones I might not reach in time tomorrow. BWhether the monster I fight every night is starting to live inside me too. CThe threats I can see coming and whether my tech is actually good enough. DNothing. Silence is the only peace I get. I've made my choices. EWhether I'm truly worthy — of the hammer, of the throne, of the people I protect. FA world where no one stands up anymore. Where good people do nothing.

NEXT QUESTION →

QUESTION 10 / 10FINAL STAND

10 The battle is lost. You're outnumbered, outgunned, and exhausted. What do you do? This is your tiebreaker — choose carefully.

ACrack a joke to buy a second, then find the one web shot that changes everything. BBlock out everything except the sound of the next threat — and keep going. CActivate the emergency protocol I built for exactly this scenario. Always have a plan. DI don't accept that it's lost. I keep fighting until I physically cannot anymore. ECall the lightning. All of it. The storm answers to me. FPick up the shield. Stand up. Because as long as I can stand, it's not over.

REVEAL MY HERO →

Your Hero Has Been Identified Your MCU Hero Is… Based on your answers, the Marvel hero who matches your spirit, values, and instincts has been revealed.

Queens, New York

🕷️ Spider-Man You carry the weight of the world on shoulders that are younger than they should have to be — funny, loyal, and endlessly self-sacrificing.

• You do the right thing not because it's easy, but because no one else will.

• You understand that responsibility isn't a burden you choose — it's one that finds you.

• Whether it's a neighbourhood mugging or a multiverse crisis, you show up.

• Peter Parker's lesson — that great power demands great responsibility — isn't a slogan to you. It's the code you live by, even when it costs you everything.

Hell's Kitchen, New York

😈 Daredevil You fight in the shadows between law and chaos, guided by a fierce moral compass that refuses to let the guilty walk free.

• You use every tool available — your mind, your body, your faith — to protect those the system overlooks.

• You've looked into the darkness and chosen not to become it, though the line has never been easy.

• Matt Murdock's duality — champion in the courtroom, devil in the alley — mirrors your own.

• Relentless, conflicted, and unwilling to stop. That is exactly you.

Stark Industries, Malibu

🤖 Iron Man Brilliant, driven, and occasionally insufferable — but always the person who solves the unsolvable problem.

• You lead with your mind and back it up with resources, innovation, and a stubbornness that borders on heroic.

• You started out looking out for yourself, but somewhere along the way the world became your responsibility.

• Tony Stark's arc — from ego to sacrifice — is your arc too.

• You build, you plan, and when the moment comes, you're willing to give everything. Because in the end, you're Iron Man.

New York City

💀 The Punisher You've been through fire that would break most people — and it did change you, completely. What's left is unyielding, relentless, and operating by a code forged in grief.

• You don't ask for forgiveness, and you don't expect gratitude.

• You see a corrupt, broken world and you've decided to do something about it, consequences be damned.

• Frank Castle's war is born from love twisted by loss — and so is yours.

• Uncompromising and unflinching — the world may not agree with your methods, but your conviction is absolute.

Asgard · Protector of the Nine Realms

⚡ Thor Powerful, proud, and on a lifelong journey to become worthy of the legend you carry.

• You lead with strength but have learned — sometimes painfully — that true greatness comes from humility and growth.

• You're larger than life, yet more vulnerable than you let on.

• Thor's story is one of transformation: from arrogant prince to worthy king, from isolated warrior to beloved protector.

• You bring the storm when it's needed — and the warmth when it matters just as much.

Brooklyn, New York · The Avengers

🛡️ Captain America You believe in something bigger than yourself — and you fight for it even when the world has moved on and nobody else will.

• You don't bully the small guy, and you never stop when it gets hard.

• Steve Rogers didn't become a hero when he got the serum — he was always one. So were you.

• Your strength isn't in your fists; it's in your refusal to compromise what's right, no matter the cost.

• In a world full of people taking the easy road, you're the one who picks up the shield and stands up — every single time.

↻ RETAKE THE QUIZ

** "The last scene with his mom, he says, “Everything's fine. I love you. Everything's okay. Don't worry.” His last scene with Fisk is at the funeral. You don't even see a goodbye. His last scene with Buck. He and Sheila, their last scene’s at the boxing match. All these people don't have any closed loops, and so when he dies, it's just like, wow, he's just hanging there, and I think that it's painful."

By having the actors themselves not even know this would be their last scenes together, it adds to the harsh reality of what happened to Daniel. It doesn't help that this all happened right after Daniel's birthday, too. As tragic as it is, it was the right decision to let Daniel's arc come to a close in this heroic way. Even Gandolfini told us that filming scenes for Daredevil Born Again Season 2, Episode 8, "felt very weird" and "didn't feel right." When he got the call that the creative team decided to kill his character during post-production, he said, "It actually felt like a relief because it felt very appropriate, because that's what needed to happen**, not only for the arc of the show, but also personally."

When Gandolfini was cast in Daredevil: Born Again, fans were quick to theorize that he'd play a major comic character, like Fisk's son, considering his talent and the fact that he's the real-life son of **The Sopranos **star James Gandolfini. While that didn't end up being the case, he became a fan-favorite character who could stand alongside the rest of the cast, which is a big feat for an original character in a comic book project.

Michael Gandolfini Gave an Amazing Performance in 'Daredevil: Born Again'

Even though Fisk's agenda mirrors our world, Gandolfini brought moments of levity to give audiences the feeling of escapism. He brought the right amount of comedy and drama as Daniel. As the youngest member of Fisk's inner circle, he constantly worked hard to prove himself worthy. Even when he messed up and leaked one of Fisk's plans, he showed Fisk how loyal he was and got himself promoted to Deputy Mayor for Communications.

But with this promotion, it also meant being involved in more criminal acts, whether he liked it or not. When Daniel drove Buck to an unknown location far outside the city, Gandolfini gave a masterful performance through his eyes and facial expressions to intensify the tension of that scene. It seemed like Buck was ready to kill Daniel right there and then, but it was a test to prove his loyalty. Thankfully for fans of the character, Daniel didn't throw away his morals and friendship with BB for Fisk's cause.​​​​

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By Aidan Kelley

The only reason he joined Fisk's campaign was that he really thought Fisk could change the city for the better. But as he got to see behind the curtain, he made the right decision, showing that there's still some good left in him. As bold as it was to kill a character as well-liked as Daniel, it's a testament to the creative team and cast that they reconsidered keeping him alive and thought about what was better suited for the character and the overall story.

With BB having lost both her uncle, Ben Urich, and a close friend to Fisk, there's sure to be a reckoning coming. Daredevil's revolution is only growing stronger with each episode, and the upcoming finale will surely see a climactic fight that will keep audiences on the edge of their seats and waiting with bated breath for Season 3 for even more surprises.

The Daredevil: Born Again _Season 2 finale arrives on Disney+ on May 5.