Warning! This post contains SPOILERS for Daredevil: Born Again episode 7Daredevil: Born Againepisode 7 features a handful of pretty excitingMCUEaster eggs and references. As seen in the previous episode, Matt Murdock decided to finally give in and don his mask once more, becoming Daredevil after a year-long hiatus to face the serial-killing artist known as Muse. Now, this new episode reveals the major fallout and cost that comes with Daredevil’s return to New York City.
InDaredevil: Born Againepisode 6, Muse managed to evade capture while Daredevil saved Angela Del Toro. Now, the episode primarily covers Daredevil racing Mayor Fisk’s anti-vigilante task force to capture Muse for good.Keeping that in mind, here are all the biggest MCU Easter eggs and references we found inDaredevil: Born Againepisode 7, connecting to the greater MCU, the comics, and the originalDaredevilNetflix series.
Daredevil Returns
Image via Disney+
Daredevil: Born Againepisode 7 opens with Mayor Fisk learning that Daredevil has returned, a classic superhero genre trope where the arch-rival is shown reacting poorly to the hero’s return. To that end, it’s exciting to see Fisk grappling with the fact that the Devil’s back and what that might mean for the future of his administration.
9Matt’s Cross Necklace
Given To Him By Sister Maggie?
Shown cleaning up in the shower after his first battle with Muse in the subway tunnels, Matt Murdock is wearing a crucifix around his neck. Not only does this connect to his established Catholic faith, but it’s more than likely the same crucifix necklace given to him by his mother in Netflix’sDaredevilseason 3.
8"A Whole Other Life"
As Seen In Netflix’s OriginalDaredevilSeries
During his conversation with Heather Glenn, Matt refers to the life he once had working with Foggy Nelson and Karen Pageand, subtextually, his old life as the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen, connecting to all the events seen in the originalDaredevilseries on Netflix.
7"10 Years of Business Infrastructure"
Kingpin’s Original Empire
Fisk confirms that following his so-called “unjust arrest”, Daredevil took down the Kingpin’s entire business infrastructure that had taken 10 years to build.Fisk’s arrest occurs at the end ofDaredevilseason 3. However, it seems Murdock didn’t stop there, systemically going after every part of Fisk’s operations and those who worked for him, forcing Fisk to rebuild a new empire from the ground up in the years that followed.
Daredevil: Born Again Show Cast & Marvel Character Guide
After cameo appearances in a selection of Phase 4 projects, Daredevil: Born Again will finally make Matt Murdock a main character in the MCU.
InDaredevilseason 1, it was established that Fisk’s first empire was built around Union Allied, a construction company he’d created to rebuild Hell’s Kitchen after the Battle of New York in 2012’sAvengers.In truth, Union Allied served as a cover and money laundering apparatus for Fisk’s and his allies' criminal activities. However, shows likeHawkeyeandEchohave confirmed that Fisk and his wife Vanessa started rebuilding rather quickly, working with various gangs like the Tracksuit Mafia, and those seen inDaredevil: Born Againitself.
Buck Cashman aka Bullet In Marvel Comics
Mayor Fisk also confirms that he brought Buck to his administration from his “other life”.This confirms that Buck Cashman indeed has a darker criminal past, mirroring his comics' history as the Daredevil villain better known as Bullet. That said, Buck is very much Fisk’s replacement Wesley, the Kingpin’s right-hand man from the original Netflix series who was killed by Karen Page inDaredevilseason 1.
A Big Change From The Comics
Muse’s real name is revealed to be Bastian Cooper, a disturbed young man who was involuntarily committed multiple times by his parents. This is a notable deviation from the comics' Muse, who on the page was a super-powered Inhuman with a secret identity and past that was intentionally left a mystery by Marvel Comics. That said,Bastian Cooper’s costume and mask as Muse, his dark artistic skills, and his disturbing preference for using his victims' blood to paint with remain the same as what’s seen in the original comics.
4“The Thin Dark Line”
Mirroring Real Life Controversy
Wanting his new anti-vigilante task force to find Muse (and potentially take down Daredevil in the process),Fisk tells Detective Powell and his fellow officers that they are the “thin dark line” tasked with protecting New York City. This connects to the controversial “Thin Blue Line” flag and sentiments seen in real life. While originally intended to symbolize support for law enforcement, the Thin Blue Line flag and connected symbols (like the Punisher’s skull logo) have been banned by various police departments thanks to certain groups who’ve misused the flag to express various problematic views.
A Pretty Rare MCU Sight
Daredevil’s final fight with Muse takes place in Heather Glenn’s office in the daylight. As such, Matt Murdock wearing his suit when it’s still light out is a pretty rare thing to see in the MCU. The only other time it’s happened is when the Man Without Fear briefly shows up in the season finale ofShe-Hulk: Attorney at Law, appearing after the danger had passed (thanks to Jennifer Walters' major breaking of the fourth wall and going full meta).
“I’m The Story”
Heather Glenn ultimately kills Muse inDaredevil: Born Againepisode 7. In the comics, Muse wasn’t defeated by Daredevil either, and was instead killed by the vigilante known as Blindspot, who was possessed by the dark supernatural being known as the Beast of the Hand. That said, both cases saw Muse sharing similar sentiments about how badly he wanted to be seen and recognized by the public, right before his demise cut his story short.
A Real Restaurant With Historic Mob Ties
The end ofDaredevil: Born Againepisode 7sees Mayor Fisk eating dinner at Bamonte’s in New York.Notably, Bamonte’s is a real restaurant in Brooklyn, one of the oldest Italian restaurants in the city with historic ties to the real-life mob and the Five Families. As such, it’s rather fitting that this is where Fisk sets a trap and has Luca killed (who had tried to ally with Vanessa to kill Fisk himself).
