Daredevil: Born Again killing off a fan-favorite character is controversial, but it might prove to be the right choice for the new Marvel show

Warning: the following features spoilers for the first two episodes of Daredevil: Born Again...

Netflix's Daredevil was always about more than just Matt Murdock. Sure, the series explores how putting on the mask affects Matt, but importantly, it also showcases the impact that has on those around him, especially those closest to Matt – and no one was closer than Foggy Nelson.

Matt's best friend and fellow avocado at law, Foggy helped the series dive deep into the psychological impact that being Daredevil had on Matt. Not only that, but Foggy was the show's comedic heart, bringing moments of levity. He also raised the stakes as Matt's other identity increasingly took over his life and his enemies sought revenge. So, Daredevil: Born Again, I have a question for you. What in Hell’s Kitchen did you just do?

A necessary horror?

The premiere of Born Again, a continuation of the Netflix series (which are now unequivocally canon to the MCU), opens with Matt, Foggy, and Karen having a few drinks at a bar, celebrating their friend Cherry retiring from the New York City Police. However, Foggy has a secret: he’s been hiding a client at his flat for their protection.

After the client is seemingly attacked, the Daredevil suit quickly comes out and Matt swings into action, only to realize that he's been misled; Benjamin Leonard Poindexter, a.k.a. Bullseye, (a name that might work in the comics but is laugh-out-loud on TV) has used the client as bait to take Matt away from Karen and Foggy. Dex then attacks the pair and kills Foggy.

The sequence has been controversial. Some have seen killing Foggy as a necessary horror to twist Matt back into action. Others are outraged that Foggy, beloved by fans, has been unceremoniously killed after years and years of waiting for his return. Whichever side you fall on, there's no denying that Foggy will be missed. But more than that, I will miss the humanity that Foggy brought out of Matt.

A moral compass

Much of what made Netflix's Daredevil great was the relationship between these two characters. The first season – arguably the best batch of episodes to come out of the various Defenders shows – put the duo at its center. The season sees Daredevil trying to take down Wilson Fisk while Matt Murdock struggles to keep his secret identity hidden from Foggy.

A juncture comes when Foggy finds out. Understandably, he feels like their relationship has been built on deception. He’s angry, hurt, and disappointed that he’s been lied to all this time. By the finale, they come together once more, but the relationship has changed, and so too have Matt and Foggy as people. Come the second season, Foggy becomes further disillusioned by Matt’s actions, and by the third, the pair may have completely fallen out. They are, though, on similar paths; both must learn to understand each other and to forgive each other – to rebuild trust and to heal.

In all three seasons, Foggy is essential to Matt Murdock’s journey as a character. His human side – the one that’s not an ass-kicking vigilante hero – has always been grounded by Foggy. You could argue that Foggy stopped Matt from going full-tilt murderous vigilante, acting as a moral compass. Even in his brief appearance in Born Again, Foggy does the same: "maybe I didn’t want to give you an excuse [to put on the suit]," Foggy tells Matt when asked about why he hid his client.

A hole to fill

Now Foggy’s gone, what is next for Born Again? How can the show come back from losing a character who was essential to its lead’s growth? And will the series feel empty without those moments of levity and friendship between Matt and Foggy?

Karen Page can fill that hole to some degree. She is, as showrunner Dario Scardapane told me in an interview for SFX magazine, the heart of The Defenders shows, having also played a key role in The Punisher series. Yet, her relationship with Matt is different; not only was it once romantic, but she, dare I say, has more of her own shit going on than Foggy. She’s much more independent of Matt and can therefore – as we’ve seen – disappear for episodes at a time without us questioning what she’s up to.

Three new supporting characters could potentially bring out different aspects of Matt. There’s Heather Glenn, the therapist who Matt is dating; Kirsten McDuffie, Matt’s new law partner; and Cherry, the aforementioned retired police officer, now working with Matt (played by Clark Johnson in a role that feels very in line with his work in The Wire).

None of these newcomers have the history that Matt and Foggy have, and it’s hard to imagine any character will ever be able to replicate that friendship. It was with Foggy that Matt could be quite so vulnerable. They were brothers, always wanting the best for each other, even when they had fallen out. It’s a dynamic that can’t easily be replicated.

However, I would also argue that Born Again is meant to be different from the Netflix series – and Foggy’s death forces the series to change on a fundamental level. Rather than seeing Matt and Foggy work cases together, we instead have Wilson Fisk running for mayor and soaking up screen time. Over the first two episodes, it’s become clear how central Fisk is to the story, and while Kingpin was always a major part of Daredevil, he feels more like a co-lead with Daredevil now. It makes sense that, with Wilson Fisk taking on such a huge role, Matt needs an almost unthinkable catalyst to make him put away the suit (for now).

In the end, killing off Foggy may have been the best course of action for the story Scardapane wants to tell. That doesn’t mean Foggy’s death stings any less. He humbled Matt and humored us. R.I.P. Foggy (until you somehow appear next season…).

The Marvel Phase 5 continues weekly on streaming service Disney Plus. Make sure that you never miss a moment with our Daredevil: Born Again release schedule.

And don't forget to check out our Daredevil: Born Again season 1 review for our spoiler free verdict on the entire season.