Daredevil: Born Again‘s storyline has taken a familiar turn, with Episode 4 ending on a pretty daring and exciting tone for fans of the original series. The episode came with some revelations, such as Vanessa having an affair with a man named Adam. However, the character might be a lot more symbolic than what fans might have first perceived, given that it ties back to one of the criticisms of the show.
Wilson Fisk and Matt Murdock have both decided to forsake their ways of operating outside the law. But as fans saw at the end of the episode, Fisk and Matt are not as comfortable as they are fooling themselves to be in the life that they have carved out. No matter how much they try, they can’t help but feel the pull to return to their old ways.
Episode 4 really leaned into the core battle of Daredevil: Born Again
Episode 4 of Born Again saw Vanessa and Wilson open up old wounds in therapy, discussing Adam, whom Vanessa had an affair with while Wilson Fisk was incarcerated. It seemed that Adam was a forgone chapter in the lives of Vanessa and Wilson. That was proven to be false towards the end of the episode. Not only does Fisk kidnap Adam, but he also keeps him locked in his basement. What is interesting here is that it’s a place that he can only access when he crosses over from the white part of the painting he bought from Vanessa to the part that Murdock sullied with Fisk’s blood.
Matt Murdock came face to face with the fact that the system that he puts so much faith in, might not be all that it is made out to be. First, he is confronted by Angela, the niece of Hector Ayala, who questions him straight up about what it all means if Hector died despite being free. Next, he is confronted with the situation that Poindexter finds himself in for killing Foggy Nelson, as the Punisher asks him if it makes sense at all that Bullseye gets to live, but Foggy does not. It all reaches its climax when Matt realizes that the sentence he got his client might lead to him losing his food stamps.
Fisk is similarly tormented by the system, where all his agendas are stuck in red tape. The ending of the episode shows that Adam is trapped in a cell, where Fisk just keeps him barely alive. The old Fisk would have killed him. The old Matt would have gone out seeking answers as Daredevil about Hector’s death. As Adam screamed to be let out, it was clear that Fisk and Matt felt choked by the very systems that they were trying to champion, and they were on the verge of letting the old madness take over.
The fact that it’s Adam screaming to be let out makes it even more symbolic
Matt’s Catholic faith is a very important aspect of Daredevil. A lot of key set pieces during the show’s time over at Netflix took place in the church where Matt grew up. The lack of Chruch imagery in Daredevil: Born Again is something fans have pointed out to be a little problematic, given how important the place is in Matt’s life. Not after Foggy’s death, not after Karen left him, and not after Poindexter received his life sentence, never do we see Matt seeking solace in his faith.
However, there is a lot of dialogue that dances around the themes of grace and retribution, which culminates in Adam screaming to be let out (a name that also corresponds to the First Man). Fans have pointed this out as well, speaking of the brilliance of the show, and taking to Reddit to talk about their analyses.
Fisk and Matt flirt with returning to their unlawful ways of dealing with the injustices of the world that they perceive. It’s rebellion against a system that requires faith, given that Matt and Fisk have seen how they can work outside of it, with brutal efficiency. Adam might even be goading them for the narrative to leave the life that does not suit them behind, and embrace the fight that they think they are better suited for.
Daredevil: Born Again is currently streaming on Disney+
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