(SeaPRwire) – Following a fiery season finale where Wilson Fisk and Matt Murdock at last ceased evading their true selves, and after a year-long wait to discover just how New York City would erupt in the aftermath, Daredevil: Born Again has returned to Disney+ with a compelling Season 2 premiere that finds Matt and Karen finally taking the offensive against their longtime foe and resident unshakable force, Wilson Fisk. Both the first and second seasons—serving as both a continuation and a reboot of the original Netflix series—also draw heavily from Chip Zdarsky’s celebrated run on the character, which elevated The Kingpin to New York City mayor and gave him command of a state-approved anti-vigilante secret police unit, while Matt Murdock grappled with the law’s effectiveness amid unfathomable judicial corruption. That run concluded with the Marvel Comics crossover Devil’s Reign, which pitted Daredevil and several of his heroic allies against Kingpin and his forces; after Fisk won the mayoral race in Born Again’s first season, many thought the MCU was heading toward some kind of Devil’s Reign adaptation—though the initial trailer for Spider-Man: Brand New Day might have extinguished that possible plan.
Putting aside any possible Spider-Man cameos, Born Again is quickly introducing both new and returning characters—some supporting Daredevil and others aligning with The Kingpin. The season trailer teased the comeback of Krysten Ritter’s Jessica Jones, a door that could open to the return of other Netflix Defenders (no word on that yet), and while a handful of other minor but recognizable faces are set to appear, there’s one enigmatic figure who’s already sparking intense fan speculation even though it’s his first MCU outing.
Warning! Spoilers ahead for Daredevil: Born Again Season 2’s premiere.
In Season 2’s premiere, Matthew Lillard makes his official MCU debut as the unshakable Mr. Charles, a fixer dispatched from Washington’s upper echelons (directly under Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine) after Daredevil targets a private freighter smuggling illegal weapons (and possibly more) under Mayor Fisk’s authority. The freighter’s sinking catches the eye of individuals far higher up the chain, who send their own operative to monitor Kingpin’s operations—cue Mr. Charles, an extraordinarily composed logistics specialist fearless of nearly everything, including the typically brutal Wilson Fisk.
Unsurprisingly, online fans have gone into detective mode to unravel the character’s secret identity, though the truth is far simpler than Mephisto or other common MCU fan theories. Mr. Charles does have a Marvel Comics equivalent, but his only appearance is non-canon: he showed up briefly as a businessman assisting the nefarious Roxxon Corporation in an issue of a special series Marvel released in collaboration with the Army and Air Force Exchange Service. To date, the character has not reappeared, either in non-canon or the main 616 Marvel Universe.
The Roxxon Corporation has popped up several times in the MCU, from Agent Carter to Captain America: Brave New World, though never in a major way. It’s conceivable that Mr. Charles is the start of a bigger storyline involving the company, but realistically, the character is likely just a name taken from his one comic appearance and repurposed as a type of enforcer, with loyalties to Washington and the political and corporate interests there.
Both Daredevil: Born Again Season 1 and the Season 2 premiere center on Wilson Fisk’s efforts to gain legitimacy being thwarted by individuals with far grander ambitions and vastly more resources than him: politicians and billionaires, the ones who truly hold the power to impose their will on the world (for good or ill, but often ill). Only time will reveal if Lillard’s Mr. Charles turns out to be a known villainous figure, but for now, it’s reasonable to say his presence embodies the show’s core true villain: corrupt, weaponized bureaucracy.
Daredevil: Born Again Season 2’s premiere is now streaming on Disney+. New episodes drop on Tuesdays.
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