We waited seven years to see the Avocados at Law of Nelson, Murdock and Page back in business on Daredevil: Born Again. And we got to see the dynamic trio together — and in Josie’s bar, no less — in the opening minutes of the series premiere. But at what cost? Because — and MASSIVE spoilers past this point — Daredevil: Born Again kills Foggy Nelson (Elden Henson) in the opening moments of the series.
And yes, Franklin “Foggy” Nelson is dead. Elden Henson has exited the Marvel Cinematic Universe, just as he was brought back after playing the character on three seasons of Daredevil, The Defenders, Jessica Jones and Luke Cage. It’s an absolute heartbreaker for fans of the character and the actor, and will have reverberations throughout the first season of the series — and likely beyond.
In case you missed the episode, here’s how it went down. In the opening scene of Daredevil: Born Again, we’re back in Hell’s Kitchen. Nelson, Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox) and Karen Page (Deborah Ann Woll) have opened a joint law firm, just like they promised to do in the Daredevil Season 3 finale in 2018.
And wildest of all: they’re happy. Unlike the morose previous seasons of the series they’re laughing and having a great time at the retirement party for Cherry (Clark Johnson), an NYPD detective who is leaving the force. In the process we get to meet a bunch of supporting characters for the new series also at the party, and even discover that Foggy is celebrating early because he’s about to win a case. That’s when he gets a call from a client they call “Dumb Benny” who is in big trouble… Benjamin “Dex” Poindexter (Wilson Bethel), the psychopathic former FBI agent who dressed up as Daredevil in Season 3 of the series and has now fully embraced being the villain known as Bullseye, is attacking Benny.
Matt, of course, runs off to save the day as Daredevil… Which is when Dex reveals his real target: Foggy, who he shoots through the chest. What follows is an enormous, one-take fight scene as Daredevil battles Bullseye throughout Josie’s while Karen desperately tries to keep Foggy from bleeding to death on the sidewalk. The entire time, Daredevil is listening for Foggy’s heartbeat… And when it stops, the bereft Daredevil throws Bullseye off the roof.
Karen screams and sobs over Foggy’s body. Daredevil takes off his mask and throws it away. Bullseye does not die, but is sentenced to 11 life sentences one year later. And in the intervening time, Karen and Matt have grown apart, Matt has joined a new firm, and there are no more Avocados at Law.
Look, we’re in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and characters have come back to life before. Heck, on Daredevil, Elektra (Élodie Yung) was killed in Season 2, only to be resurrected (and then killed again) in Defenders. But unlike Elektra, or even Matt — who escaped getting crushed by a building in the crossover series — Foggy is a normal guy. That was, of course, a large part of the appeal of the character… He’s a nice, non-super-powered human in the middle of all of these wild superheroes. Henson was able to ground a scene with humor and panache, turning from over-his-head sad sack to an ace lawyer at a moment’s notice.
Now, though, Foggy Nelson is dead. And without getting into spoilers, though Elden Henson does not return to the series, his presence is felt throughout Daredevil: Born Again Season 1. The nice guy lawyer and best friend a guy like Matt Murdock could ever had is gone, but definitely not forgotten. RIP, Foggy.
Daredevil: Born Again Premiere Dates And Episode Guide:
New episodes of Daredevil: Born Again premiere on Tuesdays on Disney+ at 9pm ET / 6pm PT.
Here’s the full list of episodes in Daredevil: Born Again Season 1 with premiere dates:
- Tuesday, March 4, 2025: Daredevil: Born Again, Season 1, Episode 1
- Tuesday, March 4, 2025: Daredevil: Born Again, Season 1, Episode 2
- Tuesday, March 11, 2025: Daredevil: Born Again, Season 1, Episode 3
- Tuesday, March 18, 2025: Daredevil: Born Again, Season 1, Episode 4
- Tuesday, March 25, 2025: Daredevil: Born Again, Season 1, Episode 5
- Tuesday, March 25, 2025: Daredevil: Born Again, Season 1, Episode 6
- TBA: Daredevil: Born Again, Season 1, Episode 7
- TBA: Daredevil: Born Again, Season 1, Episode 8
- TBA: Daredevil: Born Again, Season 1, Episode 9 *Season Finale*
Where To Watch Daredevil: Born Again
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