While we once knew that Daredevil: Born Again was expected to premiere sometime in early 2024, that no longer appears to be the case, and not just because of the writers and actors strikes indefinitely delaying production. Word’s come in that Born Again is going through a major creative overhaul that, among other things, has resulted in the writers and directors being let go, and Marvel Studios now forming a new creative team. Though some footage from the episodes that were shot will supposedly be retained in the final product, Born Again is now set to be much different than what was originally envisioned, and I’m hoping this means that it’s more likely the upcoming Marvel TV show will bring back Karen Page and Foggy Nelson.
Karen and Foggy have been important characters in the Daredevil mythology since the beginning, while the 2003 Daredevil movie didn’t give them much screen time, Netflix’s Daredevil series wisely positioned them as major players, who were respectively played by Deborah Ann Woll and Elden Henson. In fact, both actors reprised their roles in The Defenders miniseries and a few of Marvel’s other Netflix era shows. And yet, as you’ll see looking over the Daredevil: Born Again cast list, Woll and Henson are nowhere to be found. The only confirmed familiar faces back are Charlie Cox’s Matt Murdock (duh), Vincent D’Onofrio’s Kingpin and Jon Bernthal’s Punisher.
Born Again’s lack of Karen Page and Foggy Nelson has never been officially addressed, and based off various rumors and reports, it seems like there was never any plan to even feature them in recurring or guest starring capacities. Specifically, scooper @CanWeGetSomeToast claims that in the original iteration off the show, Matt retired from being Daredevil after failing to save Foggy from being killed, and in a separate tweet, they say Karen was never even mentioned, which sounds bizarre.
Now that Daredevil: Born Again is going through these behind-the-scenes changes though, hopefully the lack of Foggy and Karen can be rectified, although I wouldn’t necessarily put money on it. @CanWeGetSomeToast later speculated that Foggy’s death will be among the plot points that’s kept in the new version, assuming the first four episodes are left “intact.” Still, I hope this doesn’t end up being true because Foggy and Karen deserve better than to be sidelined or not mentioned at all.
I’m not saying everyone reading this needs to be a fan of Elden Henson’s Foggy and/or Deborah Ann Woll’s Karen, but these characters are too integral to not to be included in Daredevil: Born Again, regardless of if this show is directly tied to Netflix’s Daredevil or exists in a separate continuity. They’re crucial to grounding Matt and keeping him in a more mentally healthy place. But even if Born Again’s story necessitates that Matt Murdock be surrounded by primarily new faces, that’s no reason why these two can’t pop their heads in briefly, whether it be in the present day or flashbacks.
I should note that in Foggy’s case especially, could the writing team really not think of anything better to do than kill him off? The only way I’d be ok with that is if it turned out that his death was faked in a way that deceived even Matt, but he eventually learns the truth and reunites with his best friend… but I digress. The point is, having a Daredevil show without Karen and Foggy would be like having a Batman show without Alfred Pennyworth and Commissioner James Gordon. It’s doable, but a weird choice. Obviously the main people are tuning in is to watch Daredevil battle bad guys, but when it comes to humanizing elements in a story centered on the Man Without Fear, it doesn’t get much better than Karen and Foggy.
My fingers are crossed that the new creative talent behind Daredevil: Born Again find a way to squeeze them directly into the new story, even if they don’t end up being leading characters. If that happens, count on CinemaBlend to let you know about as part of our ongoing MCU coverage. Also, remember whenever Born Again does arrive, it will be streaming directly to Disney+ subscribers.