Daredevil: Born Again Episode 2's Ending Is Going To Divide Marvel Fans

Don't be afraid to let the devil out, but be aware that this article contains major spoilers for the first two episodes of "Daredevil: Born Again."

Is there a controversy brewing in the darkened hallways and grimy alleyways of Hell's Kitchen? For much of the Netflix "Daredevil" series, the Man Without Fear rarely ever seemed to actually suit up in the red-hued outfit to fight crime. Instead, we spent an overwhelming amount of time with Charlie Cox's Matt Murdock as he conducted investigations, defended various individuals in court, and otherwise did everything he could to dispense justice within the bounds of the law as the good-natured lawyer that everyone knows him to be ... by day, at least. By night, well, fans have been itching to see even more of the devil unleashed.

The "Daredevil: Born Again" premiere seemed to get off on the right foot with that chaotic opening fight sequence with Daredevil battling Wilson Bethel's Benjamin Poindexter/Bullseye, but that may have been something of a misdirect. Ever since that scene and the tragic death of Foggy Nelson (Elden Henson), showrunner Dario Scardapane ("The Punisher") has kept the action focused squarely on the inner conflict simmering within Matt Murdock. Of course, fans remember when he officially retired from the Daredevil persona the last time, particularly in the early episodes of "Daredevil" season 3. This time around, Matt spends the majority of episodes 1 and 2 of "Born Again" trying to let the system work the way it ought to without the help of the destructive vigilante he's devoted his life to becoming.

Matt's newfound approach to life seems to work, that is, until the final moments of episode 2 force Matt to let the devil out in a genuine life-or-death situation. Intriguingly, however, this doesn't play out as some triumphal narrative beat, like Christian Bale's exiled Bruce Wayne returning to Gotham City in the final act of "The Dark Knight Rises." Instead, Matt himself seems utterly despairing that he's had to resort to violence once more as he undoes all the personal progress he's made to this point. Something tells us that half of the fanbase may mistake this as a fist-pumping moment when, in the context of the season so far, it's anything but.

"Daredevil: Born Again" is quickly turning into a season that's all about the vigilante question. Does the mask allow costumed crimefighters to indulge their darkest urges that otherwise never would've seen the light of day, or does it give them permission to become exactly who they really are underneath? Matt Murdock has been wrestling with this question since the earliest moments of "Daredevil" season 1 and, almost a decade later (in real time, at least), he's still no closer to the answer than he was before.

Few scenes capture that quite as brutally as the ending of episode 2 of "Born Again." While defending Hector Ayala (Kamar de los Reyes) in court after a Good Samaritan act gone horrible awry, Matt realizes that the NYPD will do anything to cover up their wrongdoing — up to and including murdering the key witness, Nicky Torres, who could testify that Ayala was in the right all along. Narrowly beating the cops to Torres' apartment, Matt manages to get him to safety. Corrupt cops soon burst through the door anyway and, when it becomes clear that they're willing to cross the line and murder an innocent attorney, Matt's faced with an impossible choice that leads to as brutal a fight as any in the original Netflix series. Now, if only he hadn't just convinced himself to set aside his violent ways to atone for his inability to save the late Foggy. Between Cox's crazed eyes and the primal scream he lets out right before we smash to credits, it's abundantly clear that reverting back to his Daredevil ways is the last thing Matt wants to be doing. But, sometimes, trusting an inherently flawed system simply isn't enough. Maybe this dark, irredeemable world needs the Devil of Hell's Kitchen.

Will fans who've been starved for any Daredevil-related action end up sharing Matt's profound hopelessness, or will they be too busy gawking at the violence and gore on display to care? The phrase "media literacy" gets thrown around online circles a lot, but this feels like a case where exercising a little critical thought to understand whether the series itself is celebrating this turn of events or not (spoiler: it's not) could go a long way. We'll see how future episodes of "Daredevil: Born Again" deal with this development in the weeks ahead.