Daredevil: Born Again Episode 4 Has A Callback To Marvel's Worst Disney+ Series

Warning: This article contains major spoilers for the latest episode of "Daredevil: Born Again."

If there was still any remaining doubt over whether "Daredevil: Born Again" takes place within the familiar confines of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, well, there shouldn't be. There's the main title, after all, which alludes to both a popular comic book series run and the fact that the Netflix series has been "reborn" into the rest of the MCU. Of course, the first two episodes also included multiple references to the overall franchise that established a shared continuity with Marvel characters such as Joe Bernthal's Punisher (duh), Tom Holland's Peter Parker/Spider-Man, and Chris Evans' Steve Rogers. Now, however, the series has gone even further by directly addressing one of the more forgotten aspects of the wider universe — and it involves, by far, the worst Disney+ series we've had the misfortune of watching.

Let's get a show of hands: Who out there predicted that "Daredevil: Born Again" would include a shoutout to the alien race known as the Skrulls and, in the process, remind us all of the lowest-rated MCU project ever with "Secret Invasion"? Yeah, that would be precisely none of you. In an episode otherwise largely preoccupied by the villainous doings of the newly-elected Mayor Wilson Fisk (Vincent D'Onofrio) and Matt Murdock's (Charlie Cox) attempts to find justice for the murdered Hector Ayala (the late Kamar de los Reyes), one subplot features Matt learning a tough lesson about the US prison industrial complex.

While dealing with a pro bono case, Matt finds himself dealing with a small-time repeat offender who's been caught red-handed stealing from a convenience store. At the utter end of his rope, he tosses out a Hail Mary that essentially amounts to a "My dog ate my homework" excuse: "Could it have been a Skrull?" While the line (and Matt's deadpan reply of "Nope!") is hilarious, it's worth noting this rare instance of Marvel actually acknowledging another Disney+ series that crashed and burned upon release.

While the main headlines from episode 4 of "Daredevil: Born Again" will revolve around the return of the Punisher, let's not let this "Secret Invasion" tie-in fall by the wayside. Yes, the Skrulls laugh line is little more than a throwaway reference, marking Marvel's first real admission that the disastrous Disney+ series actually happened and (ostensibly) changed the entire landscape of the MCU. But it's telling that even this comes amid a much heavier and more serious subplot about a very pertinent real-world issue.

The introduction of Leroy Bradford (Charlie Hudson III) as a man caught stealing an incredibly minor item of caramel corn initially plays out like something out of Matt's worst nightmare as a pro bono defense attorney. At first, Leroy seems completely unable to comprehend that his actions have consequences and that he was caught dead to rights (Skrull-imposter possibility aside). But as his frustrations grow and Matt is unable to meet his sky-high expectations to get him off these charges with little more than a slap on the wrist, the real gut punch arrives. In a heartbreaking moment, Leroy angrily points out that the system is willing to punish him over a minor offense with jailtime — far more expensive to taxpayers, of course, than simply paying for him to be properly fed in the first place. If dropping a "Secret Invasion" reference out of nowhere (but, admittedly, to great effect) feels a little out of character for such a grounded series, then tackling an issue as relevant as the injustices of the prison system is much more up its speed.

There are no easy answers here, but it's admirable that "Born Again" showrunner Dario Scardapane, episode writers David Feige and Jesse Wigutow, and director Jeffrey Nachmanoff even go there in the first place.

So what about those pesky Skrulls, you ask? It's actually kind of hilarious that Leroy raises a fairly reasonable point. At any given moment, Skrulls technically could be impersonating anyone on Earth in the MCU. The last episode of "Secret Invasion" concluded with the shapeshifting refugees still quietly coexisting with humanity on our planet, though public panic over their presence has caused everyday citizens to turn into vigilantes who basically murder any politician they even remotely suspect of being a Skrull. (You'd think such a major development would be begging to be followed up on at any point since then, and you'd be wrong!) Granted, it's equally as ludicrous that any self-respecting Skrull would take time out of their busy schedule to impersonate Leroy, of all people, and only in order to steal some caramel corn while setting the real Leroy to take the fall somehow ... but we respect Leroy's hustle in trying to get Matt to bite on this, nevertheless.

Continuity questions aside, "Daredevil: Born Again" probably deals with the "Secret Invasion" mess as well as it possibly could. The events of that show truly happened, this episode slyly admits, but perhaps the ramifications of all that were slightly overblown if everyday New Yorkers don't even give the Skrull invasion a second thought anymore. Wilson Fisk is in the Mayor's office, an artistic serial killer is on the loose, and the Punisher is back — there are bigger concerns to worry about than green aliens, folks.

New episodes of "Daredevil: Born Again" stream on Disney+ every Tuesday.