Daredevil: Born Again Removed One Of Muse's Most Terrifying Abilities

Spoilers for "Daredevil: Born Again" episode 6 follow.

Well, it took him long enough, but Marvel's most ambiguous hero, Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox), finally returned as Daredevil this week, leading to a brutal battle with Muse, the monstrous killer villain haunting "Daredevil: Born Again." After embracing his former alias with a "f*** it" attitude, the Man Without Fear confronted the mysterious murderer, and it felt like the Devil of Hell's Kitchen was dominating the fight. Swinging his billy club in the air like he didn't care, it was apparent that Matt hadn't missed a step after his hiatus from heroism. The truth is, though, that if this was his first encounter with the Muse from the comics, it might have been a very different story. 

While this Muse could land a few good hits, the version from the comic books is far more lethal and possesses significant superhuman enhancements. Debuting in 2016, Muse looked and killed a lot like our live-action iteration, appearing on Daredevil's radar after creating a mural painted with the blood of 100 missing people, proving to be a major headache for Wilson Fisk (Vincent D'Onofrio) in his campaign for mayor. However, what gave him the extra advantage was that, unlike many of Daredevil's known adversaries, Muse was invisible to Matt's radar senses due to being an almost literal black hole of horrifying evil.

He may be an intimidating adversary for Matt Murdock in "Daredevil: Born Again," but the skill set at Muse's disposal in the comics poses a challenge for various superheroes. While very little is revealed about his background, Muse possesses impressive superhuman speed and strength, making him difficult for Matt to defeat. Let's not forget that while he can hear gunshots three blocks away or know what you had for breakfast, Daredevil is still just a man beneath that ridiculously cool costume. However, what truly places Muse above the rest is his power of imperceptibility.

This nifty little nightmare of a trick allows Muse to absorb all sensory information around him. In doing so, it not only makes for easy pickings from his victims, but it also creates an issue for our blind superhero, who must confront someone who is essentially a black void, rendering his radar sense entirely ineffective. Combine that with the already lethal cocktail of a serial killer capable of ripping people apart with his bare hands, and Muse from the comics emerges as a monster that would translate brilliantly to the screen. The only issue is that we haven't seen any of this showcased and doubt we ever will.

While one could argue that there's still time to introduce the villain's powers, it would seem odd to do so after having seen him so much until now without ever alluding to them, suggesting that this Muse is merely a man in a mask. If that's the case, it could be the show's first major misstep, reducing one of the most original and disturbing villains Daredevil has faced in the comics to just another minor issue to resolve. Admittedly, this could be because Muse isn't the show's focus and never has been. 

A danger on the outskirts of the story until now, the real draw has been the ever-engrossing rivalry between Murdock and Fisk, who have both had their own challenges to navigate. While Matt has been battling grief and guilt over Foggy (Elden Henson), Fisk has struggled to stay on the straight and narrow, with his story taking a Sopranos-esque approach in the process. Nevertheless, tensions have been building, waiting to collide once more, and that means there's no space for a murderer to be involved. For now, it seems that Muse is all filler and no killer, like fans hoped he'd be, but who knows? His superpowered tricks may still be under wraps. We'll just have to keep watching "Daredevil: Born Again" on Disney+ to see if they eventually make an appearance.