Daredevil: Born Again Season 2's Shocking Death Originally Had A Happier Ending

Warning: This article contains major spoilers for "Daredevil: Born Again" Season 2, Episode 7, "The Hateful Darkness."

Out of the entire cast of supporting characters in "Daredevil: Born Again," did anyone ever anticipate Michael Gandolfini's Daniel Blake to be the one to undergo one of the most moving and tragic arcs of all? Introduced in Season 1 as a low-level employee of the Fisk Administration, drawn in by the bright lights and spectacle of being in Wilson Fisk's (Vincent D'Onofrio) orbit, Blake only sank deeper and deeper into the criminal pit in the revival show's second season, even as it gave us gems like Daniel and handler/fixer Buck Cashman (Arty Froushan) sharing a passion for sandwiches in the midst of all the doom and gloom. Alas, that spark of lighthearted fun was snuffed out for good in the latest episode, titled "The Hateful Darkness," as Buck murdered his colleague in cold blood.

As shocking and heartbreaking as that was, however, that wasn't the original plan for Season 2 of "Born Again." In fact, Daniel wasn't meant to die at all. Prior to the release of this episode, showrunner Dario Scardapane spoke to several outlets (Variety among them) and confirmed that the version they initially filmed turned out to be quite different from the final cut. Apparently, everything played out much the same in the original conception of the season: Buck meets with Daniel, violently interrogates him over the whereabouts of pesky journalist BB Urich (Genneya Walton), and finally draws his gun ... except that he didn't pull the trigger, simply allowing Daniel to run away.

According to Scardapane, they changed their minds once they realized that going down this road felt "so wrong" and left them with the impression that it didn't "feel like the story was earned."

This is why you don't get entangled with corrupt politicians who have a tendency to murder close associates the moment they step out of line, kids! Unfortunately, Daniel Blake learned this hard lesson a little too late, even as he ended up redeeming himself and protecting his best friend BB Urich from suffering a similar fate. All those unmistakable "The Sopranos" parallels built to a crescendo with the penultimate Episode 7, as "Daredevil: Born Again" committed to its own darker-edged tone and had Daniel pay the price for his actions.

Not that this was always the plan, of course. Showrunner Dario Scardapane further described why their rather strained attempt to keep Daniel in the picture ultimately felt, in his words, "kind of meh and a non-story." Originally, they filmed more scenes involving Daniel after this fateful moment. But, as Scardapane explained:

"Sometimes the arc is built in and you're extending it a little too far. Like, wait a second. [Daniel] and Buck, in their twisted friendship, both had to be true to who they were. That's the last moment because everything [originally filmed] afterwards seemed kind of like a weird, lame coda that didn't pay off."

So how does one kill off a living and breathing character in post-production, long after filming completed? By adding a gunshot with some clever editing and visual effects, of course. As Scardapane tells it, "In the editing room, we're like, 'We should try this.' They mocked it up really fast, and you could have heard a pin drop in the editing room after that — like it is at the end of the episode."

Credit to both the cast and crew of "Daredevil: Born Again" for having the wherewithal to put their personal feelings to the side and do what best served the story. Still, simply coming to the realization to kill off Daniel Blake was one thing. Actually having to break the bad news to Michael Gandolfini was another matter entirely. But when Dario Scardapane called up his young actor to deliver the message, however, the actor was fully on board with this decision. In fact, it sounds like he arrived at a similar conclusion long before his showrunner ever did. I'll let Scardapane tell the story:

"I was like, 'Dude, I've got the worst news.' And [Michael Gandolfini's] like, 'I know exactly what you're gonna say, and it's the right choice.' He felt in that moment that there's no way [Daniel's] getting out of that apartment. It was funny because there were scenes shot of him after that moment, and it really feels like we're telling the wrong story here. I think it's a testament to how much we all love him, that we knew this character probably should not survive but we just couldn't bring ourselves to do it."

When writers talk about killing their darlings, this is the most literal example of that. Daniel may not have lived his life abiding by the ideals that BB Urich so steadfastly represented, but he came through when it mattered most. Rest in peace, you wannabe mobster. As much as Charlie Cox's Daredevil and Vincent D'Onofrio's Kingpin took center stage, the short-lived saga of Daniel Blake proved to be an unexpected highlight. The Season 2 finale of "Daredevil: Born Again" streams on Disney+ on Tuesday, May 5, 2026.