Old School. Biblically Independent.
By Mike Redmond | TV | May 6, 2026
WARNING: Spoilers for Daredevil: Born Again Season 2 below.
I won’t waste everyone’s time rehashing the events of Daredevil: Born Again Season 2 finale. Was it the strongest episode of the entire season? Absolutely. Is that saying much after treading water for the entire back half? Well…
Look, the Kingpin murderpalooza was clearly a highlight until it wasn’t. How the heck was that exile deal still on the table after he smashed in 100 faces? How the heck was Matt on board with that deal? And not just on board, but practically professing his love for Fisk to get him to take it? At the end of the day, I know this is a comic book show, and trust me, this was a very comic book ending, but that didn’t make it less baffling to watch in live-action. But I’m not here to talk about that. (Will I have dorky thoughts on what all of this means for Spider-Man: Brand New Day? Most likely, but I’m keeping my powder for dry for after The Punisher special next week.)
My biggest gripe is the complete squandering of Mr. Charles. The Season 2 premiere saw Matthew Lillard walk away with the entire episode thanks to being an actual threat to Wilson Fisk. He was playfully menacing in all the right ways and seem to hold all the cards thanks to his connection to Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ shady Nick Fury replacement if you have a life and don’t know who that is.
Mr. Charles offered a world of compelling opportunities, so naturally, he was sidelined almost immediately. Lillard practically vanished until he showed up in a warehouse, and his two goons were easily outgunned by Buck (Arty Froushan). That was literally the end of that. He spent the rest of the season completely neutered, popping up only briefly to deliver exposition about Fisk trying to kill the governor and the whereabouts of Luke Cage (Mike Colter).
By his last scene, and sole appearance in the finale, Charles is fully reduced to just another jokey MCU character as he giggles about his frequent flyer rewards while Bullseye (Wilson Bethel) sits next to him. The assassin is now Luke’s replacement, and I guess that’s supposed to mean something? The whole thing is somehow more pointless than making Heather (Margarita Levieva) the new Muse, and that’s no easy feat! This took skill.
