Daredevil: Born Again has a surprising political undercurrent. It’s never been stronger than in episode 6.
Warning: This article contains spoilers for all available episodes of Daredevil: Born Again.
From its very first episode, Daredevil: Born Again introduced us to a new Wilson Fisk (Vincent D’Onofrio). He wasn’t just a crime lord anymore, now he’s an officially elected politician. Does he have much experience in politics? No, not really, but he is an excellent businessman, which apparently counts for something in the modern world..
Sound familiar? Showrunner Dario Scardapane, along with his writing and directing team, aren’t afraid to draw a comparison between Fisk and the current President of the United States, but episode 6 takes it to a new, chilling level.
Here come the spoilers: a masked serial killer going by the name Muse has been terrorising New York. The killer’s preferred method is to drain his victims’ blood and use it as paint for their artwork, including making fun of the police who have zero leads on him. By extension, he’s also making fun of Fisk, for being unable to control his city and that makes our prime antagonist very angry.
In episode 6 of Daredevil: Born Again, Mayor Fisk thus forms an Anti-Vigilante Task Force, composed of the most brutal police officers in the force, and gives them complete control and freedom to do whatever they think is necessary. In fact, Fisk specifically asks for “every bad apple in the barrel” for his new task force. This new team is allowed to work (and is compensated for) overtime. On top of being allowed to use excessive force, they won’t be wearing body cameras, either.
In February 2025, Donald Trump shut down a database that documented misconduct, including excessive force, among police officers. The database was initially his proposition, and the Biden administration brought it online in 2023. It was largely celebrated as a move to bring more accountability into the police force across the country.
Daredevil: Born Again episode 6 isn’t the first time the show is drawing a very blatant comparison between Fisk and the newly elected US President. Just like Trump, Fisk is a convicted criminal who still had no trouble rising to formal, political power. Fisk’s campaign slogan was “Fisk will fix it” with people chanting it on the streets while wearing a hat with the words. Fisk also had plans to disrupt the work of unions, something Trump has also been accused of.
Read more: Daredevil: Born Again episode 1 is Marvel at its most brutal – and all the better for it
But more than anything, both strongly believe they’re the good guys in this narrative. Fisk is guided by a sense of false justice, maintaining this idea that he’s guiding the city to a better future by eliminating vigilantes, but he’s unable to see the harm he is doing and the effect it’s having on innocent people. He rules with violence and brutality rather than fairness and honesty. Fisk wants to “fix” New York, just like Trump wants to make his country “great again”.
Both politicians have appealing campaign slogans and promises that appeal to their demographic. They offer a new future for the people voting for them, promising to fight for what is right. Daredevil: Born Again, a fictional comic-book show, is able to go to great lengths in showing the ramifications of that. Appreciating the new season of the show was written and produced before the last few months played out, it’s nonetheless eerie, and there’s a question mark too whether it offers much in the way of escapism from the current world.
It’s not going to be alone there. The current American political situation will, inevitably, be threaded through pop culture for years, maybe decades to come. It’s just a little chilling how accurately Daredevil: Born Again has managed to predict it.
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Daredevil: Born Again episodes 1-6 are now streaming on Disney+.
