Warning: This article contains spoilers for Daredevil: Born Again episode 1, "Heaven's Half Hour."

Several brilliant Marvel Television characters returned in episodes of Daredevil: Born Again, and could be Marvel's biggest risk.

Alongside Charlie Cox and Vincent D'Onofrio, who have returned in Daredevil season 3's themes and ending meant one fan-favorite ing character was doomed, and that's a hard pill to swallow.

Daredevil: Born Again Has A Major Character Death In The First 13 Minutes

Daredevil: Born Again's Opening Is Seriously Intense

Seven years since Daredevil was canceled, it was brilliant to see Cox's Matt Murdock, Woll's Karen Page and Henson's Franklin "Foggy" Nelson back together in the MCU. However, our happy reunion with the trio was short-lived, as, while celebrating the retirement of associate Cherry at Josie's bar, the group are attacked by a vengeful Benjamin Poindexter, with Bethel reprising his role of Bullseye. Poindexter murders eleven innocent people during his fight with Daredevil, and one of these innocent bystanders is Foggy Nelson.

Benjamin Poindexter has a vendetta against Matt Murdock after the events of Daredevil season 3, which saw the former FBI agent's life unraveled in the midst of Kingpin's war with the Devil of Hell's Kitchen. Daredevil ended with Poindexter's back being broken, but subsequently being reinforced with metal, which allows him to survive being thrown off the roof in Daredevil: Born Again's premiere after Foggy Nelson dies in Karen Page's arms. This long-take scene is shocking, visceral and heated, and features the catastrophe that will drive Daredevil through the rest of the series.

I Can't Believe Daredevil: Born Again Killed Off Foggy Nelson!

Foggy Nelson Is One Of Daredevil's Most Important Allies

Even though it had been heavily theorized prior to Daredevil: Born Again's premiere, it was still a huge shock for us to witness Foggy Nelson's death in the MCU. Foggy is one of, if not the most important ing characters of Daredevil in Marvel Comics and in his live-action history, as he is not only Matt Murdock's business partner and best friend, but also a staunch ally and confidant to Daredevil. Elden Henson, additionally, was inspired casting for the role, as he played opposite Charlie Cox beautifully, so it's incredibly sad to see him removed from Born Again so early.

First introduced to Marvel Comics in 1964's Daredevil #1, Foggy Nelson is Matt Murdock's oldest and most notable ally, and this was translated perfectly into Netflix's Daredevil series. Some of the series' most memorable moments involved Foggy Nelson, particularly after season 1, episode 10, "Nelson v. Murdock," in which Foggy learned of Matt Murdock's vigilante alter ego. It's hard to imagine Marvel Studios exploring more Daredevil stories without Foggy Nelson, and while it seems his death was always intended, Marvel might still have an opportunity to redeem it.

Marvel's Plan For Daredevil: Born Again Was Always For Foggy To Die

Foggy Nelson Originally Died Off-Screen Before Born Again's Creative Overhaul

Both Deborah Ann Woll and Elden Henson were not involved in the original plans for Daredevil: Born Again, and they were only confirmed to be reprising their roles of Karen Page and Foggy Nelson after the series underwent a major creative overhaul. This followed 2023's WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, which prompted Marvel to adapt its TV series production techniques and connect Born Again more closely to the original Netflix series. Even so, this didn't change the plan for Foggy Nelson very much, as showrunner Dario Scardapane revealed in an interview with Screen Rant's Liam Crowley.

It was an inevitability! Truth be told... In the original version, before I came in, [Foggy] had died, but it was off-screen, and for me, it couldn't be off-screen. You had to feel it and that's why that statement happened literally. It's like [if] you're going to kill off Foggy, it has to be the three of them [who] come back. That loss has to be felt, and that loss has to be an earthquake. That shatters Matt, [it] makes him put away the mask, [it] has a ripple effect. And again, Karen's not gone. So what is the breakup of a family after a death in the family, and what happens when they come back together?

It was not taken lightly. There was a lot of conversation about how to do it, and it was Charlie who came up with the idea of having Foggy's heartbeat in his ear the entire time. Charlie came in, we played out a whole lot of that action sequence, and we were basically boarding it, and Charlie was like, 'Well...what if? And it was like, 'Of course, yes!'

Dario Scardapane's comments confirm that Elden Henson was only asked to come back for Daredevil: Born Again so that he could be killed on-screen. The original plan would have been far more controversial and much less effective, as Foggy would have been meaninglessly killed off-screen in the gap between Daredevil season 3 and Born Again. Either way, this development is remarkably sad, and has been a blow to Marvel's audiences, the majority of whom adore Elden Henson's Foggy Nelson, so Marvel has certainly taken a massive risk by killing him off.

Daredevil: Born Again Must Justify Foggy's Death Or Marvel Risks Losing Me

Marvel Needs To Give Foggy's Death Meaning (Or Reverse It)

Killing off Foggy Nelson in the first 13 minutes of Daredevil: Born Again's premiere episode sets the tone for the rest of the series, practically manipulating the audience into feeling the pain and torment that spurs Matt Murdock to hang up the Daredevil cowl. Murdock's retirement is a huge plot point in Born Again, which makes Foggy's demise very important, but Marvel must continue to make it a significant event if audiences are expected to stay connected to the story. During Screen Rant's interview, executive producer Sana Amanat reveals that we "will continue to feel [Foggy's] presence," which is paramount.

Of course, Marvel Studios could take this in a different direction and actually reverse Foggy Nelson's death. We've seen Elektra Natchios be resurrected in the Defenders Saga already, and characters are always coming back to life in Marvel Comics, so it would make sense for fan-favorite Foggy Nelson to be brought back, too. Elden Henson has been confirmed for Daredevil: Born Again season 2, which gives us hope that Foggy Nelson will continue to play a major role in Matt Murdock's new Daredevil: Born Again narrative.

New episodes of Daredevil: Born Again release every Tuesday at 6pm PT/9pm ET on Disney+.

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