How ‘Echo’ Sets Up ‘Daredevil Born Again’

Editor’s Note: The following contains spoilers for Marvel’s Echo.

The Big Picture

• Wilson Fisk’s storyline in Echo potentially sets up a redemption arc for the character.
• Fisk’s next plan may involve becoming the mayor of New York City, gaining even more power and influence.
• Echo confirms that the Netflix series Daredevil is part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe canon and serves as a sequel to the original series.

With the binge release of Marvel’s Echo now concluded, it’s high time Wilson Fisk (Vincent D’Onofrio) returns to his favorite city to continue his work in Daredevil: Born Again. Now more commonly known by his infamous title of The Kingpin, Fisk’s legacy as one of the greatest villains in the Marvel Cinematic Universe continues with Echo, with the Hawkeye spin-off making the character even more vulnerable and relatable than before (even though he still is a homicidal maniac with a god complex). The encounters he has with his surrogate niece, Maya Lopez (Alaqua Cox), leave Fisk changed potentially forever, but that still isn’t gonna stop him from inevitably crossing paths with his arch-nemesis Daredevil (Charlie Cox) again.

With Echo‘s mid-credits scene, we get just a taste of what Wilson Fisk may be getting up to in the upcoming Daredevil: Born Again. If this tease is to be believed, then Fisk is set to gain even more power and influence in the New York area with an all-new dastardly plan: A plan that Matt Murdock and his companions will no doubt have to put a stop to.

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Kingpin May Become “Mayor Fisk” in ‘Daredevil: Born Again’

Many may have been expecting a big fisticuff battle between Maya and Fisk at the end of Echo, but that’s not exactly what happens. After Maya uses her newfound powers to dispose of Kingpin’s goons, she then uses those abilities to enter Fisk’s mind. Once she does, we see brief flashes of sequences that should look familiar to fans of Netflix’s Daredevil. Maya forces Fisk to remember the traumatic days of his youth, primarily his abusive father. Though Maya has every reason to hate Fisk, given how he killed her father and threatened to kill the rest of her family, Maya defeats Fisk with a surprising method. Instead of taking the opportunity to destroy Fisk’s mind, she tries to help him heal it, encouraging him to let go of his pain and forge a new path. The experience leaves Fisk confused and baffled by what just happened, but Maya still lets him flee.

The ordeal with Maya certainly raises questions about where Fisk’s story will go next. If Maya really did try to show Fisk a better way to live his life, then perhaps this sets up a potential redemption arc for a character long thought to be irredeemable. Though the seeds of redemption may have been planted, it appears that Fisk still isn’t out of his criminal ways yet, as in the show’s mid-credits scene, Fisk asks his assistant to assemble the heads of the criminal elite so they can hold a meeting. It’s in the same sequence that we get a hint of what the Kingpin’s next plan may consist of when he returns home.

While watching a newscast, presumably from New York City, Fisk witnesses the two presenters discussing how the upcoming mayoral election will be unusual. They both seem to agree that the voters of New York City want someone who is not a traditional candidate, with one of them even comparing the ideal mayor as someone willing to get their hands dirty. Likely thinking that these descriptions fit him to a tee, Fisk pays close attention to the newcast as all manner of nefarious ideas enter his head. The idea of Wilson Fisk becoming the mayor of New York City would give him even more power and influence than he already has, making it a perfect overarching plot for Daredevil: Born Again.

‘Echo’ Seems to Confirm That Netflix’s ‘Daredevil’ Is MCU Canon

At its core, Echo is very much a show about Maya Lopez becoming a tried and true superhero more than anything else. Still, the series is intrinsically connected to Kingpin and Daredevil’s characters. Despite both Vincent D’Onofrio and Charlie Cox reprising their roles from the beloved Netflix series in Hawkeye, Spider-Man: No Way Home, and She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, the question of whether or not these are the same characters we know from the original series or are just being portrayed by the same actors has been up in the air for a while. Echo seemingly put those questions to rest, with the series subtly calling back to the prior events of the Netflix continuity.

The first is a very basic one of Daredevil’s second costume resurfacing, with the Hell’s Kitchen vigilante wearing it during his cameo in Echo‘s first episode. As far as we know, Daredevil’s current look was showcased in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, with him now sporting a red and yellow suit reminiscent of his classic comic appearance. Daredevil may don his more established look again for Daredevil: Born Again, as he has shaken up his uniform a bit in the past.

The more explicit connection to Netflix’s Daredevil comes in through the references to Kingpin’s past — namely, the critical event where Wilson Fisk killed his abusive father as well as how he killed him. An infamous moment from the dark and gritty Netflix series sees an adolescent Wilson Fisk beat his father to death with a hammer after he continued to abuse Fisk’s mother. Wilson shares this exact story with Maya and even reveals that he has that same hammer in his possession all these years later, serving as a cold reminder of the day he became the Kingpin.

These revelations prime Daredevil: Born Again as a possible sequel series to Netflix’s Daredevil rather than the complete reboot that was previously reported. It also opens the door to the return of several fan-favorite characters from the original series, such as the much-requested resurgence of Matt Murdock’s companions, Karen Page (Deborah Ann Woll) and Foggy Nelson (Elden Henson). Not to mention, Season 3 of Daredevil set up several plot threads yet to be resolved, such as the official transition of Benjamin “Dex” Poindexter (Wilson Bethel) into the ruthless assassin Bullseye. Bringing back these characters now makes more sense than ever, especially since Jon Bernthal is already confirmed to be reprising his role as the Punisher in Daredevil: Born Again.

Echo is streaming now on Disney+. Daredevil: Born Again was initially set to release in the Spring of 2024 but will likely be delayed following the show’s new creative overhaul.

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