Warning: This article contains major spoilers for Daredevil: Born Again season 1, episode 9.
Daredevil: Born Againseason 1’s ending just got its own version of arguably the most intense death in the originalDaredevilMarvel show, and made its own newer version feel even worse. Theending ofDaredevil: Born Againseason 1had a lot of jobs as the first finale ofthe MCU show, needing to tie up several different stories while also leaving things in a place whereDaredevil: Born Again season 2 could still have stakes. WithDaredevil: Born Againseason 1, episode 8’sRotten Tomatoes scorecurrently sitting at 100%, it’s safe to say expectations were high.
However, the season 1 finale holds up well, and builds on the history of the episodes before andthe original Defenders showitself with its approach to many of its arcs and characters - most crucially showing some real turning points for both Daredevil himself and his years-long nemesis Kingpin. These turning points include Kingpin carrying out one particularly awful murder, which mirrors a standout moment inDaredevilseason 1, and even ups the ante compared to it in more than one way.
Daredevil- like many of the other Marvel shows that originally aired on Netflix - had no qualms about depicting the kind of intense violence that is characteristic of many superhero comics, and this is reflected in its decidedly brutal fates. The death tally inDaredevilquickly falls into the tens in the first episodes of the series alone, and includes harrowing moments like someone slamming their head into a metal spike to avoid being caught by Wilson Fisk, or one of Kingpin’s former allies being thrown to his death down an elevator shaft after Fisk discovers the man has betrayed him.
Of course, arguably the most brutal - and the most long-lastingly infamous subsequently - is that of Kingpin murdering Russian mafia leader Anatoly Ranskahov inDaredevilseason 1, episode 4. After a steady build-up wherein the show repeatedly suggests how ruthless Wilson Fisk can be without fully showing as much, Kingpin snaps after Anatoly appears to talk to him during one of his meals with his now-wife Vanessa. Furious,Fisk drags him out of the car he’s in with his right-hand man James Wesley, beats him ruthlessly, and repeatedly slams a car door on his head and neck until he’s decapitated.
This is a crucial part of the plot, as it incites increasing tensions among the criminal underworld, with Anatoly’s brother Vladimir immediately going on the warpath to try and avenge his lost sibling. However, it’s also so intense because it plainly displays just how barbaric Kingpin is capable of being, and the viciousness that lurks underneath his faked civility. This makes it all the more noteworthy that this brutal death is arguably one-upped inDaredevil: Born Again.
Daredevil: Born Again’s Season 1 Ending Provides A Similar Version Of The Kingpin Death But Makes It Even Worse
Daredevil: Born Againonce again places Kingpin in the position of carrying out a truly awful and personal murder on a central character to the plot - though this time, the unlucky victim is that of Commissioner Gallo. After blackmailing Gallo into remaining as Commissioner and working alongside Wilson Fisk while he acts as New York’s increasingly corrupt mayor, the Commissioner decides he can’t bear to see Kingpin continue to misuse this position, revealing to Fisk’s campaign manager, Sheila Rivera, that he intends to share Kingpin’s misdeeds with the governor and State Supreme Court, which Rivera then tells Fisk.
Reacting to this news about as well as may be expected, Mayor Fisk has one of his men bring Gallo to him, responding to Gallo’s sentiment that “you never stopped being Kingpin. You can’t.” by proving him categorically correct, first with an elbow to the throat, and then by squeezing the Commissioner’s head between his hands.Using his immense strength, Fisk is able to put enough pressure on Gallo that he dies by having his skull and jaw crushed, with parts of both coming off in Kingpin’s handsin what is, without a shadow of a doubt, one of the most shocking moments of the series.
First and foremost, this feels worse because - versusDaredevil’s somewhat more delicate cut-away choices with the car scene - we see the entire of Commissioner Gallo’s experience and reaction to what is happening, with the screen taken up by his face and cries of pain. Similarly, the fact Gallo experiences this fate as punishment for wanting to do the right thing and deal with the corruption that is overtaking New York makes his demise seem especially cruel.
Daredevil: Born Again’s Brutal Kingpin Ending Murder Is The Perfect Way To Set Up Season 2
Having Kingpin commit a particularly barbaric act on-screen just asDaredevil: Born Againseason 1 comes to a close makes particular sense given Wilson Fisk’s focal storyline throughout the season has revolved around him trying and failing to leave his criminal empire and past behind him. As much as Fisk kills Gallo out of anger at a perceived betrayal, he also kills him seemingly in such a vicious fashion because Gallo nails a weak spot by saying he doesn’t think he can stop being Kingpin, which it indeed seems is the case.
This bares fascinating parallels with Matt Murdock’s own arc as Daredevil, and the respective struggles of both characters in this part of the story, as they attempt to leave behind identities and aliases they ultimately return to before the season is over.Fisk killing Gallo in such a shocking act of brutality also reinforces the steadily escalating methods he has used to try and control those around him while being mayor, which have usually all used the language of violence, but generally leaned more towards threats in earlier chapters of the season.
All of this works to make a particularly exciting setup forDaredevil: Born Againseason 2, as the events of the first season have stoked the fires of almost every character in the story, and are sure to guarantee even more major events as the series further unfolds. WhileDaredevil: Born Againseason 2’s release is currently set for 2026, this careful and yet also explosive conclusion to the end of season 1 means audiences will no doubt wait with eager anticipation until then, thanks in part to the most heartwarming and most horrifying moments of the release thus far.
