Daredevil: Born Again Season 2 just revealed a Thunderbolts* easter egg that may have bigger implications than one would expect. The Disney+ series' showrunner previously explained that other MCU projects mostly won't influence Born Again, although he hinted that its street-level heroes can take "little vacations" elsewhere in the franchise.
Daredevil: Born Again's teaser trailer was hiding a major connection to Thunderbolts* that fans all missed. The link appears in a warehouse seemingly operated by Wilson Fisk's Anti-Vigilante Task Force (perhaps the Red Hook Port facility from Season 1), where Krysten Ritter's Jessica Jones takes on his officers.
A closer inspection of one of the shipping crates in the background reveals the O.X.E. logo, the high-tech, shadowy organization operated by Julia Louis-Dreyfus' Valentina Allegra de Fontaine while she was also in office as CIA director.
Thunderbolts* wasn't exactly clear what O.X.E. does; beyond that, it was carrying out covert, privately funded black ops and shady scientific research (likely to further its militaristic operations), including the development of the Sentry.
Born Again has subtly confirmed that Vincent D'Onofrio and Julia Louis-Dreyfus' New York-based MCU supervillains are in cahoots to some degree, as fans have been speculating for almost five years since Disney+'s Hawkeye.
There's no denying that there are interesting implications of Fisk buying the AVTF's weapons and technology from Valentina and O.X.E, even if it seems unlikely that they will be addressed in a meaningful way in the immediate future.
Hawkeye already hinted at a major link between Kingpin and Valentina, as it confirmed that Kate Bishop's mother, Eleanor (who was working for Wilson Fisk), hired Florence Pugh's Yelena Belova to kill Jeremy Renner's Clint Barton. As the former Black Widow was working under Valentina at the time, the crime lord may have played a role in networking Bishop with the O.X.E. boss to arrange the hit.
Vincent D'Onofrio's Wilson Fisk will soon be seen again when Daredevil: Born Again returns for Season 2 on March 24. The Disney+ series has already been renewed for Season 3 and could go beyond that, perhaps leaving the door open to Julia Louis-Dreyfus' Valentina even appearing in a future storyline.
How Valentina & Thunderbolts Could Impact Daredevil: Born Again
Ahead of Daredevil: Born Again Season 2, Wilson Fisk is in office as New York City's mayor, and Valentina Allegra de Fontaine is still Director of the CIA. As two shady political figures operating out of the Big Apple, it makes sense they would be connected, although Hawkeye indicated their history goes back further than that.
Marvel Studios seems to be setting up O.X.E. to be a major corporate figure in the MCU's future, especially as they are the financial backer for the New Avengers going into their roles in Avengers: Doomsday and Secret Wars.
Fans already know going into Born Again's sophomore outing that Fisk is on a crusade to shut down vigilante activity in New York. One has to wonder where he stands on more regulated and managed heroes, such as the New Avengers, especially if they are working under/beside an ally of his.
It should be noted that Born Again's first season took place before Thunderbolts*, as confirmed by the MCU's official timeline order. As Season 2 will officially only skip forward six months, the event of Thunderbolts*, including O.X.E.'s successful creation of the Sentry, may not have yet taken place or, at most, be very recent.
If Born Again Season 2 does become the most recent entry on the MCU timeline by landing after Thunderbolts* and Wonder Man, it would be interesting to see Fisk address the Void incident that plagued New York in the 2025 blockbuster.
Most expect Fisk to be dethroned from his mayoral role, or at least have his anti-vigilante agenda reined in, after Season 2. If he returns to his criminal days, it would be interesting to see what schemes he could form with Valentina, who may be desperately eager to crawl out from under the thumb of the New Avengers.
