Daredevil: Born Again is already well into production on its third season, and it's bringing back some familiar villains to cause Charlie Cox's Daredevil more trouble. The Disney+ revival series has been a hit, bringing the street-level Defenders heroes into the modern MCU after the cancelation of the Netflix shows. Daredevil: Born Again has kept some familiar villains from the Netflix era and introduced new ones, both wholly original to the show and drawn from Marvel Comics.
With filming on Daredevil: Born Again Season 3 underway, it's been officially confirmed by set photos and other reports that seven MCU villains will be appearing in the new season.
Daredevil: Born Again, like the Netflix series before it, has mostly focused on the rivalry between Daredevil and his nemesis Wilson Fisk, aka Kingpin (Vincent D'Onofrio). D'Onofrio has appeared as his infamous villain in several MCU projects outside of Daredevil, including Echo and Hawkeye.
Throughout Season 2, the war between Daredevil and Fisk reached its peak, with Daredevil ultimately defaming and defeating his opponent, forcing him out of office and into exile. Fisk was last seen on a beach somewhere unknown, but that doesn't mean he's out for the count in Daredevil: Born Again Season 3.
Set photos taken by Getty Images (and shared on X) have shown a bearded Fisk in an overcoat and beanie walking the streets of New York City. Given that Fisk's new deal means he only avoids his charges by remaining in exile, the new season will find the Kingpin in a very different situation of power, but he will seemingly still find ways to cause Daredevil problems.
Another MCU villain who isn't going anywhere is Wilson Bethel's Bullseye, who was last seen jetting off with the mysterious Mr. Charles in the Season 2 finale of Daredevil: Born Again. Bullseye seemingly takes the place of Luke Cage in Mr. Charles' regime, but it's unclear what the duo is up to in Season 3.
Bethel promised fans at SpaceCon earlier in the year that "We’ll have more Bullseye on the way" in Season 3, and set photos have confirmed that Bullseye is not just back but has been upgraded as well. Imagery of Bethel on set in New York City (shared on Reddit) shows the actor wearing a new black tactical suit with notable rings around the chest and a helmet with a bullseye insignia imprinted on the forehead, which bears similarities to Bullseye's comic-accurate look.
Someone else who is ready to step up as a threat is Heather Glenn (Margarita Levieva). Heather has been on a journey in Daredevil: Born Again, starting out as a therapist, becoming Matt Murdock's new love interest, being held hostage by Muse, then breaking up with Matt and becoming a part of Fisk's team. Throughout Season 2, Heather struggled with her PTSD from her encounter with Muse, and eventually came to embrace the villain's legacy, putting on his mask in the season finale.
Heather will be delivering on that promise in Season 3 of Daredevil: Born Again, as set photos (via X) revealed her in character as the new Lady Muse. Levieva's outfit on set showed Heather wearing a white shirt and a long black trench coat, with a beanie atop her Muse mask. Heather offers a new threat to Daredevil, serving not just as a dangerous villain but also as someone who knows Matt personally.
Matthew Lillard's Mr. Charles emerged as a background threat throughout Daredevil: Born Again Season 2, clearly pulling strings, but it wasn't always clear for whom or what he was up to. Mr. Charles had roped in Luke Cage to work for him, who is replaced by Bullseye in the season finale, suggesting he'll be back in Season 3 to oversee Bullseye's work.
Bethel shared with Brandon Davis after the Season 2 finale that he'd read the first two scripts for Season 3, and when asked whether he'd be working much with Lillard in Season 3, Bethel hinted, "he's a cool dude, he's a great guy." While Lillard has yet to be spotted on set for Daredevil: Born Again Season 3, the way Season 2 left his character, and Bethel's comments about him, suggest he'll be back.
Arty Froushan’s Buck Cashman has become a recurring villain throughout Daredevil: Born Again, serving as Wilson Fisk's right-hand man who is willing to do anything (even kill) for his boss.
In the Season 2 finale, Buck took a bullet from Bullseye that was meant for Fisk, leaving him injured and his fate unknown. However, Froushan confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter that "I’m going to be filming some of season three of Daredevil," confirming his villain will be back for at least some of the season, although it's unclear what he'll be doing now that Fisk has been exiled.
Rounding out the villains confirmed for Daredevil: Born Again Season 3 are Cole North and Connor Powell. The pair are Anti-Vigilante Task Force members: Connor is overtly corrupt and abuses his power, while Cole North, who has typically been an ally to Daredevil in the comics, is depicted as another villainous AVTF officer in the show.
Showrunner Dario Scardapane hinted on the official Daredevil: Born Again podcast that the show isn't done with either of them. "You have the redemption of Cole North, which, that's not done yet," Scardapane hinted. Brad Winderbaum pointed out in conversation with Scardapane that Matt Murdock's final resolution, which saw him thrown in jail, placed him alongside Powell and North, setting them up to return as characters in Season 3.
Daredevil: Born Again Season 2 aired its finale on May 5, and Season 3 is expected to release in 2027. The series stars Charlie Cox, Vincent D'Onofrio, Deborah Ann Woll, and Wilson Bethel.
Which Other Villains Will Appear in Daredevil: Born Again Season 3
While set photos and interviews have confirmed a few of the MCU villains that will be seen in Daredevil: Born Again Season 3, that doesn't mean they'll be the only ones.
Scardapane teased in his interview with The Direct when asked about new original villains in Season 3 that "we've got a few more people heading your way." Who they are remains to be seen, but with the confirmation that the Defenders will be reunited in Season 3, that could also mean a wider variety of villains will become involved in the show, not just Daredevil-related ones.
In the wider MCU, Spider-Man: Brand New Day (another NYC-set story) is in the midst of bringing back the Hand, the clan of ninjas who were the Defenders' main enemies in the Netflix miniseries. If Marvel Studios wants to deepen the crossover between its New York City projects, involving the Hand in Daredevil: Born Again Season 3, and potentially Elektra, could be one way to do that.
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