Abhiroop Das
Created by Matt Corman, Chris Ord, and Dario Scardapane, Disney+’s ‘Daredevil: Born Again’ returns with its second season to push every character to their limits, especially when it comes to their morality. This holds especially true when we look into Daniel Blake, the Deputy Mayor for Communications under Fisk’s leadership. Though he enjoys considerable power in this new regime, a part of his conscience keeps pulling at him. Before long, Daniel befriends BB Urich, a journalist who intends to reveal the truth about Fisk, and the two of them strike an unusual dynamic.
Though there is always a sense of paranoia about whether the friendship is transactional for both parties, Daniel soon begins to fall for her, not realizing that BB is actually leaking information she gets from him. Things get to a head in season 2 episode 7, titled ‘The Hateful Darkness’, where Daniel has to make the proverbial choice between right and wrong. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Daniel Sacrifices His Life to Save BB From Buck
Daniel is killed by Buck at the end of ‘Daredevil: Born Again’ season 2 episode 7, after a brutal showdown that tests both characters’ resolve. Though Daniel is ordered to bring BB in, a part of him knows that she will almost certainly be killed by Fisk and his team. As such, he decides to let her escape at the last moment, and instead goes up to meet Buck all alone, possibly knowing that this will be the last thing he does. While Buck, exasperated at first, believes that he can simply beat the information out of Daniel, that proves to be almost impossible. In the end, even threatening him with a bullet to the head doesn’t do the trick, and, though reluctantly, Buck pulls the trigger, ending this chapter for good.
The reason Buck never quite understands why Daniel went the extra mile for BB is because of his emotional detachment from the rest of the world. Though that makes him a perfect tool in Fisk’s arsenal, it’s also what makes him so different from Daniel, someone he saw as his prodigy. Fittingly enough, when Buck pulls the gun to Daniel’s face, the latter remarks that before long, it might just be Buck who will be on the other end, as that is how Fisk’s malicious cycle perpetuates. We have already seen Buck’s outer shell crack with Heather, but still, it might be a long while before Buck realizes his mistake. For now, however, he has to live with the killing of Daniel, someone who embodied the idea of a hero without needing a cape.
Michael Gandolfini is Satisfied With His Send-off From the Daredevil Universe
Daniel’s death means that actor Michael Gandolfini’s journey with ‘Daredevil: Born Again’ has most likely come to an end. Surprisingly, it wasn’t always the creators’ plan for things to end this way, as Michael told TV Insider about an alternate ending where Daniel lives. He even filmed a few scenes for the next episode, but after that, the question of Daniel’s next step as a character became progressively difficult to answer. Michael recalled, “There was this weird thing of like, ‘OK, he had this great run, this great arc, what’s next?’ I don’t think there’s really anywhere for him.”
After pondering over Daniel’s future, the show’s creators told Michael about their decision to kill off the character, and he agreed that it was the right thing to do. “It just felt so right. It felt so freeing, and I remember saying, “Hey, if I didn’t think it was right, I’d fight it,” Michael said in his interview. Following the decision, the ending of episode 7 wasn’t actually re-filmed, but was digitally touched up with a gunshot flare and some blood. Michael expressed happiness with the trust that was put in him as an artist and felt lucky that his character got to go on a real journey with a tragic, but memorable conclusion.
The buildup to Daniel’s death is just as important for Michael as the actual scene itself, as therein lies the crux of what he’s conveying as an actor. Reflecting on Daniel’s mindset with regard to his final choice, Michael opined, “I don’t think he knows the severity of the consequences. There’s no way in any world he thinks he’s going to die.” However, what compels him to make the choice is the trauma of having buried a body with Buck in previous episodes. “I think he just doesn’t want to live with another bad omen on his shoulder. He doesn’t want to know that he got her (BB) killed.” Michael explained. While he may be bidding farewell to the ‘Daredevil’ universe, his role remains as integral to the show as ever.
Read More: Where is Frank Castle AKA The Punisher? Why Did Jon Bernthal Leave Daredevil Born Again Season 2?
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