Despite appearing in just one episode, theMCU’s Bullseye has had a huge impact on the events ofDaredevil: Born Again, making it hard to believe that he was initially going to skip out an entire season. While it isn’t technically season 4 of the original, Netflix-basedDaredevil,Daredevil: Born Againis a continuation of Matt Murdock’s inaugural outing, with the events ofDaredevilbeing confirmed as MCU canon. It has been seven years sinceDaredevil’s final season aired, with an almost decade-long gap in-universe thanks to the events ofAvengers: Endgame,placing the current events of the MCU in 2027.
Suffice it to say, a lot has happened during that time. Daredevil continued to operate throughout the 5-year period of the Snap, working to take down Fisk’s criminal empire and going toe-to-toe with new MCU figures like Echo. Whether Daredevil fought Bullseye in the same period is currently unclear, but the fact thatFrank Castle referred to Bullseye by his monikerfor the first time recently suggests that he has been operating as a villain throughout that time. Still, if oneDaredevilshowrunner’s original plan had played out, Bullseye’s appearances would have felt more disjointed.
Netflix’s Daredevil Showrunner Planned To Bring Back Bullseye In Season 5
Erik Oleson Confirmed That Bullseye Would Have Spent All Of Season 4 In Recovery
Daredevilseason 3 Showrunner Erik Oleson spoke with his predecessor,Daredevilseason 1 Showrunner Steven S. DeKnight, in July 2020, and they reflected on their work on the critically acclaimed Marvel show. The conversation was part of the#SaveDaredevilcampaign that strove to revive theDaredevilseries after its cancelation in November 2018, just one month after the last episode of season 3 was released. When reflecting on his future plans forDaredevilbefore its cancelation,Oleson revealed that he didn’t intend for Bullseye to return until season 5, stating:
“Season 4…I was going to hopscotch, I was not going to directly pick up the Bullseye storyline because his back was broken, and he had to heal. I was gonna bring him back in season 5.”
Oleson goes on to clarify that the arch-villain ofDaredevilseason 4 would have been Typhoid Mary.
Oleson is referencing the final shot of Wilson Bethel’s Benjamin “Dex” Poindexter inDaredevilseason 3, wherehe was seen being operated on after having his back broken by Wilson Fiskin the climactic, three-way brawl between them and Daredevil. Poindexter played an integral role inDaredevilseason 3, and was thankfully teased to return despite being severely incapacitated by Kingpin with a shot of a bullseye pattern being reflected in his eyes as he was being operated on. If Oleson’s plan came to fruition, however, there would have been too much time between Dex’s appearances.
I Can’t Believe Daredevil’s Bullseye Setup Would’ve Taken So Long
An Entire Season Without Bullseye Would Have Been Too Long
It makes sense that Dex would have needed a significant amount of time to healfrom his wounds. Having his back broken by Kingpin is no trivial injury, which the experimental use of Cogmium in a surgery performed by Doctor Oyama signifies. Still, it isn’t as if Daredevil himself hasn’t spent long periods recovering, only to fall foul of the process over again. Ultimately, I think Bullseye’s Cogmium enhancements might have even helped speed the process along.
Daredevil: Born Again Full Season 1 Review - I Refuse To Say “Marvel Is Back” Because I’m Not Sure It’s Ever Been This Good
7 years after Daredevil’s last season on Netflix, Charlie Cox’s masked vigilante is back and better than ever in the MCU.
The point is, if Bullseye had skipped the entirety ofDaredevilseason 4,it would have been several years before Wilson Bethel’s expertly-portrayed Daredevil villain reappeared on-screen. There were nearly two years between the releases ofDaredevilSeason 2 andDaredevilSeason 3, meaning we could have been looking at four years before seeing Dex back in action - and that’s not counting the impact of the pandemic in 2020. With the cliffhanger ending ofDaredevilseason 3, I think this would have been too long to wait.
Bullseye Opened Daredevil: Born Again In Spectacular Fashion
Instead,Daredevil: Born Againopenedwith the iconic Daredevil villain engaging in one of the most heinous acts of villainy I’ve seen in the MCU. While it might have been seven years sinceDaredevil, the fact thatDaredevil: Born Againbasically picked up where the previous series left off felt natural and appropriate for Dex’s characterization. Thankfully, at this point,Bullseye had almost a decade to recover, allowingDaredevil: Born Againto circumvent addressing his injury entirely.
Daredevil: Born Again’s Story Means The MCU Has No Excuse To Not Bring Back All Of The Defenders’ Other Heroes After Their Netflix Show Endings
Wilson Fisk has made it his mission to fight against vigilante justice in New York, which makes it a near certainty that The Defenders will return.
What’s more,it looks as if Bethel’s Bullseye is soon to return, despite being swiftly imprisoned for the murder of Foggy Nelson in episode 1. Trailer footage featuring Bullseye hasn’t yet emerged inDaredevil: Born Again, all but confirming there is more to come from Benjamin Poindexter. I’m pretty hyped by this prospect, given how compelling the MCU’s Bullseye is and the fact that he is such an important villain in Marvel Comics.
