Daredevil's New Nemesis: Who Is Matt Murdock's Latest Foe?

Disney+ has released a new trailer for Daredevil: Born Again, premiering March 4th. This footage confirms a surprising twist revealed in the D23 trailer: Daredevil and Kingpin, longtime adversaries, are apparently collaborating against a common threat—the artistically inclined serial killer, Muse. But who is this villain, and why would he unite such bitter rivals?

Who Is Muse?

Muse, a relatively recent addition to Daredevil's rogues gallery (created by Charles Soule and Ron Garney, debuting in 2016's Daredevil #11), is a chilling villain reminiscent of Hannibal. He's a prolific serial killer who views murder as the ultimate art form. His debut saw him create a mural using the blood of a hundred missing persons, later composing a macabre piece using the corpses of six Inhumans.

Muse poses a unique threat to Daredevil; his body acts as a sensory black hole, disrupting Matt Murdock's radar sense. Combined with superhuman strength, speed, and a chilling talent for murder, he's one of Daredevil's deadliest foes.

His rivalry with Daredevil and Blindspot intensified when he blinded Blindspot. After his capture, Muse self-mutilated, robbing himself of the ability to create art. However, he escaped and resumed his killing spree, becoming obsessed with New York's vigilantes, creating twisted monuments to figures like the Punisher, coinciding with Mayor Wilson Fisk's crackdown on vigilante activity. This led to a final confrontation with Blindspot, resulting in Muse's suicide. While deceased in the comics, his return seems inevitable.

Muse in Daredevil: Born Again

The Daredevil: Born Again trailers confirm Muse's appearance, sporting a costume nearly identical to his comic book counterpart: a white mask and bodysuit with red "bloody tears." This suggests the series draws inspiration from more modern Daredevil comics, diverging from the original Born Again storyline, which focused on Fisk discovering Daredevil's identity.

Instead, Born Again seems to be forging an unlikely alliance between Daredevil and Fisk, as seen in a diner scene where Matt threatens Fisk, prompting Fisk's cryptic response: "Is that coming from Matt Murdock… or your darker half?" This hints at a significant new threat.

Could Muse be that threat? The series appears to be influenced by Soule and Zdarsky's Daredevil comics. Fisk, having been elected mayor (as hinted at in Echo's post-credits scene), campaigns against vigilantism. Muse, mirroring the comics, directly opposes this, glorifying figures like the Punisher.

Therefore, Muse might be the common enemy uniting Daredevil and Mayor Fisk. Daredevil seeks to stop a killer, while Fisk aims to eliminate a threat to his authority. This forces an uneasy alliance, even if it means working with the man who seeks to end his kind.

The series will also feature the Punisher and White Tiger, likely caught in the crossfire of Fisk's anti-vigilante crusade. Muse's artwork might even glorify these vigilantes, further complicating the situation.

While the Daredevil/Fisk rivalry remains central, Muse emerges as the immediate threat, potentially Daredevil's most formidable opponent yet, necessitating his collaboration with the unlikely ally, Mayor Fisk.