Editor’s Note: The following contains spoilers for the Daredevil: Born Again Season 1 finale.It was all but guaranteed thatKaren (Deborah Ann Woll)and thePunisher (Jon Bernthal)would be returning forDaredevil: Born Again’s Season 1 finale, “Straight To Hell.” Not only did they play significant roles, with badass action from Frank and cutting dialogue from Karen that neither Frank norMatt (Charlie Cox)can respond to, but their return gave us some of our most sentimental scenes. However,the scenes where all three are together set up the potential of a love triangle, andBorn Againwould be wrong to do it.
That isn’t to say the actors don’t have chemistry or couldn’t make it engaging, but it is unnecessary. All three characters have so much more to give to the plot than a romantic subplot that wouldn’t add much, only providing a barrier that postpones the central narrative surroundingFisk (Vincent D’Onofrio)as they become divided. In the end, a love triangle would only work if we genuinely believed Karen was torn between the two,but that just isn’t the relationship she has with these characters, and it would make any intrigue in the matter deeply frustrating to watch while knowing how it will likely play out.
‘Daredevil: Born Again’ Includes Intimate Scenes Between the Three Characters
People were extremely pleased when characters like Karen and Punisher were announced to be returning toBorn Again, and their scenes in this episode showed why. The actors slotted immediately back into their Netflix era dynamics, and it gave some touching moments, but alsoimplied the possibility for Karen having romantic feelings for both characters. During the finale, when they go to Frank’s base following the attack on Matt’s apartment, Karen tries to offer medical aid to Frank, only for him to state that he only needs coffee and ask Karen if she would “like a cup of coffee.”
In theNetflix era, this was code for sex, withLuke Cagebeginning the trend in a scene betweenLuke (Mike Colter)and Misty Knight (Simone Missick) in Episode 1. Karen declines, but only because she doesn’t believe a cup of coffee can fix everything, seemingly understanding the euphemism and not saying she doesn’t want to, but that it wouldn’t help anyway. It may be a double entendre for sex, but it is still a heartbreaking scene that shows the connection these two share.
However, later, during the scene where Karen and Matt are searching forFoggy’s (Elden Henson)motion on the Red Hook case, the show draws parallels between how Frank and Karen’s hearts beat for each other, as well as how Karen’s beat for Matt. While Matt brings up the former in an almost regretful tone, Karen brings up the latter,implying Matt she still has feelings for him. It doesn’t have the same impact as her scene with Frank, but the tension is undeniable, with the only reason they aren’t more expressive being the amount of history and baggage they share.
A Love Triangle in ‘Daredevil: Born Again’ Would Distract From the Main Conflict
While love triangles can sometimes be a strong device used to explore the different mentalities or moralities of multiple characters in relation to one another, this wouldn’t be the case inBorn Again. Simply put, it wouldn’t add to the show’s core themes of vigilantism and the ethics of justice, or to how Matt and his army will resist Kingpin’s rule.Season 2will be a time of heightened stakes, where any step could get someone killed in a state where the rule of law has disappeared. Therefore, to include asubplot with relatively low stakes where only someone’s feelings could get hurt would feel tonally inconsistent. We know that the war against Kingpin won’t be foiled because Punisher, Matt, or Karen join Kingpin after being rejected, asHeather (Margarita Levieva)has, so it will only serve to slow down the pace of the second season.
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The Love Triangle Is Ineffective Because the Potential Outcomes Are Not Equally Likely in ‘Daredevil: Born Again’
The outcome of one of these three characters joining Kingpin being unlikely isn’t the only improbable ending of this love triangle. In the end, it feels obvious Karen will choose Matt or neither of them, with Frank having little chance. As we saw in the scene where he offered her coffee, Frank is simply too far gone for Karen to choose him. Bernthal’s tragic delivery of his offer revealed that he was aware of his desperation for a connection he could never have, yet he was trying anyway. It is a reflection of the consequences of his worldview has on his ability to live a fulfilled life, which he proudly champions to Matt, but also adeath knell for him and Karen being together.
Additionally, Karen was the one who asked Matt if he heard her heartbeat when she saw him. Therefore, while he focused on how she felt about Frank, she wanted him to know she hadn’t lost her feelings for him either, or perhaps cared about Castle differently than herromantic connection with Matt. Either way, it is clear at this point that Karen does not see a future with Frank, and that would just make an extension of this plotline a sad watch. It would be disappointing for the show to tease us with an impossible ending for Frank, who has already experienced so much pain.
Perhaps this is only a fan’s trauma from past cringey love triangles that dragged on a movie’s runtime, such as Peter (Tobey Maguire), Harry (James Franco), and Mary Jane (Kirsten Dunst) inSpider-Man 3. But that is the very real consequences a poor romantic subplot can have on a story when done improperly, and it would be heartbreaking just to see our beloved heroes ripped apart over something like a love triangle. We’ll have to wait for Season 2 ofBorn Againto see, but this ishopefully the last time we’ll see any parallels between the relationships of Karen, Frank, and Matt.
All episodes ofDaredevil: Born Againare now available to stream on Disney.
Daredevil: Born Again
