Marvel’s ‘Daredevil: Born Again’ Makes Unexpected Move, Taps Wilson Bethel To Reprise Role As Bullseye
Spencer Baculi
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In a surprise move that – at least in this author’s opinion – admittedly sparks a small bit of interest in the Disney Plus series, Marvel has reportedly cast actor Wilson Bethel to reprise his role as the titular ninja’s arguable arch-nemesis Bullseye in Daredevil: Born Again.
Word of Bethel’s apparent return to the mean streets of Hell’s Kitchen was first broken on January 23rd courtesy of Deadline’s Nellie Andreeva.
Per information relayed to her by the outlet’s insider sources, the actor is currently set to dance with the devil in three of the series’ recently reported less-than-eighteen-total episode count.
However, as of writing, details regarding his role in the series remain under wraps.
Previously, Bethel made his debut as the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s version of the aptly named Benjamin Poindexter in the second episode of Netflix Daredevil series’ third season, ‘Please’.
A troubled US Army veteran-turned-New York FBI agent, the man who would become Bullseye first finds himself drawn into the seedy underbelly of the MCU courtesy of the only other contender for the title of ‘Daredevil’s arch nemesis’, Wilson Fisk.
Assigned to the Kingpin’s protection detail following his agreeing to turn state’s witness against his rival crime organizations, Poindexer’s life is thrown upside down when, shortly into a planned transporting of the villain to a scheduled meeting with law enforcement, their vehicle is attacked by a rival gang.
However, despite their best attempts to both take revenge on Fisk for his years of business competition and silence him before he squeals, the gang’s hitment are no match for Poindexter, who manages to save both himself and the prisoner in his charge through a combination of guns, bullets, and his own near super-human sharpshooting skills.
Impressed by the agent’s skill and understanding the advantages a man with has talents could bring to his organization, after being safely returned to custody, Fisk begins undertaking a long campaign of breaking Poindexter’s mind and spirit in order to build them back up to his benefit.
Eventually succumbing to the villain’s manipulations, Poindexter is soon thereafter given a new purpose – as well as a new-to-him-but-familiar-to-viewers set of red armor – by Fisk: Serve as his own personal, Daredevil-themed assassin.
But his imposterous and murderous antics soon earns himself a meeting from the real Devil of Hell’s Kitchen, the outcome of which subsequently results in Poindexter falling even further into his delusion and dedicating himself to taking down the man he believes is unworthy of his rightful mantle.
Unfortunately for the budding super-villain, following a climactic, hand-to-hand final confrontation with both the hero and the Kingpin, Poindexter is left not only defeated, but thanks to his latter opponent, also paralyzed from the waist down.
However, that is not where is story ends.
In a tease to his future that was left unrealized thanks to the series’ cancellation, amidst the various story line wrap-ups presented in Daredevil‘s third season, Poindexter appears once more, this time – in a near exact retelling of his alter-ego’s comic book origin – undergoing a highly experimental surgery in the hopes of restoring functionality to his legs.
Snapping to consciousness half-way through the surgery, Bullseye’s last – or first, all things considered – appearance in the series ends with a very familiar and thematic symbol being projected on his eyes via an unidentified piece of medical equipment.
On this note, it is currently unknown whether or not Bethel’s depiction of Bullseye in Daredevil and Born Again will be one in the same, as while a trailer for Marvel’s Echo confirmed that the Netflix series was canon to the MCU’s current timeline, the studio has thus far remained tight-lip on how they plan to approach the issue in regards to their second draft of The Man Without Fear’s first official Disney outing.
Further, credit where credit is due: while this casting move does not automatically spell success for Born Again‘s second take, it does suggest that, just possibly, the House of Mouse is actually making some effort to listen to fans and present them with a story they would actually want to watch.
Of course, this being Disney, it’s equally likely that Bullseye is being brought back to do little more than serve as a punching bag or a figure piece for a ham-fisted screed of sociopolitical commentary – or, God forbid, undertake a walk of shame all his own.
Ultimately, which outcome lies in store for the the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen most notorious spandex-wearing foe remains to be seen when Daredevil: Born Again leaps onto Disney Plus sometime in January 2025.
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