Daredevil: Born Again has taken the final steps it needed to become Daredevil season 4 thanks to a major casting update. Daredevil: Born Again has suffered in a way many of the best and worst-ranked Marvel Disney+ shows have not. The lull in production caused by the 2023 WGA/SAG-AFTRA strikes allowed the higher-ups at Marvel Studios a chance to review what had been crafted from the initial plan for Daredevil: Born Again. This caused a major Marvel Studios TV overhaul, spearheaded by the Man Without Fear’s first solo MCU story.
Since then, updates surrounding Daredevil: Born Again have been regular, outlining how the show is getting back on track under a new showrunner, writer, and directing pair. Despite several updates about the show’s background staff being provided, the most exciting changes the series has undergone concerns Daredevil: Born Again‘s cast. With Daredevil: Born Again having wrapped shooting in April 2024, the final cast update provided about the show has completed its transition from the disjointed MCU story to the creatively overhauled Daredevil season 4.
The final piece of the puzzle needed to officially confirm Daredevil: Born Again as Daredevil season 4 was the hiring of Ayelet Zurer as Vanessa Fisk. Zurer portrayed Vanessa Fisk throughout all three seasons of Netflix’s Daredevil, yet was recast for Daredevil: Born Again‘s initial plans. Sandrine Holt was instead hired as Vanessa Fisk for the MCU production, something that did not track with the recent updates surrounding the show.
Charlie Cox and Vincent D’Onofrio have long been confirmed to reprise their roles as Matt Murdock and Wilson Fisk respectively from Netflix’s Daredevil in Daredevil: Born Again. While it was unclear whether Deborah Ann Woll and Elden Henson would return as Karen Page and Foggy Nelson respectively, updates after Daredevil: Born Again‘s creative overhaul confirmed them as part of the cast. The same can be said for Wilson Bethel as Benjamin Poindexter and Jon Bernthal as Frank Castle/The Punisher, both reprising their roles from Daredevil season 3.
Each of these cast members returning all but confirmed Daredevil: Born Again as a continuation of Netflix’s Daredevil. That said, the anomaly in the show’s cast was Sandrine Holt as Vanessa. However, now that Ayelet Zurer has also been confirmed to return from Netflix’s production, this anomaly has been rectified, and Daredevil: Born Again has finally completed its transformation into a true successor of Netflix’s Daredevil.
While Zurer’s return as Vanessa Fisk is important for Daredevil: Born Again‘s continuity with Netflix’s Daredevil, the character is also vital to the show’s story. Throughout the first three seasons of Daredevil, it quickly became clear that Vanessa was the key to controlling her husband. Wilson Fisk/Kingpin was always temperamental, erratic, and dangerous as a result of these traits, though Vanessa could often placate him.
More so than controlling his mood, Vanessa was also instrumental in Fisk’s criminal organizations. Due to his love for Vanessa, Fisk would often bend to her will. By the end of Daredevil season 3, Matt Murdock figured out this weakness and threatened Vanessa, forcing Kingpin into submission. Having a different actress in such a vital role would undoubtedly have been jarring for Daredevil: Born Again, though this problem is now a thing of the past with Ayelet Zurer’s return.