Daredevil: Born Again has gone through several changes following its creative overhaul in late 2023. From getting Dario Scardapane, Justin Benson, and Aaron Moorhead onboard to lead the series, and bringing back Karen and Foggy, to the recent return of Ayelet Zurer as Vanessa Fisk, the show went through numerous favorable changes. However, it looks like this revamp has also concerned the fans about some characters being written off from the show.
Charlie Cox’s Daredevil: Born Again is one of the most important projects in MCU’s future. It will bring back the fan-favorite iteration of the Man Without Fear from Netflix to the canonical MCU. Initially, the series was going on a very different route before Kevin Feige and the other executives understood that it would not work and decided to revamp the entire team.
Did Daredevil: Born Again‘s creative revamp hurt the show?
It would be a lie to say that the fandom was not relieved to hear about the creative revamp of Daredevil: Born Again. The Charlie Cox show is still considered one of the best Marvel TV shows if not the best. Hardly anybody wanted to watch a watered-down Matt Murdock in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Since the creative overhaul, it was almost certain that this show would follow the events of the Netflix series. It is further cemented by the set photo leaks that gave us a glimpse of Ayelet Zurer returning as Vanessa Fisk in Daredevil: Born Again. Earlier it was reported that Better Call Saul actress Sandrine Holt will play Vanessa Fisk in the new series.
Now, although Zurer’s comeback has elated the fans, they wanted Sandrine Holt to get some other role in the series. Unfortunately, she has deleted her Instagram post of her casting into the series suggesting that the creative revamp has written out her character.
Surprisingly, Nikki M. James, who was rumored to play Kirsten McDuffie has also deleted her post (via Daredevil Updates) about her MCU casting hinting at a possible write-off.
Sandrine Holt (previously cast as Vanessa Fisk) and Nikki M. James (rumoured as Kirsten McDuffie) have both deleted their Instagram posts announcing their casting in 'DAREDEVIL: BORN AGAIN'.
Speculation is that they were both written out of the show. pic.twitter.com/UIx6mPXabk
— Daredevil Updates (@DDevilUpdates) April 8, 2024
Although the fans were elated on Ayelet Zurer’s comeback, the possible omission of Kirsten McDuffie’s character disappointed the fans. Kirsten McDuffie was the assistant DA in Marvel Comics and had a romantic relationship with Matt Murdock. Before the revamp, some set photos also revealed James and Cox together.
The third season of Netflix’s Daredevil showed Matt Murdock and Karen Page’s decision to keep their bond platonic. McDuffie’s potential introduction in Daredevil: Born Again was supposed to play a vital part in the series. But now it looks like the Disney+ show may be subjected to massive backlash from comic book fans for ignoring that aspect.
The fans are disappointed with the rumored write-off of Kirsten McDuffie
Considering, the earlier reported importance of McDuffie in the series, the rumored firing of Nikki M. James will surely make many comic book fans mad. On the other hand, a certain section of fans also addressed how Marvel has been unfair to the actresses by removing them midway. They believe that the MCU should have never taken this approach in the first place.
Even though it was never officially declared by Marvel that Nikki M. James was roped in for Kirsten McDuffie, her possible exit has disappointed many fans. Let’s take a look at some of the tweets:
It would be a huge shame if Nikki James' character is written out of the show, especially considering we saw her in filming last year before the revamp.
I feel really bad for her if she's cut out of the show entirely. pic.twitter.com/rIX4W7c14L
— Acquainted Guy (@AcquaintSTHFan) April 8, 2024
Kirsten could still be there tho. Don't get why they write her off. Maybe they think 3 women in one season are too much for Matt? But to think about it, Karen is too far from being his lover already. It shouldn't be a problem at all.
— Natt (@NattG91) April 8, 2024
oh I feel bad, also Kirsten McDuffie is a good character they should've kept her in https://t.co/NvLdU9ZlsC
— 𝙈𝙪𝙠𝙨 (@mukmukus) April 8, 2024
That's kind of a shame, I was looking forward to seeing Kirsten McDuffie as a new character, hopefully she can come back down the line https://t.co/6xDYW75JZo
— Aleks (@IndyFilmPro) April 8, 2024
Aw I wanted to see Kirsten McDuffie :(( https://t.co/XyAuaREtaG
— jokie™ (@BlueJokie) April 8, 2024
There is still hope that Marvel may have plans to bring the character into further seasons of the show. It would also be beneficial if both Nikki M. James and Sandrine Holt land other roles in some other Marvel projects.
Daredevil: Born Again is expected to stream on Disney+ sometime in 2025.
