Daredevil: Born Again season 2 episode 4 ending explained — is [spoiler] really dead in the Disney+ show?

Daredevil: Born Again season 2 episode 4 has debuted on Disney+ — and its final scene is going to have major repercussions for its remaining episodes.

Titled 'Gloves Off', the Marvel TV show's latest entry culminates in a high-stakes showdown involving Daredevil, Bullseye, and the Fisks at a charity boxing event. And, considering that it ends with the potential death of a major character, things might never be the same for Matt Murdock and company moving forward.

Full spoilers immediately follow for Daredevil: Born Again season 2 episode 4. Do not proceed if you haven't seen it yet.

What happens in Daredevil: Born Again season 2 episode 4's finale?

As you know, the Disney+ show has been building towards a charity boxing match involving New York's autocratic mayor Wilson Fisk. This has been teased since this season's second episode, which showed Fisk, aka Kingpin, sparring with his trainer in preparation for the bout.

Fast forward to Daredevil: Born Again's latest episode, and we learn that Fisk doesn't just want his wife Vanessa to not be sat ringside; he doesn't want her there at all.

The reason? Bullseye. Real name Benjamin Pointdexter, the sociopathic vigilante has been gunning for the Fisks ever since they coerced him into killing Foggy Nelson in Daredevil: Born Again's season 1 premiere. It's Vanessa who's trained in his crosshairs, too, after Born Again season 1 episode 8 revealed she was responsible for putting the hit out on Foggy.

Wanting revenge for tricking him into murdering Foggy, Bullseye has already tried to assassinate Vanessa before, with that failed attempt coming in last season's penultimate chapter. Now, with the likelihood that she'll be watching her husband at the forthcoming fight, Bullseye has another opportunity to complete his self-appointed mission to kill her.

That brings us onto the final minutes of 'Gloves Off'. Against her husband's wishes, Vanessa turns up at the charity event. Not long after, Bullseye also arrives on the scene, dispatches the Anti-Vigilant Task Force (AVTF) guards on duty, and makes a beeline for Vanessa.

In the ensuing chaos, Bullseye throws a small, memorabilia-like glass bust of Wilson Fisk, which are on sale at the event, at Vanessa, which Wilson parries with the title belt he's just won.

At the same time, Pointdexter is shot by another AVTF gunman. However, as Wilson Fisk prepares to permanently put down Bullseye with a bullet from his own weapon, Daredevil comes to the rescue. Disarming Fisk with a well-placed baton throw, Murdock's masked alter-ego grabs the injured Pointdexter and the pair leap through the venue's front window to escape.

A furious Wilson Fisk watches on, but his anger soon turns to horror. Hearing "...Wilson?" uttered weakly by Vanessa, he turns to see that a shard of broken glass from the deflected bust has lodged itself in Vanessa's right temple. As blood pores from the wound, a panic-stricken Wilson rushes over to her as she collapses. Cue Fisk screaming for a medic before the screen cuts to black.

Will Vanessa Fisk die in Daredevil: Born Again season 2 episode 5?

You would think so. Sustaining any type of head injury is cause of great concern, but the one that Vanessa has means it's not looking good for her chances of survival in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).

The probability that she'll live beyond the next episode decreases significantly when you also factor in comments made by Wilson Fisk actor Vincent D'Onofrio. Indeed, just after this season's premiere, D'Onofrio seemed to spoil that Vanessa will die in Born Again 2 on a recent episode of the series' official podcast.

Now, it's plausible that D'Onofrio was referring to someone else when he said "So, Fisk's worry is that the public thinks — might think — that her death is preoccupying him". It's also possible that, with the best medical minds at Wilson Fisk's disposal, Vanessa could live to fight another day.

Other comments from D'Onofrio indicate that she won't, though.

Speaking to IGN in March 2025, he revealed he "had to have a little cry" over the scripts for the Marvel Phase 6 TV show's second season. What would elicit such an emotional reaction from someone who's played the same character for over a decade than the demise of said individual's paramour? And, if she does pass away, what impact will that have on Fisk's unrelenting crackdown on not only vigilantes and their supporters, but also his iron-fist ruling of New York City?

Admittedly, I've seen all eight episodes of Daredevil: Born Again season 2, so I know the outcome of this particular plot thread. Don't worry, though, I'm not saying anything else. You'll just have to tune into one of the world's best streaming services next week to find out what happens.

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