After its tumultuous production, fans had just reason to be worried about Daredevil: Born Again. For months, there seemed to be no clarity about its status in the Marvel Cinematic Universe: no one really knew if it, or the original Netflix series, was actually canon to the “Sacred Timeline.” But now that Born Again is actually out in the world, its place in the MCU is finally beginning to crystalize. Marvel exec Brad Winderbaum recently confirmed that the new series takes place in Earth-616 — and since Born Again openly acknowledges the history of Daredevil itself, that makes the Netflix show (and other Marvel shows produced by the streamer) canon by default.
The question of canon has officially been resolved, but fans are still wondering where exactly Born Again falls on the Marvel timeline. Showrunner Dario Scardapane has tried to provide answers, telling CBR that the series takes place “about seven or eight years after the end of the Netflix show.” Executive producer Sana Amanat, meanwhile, has another theory.
“It’s around 2027, technically,” Amanat explained, adding that she didn’t want to “get lost in the weeds, because I might be wrong.” Her hesitancy makes total sense, as fans have been quick to cast doubt on her statement. The same goes for Scardapane’s theory, which would place Born Again in 2025. But which, if any, is accurate? Roll up your sleeves and break out your calculators: it’s time to solve this continuity issue once and for all.
2017: Daredevil’s last non-MCU appearance
Netflix released the third and final season of Daredevil in October 2018, but the show actually picks up a few months after Defenders, which takes place in 2017.
2024: Matt Murdock enters the MCU
Though Daredevil was canceled in 2019, it didn’t take long for Charlie Cox to return as Matt Murdock. He made his first official MCU appearance in Spider-Man: No Way Home, which is officially set in the year 2024. This is the same year that Wilson Fisk pops up in Hawkeye and is attacked by Maya Lopez, aka Echo.
2025: Daredevil works with She-Hulk; Fisk confronts Echo
Matt Murdock next appears in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, which is set in 2025. After cavorting with Jennifer Walters in Los Angeles, he returns to New York to defend his home turf of Hell’s Kitchen.
Echo also takes place sometime in 2025. It’s here that Fisk confronts Maya after their showdown in Hawkeye, and later makes the choice to run for New York mayor.
If you subscribe to the theory that Born Again takes place in 2027, then its first episode would have to begin in 2025. Born Again’s opening scene — where Bullseye murders Foggy Nelson and Matt Murdock crosses his “one line” and gives up the Daredevil mantle — could be set late in the year.
2026-2027: Kingpin’s reign begins
After Matt loses Foggy, Born Again jumps forward one year. Fisk officially enters the mayoral election as a late candidate, which places the series sometime in late fall or even winter. By the end of Episode 1, he’s elected as mayor, while Episode 2 takes place on New Year’s Eve 2027.
The episodes that follow should all take place in 2027, making Amanat’s theory accurate. That would place Born Again roughly a decade after the events of Daredevil itself. Ironically, though, Scardapane’s theory also holds some water, as Born Again could feasibly begin in MCU-year 2025. In a way, both Amanat and Scardapane are right — but thinking too hard about the Daredevil timeline does start to feel counterproductive before long. If the success of the show has proven one thing, it’s that you don’t need to know every part of Marvel history to enjoy its latest entry.
