Daredevil: Born Again Season 2 Shows The Real-Life Consequences Of Being A Supervillain

Contains spoilers for "Daredevil: Born Again" Season 2, Episode 2 – "Shoot the Moon"

Wilson Fisk (Vincent D'Onofrio) thought he had it all figured out by the end of "Daredevil: Born Again" Season 1. He had secured power as the mayor of New York City. He had pulled off his ambitious Freeport plan to haul goods (and bads) as needed. He declared a de facto martial law to battle vigilantes and opponents with his Safer Streets Initiative. He had even managed to stay popular despite these radical actions. All was well for him, but reality slaps Kingpin hard in the face in the first two episodes of the critic-stunning "Daredevil: Born Again" Season 2.

Kingpin having to juggle state-level political pressure and CIA interests is a challenge. The fact that Daredevil (Charlie Cox) is building a resistance is another. The wildcard Bullseye (Wilson Bethel) making moves adds further complications. All of this comes with the territory when you're a crime lord, but Kingpin is also juggling threats from the inside: There are information leaks coming from Fisk's office, and this nags at him, almost as much as the ruthless online parody that said information is used for.

He wanted the stage, and he got it, but now Fisk is having to deal with the exposure that being in the public eye brings. After having it all his own way in Season 1, he's now facing the reality of life as a crooked politician who also happens to have superpowered enemies. It will likely get even worse for him later on, since Episode 2 all but confirms that Fisk's protégé Daniel Blake (Michael Gandolfini) is the unwitting source of the leaks.

"Daredevil: Born Again" Season 2 does a fine job showing what might actually happen to a politics-themed supervillain with a penchant for ambitious stunts. In Episode 1, The Attorney General's office is immediately on Kingpin's case, since no lowly mayor should be doing stuff like this without consulting the state's higher-ups. Then, the spookshow rolls in, as Mr. Charles (Matthew Lillard) enters the scene and CIA director Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus, though tragically not seen or heard here) contributes a pointed phone call that stops state authorities from hounding Fisk. Of course, the CIA isn't supporting a supervillain out of charity. They'll be using Freeport to move their own shady freight, thank you very much, and Mr. Charles is set up to act as Kingpin's handler.

As de Fontaine herself learned while attempting to turn Marvel's multi-superpowered Sentry (Lewis Pullman) into a pet project in "Thunderbolts*," there's always a bigger fish. Now, her agency acts in that capacity against the Big Bad of "Daredevil: Born Again." The turmoil Kingpin is facing is a fun reality check on what making major moves as a villain in the politics game might actually be like. Sure, your evil plan might technically succeed, but other powers with vested interests in your dealings will absolutely swoop in to see what's what, and you'll always be a target for parodies, ridicule, and betrayals.

"Daredevil: Born Again" Season 2 is streaming on Disney+.