‘Daredevil: Born Again’ Ruined This Comics Character

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Editor’s Note: The following contains spoilers for the Daredevil: Born Again Season 1 finale.Daredevil: Born Again introduced a plethora of characters from the Daredevil mythos to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Among them was Cole North (Jeremy Isaiah Earl), a police officer who joined the Anti-Vigilante Task Force headed up by the Man Without Fear’s archnemesis Wilson Fisk (Vincent D’Onofrio). As a fan of Chip Zdarsky and Marco Checchetto‘s Daredevil comics, which introduced North into Marvel Comics canon, I was excited to see the character and figured that he would eventually become the ally to Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox) that he is in the comics. Daredevil: Born Again‘s Season 1 finale “Straight to Hell” dashed those hopes into the ground with the revelation that North was the police officer who shot Hector Ayala (Kamar de los Reyes), which is a development that isn’t just the antithesis of the character he was in the comics — it also actively ruins storylines that Daredevil: Born Again could have used.

‘Daredevil: Born Again’ Alters a Major Part of Cole North’s Backstory – for The Worse

“Straight To Hell” doesn’t just reveal that Cole North was Hector Ayala’s killer; it also reveals that he adopted the same lethal methods as Frank Castle (Jon Bernthal), even donning a vest similar to the Punisher’s and carrying custom ammo marked with the Punisher’s skull. Both of these developments are the complete opposite of how North behaves in the comics. When he’s first introduced, he’s shown to have little tolerance for vigilantes, even tracking down Daredevil when it’s revealed that the Man without Fear accidentally killed a man. Even when he comes face to face with Spider-Man, North gets into an argument with the web-slinger about the finer points of the law — and he even joins the Internal Affairs department of the NYPD, intending to take out any crooked cops he can. But the biggest affront is that he uses guns.

A large part of North’s character is that he refuses to use guns, following an incident that took place when he was in Chicago. He cornered a teenager, mistook the teen’s phone for a gun, and shot him. As a result, he became a skilled hand-to-hand combatant, even taking out Daredevil in a fistfight. Making him a fan of the Punisher goes against everything the character stands for and strips away the more interesting parts of his backstory. But that’s not the only thing that’s lost with this change.

By Making Cole North a Villain, ‘Daredevil: Born Again’ Is Missing Out on a Pivotal Storyline

Part of what made Cole North such an interesting character was the relationship he fostered with Daredevil. At first, North was dedicated to arresting the Man without Fear, but ended up working with Daredevil on multiple occasions. Their biggest battle would be in the Daredevil story arc “End of Hell“, where North and Daredevil held off a collection of criminals, including Bullseye, from destroying Hell’s Kitchen. North even beat the superhumanly strong Buck Cashman, aka “Bullet”, using nothing but fists and will, which was an impressive feat.

Later, Daredevil seeks North’s help in battling his old enemies, the Hand. Though he admitted to himself that he was out of his depth battling undead ninjas, North had an ace up his sleeve: the shield of John Walker, aka the U.S. Agent. Another element that set North apart from his fellow police officers was his distrust of Wilson Fisk, fearing that he would abuse his power — a fear that was proven true during the Devil’s Reign storyline.

Given that development, it would have made far more sense for North to be a mole in Fisk’s Task Force. Having someone on Daredevil’s side who could gather evidence against Fisk would have been a major boon, especially with Matt forming an army to take on Fisk in “Straight to Hell.” It could have also helped restore some of Matt Murdock’s faith in the law. He’s been taking hit after hit with the loss of Hector, his friend Foggy Nelson (Elden Henson), and his strained relationship with his girlfriend Heather Glenn (Margarita Levieva). Knowing that North was in his corner would have been the spark of hope he needed. Having someone who actually wants to uphold the law could have provided a good counter for the Task Force, since most of its members relish the chance to break due process whenever they can.

If ‘Daredevil: Born Again’ Is Going To Draw on More Recent Comics Characters, It Should Honor Their Origins

While Cole North isn’t the only character that’s been drastically altered in the MCU, it marks a growing pattern with Daredevil: Born Again, where characters are lacking the elements that made them interesting. Muse not only lacks his powers, but he also has a secret identity, robbing him of the mystique that made him such a menacing character. Kirsten McDuffie (Nikki M. James) doesn’t have the romantic tension with Matt Murdock that made their interactions a joy to read, which is a shame because Cox and James have some genuine chemistry.

If Daredevil: Born Again is going to continue to bring in characters from the comics, it’s going to have to remember to keep their core character traits intact. Otherwise, you might as well introduce an entirely new character, because the Cole North in Daredevil: Born Again is a far cry from the Cole North in the comics.

Daredevil: Born Again Season 1 is available to stream on Disney+.

“}]] ‘Daredevil: Born Again’ completely fumbled the characterization of Cole North and squandered storytelling potential in the process.  Read More