I’m Convinced That ‘Daredevil: Born Again’ Has Already Revealed Muse Without His Mask

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Daredevil: Born Again‘s latest episode gave us an ominous teaser for Muse, one of Daredevil’s (Charlie Cox) most sinister foes from the comics. Muse is one of Daredevil’s darkest villains, which is saying something. Muse’s identity is currently unknown, but after taking a closer look at Episode 2, I’m confident of the killer’s identity. Born Again is hiding him right under our noses.

When it comes to truly evil, psychotic villains, Daredevil sets the bar high. Kingpin (Vincent D’Onofrio) and Bullseye (Wilson Bethel) seem well past the point of redemption and are arguably some of the most twisted villains in the MCU. However, Muse is worse than all of them. Muse is a serial killer who makes street murals using his victims’ blood as paint, we catch a glimpse of his work at the end of Episode 4. He’s so insane that he truly believes his work is ‘high art’. Most Daredevil villains challenge Matt Murdock on a physical level, possessing great fighting abilities. We’ve seen this in the Netflix show with Kingpin’s immense strength, Punisher’s (Jon Bernthal) lethal hand-to-hand combat and weapon proficiency, Bulleye’s brutal accuracy, and Nobu’s (Peter Shinkoda) elite martial arts training. However, Muse challenges Daredevil on a mental and intellectual level.

What Makes Muse So Special?

Muse is more akin to a Joker-type villain. Daredevil comics are usually action-packed, but Muse’s first comic story is more like a noir thriller, where Matt Murdoch must play detective to track down this mysterious killer. His careful planning and precision make him hard to predict. What’s even stranger is that Muse has no alter-ego, no backstory, and no deeper motivations, like Heath Ledger’s Joker in The Dark Knight. When I think of Muse, Alfred’s (Michael Caine) famous quote comes to mind. “Some men aren’t looking for anything logical… Some men just want to watch the world burn.”

Muse isn’t just a threat to society, his abilities specifically make him dangerous to Daredevil. Matt Murdock relies on his heightened senses to be an effective hero, but Muse can make himself invisible to Daredevil’s senses. In the comics, he can manipulate sensory information around him to shroud himself from Daredevil’s senses, though the TV show might use a more grounded explanation.

Muse’s Real Identity Has Already Been Revealed

In the comics, Muse has no backstory or secret identity, but the show has already revealed his face right under his nose. In Episode 2, a troubled young man approaches Heather (Margarita Leveiva) at her book signing, asking for an appointment with her because he “really needs help.” The man is credited as Bastian and is played by Hunter Doohan. Bastian’s crazed, wide-eyed expression during the book-signing scene prompted the comparison for me after getting a closer look at Muse’s eyes during Episode 4, but there is solid evidence beyond speculation.

Doohan was credited in Episode 2 as Bastian and received another credit in Episode 4. Doohan is the only actor not seen in Episode 4 despite being credited. Given that this is Muse’s first appearance in the season, it’s too much to be a coincidence. If we pay close attention to Heather’s book signing scene, there are some telling hints about Bastian’s identity that are easy to miss. When Heather says the line, “I’ve been thinking a lot about projected personas, like through social media filters, or… masks.” Thecamera cuts to Bastian on the final word, and he raises his head with a subtle smile.

Anyone familiar with Doohan’s previous work will know Muse is a great fit for him. Doohan is best known for his role on Wednesday as Tyler Galpin. Though he comes across as an innocent, dorky nice guy for most of the series, he eventually reveals himself to be the monstrous killer behind a string of serial murders at the end of the show. So Doohan has experience playing a psychotic murderer who goes unnoticed during the light of day.

Muse Is More Complicated in ‘Born Again’

Muse was a straight-up villain in the comics, but I would be surprised if Born Again didn’t add some depth to his character and give him a backstory. Muse’s alter-ego has never been a thing in the comics, but we’ve already seen him without his mask in Episode 2 as Bastian. He indicates to Heather that he’s not completely unaware of the moral implications behind his killings. He asks her for a therapy session, meaning he does have an underlying desire to improve his murderous tendencies. While it’s not much, he’s already taken a step further than the comic iteration, who shows no signs of remorse or regret for his actions.

Daredevil has always done a great job of making its villains empathetic, adding a moral grayness to even its most malicious characters. Bullseye is one great example. Despite his abhorrent actions and countless killings, Season 3 took the time to flesh out his backstory and show how Pointdexter was mistreated, manipulated, and ultimately forced down the path of evil. Even Kingpin has a sympathetic element to his character. Daredevil Season 1 explored his troubled upbringing and abusive father, painting a picture of how anyone could end up like Kingpin if they were exposed to the same trauma. Muse paints an entirely different, bloodier picture, but Born Again will likely add depth to his character. Perhaps Muse targets known criminals instead of random civilians or has a tragic backstory that explains how he ended up as a serial killer.

Now that Bastian is scheduling a therapy session with Heather, it seems her list of clientele is only growing more dangerous. Heather is already treating Kingpin and Vanessa (Ayelet Zurer), and adding Bastian to her schedule puts her in even more danger. With Heather exposed to so many of Daredevil’s villains, Matt’s love interest could be used against him later in the series. Matt’s already put so many loved ones at risk through his vigilantism. It breaks my heart to see the world punish him every time he tries to do something good, and I’m not sure if I can survive another blow to Matt’s personal life.

New episodes of Daredevil: Born Again premiere on Tuesdays on Disney+ in the U.S.

Daredevil: Born Again is available to stream on Disney+

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“}]] Muse is poised to become a major villain in Daredevil: Born Again. Although he wears a mask, I feel like it’s obvious who he is.  Read More