Daredevil: Born Again's Muse Just Repeated A Marvel Villain Storyline From The Netflix Show's Season 3 And It Wasn't As Good
Warning: This article contains spoilers for Daredevil: Born Again episode 7, "Art for Art's Sake."
Muse just repeated an old villain storyline in Daredevil: Born Again that was handled much better by Marvel Television in Netflix's original Daredevil series. Muse might be the most violent and shocking villain ever depicted in the MCU, but Daredevil: Born Again's R-rating means it was the perfect place to introduce this sadistic artist. Portrayed by Hunter Doohan, Muse's story was developed more in Daredevil: Born Again episode 7, "Art for Art's Sake," but Marvel Studios could have pushed this even further, just like the original Daredevil series did.
Muse had no confirmed identity in Marvel Comics, but Daredevil: Born Again revealed him to be Bastian Cooper. Hunter Doohan delivered a strong performance as Muse, especially when suited up as the artist-come-serial killer, as he proved himself to be a formidable and nightmarish threat by kidnapping at least 60 victims, draining their blood and using it as paint for his graffiti. However, while Muse is a truly terrifying villain in Born Again, one aspect of his story was already done far better in Netflix's original Daredevil series.
Muse Just Repeated Bullseye’s Therapy Storyline From Daredevil Season 3
Both Muse & Bullseye Formed Bonds With Their Therapists
Hunter Doohan made his first appearance as Muse without his mask in Daredevil: Born Again episode 2, "Optics," where he approached Heather Glenn seeking professional help. Daredevil: Born Again episode 7 paid this off, as Bastian Cooper was seen in a therapy session with Glenn, and noted how much inspiration he had taken from Matt Murdock's new romantic partner. Cooper suggests it was Glenn's help that made him comfortable fulfilling his goals as Muse, and he seemed infatuated with her, as he had painted her portrait many times in his underground lair.
This development in Muse's storyline was reminiscent of Benjamin Poindexter's backstory in Daredevil season 3. Wilson Bethel's villain was introduced as an FBI agent who had spent a great deal of his life in therapy after he murdered his baseball coach as a child. Over the years, Poindexter formed a very close bond with his therapist, Eileen Mercer, and it was a huge turning point when she passed away, and an even greater one when Poindexter got rid of her tapes. Seeing these villains in therapy helped to briefly humanize them both, but Daredevil did it better.
Daredevil Season 3 Did The Villain In Therapy Storyline Better Than Born Again
Bullseye's Daredevil Season 3 Development Was Much Stronger Than Muse's
WIlson Bethel's Benjamin Poindexter got a lot more development in Daredevil season 3, especially in episode 5, "The Perfect Game." During this episode, Wilson Fisk reviewed files on Poindexter, and this was visualized as Kingpin actually entering the sharp-shooter's memories. Fisk saw Poindexter harness his perfect aim, kill his baseball coach, and learn empathy to assuage his psychopathic tendencies in therapy. This is also where Fisk learned about Julie Barnes, who he exploited to manipulate Poindexter into becoming Bullseye.
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Benjamin Poindexter's backstory was explored in a huge amount of detail through one entire episode of Daredevil season 3. This meant that it was far more thoughtful, carefully-planned and emotionally-powerful than Muse's therapy storyline in Daredevil: Born Again. All Bastian Cooper did was moan about his parents putting him in taekwondo classes, explaining how he's such a good fighter, but then the exploration of his backstory was over, and he suited up as Muse for his attack on Heather Glenn. Marvel Studios really missed a chance to make Muse as powerful a villain as Bullseye.
Marvel Should Have Leaned Into Muse’s Backstory Or Forgotten It Completely
Marvel Studios Could Have Kept Muse's Identity & Backstory Secret
It would have been fantastic to see Muse's backstory get more attention in Daredevil: Born Again. Laying out his childhood, his strained relationship with his parents and the beginning of his career as a serial killing artist would have helped to make him an even more significant threat in Daredevil: Born Again, just as Bullseye was in Daredevil season 3. Now that Muse is dead, however, we can't help but feel that he was severely underdeveloped, and Marvel Studios might have been better off keeping him more faithful to his Marvel Comics counterpart.
Muse was suggested to be an Inhuman in Marvel Comics, with the ability to make himself a sensory void. This made him very hard to track, even for Daredevil, allowing him to carry out his heinous artworks in peace. This is not the case in the MCU.
Introduced in 2016's Daredevil (Vol. 5) #11, Marvel Comics' Muse was a much more mysterious and haunting villain. His identity, backstory and motivations are completely unknown to this day, which has much more impact than giving him an underdeveloped and disappointing history as an entitled teenager. It would have perhaps been a more clever choice by Marvel Studios to leave Muse's real identity hidden in Daredevil: Born Again, perhaps making him Daredevil's most terrifying adversary yet.
Daredevil: Born Again
- Release Date
- March 4, 2025
- Network
- Disney+
- Showrunner
- Chris Ord
- Directors
- Aaron Moorhead, Justin Benson, David Boyd, Jeffrey Nachmanoff
- Writers
- Jesse Wigutow, Jill Blankenship, Thomas Wong, David Feige, Grainne Godfree
Cast
Matt Murdock / Daredevil
Wilson Fisk
- Franchise(s)
- Daredevil, Marvel Cinematic Universe
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