However, by the end of the season, the AVTF had gone too far, leading to widespread fear and violence. The courtroom drama nature of the finale to Born Again season 2 reasserted the rule of law, proving that demagogues like Fisk cannot be allowed to use the government as their personal weapon. Moreover, the season ends with Fisk out as mayor and his campaign director Sheila Rivera in his place. We saw Zabryna Guevara as Mayor Rivera briefly in the trailer for Brand New Day, suggesting that this new leader is ready to embrace the vigilantes that her predecessor vilified.
NYC Loves Vigilantes?
Will Mayor Rivera be alone in her newfound support for the costumed set? Thus far, the MCU movies have been reluctant to let Spider-Man stay in his friendly neighborhood, and while Spider-Man: Homecoming has some delightful bits with him interacting with New Yorkers, it’s not entirely clear how the city feels about him, especially after J. J. Jameson disseminated footage of him killing Mysterio in Far From Home.
Born Again‘s second season began with New Yorkers happy to let the AVTF do its dirty work, as long as it made them feel safe. But as Powell and his thugs increased their grip, more and more regular citizens joined the rebellion, participating in mass protests outside the governor’s office. So Brand New Day may send the pendulum in the other direction, with citizens ready to embrace Spider-Man, especially if he’s dealing with Boomerang, Tarantula, Scorpion, and Tombstone—all foes who will appear in Spider-Man’s next movie.
Big Brother is Watching
The citizens might be ready to support Spidey, but what about the government? Fisk got to do what he did because he had the support of the U.S. government, as expressed through CIA operative Mr. .Charles (Matthew Lillard). As we saw in the season 2 premiere, Charles literally has a direct line to Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, and was working in NYC on her behest. Born Again ends with Charles taking Bullseye away to replace Luke Cage as his new enforcer, but that doesn’t mean the federal government has no more interest in the Big Apple’s superhero community.
In particular, the Department of Damage Control has its eye on New York. We know that Tramell Tillman will play a member of Damage Control, the Homeland Security-style organization that has been an issue for Spidey since Homecoming. Further, rumors suggest that Damage Control will be hunting Sadie Sink’s character, who is likely to be Jean Grey of the X-Men. Given that Val just had Mr. Charles in New York dealing with Fisk and Daredevil, she’ll probably keep her eyes trained on the city, especially if mutants are about to appear.
The Punisher’s Pains
Between the end of Born Again season 2 and Spider-Man: Brand New Day comes The Punisher: One Last Kill, a Marvel Special Presentation focusing on Frank Castle. Jon Bernthal showed up as Castle in season 1 of Born Again, and he’ll be back again in Brand New Day, presumably defending Sink’s character from Damage Control. But he cannot help but be affected by his time with Daredevil.
