Warning! This post contains SPOILERS for Daredevil: Born Again season 2, episode 1

The premiere of Daredevil: Born Again season 2 has finally arrived, featuring a very cool connection to the MCU’s New Avengers. Since the release of Thunderbolts* last year, several fans had been wondering if the events of recent MCU movies and Sentry’s attack as The Void would factor into Daredevil: Born Again season 2, as they’re both set in New York.

While there isn’t a direct connection in Daredevil: Born Again season 2’s premiere, per se, there is still an exciting connection to a major Thunderbolts*/New Avengers character in this first episode (though one few likely expected).

Daredevil: Born Again Season 2’s Premiere Features A Surprising Connection To Valentina Allegra de Fontaine

In the premiere episode of Daredevil: Born Again season 2, Matthew Lillard makes his MCU debut as the mysterious Mr. Charles, an agent from Langley sent to clean up a major mess in New York: the sinking of a cargo ship in Mayor Fisk’s free port that was secretly carrying numerous high-caliber weapons and military-grade hardware.

After Daredvil boarded the vessel, the ship was intentionally sunk to prevent Mayor Fisk’s public exposure and involvement.

Entering Mayor Fisk’s office during the fallout, Mr. Charles gets the attorney general to stand down via a single phone call from none other than CIA Director and OXE Group CEO Valentina Allegra de Fontaine.

The implication is clear that Charles likely works for the CIA directly under Val. More importantly, Mr. Charles is now working with Fisk to retrieve the illicit cargo, which definitely suggests that Val herself had a direct hand in the deal that saw the weapons moving through Fisk’s free port.

Proven elsewhere in previous Marvel projects, Val has major power and authority in the MCU, especially following her role in 2025’s Thunderbolts*, where she’s the public founder/backer of the New Avengers. That being said, Val debuting The New Avengers team at the end of Thunderbolts* was mainly to cover up her own misdeeds (while also being forced to give the New Avengers’ free rein lest they expose her).

All the same, it looks as though Val still has some secret CIA operations in the works, like moving major weapons through New York via Mayor Fisk’s Red Hook free port.

Matthew Lillard’s Mr. Charles Just Became One of Daredevil: Born Again Season 2’s Most Intriguing Characters

Thanks to his connections with Val, Matthew Lillard’s Mr. Charles instantly stands out as one of the Daredevil: Born Again season 2’s most intriguing new players. Extremely cavalier with no fear of Mayor Fisk thanks to the people he works for, it’s clear that there’s going to be a fascinating dynamic at play now that Charles and Fisk are working together in this new MCU season.

While Fisk may control New York City as its mayor, it’s clear that Charles typically operates on a much bigger international scale. Without a doubt, it’s a good bet that Mr. Charles will be highly unpredictable despite his more laid-back persona.

Additionally, perhaps Mr. Charles will even become the bridge that results in a face-to-face between Fisk and de Fontaine in the future. After all, Valentina made her MCU debut in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.

Either way, introducing a character tied to someone as important as Valentina and the MCU’s bigger power structures definitely helps establish that Daredevil: Born Again season 2 is set to feature much bigger stakes with this brand-new chapter compared to past seasons.

New episodes of Daredevil: Born Again season 2 release Tuesday nights on Disney+.