Warning: Full spoilers follow for Daredevil: Born Again Episodes 1 and 2.Well, they did it. Many observant fans have been predicting this, and now its happened.They killed Foggy Nelson!Specifically, Wilson Bethels Dex Poindexter (thats Bullseye to comics readers) resurfaces in the opening minutes of Born Again and assassinates Foggy (Elden Henson), the best friend and longtime law partner of Matt Murdock/Daredevil (Charlie Cox). Foggy dies in Karen Pages (Deborah Ann Woll) arms, so that just when you thought the new Disney+ show was picking up right where the Netflix series left off, all of that goes straight out the (stained glass) window.I asked Cox and his Kingpin costar Vincent DOnofrio how they felt when they found out Foggy was doomed. The pair apparently had been heavily briefed by the Marvel military-industrial complex to keep that reveal very quiet.Oh, my God, says DOnofrio. It's so scary to mention that.When you said that, my heart just dropped, adds Cox.It's such a big deal, continues DOnofrio.More From Hell's KitchenThe Death of Foggy NelsonLook, on a personal level, it's devastating, explains Cox. It's also devastating from the show's perspective because there is so much that relationship, that dynamic, offers. And there's so many more stories to tell. So it's really sad, genuinely sad.There was, of course, a reason to kill the character off, however. Unfortunately, there's a lot of stories that his death does offer, says DOnofrio.Born Again has been in the works for years at this point, with a well-publicized behind-the-scenes shift in creative direction that saw new directors and a new showrunner being brought in. The idea of bringing back Foggy and then killing the character was first presented to Cox around late 2022 or early 2023, and the actor thinks that while viewers are going to be troubled by Foggys fate, it is a great catalyst for the new show.It's been six years since we've made the [Netflix] show. We have to have a reason for remaking the show. You've got to be brave and bold. -Charlie CoxThe truth is, it's been six years since we've made the [Netflix] show, says Cox. We're coming in with an idea. We have to have a reason for remaking the show. You've got to be brave and bold. And we had this great idea, or the writers had this great idea, about Matt really swearing off the suit entirely, which is the reverse of the last season we had over on Netflix. But in order to do that, there's got to be a real reason. It can't just be anything. It has to be a bombshell.Showrunner Dario Scardapane, who previously served as a producer and writer on the Netflix Punisher series, notes that in some ways the decision was kind of baked in because in the comic books both Foggy and Karen have died in the past. His curse is that his loved ones get caught up in this fight and die, says Scardapane of Daredevil.Foggy Nelson (Elden Henson) in Daredevil: Born Again Episode 1.And at the end of the Netflix show, there are three names on a napkin, he continues. That is the dream that we go off into this world with. We pick up that dream and weve got to smash it apart. It was done super mindfully, and the thing is this is the inciting incident, not just for this entire series, but what goes into Season 2. It's massive. And we needed to give Matt something that broke apart his world inside and outside. And in many ways, Foggy was the conscience, Foggy was his Jiminy Cricket, and what happens when you don't have that touchstone? So it was cruel in many ways, but sometimes story is cruel.(And yes, Season 2 is currently shooting in New York City. There's already information about what we're about to start shooting in the second season that I had to have a little cry about, says DOnofrio. This show can be quite intense as an actor.)Wheres Karen Page, and Did Matt Murdock Go Too Far With Dex?As for Karen, she is estranged from Matt and living in San Francisco in the aftermath of Foggys death, but Scardapane says shes still very important to the show.Karen Page is the heart and soul of this universe and of this Daredevil mythology, and Karen's interaction with our story in this season and beyond is huge, says the showrunner. I can't give too much away, but families tend to fracture when a loved one passes. And in that fracture, they can re-bond in ways that are surprising and new. And that's what I think were going for.Karen (Deborah Ann Woll) and Matt (Charlie Cox).Of course, this all sends Matt into a spiral. When he realizes Foggy has died, he tosses Dex off of the rooftop where theyve been fighting. Dex, because of his superhuman abilities, doesnt die, but as Scardapane points out, Regardless of whether he did or didn't [kill Dex], he wanted to. So as a lapsed Catholic, the sin is in the desire as well as the action.The result is Matt no longer wants to be Daredevil, which is a very dramatic scenario for the character, but also a challenge for the filmmakers who now have a superhero character who doesnt want to wear a costume or fight bad guys.That was actually the fun part, for lack of a better word, laughs Scardapane. For a chunk of this, it is Matt holding Daredevil at bay, and then there is a turning point and then things change and we track that the whole way. And what's funny is if you're paying really strict attention, the same thing's going on with our villain. So these two men actually are catalysts for each other. They bring out the best and the worst in each other, and that's what we tried to track through this. So there's still action. And if Matt Murdock's throwing a punch, is Matt Murdock throwing the punch or is Daredevil throwing the punch? And [stunt coordinator and second unit director] Phil [Silvera] and [stuntman] Dave Macomber did a really good job in the action of, Oh, that's Daredevil, right? Right.PlayAbout That Punisher TattooAt the end of Episode 2, Matt finds himself up against the dirty cops who have framed White Tiger (played by the late Kamar de los Reyes, who is great in the role). A very Matt Murdock fight scene takes place (Oh, thats Daredevil, right?), but during it, Matt notices a tattoo on one of the cops arms a variation on Frank Castles iconic Punisher skull symbol.We already know that Jon Bernthal is reprising his role in Daredevil as the Punisher, soYes, that tattoo should be a hint, says Scardapane. There is a Frank Castle storyline that is, I think, deep and rich and has been begging to be told. It was in one of the comics, but Frank's appearance is not random. It comes back to [the idea] of who is a vigilante, who's good, who's bad, and Frank is one of those incredibly galvanizing characters. Frank comes into our world with a purpose. That purpose is executed. Does it have something to do with these men that we see in that apartment? Yes.There is a Frank Castle storyline that is deep and rich and has been begging to be told. -Showrunner Dario ScardapaneIn reality, the characters skull logo has been used by some in the police and military, and Punisher co-creator Gerry Conway has spoken out against this in the past. As a result, this is a particularly salient topic for Daredevil: Born Again to introduce to the MCU.It's incredibly important to me, and I think it's incredibly important to Marvel, and I know it's incredibly important to Jon, says Scardapane of including the issue in the show. And that discussion and that dichotomy and the feelings, emotions, and conversation about that specific issue is tackled in this season. And I think it's tackled really well. And I think Jon in particular knows how to voice that discussion probably better than anybody.Well have to see where all of this goes as Daredevil: Born Again rolls out in the coming weeks. In the meantime, let us know what you thought of Foggys death and everything else in the comments!