Does the MCU's Kingpin know Daredevil's secret identity as Matt Murdock in Daredevil: Born Again like he did in the Netflix shows? This is a question that has remained unanswered since Wilson Fisk made his MCU debut in the Phase 4 Marvel series Hawkeye. With Matt Murdock being introduced to the MCU via Spider-Man: No Way Home, and every Marvel reveal from Comic-Con 2022 being threatened to be upstaged by the announcement of Daredevil: Born Again, viewers cannot help but ask exactly how much Kingpin and Daredevil know about each other in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

In Netflix's Daredevil season 3, episode 4, "Blindsided," Fisk watches from a monitor as a sedated and blind lawyer single-handedly defeats the inmates and prison guards Fisk sent to kill Matt. As Fisk tells Matt in the phone conversation that follows, "For a blind man, you have very impressive reflexes, Mr. Murdock." While it's never overtly confirmed that Fisk knows about Matt's secret identity, this incident is essentially what prompts Fisk to directly target Matt. When Karen Page inadvertently confirms Daredevil's identity to Fisk during their confrontation, Fisk's reaction subtly reflects how he was already aware of the truth.

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The new Daredevil show's biggest challenge lies in how it can match or surpass the original series' brilliantly nuanced storytelling, which is why it's highly likely that Kingpin knows nothing about Matt Murdock's secret identity in the MCU. In fact, it's not even clear if Daredevil himself already exists in the MCU, as Matt Murdock's transformation into the Devil of Hell's Kitchen is likely being reserved for Daredevil: Born Again, despite ongoing allusions to his super alter ego appearing in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law. While it will be much more difficult for the MCU to develop an all-new plot instead of just picking up where Netflix left off, telling a totally different Daredevil origin story could be the best way for the MCU to do justice to complex characters like Kingpin and Daredevil. Indeed, keeping Netflix's Daredevil canon would be a mistake for the MCU, as it would rob Daredevil: Born Again of the chance to put its own unique and worthwhile spin on Matt Murdock's identity and Daredevil's origin story. Moreover, the very title of the new MCU Phase 5 series implies that Daredevil: Born Again will tackle how Kingpin finds out about Matt's secret identity.

How Matt Murdock's Identity Gets Exposed In Daredevil: Born Again Comic

However Daredevil: Born Again approaches Daredevil's identity and origin, it will inevitably be compared to the Netflix series, which is already a great adaptation of the comic book series from which the new show takes its name, "Born Again." In the 1986 Marvel Comics story arc, Karen gives up Daredevil's true identity for a shot of heroin, and the information eventually reaches Kingpin. Depending on how the MCU adapts the comics, Karen could return in Daredevil: Born Again as a very different version of herself.

As Daredevil: Born Again is unlikely to just repeat what happened in the Netflix series, it could tell a much darker story that's more loyal to the source material. This would be consistent with the darker and grittier direction of MCU Phase 4. Furthermore, Daredevil: Born Again having a total of 18 episodes means that there will be ample space to flesh out Daredevil's MCU origin story and his lethal game of chess with the Kingpin.