I love the concept of asexual Dex, but I might add a little twist in it, from personal opinion ofc.
I think that Dex has sexual encounters but as his other relationships and basic social interactions, it is not healthy. For him sex is overwhelming—too intense, too much. His need for order and clean environment is freaking out during sex, there is so much fluids, textures, smells, sensations...
But I do think that he still has some. For me, he can have two type of sexual activities: one very primal, and one impulsive. But either are chaotic.
The "primal" one is basically where I put his possible past sexual experiences. I think that he only had hookups, with different person every time, to avoid awkwardness and real social interactions as much as possible. So maybe he'll flirt with a cute waiter and then fuck with them, because it feels hot and sexy in the moment, but that's it, absolutely no romantism in this.
Then the second is impulsive. This one has a tone of emotion in it, but as always it is not healthy. For example, if you do believe in Dexmatt, I think that in this dynamic Dex could actually feel a sexual attraction to Matthew. Not because he's in love with him, but because he is obsessed with him. (Not in yandere kinky way, I'm talking about psychology here). Matthew and Dex have a special connexion through death and violence. Why I called this "category" impulsive is because I think Dex would be very passive through this process. His emotions are taking the lead, against his will.
While the "primal" can be associated with Fbi!Dex, I think the "impulsive" is 100% DDBA!Dex.
Another headcanon I'd love about Dex in sexuality, is that I think he'd be very very awkward after sex. He would need space, a deep shower, a protocol to follow. He would be sweaty, maybe even having a panic attack in some cases. Because again, it is not healthy. For the person he does it with, but also for him. Even if he might enjoyed it, it's in a certain way not very consented for him, it's a form of traumatic respond.
But !!! I do also think that he could have healthy sexual activities, but under very specific conditions he'll need to understand firstly himself—thing he struggles to do.
I think it's for all of these reasons that submissive!Dex makes A LOT of sense. He needs control over his own mind, he needs someone to guide him through it. And in contrast, dom!Dex is also a reality but during unhealthy sex (one shot, quicky, dub-con etc.) I'm not saying these kinks are unhealthy!! Just in Dex's world and life, they unfortunately are, unless it's with someone that really concider him and help him understand that sex is not supposed to be forced, or uncomfortable.
One of the many things that tear my heart apart about Dex, is the moment in DD season three where he knows he's going back to his worst habits, he knows it, you clearly see it through his eyes.
After the Bulletin attack, he tried to take his life back, he realises what he just did. He reached for Julie, he explains why she is important for him (one thing that personally surprised me in a very good way, I love this dialogue), and he honestly did a pretty good job I mean without Julie's murder I think he could have restore a bit of control.
And yes I get the "he was already a psycho before Fisk" I get it, but still we see that he tried, really tried, to keep it together, but he's too instable and easily manipulated.
Another theory I read yesterday about him, is that in DDBA he tried to understand Matt's grief, really. And I agree with this take. Dex wants to feel empathy for Matt's situation, he understand why Foggy's murder is impactful for Daredevil but he's just unable physically to express empathy for him, his mind doesn't work this way. But I love that especially in the last episode, we see in his eyes that he's trying to process Matt's grief.
Daredevil Born Again, Season Two analysis, from a personal point of view
so obviously spoilers bellow
Quick words about the global aesthetic :
The title alone can be seen as a religious interpretation of rebirth or even apotheosis; a birth is linked to the end of a previous cycle, which can be interpreted as a “simple” rebirth of the spirit or an apotheosis. In the context of the series, we could say that Matthew Murdock has finally achieved the full fusion between himself – the lawyer, the citizen – and Daredevil, a fusion that had already been mentioned several times in “Daredevil”. Matt had always been at war with this other part of himself; sometimes he said it was him and not just a part of him, and when he tried to get away from it, it always came back even stronger. So perhaps this “Born Again” is that final fusion between Matt and the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen, an apotheosis leading to the sole existence of Daredevil.
We all know that this show loves to play with the ambiguity of opposites: good and evil, god and demon, bright and dark…
Colors are very important in Born Again, the main characters all have associated colors. Each time they appear, the corresponding color is present, through neon reflections, clothing, or even a change in the image's colorimetry.
Here’s my take on the color’s symbolism for each character:
— Kingpin, White : In my opinion the easier to identify. White is the color of innocence, purity, goodness, God, heaven and more. Since the beginning of the show – DDBA –, Wilson Fisk had immediately been associated to white. He changed his costumes, his whole wardrobe in fact. One of the first shots we got of him is a literal metaphor of him as the Goodness, the Right Side.
It is pretty obvious that the show wants to portray Kingpin’s redemption will, even if we know it’s a fake promise, but it echoes perfectly with Fisk’s hold on New York. Like the great manipulator he is, he builds an immaculate image of the “New York mayor”, and the white color empathises this idea.
— Vanessa Fisk, Red : I really love this one because I never really found a similar character in other media. From a deeply personal view, I think Vanessa Fisk is one of the only female characters well written in the MCU. Anyways, she was firstly portrayed as White too because she took her husband’s place for a long time. For me, the red uses for Vanessa is absolutely not the same as Daredevil. Hers is for manipulation, feminine intelligence, sensuality, psychological hold, quiet danger. She attracts and at the same time is feared, she controls her husband – with or without his consent –. I also love the idea of her White transformed as Red because of her anger toward Wilson, the loss of her innocence due to Fisk’s betrayal and his job’s responsibility. She is no longer the Vanessa we saw in the original Daredevil show, she’s a whole different woman.
— Bullseye, Blue : To be honest I struggled a little more with him, firstly because he’s deeply important to me and then because blue is a particular color, not as simple as white or red. Here’s a quote I found which is an interesting point of view: “In various spiritual contexts, blue represents the divine and inner peace”. And I loved this interpretation because Dex is always fighting against his internal demons, and in DDBA we saw a different version of him. Broken, weakened → tired mind which opened the door to his profound troubles. With this idea in mind, we can interpret the quote above as his kind of “apotheose” too, the merging of his mind leading to the full expression of Bullseye, and not Benjamin Poindexter. This “inner peace” can be the quieter mind he might have since he lets go of his moral boundaries, no more internal battles. In another tone, I think this blue colorimetry is simply a new version of what we had in “Daredevil” with the camera shaking, loud noises etc. when Poindexter was overwhelmed and on the edge of violence. In DDBA it’s kinda the same process, the blue lightning plus noises are the expression of his mental issues, his violence desires, his Bullseye side who wants to take over Benjamin.
— Daredevil, Red : As I said, his red is truly different from Vanessa’s. This red is for pure violence, blood, internal fights, evilness. This show allowed Daredevil to feel in every way his violence, his wish for blood. He’s still fighting against it – even if he succumbed once with Foggy’s murder – but he is now fully conscious of Daredevil’s place in his mental structure. He can’t deny him anymore, it is a part of him if not Him. The red also symbolizes the Evil. Since his childhood, Matt always had a complex relation with religion and faith. Many times he tried to move away from it or change his practice. But he’s catholic and at the same time a representation of a demon – one of the many reasons why I love this character, he’s so interesting –.
— Frank Castle, Black : Might not be as obvious as the others, but still present. Black is for death, grief, troubles, weapons, war, psychology. Quite everything that defined Frank huh? I think a great image for this character is : someone who’s digging his own grave, knows it but doesn't want to escape anymore. Black is the perfect choice for him. He never left grief, he never left war, and he never felt his fights. His mind is corrupted by his own thoughts and regrets. He is his own parasite. A french expression says “broyer du noir” which literally means “crushing black” and can be translated as “ruminate over the same depressed thoughts, and it impacts your whole mood”.
Now that being said, let’s dig into DDBA first episode symbolism.
Heather’s camera movement:
I personally see that as a metaphor of her fall into Fisk’s world but also her inner traumas. The camera angle tilts drastically downwards, reminiscent of the movement of a sinking boat – Northern Star drowing connection maybe? –.As a psychologist and a woman, her values are very important to her, and in DDBA Season Two she completely betrays them, while being aware of it. She sees herself sinking, but stays on board anyway. Perhaps to prove something to herself? To prove it to Matthew? Or because her fears paralyze her?
Another interesting point with Heather is the part where she manually fills out Jack Duquesne's questionnaire while listening to the recording of their conversation. I think it's intentionally ambiguous; she's mentally blocking herself on the questions where she could answer "yes." Examples: “Evil spirits possess me at time” and she is suddenly possessed by her fears with the hallucination of Muse; or “At times I feel like smashing things” and she is literally crushing an object in her hand; “No one seems to understand me”; “I’m often the smartest person in the room”.
One specific point that I really liked is when she repeats the question “Evil spirits possess me at times” that the answer is slow to come, and when Jack Duquesne answers “false” the music makes a noise similar to a mistake, as if she were lying to herself. She looks up, still frightened, and Muse is gone. Then she checks the "true" box with much more force than the others, leaving a black pencil mark. I think it's a very well-written scene, showing the internal struggle Heather is going through right now. One could also think that Heather is using Jack Duquesne as a reflection of herself and her own flaws.
Buck as an angel messenger:
I adore this scene, literally paused the show to appreciate it lol. Buck is the new James Wesley for Fisk, even if their relationship is different from the previous. Colder. Buck does what Fisk asks of him, while remaining far from the cliché of the “dog that obeys”.
The scene where he himself kills the hostage is full of symbolism. It reminds me of Isaac's sacrifice from the Bible.
The hostage is tortured by one of Fisk's special police agents, which can be seen as a representation of life beating down on an honest believer. A work of God, then, God here being Wilson Fisk. The violence is sent by God, but God also sends an angel to stop it. You get it? The angel is Buck, who also works for Kingpin. He stops Powell, falsely lecturing him before reassuring the hostage.
As a reminder, in the story of the sacrifice of Isaac, God asks Isaac to kill his own son as proof of his faith, and Isaac is about to do so when God sends an angel to stop him. Admittedly, the scene in DDBA is more brutal, because in it the “God”—Kingpin—is a purely fictional image created to suggest redemption, as described in Fisk's analysis of the White. It's like a distorted personification of God.
Therefore, this scene is, in my opinion, a reshaped version of Isaac’s sacrifice.
After reassuring the hostage, Buck positions himself behind him, slightly elevated, and kills him. Then comes the moment that made me understand everything. The shot changes, and we now see Buck bathed in the white light of the moon, which falls perfectly upon him. He raises his head toward the sky. There it is, the representation of the messenger angel. The angel was sent by God, and now he will return to Heaven. Buck was sent by Fisk to kill, and now he looks to the sky, his symbolic home, before returning to his boss.
This metaphor of the messenger angel works for almost every scene with Buck. He follows Fisk's orders.
Bullseye appearance:
I screamed when I saw it on screen, not even joking. My favorite by far.
First, the episode title, “Northern Star,” how could one not see the connection with Poindexter? As a reminder, the North Star is a term used to describe an abstract concept for this character. In short, it's his compass, what keeps him grounded on many different levels, what guides him. Often embodied by a person, like his psychologist or Julie Barnes. But it can also be characterized by his need for structure and order in his life.
Now that being cleared up, let's continue with the scene: Daredevil is being beaten by Fisk's agents because of an external factor that throws him off balance. The agents remove his mask, and this is a pivotal moment that could have completely changed the course of the series. Daredevil's identity is already known to several people, but it remains a very fragile and crucial secret. The agents recognize the now-unmasked face; one even says aloud, "It's Matthew Murdock." At that moment, we're thinking, "How will he keep this information from getting out? Especially since he doesn't want to kill anyone." But suddenly, an object ricochets around the room, killing all the agents, before landing right in front of Daredevil's face:
The symbol ⌖ clearly indicates that this refers to Bullseye. And this simple gesture speaks volumes about the relationship the series establishes between the two characters.
By killing the agents, Poindexter saved Daredevil from having to kill them himself. Furthermore, if I remember correctly, Fisk had given the order to kill Daredevil, so Bullseye may have also saved Matt's ass for real.
The "you're welcome" inscription is also open to interpretation. Knowing Bullseye's temperament, he could very well have written "You owe me one" and thus profited from the situation —which he might do later, in fact— but instead, he chose to use this phrase. I see it as a glimpse into their future dynamic, which will surely be full of irony and dark humor — coming from Bullseye.
Is Daredevil Poindexter’s new north star?
Honestly I love the idea, but it is strictly not an objective point of view ♥.
But ! At the same there’s facts.
The episode is literally named "Northern Star”, showing the ambiguity between the sunken ship that had the same name and the final scene. If we go in that direction, the clues were already there since season one. When Bullseye kills Foggy Nelson and then he and Daredevil fight on the roof, there's a very specific moment where Poindexter is amused by the situation. We can feel that this moment – this murder – build a deep connection between them, a toxic and cruel one, but it exits
I know you could say it's simply because he enjoys killing, and that he probably enjoys seeing Daredevil suffer the loss of his best friend. But that doesn't change the fact that you can't ignore that smile he has. The only time he smiles all season is with Daredevil—coincidence? Maybe! –. And if we go a little further, at the end of season one, Bullseye accidentally shoots Matthew when he was aiming for Fisk. There's a very clear shot of his face, and we see fear, regret, and incomprehension. Dex is shaken by the fact that Matthew took the bullet instead of Kingpin. Moreover, we know he knows Daredevil's identity, so he knows he just hit Daredevil and not just some random civilian.
The final clue to this potential change is the visiting room scene in season one. As a reminder: following Poindexter's request, Matthew goes to a parlor to see him in prison. In this scene, they exchange insults, and the tension between the two men is undeniable. Rivalry or something else? It doesn't matter; it's there nonetheless. I personally never get over that moment:
The hair pulling and then “Thank you councillor” like please???? Did they have to make the scene so ambiguous? I love it
I know, once again, Dex's smile can be interpreted as his amusement at having made Matthew crack—which I personally see as a kind of flirt, but anyway—but also as the success of his plan. Indeed, by smashing his head against the table, Matt weakened one of Dex's teeth, which he would later pull out and use to escape from prison.
I like the ambiguity the series creates, this vagueness that leaves room for possibility. Everyone has their own opinion, and I totally respect that; here's mine ;)
And I also love the question of, how did Bullseye know that Daredevil was in danger? Was he stalking him? Since when? Why?
That’s it for today !! I LOVE doing these, because my hypersensitive mind had always found such a comfort in the Daredevil series, and even more in Born Again. There’s so many details, theories, symbols, metaphors etc. I just adore that, and it is perfectly done. It just does something to my brain, I can’t explain it.
I obviously forgot a lot of things, and I can misinterpret. This post is basically me talking about my obsessions and how I analyze everything. Feel free to give your opinion, I’ll be happy to read thoughts about this !!
