Episode 6 isn’t just violent—it’s a goddamn thesis statement. Matt and Fisk both drop the masks and show us exactly who they are. One protects. One conquers. And Muse? He’s the chaos artist who lights the match. “Excessive Force” proves that in Hell’s Kitchen, the fight isn’t over—it’s *just getting honest*. Episode 6: “Excessive Force”
Let’s not waste time—Episode 6 is the episode where Daredevil: Born Again drops the gloves, bares its teeth, and dares you to look away.
Matt Murdock is done playing defense. Wilson Fisk is done pretending he ever left the game. And caught between them is a city that’s bleeding from every direction.
“Excessive Force” doesn’t just describe what goes down in the alleys and subway tunnels of Hell’s Kitchen—it’s the thesis statement for the episode. This hour is about what happens when masks stop being metaphors and start being weapons. When power isn’t just taken—it’s reclaimed.
It’s about two men—one in red, one in white—finally deciding they don’t need permission to be who they are. And somewhere in the middle, Muse shows up like a blood-soaked exclamation point to force their hands.
Let’s break it down.
Muse – The Catalyst Nobody Expected
Muse isn’t just a villain—he’s a force of narrative gravity. Up until now, his presence has been abstract: a few haunting murals, a corpse or two, maybe a cryptic message scrawled in blood. But Episode 6 drags him into the spotlight and lets us see the chaos up close. And damn if it isn’t mesmerizing.
We knew he hated Fisk. His graffiti’s been tagging the King’s crown with a big fat question mark all season. But what makes Muse dangerous isn’t just the art—it’s the audience. And now? He’s performing for Matt Murdock.
By targeting Angela, Muse doesn’t just cross a line—he erases it. This isn’t a random killing spree anymore. This is personal. Intentional. A callout. He’s not just trying to provoke Daredevil—he’s challenging him. “Can your justice stop my masterpiece?” That’s the vibe.
And maybe that’s what makes Muse the perfect villain for this turning point. He’s not just creating horror—he’s forcing clarity. For Matt. For Fisk. For the city.
Art as protest. Art as violence. Art as mirror.
Muse is the blood-slick brush that paints Matt and Fisk back into their truest forms.
Fisk Reclaims the Crown
If Matt is dragged back into the fight, Fisk walks back into his throne room like he never left.
There’s no hesitation here. No hand-wringing. Just cold, calculated moves dressed in white linen and campaign smiles. Fisk doesn’t ask for power—he reminds the city he still owns it.
We start with the Luca scene—mob business, debts, disrespect. Luca calls Fisk washed-up. Cute. Fisk responds by casually raising the price on his life and giving him a deadline like he’s handing out parking tickets. No shouting. No threat. Just that thick, suffocating quiet that always means someone’s already dead.
But the real moment? It’s Adam.
Vanessa’s new lover. The inconvenient loose thread. Fisk gives him an axe—not as a weapon, but as a riddle. “What would you do?” he seems to say. And then he answers for him, violently and decisively.
It’s not just a murder. It’s a statement: I am still the Kingpin.
And he doesn’t stop there. Fisk leverages Muse’s chaos into a political opportunity, forming his own anti-vigilante task force. Sounds noble, right? Until you look at the roster: violent cops, kicked out of other departments, handpicked to become Fisk’s private army. It’s not about safety. It’s about optics. Control.
He even gives them a slogan: “Muse wears a mask because he’s afraid. I want the city to see you.”
What Fisk understands—what he’s always understood—is that fear works better when you put it in a uniform.
Matt’s Breaking Point—and Breakthrough
If Fisk climbs back to power with calm brutality, Matt crawls his way back with blood and doubt.
He’s still reeling—haunted by Foggy’s death, traumatized by his own kidnapping, and stuck in a therapy chair that feels more like a confessional booth. His therapist asks if it’s faith that drives him. Matt just says, “Something like that.” But we know better.
This isn’t faith. It’s guilt. It’s rage. It’s the unbearable itch of knowing people are in danger and you’re not doing anything to stop it.
The trigger? Angela.
She shows up asking questions—about her uncle Hector, about the missing girls, about the darkness in the tunnels below the city. Matt tells her to go to the cops. She tells him to wake up. And when she disappears, it finally clicks.
He places his broken Daredevil horn on Foggy’s memorial card like it’s an offering. A goodbye to doubt.
“F*** it.”
That’s not a surrender. That’s a resurrection.
And the second he suits up and dives into those subway tunnels to face Muse, we know it: Daredevil is back. Not because someone forced him, not because the city begged—but because he chose it.
He’s not hiding anymore.
Mirror, Mirror – Brutality in Sync
Here’s where the episode stops pulling punches and starts swinging for the damn rafters.
While Matt is locked in a savage fight with Muse in the underground, Fisk is murdering Adam in a locked room above the city. Two scenes. Two men. One message: this is who they really are.
And the show knows it. It doesn’t just show you one, then the other—it cross-cuts them like a symphony of violence. Chains against bone. Axe against silence. Heroism and horror, frame for frame.
Matt is dodging blades, listening for a dying heartbeat in the darkness. He’s desperate, wounded, but relentless. Because underneath the mask, Matt Murdock is still a man trying to save people—even if it kills him.
Meanwhile, Fisk doesn’t raise his voice. Doesn’t flinch. He’s a storm in slow motion, reasserting control not just over his empire—but over Vanessa, over his own damn narrative. Killing Adam isn’t about love. It’s about dominance. This is what happens when you threaten the King.
And just like that, the episode shows us everything we need to know: Matt protects. Fisk destroys. They both wear masks. They both believe in justice. And they’re both willing to cross the line to get there.
The only difference is why.
Blood in the Water – What Now for Hell’s Kitchen?
Episode 6 ends with Daredevil on his knees beside a barely-alive Angela, whispering, “I’m here.” But that’s not just comfort—it’s a promise. Matt’s not wandering anymore. He’s not lost. He’s back—and Hell’s Kitchen just got its devil again.
But here’s the thing: so did Fisk.
Now they’re both fully unmasked. Fully committed. And the city? It’s caught between two kings, both convinced they’re the righteous one.
Matt’s reclaiming his mission. Fisk is consolidating his empire. And Muse? He lit the fuse and vanished into the shadows, probably smiling. Because in a way, he won. He didn’t just kill. He provoked. He created.
And he forced the whole city to show its true face.
“Excessive Force” isn’t subtle—but it’s not meant to be. It’s a declaration. A turning point. A blood-soaked thesis on what happens when people stop pretending and start embracing the darkness they were born to fight.
💬 So what do you think—did Fisk actually kill Adam?
It isn’t 100% clear. He looks dead to me—but then again, I thought the cops Matt beat up in Episode 2 were dead, and they showed up with neck braces and lawsuits instead of body bags. So who knows? Maybe Adam’s still alive. Maybe he’s just broken.
Is Adam dead? Or is there more game to play? Drop your theories in the comments.