Spider-Man: Brand New Day took the internet by storm recently as the highly anticipated trailer to the next Sony Pictures-Marvel Cinematic Universe collaboration finally dropped. The trailer had much to reveal, from Bruce Banner’s return to the Scorpion fully suited up. However, there are a few particular elements of that trailer that are more apparent than others: the Punisher and the Hand.
Although it has been confirmed for quite some time that the Punisher would cameo in the film, many fans are still wondering what role the Hand could play. Given the red-cloaked group’s connections to the street-level aspect of the MCU, their role could be to simply be a nuisance to Spider-Man. However, with the Punisher’s involvement as well, it feels like Spider-Man: Brand New Day is setting up for the Hand to return in Daredevil: Born Again Season 3.
To many MCU fans, the Hand shouldn’t be unfamiliar as they previously appeared in the original Netflix Daredevil series. In that show, they had several dealings with Wilson Fisk and his plan to regentrify Hell’s Kitchen and nearly killed Matt Murdock in a heated duel in Season 1. The Hand also had fought against their K’un-Lun rival, Danny Rand, in Iron Fist, on several different occasions.
However, the official synopsis of Daredevil: Born Again Season 2 does give some leeway as to how the Hand is connected to all of this. According to the synopsis, Daredevil is trying to build his own resistance to Kingpin’s public-facing mayorship, which will most likely see Murdock’s underground movement expanding. Even though Fisk is willing to keep Murdock’s vigilante persona a secret, it certainly feels like Season 2 might do something that’s been explored in another run: Daredevil being arrested.
This event, which is seen in Chip Zdarsky’s Daredevil comic runs, sees Murdock being arrested for accidentally killing a bank robber. Although Murdock is the one who gets arrested, his Daredevil persona, which gets made public, gets sentenced. As for Kingpin, he goes into hiding following his regime collapse in Devil’s Reign. During Zdarsky’s run, Elektra takes up the mantle from Murdock while he spends his time in prison, but Murdock and Elektra would later establish the counterforce to the Hand: the Fist.
In addition, these runs, particularly in Daredevil Vol. 6, revealed that Vanessa Fisk was the one who orchestrated Foggy’s murder. This fact was presented in Daredevil: Born Again Season 1, where it was revealed that Vanessa hired Bullseye to eliminate Foggy. Additionally, the original series also introduced the first group Elektra was a part of to stop the Fist: the Chaste. In the show, the Chaste opposed the Hand in order to stop them from deploying a weapon known as the Black Sky. However, Elektra turned out to be a Black Sky herself.
Given the Hand’s return in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, as well as other Zdarsky-inspired elements that are in both Daredevil shows, it’s extremely likely that Season 3 will see the events of Daredevil Vol. 6 and the Red Fist saga being adapted. It’s also likely that Season 3 will see the Defenders reuniting, which is already a possibility given Krysten Ritter’s return as Jessica Jones.
This is further bolstered with the social media posts of Elodie Young, who portrayed Elektra, and Finn Jones, who portrayed Rand, training in New York, where Daredevil: Born Again Season 3 is currently filming. Furthermore, Mike Colter, who portrayed Luke Cage in Marvel’s Netflix shows, also expressed interest in returning. However, their MCU returns have not been officially confirmed as of now.
If Season 2 shows Daredevil’s city-wide resistance and his arrest, it’s very possible that Murdock’s resistance could eventually transform into the Fist, which may be led by Elektra and Punisher. The ending of Season 1 already teased that formation, which includes Karen Page, Cherry, and Angie Kim. Season 2 has also shown other forces at play outside of Daredevil’s resistance, which includes a Max Headroom-inspired Kingpin reporter who’s signaling their own uprising.
With the Hand seemingly coming out of the shadows to challenge Spider-Man in hopes to take New York City for themselves, their presence needs to have that counterbalance and that can be fulfilled by the Hand. Given all of these factors, Daredevil: Born Again Season 3 will definitely have much to offer in terms of reuniting these fan-favorite characters.
However, time will tell whether these actual events will come to be in Daredevil: Born Again Season 2. Fans can still expect Murdock and Fisk to butt heads once again as their shadow war continues to shake the landscape of the street-level side of the MCU. Yet, the doors are seemingly creaking open to see these comic book stories adapted and these iconic characters return.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day releases in theaters on July 31. Daredevil: Born Again Season 2 premieres on March 24 on Disney+.
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Christopher Gallardo is a freelance entertainment writer and critic. While not running The Reel Roller, Chris can be found writing reviews and breakdowns on all things films and TV. Outside of entertainment writing, he’s currently taking classes for a Bachelor’s of Science with a minor in Digital Media & Journalism. Plus, he loves Percy Jackson, animated films and shows, and Fallout! Follow Christopher on Instagram & X.