This article contains spoilers for “Daredevil: Born Again” season 1, episode 6.
“Daredevil: Born Again” has an interesting way to deal with its Marvel Cinematic Universe references. The show generally steers clear of too many explicit MCU allusions, instead choosing to operate with existing Netflix-era characters and occasional newcomers like Hector “White Tiger” Ayala (Kamar de los Reyes) and Heather Glenn (Margarita Levieva) added in the mix. Still, the show isn’t afraid to drop not-too-subtle Spider-Man (Tom Holland) references. Episode 5 even wheels out Ms. Marvel’s (Iman Vellani) father, Yusuf Khan (Mohan Kapur), to have bank heist-themed adventures with Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox), setting up a potential future superhero team-up between his daughter and his new blind friend while he’s at it.
Episode 6 continues this theme by including another highly likable supporting character from a previous MCU show. Mayor Wilson Fisk’s (Vincent D’Onofrio) predictably disastrous attempt to rub shoulders with New York City’s wealthy elites features the welcome return of Jack Duquesne, the pleasant socialite who was an important supporting character on 2021’s “Hawkeye.” Portrayed by Tony Dalton (a red-hot villain actor at the time, thanks to his chilling turn as Lalo Salamanca on “Better Call Saul”), Duquesne is an important murder suspect for much of that show, but a fun twist reveals that he’s a genuinely good person who’s delighted to help the heroes and bond with stepdaughter-to-be Kate Bishop (Hailee Seinfeld). On “Daredevil: Born Again,” he attends a fundraiser and immediately uses his charm and wit to school Fisk in a bout of verbal sparring. Since it seems unlikely that the show would bring back this familiar figure just to casually dunk on the main villain and wander away with a drink in hand, there’s a chance that we haven’t seen the last of Duquesne, either.
Jack Duquesne is very, very good with swords
Before his true nature as a brave and genuinely nice guy is revealed, “Hawkeye” treats Jack Duquesne as a peculiar mixture of an aloof, slightly clueless rich person and a genuinely threatening presence. Apart from Dalton’s excellent acting and reputation as a villain performer, this is because the character’s comic book version is very much a supervillain. Known as the Swordsman, the comic version of the character commits various crimes and mentors Clint “Hawkeye” Barton (played in the MCU by Jeremy Renner), eventually reforming and even becoming an Avenger.
As it happens, the live-action Duquesne is also a word-class sword master, which initially adds to his apparent threat and later comes in handy during a major showdown with the Tracksuit Mafia. The end of “Hawkeye” strongly hints that Duquesne is intrigued by the prospect of a vigilante career, and before he turns up on “Daredevil: Born Again,” episode 6, we indeed briefly see a glimpse of a shadowy, Zorro-style vigilante who calls himself — yep — the Swordsman.
“Hawkeye” makes clear that Duquesne’s carefree exterior hides plenty of intellect and physical ability. Since “Daredevil: Born Again” episode 6 both features the first grainy look at the Swordsman and brings Duquesne back as a formidable enough presence to clash personalities with the Kingpin, it seems that his “Daredevil: Born Again” storyline will indeed bring the character’s swashbuckling super-persona to the MCU. Up until now, the show has dealt with the events of “Hawkeye” and “Echo” very swiftly, so it would certainly be fun to see this prominent “Hawkeye” character shine on the show.
“Daredevil: Born Again” is streaming on Disney+.
