Daredevil: Born Again featured a plethora of characters for fans to enjoy as the successor to Netflix’s Daredevil brought in new faces along with the old gang. Inclusions such as BB Urich (Genneya Walton), Heather (Maragrita Levieva), and Daniel Blake (Michael Gandolfini) fit in almost seamlessly alongside The Punisher (Jon Bernthal), Bullseye (Wilson Bethel), and Foggy (Elden Henson). However, not every character was handled so effectively. The creative overhaul led to some being dreadfully underused, such as Muse’s (Hunter Doohan) anticlimactic death halfway through the season. Though one that flew under the radar and represents one of the most underrated characters in the MCU is undoubtedly Jack Duquesne (Tony Dalton), A.K.A. The Swordsman.
Duquesne first appeared in Hawkeye, where his charm and mystery made him an immediate fan favorite. While he had some fascinating scenes in Born Again that caused tension to bubble away under the surface, his eventual ending for Season 1 saw him imprisoned, and it felt like the character might be getting shelved. However, recent comments from Dalton should fill fans with hope as he hinted at a bigger role for his character in the upcoming second season of Born Again, especially with how it could tie into the larger battle for New York.
Tony Dalton Has Filmed Several Action Stunts For ‘Daredevil: Born Again’ Season 2
During an interview with ComicBookMovies‘s Josh Wilding for his role in the new thriller, Trap House, Dalton was asked about his enjoyment of action scenes in his new film, which was followed by him being asked about whether he would feature again in the MCU. The previous topic turned out to be incredibly pertinent to his answer. Dalton explained that “I did a bunch of action stuff in this next one that’s coming out, Daredevil. And man, I got hurt. I got hurt hard. I mean, I think I must have like chipped a rib or something because for two, three weeks, I was in bed. I had bruises all over [my] back. It was hard, man. Those guys go hard.” While everyone will be hoping such an injury is not a regular occurrence on set, and it is doubtful they are, with the fear of filming setbacks as shown by Tom Holland‘s reported concussion on the set of Spider-Man: Brand New Day, the supposed intensity of Dalton’s scenes does hint at a far greater role in Season 2 of Born Again.
This would not be the first time that fans have seen Jack Duquesne in action. Following on from his role in Hawkeye, there was a snippet of the BB Report that showed Duquesne under the guise of his vigilante moniker, The Swordsman, defending a woman from street thugs. This was why he was imprisoned by Wilson Fisk (Vincent D’Onofrio) at the end of Season 1 of Born Again. However, what was frustrating was how minor this action was, whereas Dalton’s comments hint at a greater significance when it comes to his character’s battles next season.
If Dalton is taking more hits as Duquesne, then it implies a much more arduous fight with a greater volume of choreography in place, which sounds like a scene unto itself, rather than a cameo appearance like the BB Report was. Considering his skill that saw him embarrass the street thugs last season, this also hints at him fighting tougher opponents, meaning a fight with actual antagonists could be on the cards. With Matt (Charlie Cox) forming a team of heroes to fight Fisk’s authoritarian rule of New York, which will see Jessica Jones (Krysten Ritter) join the series, it would make sense that he would recruit those Fisk has imprisoned, including Duquesne for his bonus of whatever resources he has left after Fisk tried to take control of as much wealth as possible.
Jack Duquesne Deserves More Screen Time in ‘Daredevil: Born Again’ Season 2
As previously mentioned, Duquesne was one of the most underused characters in Season 1 of Born Again, especially with how limited his agency and interactions seemed to be. His verbal confrontations with Fisk were one of the few times anyone, aside from Matt, saw through Fisk’s veneer of grace and actually dared to stand up to him. These always felt like they were teasing a direct battle between the two that didn’t feel as one-sided as it could have been. His scenes in the Hawkeye finale portrayed him as someone who was naive in getting involved in the climactic battle and only comedically survived, whereas his comedic charm was elevated with an air of intimidation towards Fisk. Rather than having a surface-level laugh with the character, his playful jabs raised the tension.
Seeing more of this in Season 2 of Born Again would also add another layer of class to the acting pedigree already on display in the Disney+ show. With exceptional performances in projects such as Better Call Saul and Sr. Ávila, everyone knows what Dalton can bring to a series, whether it is in English or Spanish. Not only would he add to Matt’s mission, but it feels like a guarantee that Cox and Dalton would be able to create an engaging scene together, especially considering their characters’ differences. While they both believe in the objective morality of what is right and wrong, Dalton’s Duquesne features an elitism, an aspect that made him a suspected villain to Kate Bishop (Hailee Steinfeld) in Hawkeye, which Matt could disagree with, considering his working-class background.
Overall, only good things can come from featuring more of Tony Dalton’s Duquesne in Born Again Season 2. The character’s status as a fan favorite makes him an obvious choice for more screen time, and also shows how Born Again is learning from the mistakes it made in Season 1. We’ll have to wait to see just how Dalton’s action scenes play out in Season 2, but fans should be more than excited to see more of The Swordsman in action, especially with how it could affect the wider narrative of Daredevil: Born Again.
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