Daredevil: Born Again Season 2's Place In The MCU Timeline Raises Major Thunderbolts Questions

Warning: This article contains minor spoilers for episode 1 of "Daredevil: Born Again" season 2, "The Northern Star."

Unlike the Netflix series, which mostly existed in some nebulous area outside and around the Marvel Cinematic Universe, there's no such debate surrounding "Daredevil: Born Again." As early as season 1, the revival show made no bones about its main advantage over the previous iteration: the ability to rely on specific plot beats, reference specific events or locations, and feature various characters from the ongoing franchise. That trend continues in season 2 with the premiere episode's "cameo" (if it can even be called that) regarding one Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus).

Essentially the main villain of "Thunderbolts*" and meant as a kind of dark reflection of Samuel L. Jackson's Nick Fury, the Contessa directly intervenes in the ongoing events in New York City and does Mayor Wilson Fisk (Vincent D'Onofrio) a favor in "Born Again" ... which should strike fans as somewhat odd, considering where we last saw her in the MCU. After our motley group of antiheroes saved the day at the end of "Thunderbolts*," the final scene features a significant reversal of fortune. Backed into a corner, Valentina cleverly rebrands the Thunderbolts as the New Avengers and takes credit for their heroics. But, beyond the prying eyes of the public, Florence Pugh's Yelena Belova blackmails her former employer and whispers one last threat to Valentina: "We own you."

Considering that "Born Again" takes place after the events of "Thunderbolts*" and our good Contessa is (presumably) under close watch to prevent any acts of mischief, does her sinister phone call to the Mayor's office fully check out? Is this off-screen appearance setting up something even bigger to come? We have a theory about this.

Who knew you couldn't trust a corrupt CIA director to keep their word? The mysterious Valentina Allegra de Fontaine has spent her last several appearances in the MCU causing all sorts of chaos and slowly putting the pieces in place for her own group of superpowered individuals to do her bidding. The execution of that plan has been somewhat rocky, of course, as most recently demonstrated in the 2025 film "Thunderbolts*" and her misguided creation of the deadly Sentry (Lewis Pullman). Though that movie appears to end with her powers greatly diminished and her influence curtailed by the threat of blackmail, it seems as if even the New Avengers aren't quite strong enough to keep her down for long.

While her unexpected off-screen cameo in "Daredevil: Born Again" may seem like nothing more than some brand management reminding viewers that they're watching just one chapter amid many in the MCU, Valentina's latest antics actually make a certain amount of sense. Given her now overtly antagonistic relationship with the New Avengers (and her new ownership of the Avengers Tower in New York City, now known as the Watchtower), who else would she turn to in order to help rid of her of vigilante problem? Aligning herself with Mayor Fisk's cause and secretly helping him to avoid getting tied up in political bureaucracy and oversight directly aids her own goals. Admittedly, we know Fisk's grip on the city likely won't last into the events of the upcoming "Spider-Man: Brand New Day," but you can't blame a woman for trying.

While we await Valentina's return in the MCU, new episodes of "Daredevil: Born Again" stream on Disney+ every Tuesday,