The 7th episode "The Hateful Darkness" released before the season finale of Daredevil: Born Again deeply impacted viewers with the tragic fate of Daniel Blake, portrayed by Michael Gandolfini. Since the first season on Disney+, Daniel Blake has been increasingly lost in a system he never fully understood and realized too late, while trying to prove himself around Wilson Fisk (Vincent D'Onofrio).

At the end of the episode, after Karen's (Deborah Ann Woll) trial, Daniel panics and takes action to save BB (Genneya Walton) as Fisk tightens his political control. However, Buck ruthlessly kills him. The reason Daniel's death is particularly heartbreaking is that in his final moments, despite saving BB's life and being a hero, he is still accountable for his own actions. In fear and guilt, he finally confesses how far he has gone. Gandolfini emphasized the moment when the character fully realizes this final transformation.

For the 26-year-old actor, the defining moment is the scene where Daniel says, "It's not just Fisk and Buck. I exist too. I went out and buried a body with Buck; I don't want to know that I know this." According to Gandolfini, this is the critical point where the character understands he has gone too far. Daniel's attempts to protect BB in his final scenes and telling him to get out show that Born Again does not offer him a clear farewell or a significant moment of redemption.

Gandolfini explains that this complexity makes the death functional and that Daniel dies "in the midst of everything," with none of his life's pieces resolved. In this prelude to the season, this unresolved feeling is precisely designed for Daredevil: Born Again. Daniel dies neither a martyr nor a genius, but simply as someone who has been pulled too closely into Fisk's darkness.

Gandolfini shared his deep satisfaction with the opportunity Marvel provided him and the character's genuine arc. He believes Daredevil is a rare Marvel project that emphasizes the importance of friendships like Matt and Foggy's or human relationships like Ben Urich's with Karen. Even when there are no heroes with special powers, the characters remain equally important, and he feels very lucky to have been able to tell such a realistic story, thanks to the talented actors he worked with and the impact they brought to the series.