Why ‘Daredevil: Born Again’ Confirms My Belief That ‘Avengers: Endgame’ Ruined the MCU Timeline

Warning: Spoilers ahead! This article discusses plot details from the first two episodes of Daredevil: Born Again.

Daredevil: Born Again has brought attention back to the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Fans are excited to see Charlie Cox reprising his role as Matt Murdock. While he returned in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law and Echo, the timeline placement of Born Again remains unclear. After analyzing the series, it seems that Avengers: Endgame has caused significant disruptions in the MCU timeline.

This new series picks up where the Netflix version of Daredevil left off. The original Netflix shows were once considered part of the MCU but were later disconnected when Marvel shifted focus to Disney+. The strong reception of Cox’s Daredevil and Vincent D’Onofrio’s Kingpin paved the way for their reincorporation, tying the Netflix saga back into the MCU’s timeline.

Determining when Daredevil: Born Again takes place can be tricky. Charlie Cox mentioned that She-Hulk occurs before Born Again. Additionally, Echo and Hawkeye, which feature Kingpin, are set in late 2024. Since Matt shows up in She-Hulk following these events, we can estimate that She-Hulk is likely set in 2025.

From what we gather in Born Again, the series starts in 2025, with Matt still active as Daredevil. Then, there is a significant time jump to 2026. This is highlighted by Wilson Fisk’s campaign for mayor, leading to a major New Year’s Eve event—indicating a switch from 2026 to 2027. Thus, this series becomes one of the latest additions to the current MCU timeline.

The timeline became particularly muddled after Avengers: Endgame introduced a five-year jump to represent the Blip. Prior to Endgame, the MCU’s timeline generally synced with real-world dates, making it easy to follow. But after the time jump, which took the timeline from 2018 to 2023, things have become harder to track.

Since then, Marvel has faced challenges in keeping the narrative timelines consistent. Confusion has grown around when various Phase 4 and Phase 5 events happen, placing them somewhere between 2023 and 2026. While Marvel tries to maintain some form of timeline, contradictions keep appearing. For instance, Agatha: All Along is set three years after WandaVision, suggesting it’s around 2026, while The Marvels seems to take place in 2025, overlapping with other series. A lot of shows, like Moon Knight, lack clear time markers, which makes this timeline puzzle even more complex.

So, what can Marvel do to tidy up the timeline? One way could be to simply ignore the inconsistencies, as many viewers don’t dissect the details. Another option could involve a soft reboot in future projects like Avengers: Secret Wars. This film could be a chance for Marvel to reset the timeline, bringing everything back to sync with real time. For now, we’re navigating a post-Endgame landscape where the MCU timeline feels quite fragile. With Daredevil: Born Again adding more twists, it seems that the risks taken during the five-year jump may have caused more chaos than clarity.