The Season 2 finale of Daredevil: Born Again delivered exactly what fans wanted — a brutal hallway fight. Action director Philip J. Silvera recently broke down how the sequence came together. The massive courthouse riot scene required three days of preparation for each hero and was filmed in just one day per character.
Silvera Planned Two Separate Hallway Fights for the Finale
The finale episode follows Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox) as he rushes to Karen Page’s (Deborah Ann Woll) trial after getting shot. Heather Glenn (Margarita Levieva) and Wilson Fisk (Vincent D’Onofrio) both testify. But the biggest moment comes when Murdock tells everyone in the courthouse that he is actually Daredevil.
Silvera, who worked on the original Netflix Daredevil series, had a clear plan. He told Variety that he had three days to prep each fight — three days for Daredevil and three days for Kingpin.
“Each one of them I shot in one day,” Silvera said.
The action director focused on what connects the two characters. He explained that both Daredevil and Kingpin love New York City deeply and want the same outcome, just from opposite sides.
Kingpin Loses Control During the Courthouse Riot
The season starts with Fisk being voted in as mayor by the people of New York. But by the finale, the city has turned against him. Silvera explained that when Kingpin gets emotional, he loses all sense of calm.
“This is the first time that everyone sees it,” Silvera said.
He described how Kingpin starts seeing red during the fight.
“From that first hit, you saw how lethal and powerful he was,” Silvera added. Kingpin walks out into the hallway and “takes out the biggest guy immediately after that, and you start to feel like you’re trapped.”
The courthouse riot scene cuts between the chaos inside and the anti-vigilante task force outside. Silvera also worked with Krysten Ritter, who returned as Jessica Jones, and Camila Rodriguez as White Tiger.
“I had never gotten to work with her until the season, so she had now been part of a hallway scene with Matt, and then Camila, who plays White Tiger, she’s amazing. She is short but powerful in how she enters the scene,” Silvera said.
Storytelling Comes First in Every Fight
For Silvera, action must always serve the story and the characters’ emotions. He said it was never about trying to outdo previous fights from the Netflix series.
“Matt and Jessica end up grabbing reporters in the way, and they’re trying to protect these bystanders, whilst trying to stop Fisk,” Silvera explained.
Jessica Jones gets her powers back at full strength during the sequence. As the scene moves forward, viewers see her regain her strength more and more. Silvera pointed out key moments where she grabs someone by the arm and lifts him up. Fisk does the same thing in a very human way.
“You’ll get the juxtaposition of each one of their character traits and powers, but also the contradiction to the emotional moments they’re going through,” Silvera said.
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Charlie Cox and Vincent D’Onofrio Did Most of Their Own Stunts
Silvera has worked with Cox and D’Onofrio since 2014. He knows exactly how far he can push them. This was his first time working with Ritter, but he quickly understood her limits.
“I shot a sequence with her earlier where we really got to know each other, and I understood how much she wanted to do and how involved she wanted to be,” Silvera said.
“When we design the action, you can see them doing 90 to 95 percent of the action,” he added.
For the more dangerous moves, stunt doubles step in. Silvera credited the stunt team for their work on the show.
“We have great stunt doubles,” he said.
The finale fight scene between Daredevil and Kingpin is already being called one of the best action sequences in the Marvel series. The episode is streaming now on Disney+ in the US, UK, Canada, Australia, India, and other regions.
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