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Daredevil: Born Again episode 3, The Hollow of His Hand, premiered on Disney+ on March 11, 2025. Picking up from the events of last week's episode, the episode immediately sees Matt Murdock fighting to get Hector Ayala out of prison as the pressure starts stacking up on him. Aside from that, fans also get to see more of the relationship problems between Wilson Fisk and Vanessa.
Warning: Spoilers for Daredevil: Born Again episode 3 to follow. Reader discretion is advised.
In Daredevil: Born Again episode 3, while the verdict for Hector Ayala's case is declared as "not guilty", tragedy still ends up striking at the end. This is when Ayala is shot in the head by someone wearing a vest with a Punisher logo on it. While it is not directly confirmed that it is Frank Castle who killed him - it will certainly lead to a larger plot that the show has been setting up.
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How does Daredevil: Born Again episode 3 set the stage for The Punisher
Throughout Daredevil: Born Again, fans have gotten to see the influence of The Punisher. In episode 2, Officer Powell can be seen wearing a Punisher tattoo, and another cop in Daredevil: Born Again episode 3 can be seen flashing the Punisher logo on his neck. This ultimately leads to cops idolizing Frank Castle as their hero.
Given that the cops were entirely against Hector in episode 3 of the show, they can be seen trying to make sure he doesn't get the "not guilty" verdict by stopping Murdock's prime witness Nicki Torres from testifying - and even intimidating him into lying.
It all comes to a head at the end of Daredevil: Born Again episode 3 when Hector Ayala is found not guilty of his accusations and dons the White Tiger costume again. When out for petrol, he is shot in the head by a man wearing the Punisher logo on his vest. However, it is not confirmed whether the man is Frank Castle as his face can't be seen.
It could very possibly be one of the cops that do idolize the Punisher was the culprit behind Ayala's murder - and if the comics are anything to go by, then that's certainly the case.
The Punisher hates cops who idolize him in the comics
In the comics, The Punisher is known to hate cops who idolize him. This can be particularly seen in The Punisher #13 which was released in July 2022, Frank Castle can be seen confronting cops who have adopted his symbol and are going around trying to deliver justice under his name. However, he clearly lays out that he doesn't like what they are doing.
This is primarily due to Punisher not standing with the side of the law as he gave up helping people a long time ago. He primarily considers cops to be the opposite of who he is and hates the fact that someone who has been chosen to uphold the law has sided with the enemy of the system.
How does Matt win Hector Ayala's case?
Throughout the majority of Daredevil: Born Again episode 3, fans get to see Matt Murdock do what he does best as a lawyer in a courtroom. Fighting for Hector's freedom, he confronts the corrupt NYPD Officer Powell and lets him know that Nicki Torres - his informant and prime witness is going to testify against him. This leads to Powell seeking out Torres, but being unable to get to him.
When Torres makes it to court, being overwhelmed by the sheer number of cops over there, he immediately lies when under oath and denies being there at the train station. This leads to Matt having to put Hector at risk and he reveals his identity as The White Tiger to the entire courtroom.
Matt then gets a bunch of folks that Hector has helped across his vigilante career and tries to get the jury at his side showcasing how much good he has done. This leads to the Jury realizing that Hector is of good character and could not have possibly killed the cop on the train station that day. He is then let go free as he is announced to not be guilty of the crimes he was accused of.
Wilson Fisk and Vanessa's relationship problems explored
In Daredevil: Born Again episode 3, fans further get to see the problems between Wilson Fisk and Vanessa. After a truck hijacking goes wrong between two gangs which leaves two dead bodies, Vanessa finally decides to step in and handle things herself when Fisk prefers to do things by the book.
This causes much tension between the couple and the name "Adam" is mentioned as well - which Vanessa says that Fisk is punishing her for. While the mystery about this Adam still remains a mystery, it certainly looks like a mystery character who was involved with Vanessa while Fisk was away. However, it remains to be seen what exact role he has in the show.
Fans can tune in for Daredevil: Born Again episode 3 as it is streaming on Disney+ right now.
