What is Muse? Marvel's Daredevil: Born Again Villain, Explained

After months of anxious anticipation from fans and several pretty serious production delays, Daredevil: Born Again is almost here. The series, announced nearly three years ago during the San Diego Comic Con, will finally reunite Charlie Cox's Matt Murdock with Vincent D'Onofrio's Wilson Fisk in Hell's Kitchen. However, the Kingpin won't be the only villain along for the ride this time around. Not far.

Since the footage from reveals the newly released “Daredevil: Born Again” trailerMatt Murdock mixes it up with several masked villains. One of them is doing graffiti and has a pale white mask with blood on it. It's none other than Muse, a villain who is a somewhat recent addition to the Marvel Comics canon, first appearing in Daredevil #11 in 2016. The character was created by writer Charles Soule and artist Ron Gurney. Simply put, Muse is a serial killer who turns his victims into works of art. It is not yet clear which actor is under this mask. Time will tell.

Muse debuted in Marvel Comics as “the scariest (Daredevil) story of the century.” Since his debut in 2016, he appeared in a total of 14 issues until (spoilers) his death in “Daredevil” #600 in 2018. Since no one really dies in mainstream comic books, the character also appears in Daredevil: Unleash Hell #1, which hit shelves this January. The fact that Marvel brought the character back to the comics a few months before his big show appearance is probably no coincidence.

There are other villains in Born Again. Daredevil is about to get his revenge against Bullseye. It also seems like White Tiger will make his live debut. But none of them are as uniquely violent as Muse.

Muse is quite unique among comic book villains in that his alter ego was never revealed in the comics. Whether or not this changes to the Marvel Cinematic Universe remains to be seen. We know he's a sadistic killer who uses art to make grand gestures to society, and blood serves as his signature. The media dubbed him “Vincent van Gore”. Yes, we are talking about a murderer who paints with blood, so let's not worry Despite the move from Netflix to Disney+, Marvel Studios is set to scale back Daredevil.

Another interesting thing that makes Muse unique compared to many Daredevil villains is that he has actual superpowers. He has superhuman strength as well as super-tuned reflexes that allow him to catch projectiles thrown at him quite easily. He also has an interesting ability to be stealthy and invisible, as he is able to pick up various sensory information from those around him, including smells and sounds. This makes him a deadly enemy as some of his victims in the comics were Inhumans. In other words, he is not only capable of killing people.

This is, very basically, what to expect from Muse. At least that's what we can tell from the comics. Marvel Studios often changes characters from page to screen. Sometimes this is good for the project, sometimes not. What we do know is that “Born Again” experienced a lot of turmoil behind the scenes, with a change of showrunners and directorsin addition to serious rewriting and heavy reshoots. Hopefully it was for the better, and with any luck it means Muse will be given a proper live introduction.

The show also features returning Daredevil cast members Deborah Ann Wall (Karen Page), Elden Henson (Misty Nelson), Wilson Bethel (Bullseye), Eilet Zurer (Vanessa) and Jon Bernthal (Punisher). Margarita Levieva (“The Acolyte”), Zabrina Guevara (“New Amsterdam”), Nikki M. James (“Severance”), Jenny Walton (“Candy Cane Lane”), Artie Frushan (“Carnival Row”), Clark Johnson ( “Evil”) and Michael Gandolfini (“The Many Saints of Newark”) round out the ensemble.

Daredevil: Born Again premieres March 4, 2025 on Disney+.