Art for Art's Sake

Art for Art's Sake
Season	1
Writer	Jill Blankenship
Director	David Boyd
First Aired	April 1, 2025
Running Time	40 minutes
Marvel Cinematic Universe
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Next →	Isle of Joy

"You're the key. I mean, don't you see that? I mean, you've unlocked something in me, Dr. Glenn. Something I didn't know was missing. I mean, you've allowed my creativity to flourish, to soar to heights I never even imagined."

―Bastian Cooper to Heather Glenn

Art for Art's Sake is the seventh episode of the first season of Daredevil: Born Again.

Synopsis

Daredevil is back and races Wilson Fisk to stop Muse from killing again.

Plot

Wilson Fisk talks to Buck Cashman and Daniel Blake about Muse's terror and how so far, he is unable to bring him down as promised. Blake informs Fisk about Angela Del Toro, who was Muse's attempted victim, but was able to get away and point the authorities to his lair. Fisk wonders how could Del Toro escape and Cashman says that she was rescued by Daredevil. Fisk strongly reacts to the news that Daredevil is back, although it was yet to be confirmed, and demands Cashman and Blake to leave.

Following his confrontation with Muse, Murdock takes a shower at his place, washing away the blood and gets joined by Heather Glenn. She notices Murdock's wounds but before she gets to ask him about them, Murdock pulls her into a kiss and the two have sex. Later, Glenn presses on where Murdock was last night and he tries to downplay it by saying that he was taking a walk and got injured on the way. Glenn is worried that he has a tendency to get into dangerous situation and questions if Murdock is doing that deliberately as a form of self-harm. Murdock replies that his life changed a lot and he has difficulties coping with that, and Glenn remarks that Murdock is suppressing trauma, which could bring harm to everything good he has.

Murdock comes to the office, where Cherry chews him up for ignoring him and going after Muse as Daredevil. Murdock claims that the New York City Police Department did nothing to stop a serial killer, while he was able to do it in one night. He says that Muse would likely go into survival mode, knowing that he is cornered, which meant that they could pinpoint Muse's next target and bring him down. Cherry refuses to help, saying that if Murdock wants to ruin his own life, he will not be a part of it. Murdock says that back when Cherry was with the police, he used to come to Murdock with similar requests for help, which Cherry does not appreciate.

Fisk and Cashman discuss Daredevil's return after a year of total absence, and Cashman is unsure how could one serial killer draw him out. He suggests that if it is true that Daredevil is back and is going after Muse, it should be beneficial to them and the city, but Fisk could not disagree more. He tells Cashman about Daredevil single-handedly bringing down an infrastructure he was building for ten years, sending him to jail and ruining business for his numerous associates. He claims Daredevil to be a menace who went after his employees with no law to hold him back, driven by his delusions of righteousness. Cashman reminds Fisk that he is now the mayor and using them for personal revenge would be an abuse of power, to which Fisk claims that he has a responsibility to protect the city from those who operate outside of the law.

Murdock and Soledad Ayala visit Del Toro at the hospital, as she recovers after being almost killed by Muse. Murdock asks Del Toro about any details she could give about Muse, something aside from what she already told the police. Del Toro does not see the point as the police would not do anything anyway, but Murdock insists that even so, somebody else will do something. As Del Toro tells Murdock about the sketches of various faces Muse had, Angie Kim and other detectives investigate at the lair, finding Muse's tools and disturbing artworks displayed on the walls.

Vanessa Fisk meets with Luca, who voices his displeasure with her husband and how his political endeavors are ruining business for the Five Families. Vanessa sees no point in explaining Fisk's motives, but Luca claims that she also does not approve of Fisk's current ways to operate. She informs Luca that she was the one who send Cashman to demand restitution and warns him to stay low and play smart. Luca insists that the business was running much better when Vanessa was fully in charge and she should be aware of that, proposing them to ally to make a necessary change.

Kim reports to Fisk that during her investigation, she found a piece of a rare canvas at Muse's lair, which allowed the police to narrow down the list of suspects. She claims that Bastian Cooper is currently a top suspect to be Muse and Fisk looks through his rap sheet, taking a note of his history with mental health. Kim also tells Fisk that Cooper used to attend taekwondo classes with Lee Suk Ji, who was found dead at their estate three months later, which is likely to be Cooper's doing. Fisk appreciates Kim's efforts but tells her to stand down, intending to let his Anti-Vigilante Task Force to handle Muse from this point onward.

Glenn receives Cooper at her office and he opens up about his dreams and the feeling that he was never properly seen by his family. Cooper says that he loves his parents but they always pushed him to be someone who he never wanted to be, like forcing him to learn taekwondo with a couch he despised. He states that all he wanted was to be an artist and now that he started displaying his art, the city is starting to see his true self. Cooper then has a nosebleed and uses his blood to draw a picture of Muse, confirming Glenn's fears and as she tries to run away, Cooper knocks her out by slamming her head against the wall.

Kirsten McDuffie confronts Cherry, noticing that despite all the work they have, he and Murdock keep talking about something in private. Cherry tries to brush it off, but McDuffie makes it clear that she does not appreciate secrets and the lack of trust within their firm.

The police and the AVTF handle the investigation at Muse's lair, while Daredevil sneaks in to follow Del Toro's lead and checks Muse's sketches. Although the first few of them tell him nothing, Daredevil finds one drawn with a thicker paint and notices that it matches Glenn's facial features, realizing that she is the next target. Connor Powell walks in on Daredevil, but before he gets to do anything, Daredevil knocks him out and rushes out of the lair to save Glenn. Upon waking up, Powell reports to Fisk that he spotted Daredevil and the woman on Muse's sketches was identified as Glenn, so Fisk orders the AVTF to bring Muse down on their own.

Having Glenn tied up, Muse claims that this was his true self, not Cooper, and that Glenn's work is what helped him understand who he was. Muse ignores Glenn's pleas for mercy and makes an incision on her arm, preparing for her to be his next and final artwork, but then he hears the police pulling up to the office. As Muse lays down a canvas, a terrified Glenn lashes out, insulting Muse and calling him a coward who hides behind a mask, which makes Muse lose control and attack her. At that moment, Daredevil breaks inside and engages in a brutal and bloody fight with Muse, which ends with Glenn reaching for the gun and shooting Muse dead. Daredevil briefly stays to stabilize Glenn, begging for her to pull through, and retreats once the AVTF breaks into the office to find Glenn and the dead Muse.

Fisk comes to the crime scene and Cole North gives him a rundown on Muse's murder-suicide attempt involving Glenn and how he was stopped by whom he believed to be Daredevil. Fisk chooses to change the narrative and tells North that the AVTF should take the credit for taking Muse down as the legitimate protectors of the city. On his orders, Blake summons BB Urich and recalling how she set him up with an article on garbage disposal, he pressures Urich into reporting on Fisk's version of the events.

Glenn recovers at the hospital and Murdock assures her that she got away with a few minor injuries and should be fine soon. She is distraught that she took a life and Murdock comforts her, saying that she did not have a choice. Glenn then recalls how Daredevil showed up at the scene right before Muse was about to kill her and remembers how he called Glenn by her name. Murdock then listen to the NY1 report on Muse's death and all the credit going to the AVTF, as Fisk holds a press conference in celebration of the task force and their efforts to save the city from the killer.

Vanessa texts Luca, giving him an address of a restaurant where Fisk is supposed to dine all alone, so Luca goes there with an intention to kill him. However, before he could reach Fisk, he gets caught in the trap and killed by Cashman, as Fisk casually asks him if Vanessa would like for him to get her some takeout.

Cast

Main Cast:

• Charlie Cox as Matt Murdock/Daredevil
• Vincent D'Onofrio as Wilson Fisk/Kingpin
• Margarita Levieva as Heather Glenn
• Zabryna Guevara as Sheila Rivera (credit only)
• Nikki M. James as Kirsten McDuffie
• Genneya Walton as BB Urich
• Arty Froushan as Buck Cashman
• Clark Johnson as Cherry
• Michael Gandolfini as Daniel Blake
• Ayelet Zurer as Vanessa Fisk

Guest Stars:

• Hunter Doohan as Bastian Cooper/Muse
• Patrick Murney as Luca
• Ruibo Qian as Detective Angie Kim
• Hamish Allan-Headley as Officer Connor Powell
• Ashley Marie Ortiz as Soledad Ayala
• Michael Gaston as Commissioner Phil Gallo (credit only)
• Camila Rodriguez as Angela Del Toro
• Jeremy Isaiah Earl as Sergeant Cole North
• Katherine Lanasa as Artemis Sledge (credit only)
• Daniel Gerroll as Arthur Sledge (credit only)
• Brian D. Cohen as Detective Flynn
• Will Ganss as Television Reporter
• Sam Dobson as Onlooker #1 (credit only)
• Sebastian Kim as Onlooker #2 (credit only)
• Aathaven Tharmarajah as CSI Tech #1
• Alex Milak as CSI Tech #2
• Aeon Wade Andreas as New Yorker (credit only)
• Bobby Guarino as New Yorker (credit only)
• Lauren Pepin as New Yorker (credit only)

Appearances

Locations

• New York City, New York
  • New York City Hall
  • New York-Presbyterian Hospital
  • Matt Murdock's Apartment
  • Murdock & McDuffie Law Office
  • Muse's Lair
  • Heather Glenn's Office
  • Gracie Mansion
  • Bamonte's
  • New York Mutual Bank (mentioned)
  • Starbucks (mentioned)
• Phillips Exeter Academy (mentioned)

Events

• Anti-Vigilante Campaign
  • Attack on Heather Glenn
• Red Hook Laundering Scheme
  • Assassination of Luca
  • Robbery of New York Mutual Bank (mentioned)
• Rescue of Angela Del Toro (flashbacks)
• Arrest of Wilson Fisk (mentioned)

Items

• Daredevil's Suit
• Daredevil's Billy Club
• Bulletproof Vest
• Muse's Suit
• The BB Report
• Winston Supreme Canadian (poster)
• Live Without Fear: A Guide to Confronting Trauma (mentioned)

Concepts

• Dreams (mentioned)

Vehicles

• Jeep

Sentient Species

• Humans

Creatures

• Dogs
• Pigeons
• Bulls (depiction)

Organizations

• Murdock & McDuffie
• New York City Police Department
  • Anti-Vigilante Task Force
• Five Families
• NY1
• WLNY
• WNYK
• WNYN
• WNNY News
• WGVO-TV
• New York Bulletin (logo)
• Nelson, Murdock & Page (mentioned)

Mentioned

• Thomas Madison
• Foggy Nelson
• Karen Page
• Edelstein
• Hector Ayala
• Bastian Cooper's Parents
• Lee Suk Ji
• Bastian Cooper (mentioned)
• Bill Clinton

Music

Song title	Artist	Location(s)
Don't Go Please Stay	The Cryin' Shames

Videos

Clips

To be added

Trivia

Muse's real name listed as Bastian Sledge

• This is the first episode in the series to have Hunter Doohan credited as Muse.
• This is the last episode in the season to use footage and scenes from the original 2023 version of the show, filmed before the series' creative overhaul in 2024.
• Muse's real name is listed as "Bastian Sledge" on Heather Glenn's notepad. Muse is said to be the son of wealthy New Yorkers; Arthur and Artemis Sledge were two of the wealthy elite that spoke to Wilson Fisk in the previous episode.

Behind the Scenes

• This episode retained some footage from the original 2023 production of the show. This includes scenes such as:
  • Buck Cashman and Daniel Blake informing Wilson Fisk that Angela Del Toro survived her kidnapping by Muse due to Daredevil.
  • Matt Murdock speaking with Cherry at the Murdock & McDuffie Law Office. This is evidenced due to the sign behind Murdock and Cherry retaining the firm's original name of Murdock and Associates from the pre-overhaul version of the show.
  • The scenes of Heather Glenn speaking to Bastian during therapy. This is also evidenced with Bastian's name being written as Bastian Sledge on Glenn's notepad, whereas he is referred to as Bastian Cooper in the final version.
• Some of the reshoots and new scenes shot during the series' 2024 creative overhaul for this episode includes:
  • Heather Glenn's scenes with Matt Murdock in his apartment, including Glenn's mention of Foggy Nelson and Karen Page.
  • Vanessa Fisk's scenes with Luca.
  • Daredevil finding paintings of Glenn at Muse's Lair. A version of this scene, with Daredevil at Muse's lair, was also shot during the 2023 shoot.
  • Muse's name being changed to Bastian Cooper. The pre-overhaul version of the show had his surname be Sledge, as he was presumably intended be the son of New York socialites Arthur and Artemis Sledge; while Muse's parents are still wealthy in the final version, his surname was changed and any association to the Sledges were removed. Additionally, the two mentions of Bastian's surname of Cooper in the episodes are from an ADR line by Vincent D'Onofrio while the camera is on Bastian, and later on a television screen.
  • The fight scene with Daredevil and Muse at Heather Glenn's Office was also filmed during the show's original 2023 shoot, but received reshoots during the 2024 production. The final version of the episode features scenes from both pre and post-overhaul shoots, and viewers may be able to discern the difference based on Daredevil's cowl, which had been modified for the creative overhaul.
  • The BB Report scenes.

External Links

• Art for Art's Sake on IMDb
• Art for Art's Sake on Marvel Database
• Art for Art's Sake on Disney+