Daredevil: Born Again' Showrunner Stunned by Show's 'Chilling' ICE Parallels

Imagery from the Marvel series' anti-vigilante task force was 'almost exact' to real-life ICE raids, showrunner says.

Apr. 1, 2026 at 2:21am

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The showrunner of the Marvel series 'Daredevil: Born Again' was shocked to see elements of the show's storyline about an anti-vigilante task force play out in real life with ICE raids, saying the 'imagery was almost exact' to what they had written and designed months earlier. The showrunner described it as 'chilling' how the show's depiction of an autocrat consolidating power mirrored current events.

Why it matters

The parallels between the fictional anti-vigilante task force in 'Daredevil: Born Again' and the actions of ICE in the real world highlight how art can sometimes presciently reflect emerging social and political trends, even if unintentionally. It also raises questions about the role of storytelling in anticipating and commenting on the rise of authoritarianism.

The details

In Season 2 of 'Daredevil: Born Again', the show depicts Mayor Wilson Fisk (Vincent D'Onofrio) creating an 'Anti-Vigilante Task Force' that operates outside the law to detain people, whether they've committed a crime or not. Showrunner Dario Scardapane said he was 'shocked' to see similar tactics used by ICE in real life, with the 'imagery almost exact' to what they had designed and written months earlier. Scardapane said the show was telling a story about 'the historical kind of rise of an autocrat' using 'a playbook' seen throughout history.

  • The costumes and raids were designed and written over a year ago.
  • Season 2 of 'Daredevil: Born Again' is now streaming on Disney+.

The players

Dario Scardapane

The showrunner of 'Daredevil: Born Again' who was stunned by the parallels between the show's storyline and real-life ICE raids.

Sana Amanat

The executive producer of 'Daredevil: Born Again' who joked with Scardapane to 'please stop writing' due to the intense similarities.

Wilson Fisk

The mayor character in 'Daredevil: Born Again' who creates an 'Anti-Vigilante Task Force' that operates outside the law.

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What they’re saying

“The thing that's crazy about that is that, you know, those costumes were designed 10 years ago in the comics, the costumes that we did last season, the raids that we wrote a year and a half ago, and then it's like, you go from editing and look at the news, and the imagery was almost exact. We couldn't have planned it. So, it was chilling.”

— Dario Scardapane, Showrunner, Daredevil: Born Again

“And I think it's a testimony how — we wrote, what I would say, is the historical kind of rise of an autocrat. The playbook is always the same, you know? Form a militia, target a marginalized community, take over the means of media, shake down the rich to fund your plots. And that's a history that's gone on with, whether it's Franco, or Pinochet, or Nero. And we told that story, and then now, you know, history is doomed to repeat itself.”

— Dario Scardapane, Showrunner, Daredevil: Born Again

“I told Dario to please stop writing, because the similarities were getting to be so intense.”

— Sana Amanat, Executive Producer, Daredevil: Born Again

What’s next

Season 2 of 'Daredevil: Born Again' is now streaming on Disney+, where viewers can see how the show's parallels to real-world events continue to unfold.

The takeaway

The unsettling similarities between the fictional 'Daredevil: Born Again' storyline and the actions of ICE highlight how art can sometimes presciently reflect emerging social and political trends, even unintentionally. This raises important questions about the power of storytelling to anticipate and comment on the rise of authoritarianism.