How ‘Daredevil: Born Again’ Built that Bullseye Diner Scene

Warning: This article contains spoilers for Daredevil: Born Again Season 2, Episode 4, “Gloves Off.” 

The first time Wilson Bethel saw Bullseye’s diner fight in Daredevil: Born Again Season 2, he got emotional. 

The season’s fourth episode begins with a jaw-dropping action sequence, shining the spotlight on Benjamin Poindexter, AKA Bullseye (Bethel). The scene begins innocuously enough, following everyone’s favorite unhinged marksman as he methodically prepares for his day — making his bed, feeding his neighbor’s cat, going to the local diner for a banana milkshake. 

But chaos soon breaks loose after Bullseye places a 911 call, falsely claiming to have spotted Frank Castle at the diner. Mayor Fisk’s Anti-Vigilante Task Force arrives on the scene, and Bullseye goes to work, using silverware, toothpicks, and even a live lobster to defeat Fisk’s goons with deadly precision.

“They showed the first glimpse of it at the wrap party, and I cried,” Bethel admits in the newest episode of the Daredevil: Born Again Official Podcast. “I’m not too proud to say it! I had never seen myself involved in something on screen that was that cool.”

Bethel made his debut as Bullseye in the third season of the original Daredevil series, and over the years, he’s filmed his fair share of impressive action sequences. But showrunner Dario Scardapane and episode director Solvan “Slick” Naim wanted to up the action even further this season, showing off Bullseye’s improvisational abilities and unparalleled marksmanship. (Again, there aren’t many vigilantes who can wield a lobster claw as a deadly weapon.) 

The entire scene is also soundtracked by the iconic Billy Joel song “New York State of Mind.” “I basically had never listened to Billy Joel before,” Bethel says. “So when Slick told me that was going to be the piece that this is all choreographed to, I hopped on a Citi Bike, and I rode around Brooklyn for about four hours, listening to that song on repeat.” 

Supervising stunt coordinator and second-unit director Philip Silvera carefully choreographed every camera move and knife throw, requiring weeks of prep and previsualization. Silvera has long been one of the key architects of Daredevil’s action scenes, going all the way back to the first season of the original show. The Bullseye diner sequence presented one of his biggest challenges yet, but he tells Marvel.com that he jumped at the chance to show off the character’s unique fighting style. 

“There are similarities between him and Daredevil,” Silvera says. “They have a very similar skillset with targeting. Charlie Cox’s character Matt Murdock has a morality code that Wilson Bethel’s character Poindexter does not. So, they have the same type of accuracy — only for Bullseye, he’s not afraid to kill. Charlie’s character will maim someone for life, but Wilson’s character goes beyond that.” 

Bethel estimates that they completed nearly 80 filming setups in a single day, a staggering number for such a complicated scene. 

“If there was a Marvel movie version of the show, that would have been three weeks to film that sequence,” Bethel says with awe. “And we did it in a day. It felt like we were making the most gangster independent film you’ve ever seen in your life. Everybody was just firing on all cylinders for 12 or 14 hours or whatever it was.” 

“Our entire stunt team, our camera department, our cast and crew, they’re phenomenal,” Silvera adds. “It was a very, very long and grueling day, but when we see the final product, it was worth it.” 

As a character, Bullseye moves with incredible speed and accuracy, something that Silvera wanted to capture through the cinematography. “One of my favorite things was how fast we were going to take out so many of the characters on camera,” he says. “And then [there are] the two off-camera kills, which is where you find our two task force members on the ground with a spatula in the throat and a fork directly in his forehead.”

For Bethel, Season 2 gave him the opportunity to further explore Bullseye’s psyche. At one point, there’s a momentary lull in the violence, as Bullseye notices a shaking diner patron clutching a chihuahua. “Dogs in restaurants are unsanitary,” the vigilante tells him. The man begs for his life, but Bullseye reassures him: “Don’t worry. I’m one of the good guys.” 

“He’s a hero in the sense that you or I or a lot of people in their lives are the hero of their own journey, right?” Bethel says. “I don’t think [he’s] a hero in a heroic sense. But he is the natural protagonist of his story and a protagonist that does not view himself as a bad person. His psychology is extremely complicated. He is mentally ill, and [he] puts deep emotional blinders toward the rest of the world. He’s an incredibly self-centered person in a lot of ways. He is so wrapped up in his Bullseye vision.” 

“Wilson Bethel has this very sadistic charm in how he plays the character that is so much fun to watch in the moment,” Silvera says. “His charm is so scary and beautiful at the same time.” 

The result is an astonishing action sequence that Daredevil fans — and Bethel — will never forget.

“I’ll never hear Billy Joel the same again,” the actor adds. “My goodness, what a banger.” 

Marvel Television’s Daredevil: Born Again Season 2 is now streaming on Disney+.