‘Daredevil: Born Again’ Star Ayelet Zurer Breaks Down That Big Vanessa Fisk Episode

WARNING: This story contains spoilers for Daredevil: Born Again Season 2, Episode 5: “The Grand Design.”

Marvel Television’s Daredevil: Born Again is saying goodbye to one of its pivotal players. 

The fifth episode of Season 2 finds Ayelet Zurer’s Vanessa Fisk fighting for her life, after Bullseye (Wilson Bethel) attacked her husband, Mayor Wilson Fisk (Vincent D’Onofrio), during a charity boxing match. Vanessa was caught in the crossfire, left injured with a bloody shard of glass piercing her head. 

The emotional fifth episode begins with Vanessa in the hospital, struggling to recover and reflecting on her early memories with Wilson, back when they first crossed paths at her art gallery. At first, it seems like Vanessa is on her way to recovery, but she ultimately winds up succumbing to her injuries. Without his beloved wife at his side, Wilson Fisk is now a broken shell, leaving him more volatile — and dangerous — than ever. 

Vanessa’s death marks the end of a long journey for Zurer, who first brought the art-dealer-turned-crime-boss to life in 2015 with the original Daredevil series. Here, Zurer opens up about Vanessa’s fate, her emotional final days on set, and her real-life bond with her on-screen husband D’Onofrio. 

MARVEL.COM: Take me back to when you first found out about Vanessa’s arc this season. How did you react? 

AYELET ZURER: It’s funny because they called me. [Showrunner] Dario [Scardapane] really wanted to talk to me first because it was important for him to make sure that I was feeling okay with it. And that it’s not personal, I guess! It’s really something that they needed for the story. Then, [executive producer] Sana [Amanat] called me later. 

Then, of course, there were hundreds of calls with Vincent back and forth because I think he was not really loving the idea. But they explained what they needed. They needed a big gun for the season to really explode. That’s sort of what Vanessa is for Wilson. 

At the same time, it was really sad because we just came in from Season 1, where I felt like she was really getting an expansion of who she is and the new power she’s getting. So, I had to find a way in, now that she’s in the situation that she is and she’s feeling more vulnerable. I think they wrote something really beautiful to that end, where Vanessa is exposed in some new ways. She’s realizing where she really is and starts the season realizing that she’s not enough. He’s never going to get enough. Nothing is ever enough for him, and she’s going to always need to chase the game. That puts her in a very vulnerable situation, which I think they wrote really well. 

That’s where the beginning of that sensation of being haunted comes in. Whether it’s real or not, we don’t know at the beginning. But it’s actually real eventually. She takes a step to end that sensation but also to protect Wilson. And that really sat well with how I saw their relationship. It gives her power while she’s breaking down. There’s always been that juxtaposition of power versus sensitivity in her. 

MARVEL.COM: In the episode, we see flashbacks to Vanessa’s time working at the art gallery, where she acquired the painting “Rabbit in a Snowstorm” and first met Wilson. How did it feel to revisit those early days in Vanessa’s story? 

AYELET ZURER: It was really fun because when we started the show in Season 1 on the Netflix show, we started at the gallery, but there was no background. So [I got] to suddenly explore that: Who was she when she started? We talked about: Is this really her memory, or is it a version of a memory from her perspective today? It was something sort of in between because she was a little less manipulative [then], and she’s way more manipulative now. So, that scene was played a little more like now, rather than back then. 

It was really fun. But it’s actually very challenging to go back 10 years to who you were and how you acted! That was the biggest challenge.

MARVEL.COM: There are some emotional moments where you’re in the hospital room with Vincent D’Onofrio. What was the vibe like on set?

AYELET ZURER: It was the last few days on set. The last day was brutal because it was all the big scenes — saying goodbye, telling that story. In a way, it was sort of intertwined with our story of being friends and being on the show for 10 years. So, there were a lot of emotions in that scene. There was a lot of crying. But it was great. I have a lot of pictures of people sitting across the bed, and I have a picture of Vincent sitting there alone on the sofa. 

MARVEL.COM: That was one of my questions: What do you remember most about your last day on set?

AYELET ZURER: The hardest scene was that scene of asking him to tell me a story. I had to hold it together while knowing that this actually is the end. Usually, you play a death as a sort of end, but this is an end. So it was something. But it was beautiful because they all gathered and said great things, and I got some gifts and a lot of hugs. It was touching.

MARVEL.COM: It’s an on-screen goodbye, but it’s also a goodbye to these coworkers and friends you’ve worked with for so long.

AYELET ZURER: Yeah, it’s been years working side by side. But Vincent is the one who I spent most of my time with on the show, so it was really hard.

MARVEL.COM: You and Vincent have obviously worked together for such a long time now, and the relationship between Vanessa and Wilson is really at the heart of this show. What’s it been like to build that relationship with him on screen?

AYELET ZURER: He’s a great partner, I have to say. He always had my back and was a very strong protector of mine. Even the smallest things. He would go around and tell people how to say my name because everybody butchered my name. So he was making sure that they don’t!

But it’s interesting because we start the show in a very specific place. It’s really beautiful to see how Vanessa is checking him out. She’s not quite sure but very intrigued by his brutality. She sees him as a piece of art in some crazy way. Then, she tries to get away from that, but she comes back in and demands truth and loyalty and to be a part of everything that he does. Then, moving forward into this show Born Again, she’s already a grown-up woman, and he’s a more mature man. So now, the relationship is questioning what is truth? What is loyalty? How do we sustain love when we are balancing something quite different in our energies? 

MARVEL.COM: Take me back to when you first signed on to the original Daredevil series. Did you have any idea where this show would go and that you would get to explore so many different sides of Vanessa? 

AYELET ZURER: No! I wasn’t a comic person. I did not grow up on comics, so when they talked about it, I did not know anything about Daredevil. I just knew that it was a show. I remember reading for [the role] overseas, actually. I was away, and they called me and said, “You got the part.” 

I flew to New York and I met with Vincent, and we had this sit-down with the director, the writer, and the producer. They all sat in the office on these sofas. Vincent and I were sitting by one another, and they said, “So, how do you want to work it?” It was a very serious conversation. And Vincent just looked at them and said, “Well, we are going to listen to each other and react.” It made me laugh on the inside because it was so true, and at the same time, it was so brutal to just say that! [Laughs] But we didn’t have rehearsals. We had conversations, and it worked so well.

We started from so much respect, and it was a really slow growth of energies. Because he was so big and was doing the voice, I sort of subconsciously made myself more constricted and more flower-like and thin in energy. And then on top of that, there was a lot of wardrobe and clothing that made me feel very different from myself — including heels that you can die walking in.

MARVEL.COM: When you think about your entire journey with Vanessa, what is one of your favorite memories of getting to play her? 

AYELET ZURER: I really enjoyed the scene of the ball [in Daredevil: Born Again Season 1]. One of the reasons that I enjoyed that and I’ll take it with me is because everyone was there in that scenario. All the actors were there, and I got to meet people that I didn’t necessarily work with. It was also just beautiful and stunning. That dress! 

I’m really grateful for everything, to be honest. It’s been a beautiful ride. I’m grateful for my friendship with Vincent. That is not going to go away. But I’m very appreciative of everything that we’ve done together. I’m proud of it. 

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