‘Daredevil: Born Again’ Stars Charlie Cox, Vincent D’Onofrio Break Down that Tense Diner Scene

The two-episode premiere of Daredevil: Born Again is packed with high-stakes action and jaw-dropping fight choreography. But one of the premiere’s most thrilling scenes doesn’t feature a single punch — just quiet and powerful conversation.

The new Marvel Television series (now streaming on Disney+) reunites blind lawyer Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox) and crime lord turned mayoral candidate Wilson Fisk (Vincent D’Onofrio), culminating with a tense showdown in a New York City diner. The two men have a long, frequently violent history, and they once again find themselves at odds as Fisk climbs the political ladder. As Murdock and Fisk sip coffee, they reflect on their years of animosity — with each man warning the other to stay out of his way.

Cox and D’Onofrio tell Marvel.com that the Born Again diner scene was one of their favorite moments on set, and they jumped at the chance to film such a meaty scene together.

“I knew it was going to be fun,” Cox says. “I had a lot of confidence that we were going to find some interesting stuff, but also, I was actually more nervous than I would be on a regular day. But I just wanted to relish it.”

“[I remember] the excitement of sitting down with Charlie again, even with him playing this annoying character,” D’Onofrio deadpans. “It was just a blast. He’s great to work with. We’ve known each other for a long time now. Over the last couple of days, I’ve been saying: The more I fall in love with Charlie, the easier it is to hate him when the camera’s rolling.”

Showrunner Dario Scardapane wrote the scene, drawing inspiration from the iconic moment in 1995’s Heat, where Al Pacino and Robert De Niro discuss their mutual respect over coffee. For Born Again, Scardapane wanted to lean into the years of history between Murdock and Fisk, emphasizing their similarities (like their strong personal codes, their shared desire to improve New York, and their fierce loyalty to their friends).    

“What makes the diner scene so incredible is they’re meeting each other in this kind of demilitarized zone,” explains Brad Winderbaum, executive producer and head of Marvel Television. “They’re able to relax and frankly able to understand each other in a way that no one else on Earth can understand each other. In a way, they’re kindred spirits, even though they’re so morally at odds with one another.”

Before filming the scene, Cox, D’Onofrio, and Scardapane gathered for an in-depth rehearsal with directors Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead. After running through the dialogue, all agreed that the scene was “epic” — but something was missing.

That’s when D’Onofrio and Cox came up with an idea. They needed a line to break the tension, something to kick off a difficult conversation between two enemies. So, the two actors suggested a moment of small talk: Fisk asks Matt if he has any children, explaining that although Fisk himself never became a father, he recently tried mentoring someone (a reference to Alaqua Cox’s vigilante Maya Lopez, AKA Echo). There’s a brief pause, before Matt replies, “Didn’t she shoot you in the face?”

“We were just going through the scene, and [Charlie and Vincent] said to me, ‘There has to be humor,’” Scardapane remembers. “Then Vincent was like, ‘But it can’t be too funny.’ So they came up with the moment that led to Fisk’s laugh. In my opinion as a writer and a fan, that’s the moment of the diner [scene], where Fisk laughs with real joy — and real menace.”

“The thing that we were really all jazzed about was the very opening bits, before they got into the real conversation,” Moorhead adds. “How do these two people even talk to each other? How do they say hi? The opening bit where Matt makes Fisk laugh was super important to us. We needed them to shatter their barrier, so they could now talk about anything.”

With the script locked, cameras were ready to roll. But once Cox and D’Onofrio arrived on set, there was a complication: In typical New York fashion, the diner booth was a bit cramped. “They’re both tall men, and that booth wouldn’t fit,” Benson explains. “Their knees would hit each other.”

So, D’Onofrio offered to shift back in his seat, moving away from the camera and toward the window. But as soon as Moorhead and Benson checked the monitor, something felt wrong. Suddenly, the menacing Kingpin looked… small?

“It was like in Lord of the Rings, the forced perspective,” Benson says with a laugh.   

“It was so funny to watch Wilson Fisk shrink!” Moorhead remembers. “We were like, ‘Wait, that’s all wrong.’ It’s such an old-school idea. We actually did a little tiny bit more of that in the show, that kind of forced perspective thing, because it’s essential to make Kingpin huge. It’s relatively easy in a one-shot: You just shoot at a low angle with a wide lens. But what was so funny was watching him become tiny and be like, ‘Hmm… That’s wrong.’”

Ultimately, the actors swapped positions, with D’Onofrio moving closer to the camera to make Fisk feel as intimidating as possible. And as Benson and Moorhead called action, everyone on set watched as Cox and D’Onofrio instantly transformed into the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen and the Kingpin of Crime.

“I remember when Dario first wrote [the scene],” executive producer Sana Amanat says. “Then, when it came together, the energy was right. Those two great actors, they brought it in such a big way. It’s one of those [days] that I remember. Dario and I just looked at each other and smiled.”

New episodes of Daredevil: Born Again stream every Tuesday at 6 p.m. PT/9 p.m. ET on Disney+.