Right at the top of this week’s second new episode of Daredevil: Born Again, we get yet another vigilante in New York City, joining the ranks of Daredevil (Charlie Cox), The Punisher (Jon Bernthal), and Unnamed Hero Dressed As A Spider. Who is that vigilante? The Swordsman! And who is The Swordsman? That’s Jack Duquesne, played by the legend Tony Dalton, baby!
Here’s the gist of it, in case you missed Born Again Episode 6 — and spoilers past this point. Right at the top of the episode, we’re treated to a video of a man dressed all in black with a sword, fighting thugs in a video that’s gone viral. It’s blurry and quick, but all Mayor Wilson Fisk (Vincent D’Onofrio) needs to tip the scales in favor of his Anti-Vigilante Task Force. They’re made up of what are called “bad apples,” the worst of the bunch. They’ll be given overtime, no body cameras, and basically free reign to work as Fisk’s private NYPD army. They include the corrupt Powell (Hamish Allan-Headley), as well as Cole North (Jeremy Earl). North, by the way, is a character straight from Marvel Comics — though he seems to be Cole North in name only here on the TV series.
In any case, that’s side to the point of this article, which is that we get to see Duquesne out of costume at a charity event where Fisk is learning that even as Mayor of New York City, he means nothing to the rich… The real people in power. So, since it’s been a few years: who is Jack Duquesne?
Way back in 2021, there was a Marvel TV show called Hawkeye. Remember that? Jack was introduced as Eleanor Bishop’s (Vera Farmiga) fiancé, who had a knack for sword-fighting. While we won’t recap the whole of Hawkeye, he was never a vigilante on the show; though he did stand up to the bad guys in the final battle in Rockefeller Center in the series finale.
We haven’t really seen him again since that finale (there was a photo in Ms. Marvel, but that’s it), and there’s been a significant time dash… Hawkeye takes place in December of 2024, and Episode 6 of Daredevil: Born Again likely takes place in April or May of 2027. So in the intervening time, he’s picked up a sword, donned a mask, and become a vigilante on the streets, and a lover in the sheets. Actually we don’t know about the last thing.
Point being, All we really know about Jack on Born Again at this point is that he’s a rich man who dresses in all black, wields a sword, and fights crime. No spoilers, but don’t worry, this isn’t the last time you’ll see him on the show.
Like a lot of characters in the MCU, the on-screen Swordsman is very different from the Marvel Comics source material. Created by Stan Lee and Don Heck for 1965’s Avengers #19, the comic book Jack was a circus performer and criminal who specialized in swords. Finding Clint Barton, aka Hawkeye, and his brother on the run, he trained them to be fighters and criminals, just like him.
There’s a lot more that happened with Swordsman over the decades, but like Hawkeye, he eventually redeemed himself and joined The Avengers as a sword-wielding rogue hero. He also has a long-standing epic romance with Mantis — who MCU fans likely know from Guardians of the Galaxy — that led to his eventual death. And resurrection. And death, again. Oh, comics.
Anyway, that’s pretty much it for the comic book Swordsman. Likely, none of this will play into Born Again, including his highly advanced mechanical sword that can shoot different beams of energy. Honestly, forget I even said that.
Though he has other credits, the 50-year-old Dalton’s claim to fame in America is playing the serpentine Lalo Salamanca on the Breaking Bad prequel, Better Call Saul. He’s also appeared in Sense8 on Netflix, as well as — as mentioned — Hawkeye. However, he’s been working for years in Mexican films and television, so though he’s a relatively fresh face for American audiences, not so much for Mexico.
You can join his 449k followers on Instagram.
New episodes of Daredevil: Born Again premiere on Tuesdays on Disney+ at 9pm ET / 6pm PT.
Here’s the full list of episodes in Daredevil: Born Again Season 1 with premiere dates:
- Tuesday, March 4, 2025: Daredevil: Born Again, Season 1, Episode 1
- Tuesday, March 4, 2025: Daredevil: Born Again, Season 1, Episode 2
- Tuesday, March 11, 2025: Daredevil: Born Again, Season 1, Episode 3
- Tuesday, March 18, 2025: Daredevil: Born Again, Season 1, Episode 4
- Tuesday, March 25, 2025: Daredevil: Born Again, Season 1, Episode 5
- Tuesday, March 25, 2025: Daredevil: Born Again, Season 1, Episode 6
- Tuesday, April 1, 2025: Daredevil: Born Again, Season 1, Episode 7
- Tuesday, April 8, 2025: Daredevil: Born Again, Season 1, Episode 8
- Tuesday, April 15, 2025: Daredevil: Born Again, Season 1, Episode 9 *Season Finale*
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