In this review of Daredevil #5, Foggy Nelson returns to New York amid the surprising conclusion of Daredevil and Omen’s fight.
DAREDEVIL #5
Written by: Stephanie Phillips
Art and Main Cover: Lee Garbett
Variant Covers: Gabrielle Dell’otto, Jeff Dekal, Felipe Massafera, Derrick Chew, Alex Ross
Page Count: 23 pages
Release Date: August 19, 2026
This review contains spoilers
Daredevil #5 begins with Foggy Nelson’s return to NYC, wondering if Matt is okay due to him not returning calls. We cut to Detective Dominic Forte losing it in an alleyway after the death of his partner Callahan at the hands of Omen. Matt Murdock, as Daredevil, arrives and sympathizes with him, offering support. During a conversation about Matt being a suspect and his legal life, Foggy is mentioned. Matt puts together that Omen’s next target is Foggy.
He races to Foggy’s apartment, finding Omen already there. Daredevil finally gets the upper hand by allowing Omen to hit him, completely throwing his opponent’s anticipation off. Daredevil returns each hit with a stronger one, a counter-attack window Omen is not prepared for because it defies usual logic.
During the climax of the fight, Omen reveals he knows Matt is Daredevil and gives out vague prophecies of a future he must prevent. When Omen is about to spill the remaining details of the future he wants to save, Forte arrives and shoots Omen with countless bullets. Foggy comes home to the brutal scene.
On the rooftop, he and Matt converse, with Matt wondering if he let Forte shoot Omen instead of stopping him. Foggy reassures him, considering Omen was hampering Matt’s senses.
Elsewhere, the ambulance carrying Omen is hijacked, with the revelation that Harlan Vale has ordered the prophecy giver to be delivered to him.
Analysis
For starters, Lee Garbett’s art is absolutely fantastic. The scale and the facial expressions both perfectly complement the narrative’s brutal themes. For example, Omen’s expressions before his death create a sympathetic feel, despite his brutal actions. Frank Martin’s usage of gray and blue supports Garbett’s art immensely.
As for the narrative, I adore how the beginning was Daredevil consoling another human being, with him offering Forte a hand. As someone who’s typically looked at as just a vigilante and “The Devil of Hell’s Kitchen” by civilians in the 616, it’s always nice to see him subverting those labels and showing his empathetic side. Matt’s relating to the death of Forte’s partner also re-iterates how much Foggy means to him.
Their conversation and Foggy’s conversation with Matt are the highlights of the issue. Foggy and Matt’s conversation gives the issue an emotional backbone, with Matt psycho-analyzing himself and wondering if he let Omen get shot.
I like that it’s left vague, with Matt’s internal thoughts showing that he clearly realized a gun was being pulled, but the following thoughts were distorted due to Omen’s powers. However, he went into the conversation with Omen carrying anger, and was further thrown off by Omen knowing his identity. It’s hard to tell if Matt truly let it happen with the hampering of his senses, which makes the conversation hit harder.
On the topic of things that are vague, Omen’s prophecies being ambiguous are fine with me in a vacuum. But, it’s implied Matt understands them fully. If so, I would like to see Matt discuss and explain what the riddles meant, since they’re presumably going to be a plot point moving forward.
Final Thoughts
Daredevil #5 does a nice job concluding the Omen and Daredevil conflict by having Matt perform out of the ordinary, while offering a glimpse at the plan of the series’ overarching antagonist, Harlan Vale.
