Daredevil Born Again Season 2 Ending Song: Radiohead Pyramid Song

Marvel’s Disney+ revival of Daredevil maintains a distinctive musical tradition in its sophomore season. The finale episode, titled “The Southern Cross,” closes with a carefully selected Radiohead track that mirrors the bleak narrative conclusion while continuing a pattern established in the first season. This choice of “Pyramid Song” from the band’s 2001 album Amnesiac provides a haunting sonic backdrop to the major character upheavals and prison sentences that define the episode’s closing moments. As the credits roll, the track’s themes of transition and mortality resonate with the visual montage of defeated heroes and uncertain villains, creating a contemplative atmosphere that lingers after the screen fades.

”Pyramid Song” and the Amnesiac Legacy

The closing track for “The Southern Cross” originates from Radiohead’s fifth studio album, Amnesiac, released in 2001 during the band’s most experimental period. Band members have long held this particular composition in high regard among their extensive catalog. Guitarist Ed O’Brien once remarked in a 2001 KCRW Radio interview that the recording represents the pinnacle of their discography, stating it stands as “probably the best song that we’ve recorded.” This endorsement from the band’s own ranks underscores the weight of the selection for the Daredevil finale and suggests a deliberate curatorial intent behind the placement.

The song itself emerged from frontman Thom Yorke’s visit to a Copenhagen museum exhibit dedicated to Egyptian history and funerary practices. According to bassist Colin Greenwood, Yorke encountered artwork depicting the ancient underworld and tomb imagery showing souls being ferried across the river of death. This direct inspiration manifests in the track’s title and its lyrical references to crossing waters alongside “black-eyed angels.” The resulting composition serves as a meditation on mortality and the passage between states of existence, delivered through irregular time signatures and ethereal piano arrangements that create a sense of floating or suspension.

The Egyptian Underworld and Narrative Parallels

The museum exhibit that sparked Yorke’s creativity focused specifically on Egyptian beliefs regarding the journey after death. Ancient traditions held that the deceased required safe passage across dangerous waters to reach their final judgment, a concept that translates musically into the song’s flowing, aquatic atmosphere. The lyrics explicitly describe swimming with black-eyed angels and navigating waters that separate one existence from another, themes that align closely with the finale’s narrative beats.

For the characters of Daredevil: Born Again, the conclusion of “The Southern Cross” represents precisely such a transitional state. Matt Murdock finds himself cast into a new existence through imprisonment, stripped of his civilian identity and separated from his allies. Meanwhile, Wilson Fisk stands isolated on a shoreline, literally positioned between land and sea as he contemplates an uncertain future. The musical choice reinforces these visual metaphors of crossing over, drowning, and emergence without requiring explicit dialogue. The calming quality of the track paradoxically underscores the violence of the narrative upheaval, suggesting a fatalistic acceptance of these new circumstances.

Season 2 Finale Character Status

The concluding montage set to “Pyramid Song” reveals significant status changes for the principal cast, establishing the groundwork for the confirmed third season. The finale separates characters into distinct narrative paths, some concluding with relative peace while others face dark or ambiguous futures. The sequence establishes the following conditions for the show’s ongoing storyline:

• Matt Murdock: Imprisoned following his public revelation as Daredevil, forcibly separated from Karen Page and his legal practice
• Wilson Fisk: Standing alone on a beach, entering an ambiguous new chapter that suggests both isolation and potential reinvention
• Bullseye: Entering a formal working relationship with CIA operative Mr. Charles, indicating a shift toward espionage narratives
• Heather Glenn: Preparing to assume the identity of the deceased super-villain Muse, suggesting a dark transformation for the character
• Jessica Jones: Reunited with husband Luke Cage, receiving the narrative’s most optimistic resolution and only moment of unqualified happiness

The Radiohead Finale Tradition

Season 1 established this musical pattern with its own bleak conclusion in the episode “Straight to Hell.” That finale utilized “Everything In Its Right Place,” the opening track from Radiohead’s 2000 album Kid A. The selection carried its own bitter irony, as the song’s title and lyrics—written during Yorke’s documented struggles with depression—served as a frustrated plea for order that the narrative explicitly denied. The irony embedded in that choice reflected the chaos of Mayor Fisk’s martial rule over New York City.

Season 2 advances this tradition chronologically through the band’s discography, moving from Kid A to the companion album Amnesiac. Both records emerged from the same creative sessions, yet “Pyramid Song” offers a different emotional register than its predecessor. Where the Season 1 selection suggested disorientation and technological dread through its processed vocals and electronic textures, the Season 2 closer evokes ancient ritual and fatalistic acceptance. This progression mirrors the deepening moral complexity of the series itself, shifting from the shock of defeat to the resignation of imprisonment and transformation.

Radiohead’s Resurgence in Prestige Television

The Daredevil franchise is hardly alone in recognizing the cinematic quality of Radiohead’s post-OK Computer catalog. The Marvel Cinematic Universe previously licensed “Creep” for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, establishing a precedent for the band’s presence in superhero storytelling. Beyond the MCU, the group has become a staple of shows utilizing carefully curated jukebox soundtracks to elevate dramatic moments and signal psychological depth.

Recent acclaimed series have reached for similar tracks to underscore emotional weight and generational anxiety. The restaurant industry drama The Bear and the survival mystery Yellowjackets both join Daredevil in deploying these songs as cultural shorthand for interior states. This trend reflects a broader industry recognition that certain musical textures communicate complex emotional transitions more effectively than traditional orchestral scoring, particularly when depicting characters in crisis or moments of profound change.

Looking Ahead to Season 3

Marvel has officially confirmed a third season of Daredevil: Born Again, leaving audiences to speculate whether the Radiohead finale tradition will continue for a trilogy. If the pattern holds, producers will likely select another track from the band’s early 2000s period or perhaps venture into later material like In Rainbows or The King of Limbs. However, one candidate appears unlikely given recent MCU history, potentially limiting the available catalog for the creative team.

Since Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 already featured “Creep” prominently during a key emotional sequence, the band’s breakthrough hit probably remains unavailable for Daredevil’s use. This constraint leaves open possibilities including additional material from Amnesiac, or selections from Hail to the Thief, should the creative team wish to maintain their specific musical continuity while avoiding repetition with other Marvel properties. Fans will likely monitor the licensing announcements closely as production begins on the next installment.

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