Daredevil (Marvel Comics)

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Daredevil


Promotional art for Daredevil vol. 2, #100 (Oct. 2007)
by Lee Bermejo

Publisher Marvel Comics
First appearance Daredevil vol. 1, #1
(April 1964)
Created by Stan Lee
Bill Everett
Characteristics
Alter ego Matthew Michael "Matt" Murdock
Team
affiliations
S.H.I.E.L.D.
Defenders
"Marvel Knights"
Notable aliases The Man Without Fear, DD, Scarlet Swashbuckler, Michael "Mike" Murdock, Hornhead, Red
Abilities Superhuman senses,
Superhuman echolocation,
Expert acrobat,
Skilled Martial artist

Daredevil is a superhero in the Marvel Comics Universe. The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Bill Everett in 1964, with an unspecified amount of input from Jack Kirby,[1] and is notable as being among the few superheroes with a disability, being blinded in a radioactive accident when young (although his remaining senses were drastically heightened and he gained a "radar-sense" allowing him to perceive his surroundings). His public identity is Matt Murdock, a successful attorney-at-law.

Although Daredevil had been home to the work of many legendary comic-book artists — Everett, Kirby, Wally Wood, John Romita, Sr., and Gene Colan, among others — it is Frank Miller's influential tenure on the title in the late 1970s and early 1980s that is best remembered, cementing the character as a popular and individual part of the Marvel Universe. Daredevil has also been adapted into various other media including a live-action film released in 2003.

Contents

Daredevil's original costume was a combination of black, yellow and red, reminiscent of acrobat tights, and went through minor revisions in issues #2 through #4 by EC Comics artist Joe Orlando. Fellow acclaimed EC veteran Wally Wood penciled #5-8, introducing the modern, completely red costume in issue #7. Golden Age great Bob Powell (Sheena, Queen of the Jungle) penciled two issues over Wood layouts, and they then swapped for #11, which Wood inked over Powell's pencils.

Daredevil's first costume, from Daredevil Vol. 1, #1 (April 1964). Splash-page art by Jack Kirby (penciler) and Bill Everett (inker)..
Daredevil's first costume, from Daredevil Vol. 1, #1 (April 1964). Splash-page art by Jack Kirby (penciler) and Bill Everett (inker).[1].

Issue #12 began a brief run by Jack Kirby (layouts) and John Romita, Sr. It was Romita's return to superhero penciling after a decade of working exclusively as a romance-comic artist for DC. Romita had felt he no longer wanted to pencil, in favor of being solely an inker.[2]

When Romita left to take over The Amazing Spider-Man, Lee gave Daredevil to the character's first signature artist, Gene Colan, who began with issue #20 (Sept. 1966). Colan pencilled all but three issues through #100 (June 1973), plus the 1967 annual, followed by ten issues sprinkled from 1974-79. (He would return again, an established legend, for an eight-issue run in 1997). Among the notable plot developments during this period were Matt Murdock's panicky creation of a "twin brother", the "sighted" and devil-may-care Mike Murdock, in #25 (Feb. 1967), whom Karen Page and Foggy Nelson are led to believe is Daredevil; "Mike's" death in #41 (June 1968); and Matt revealing his Daredevil identity to Karen Page in #57 (Oct. 1969).

Much like in The Amazing Spider-Man — and in what was already an established hallmark of Marvel Comics storytelling — interpersonal drama was as central to the series as action and adventure. A triangle of unrequited love develops between Foggy Nelson, Karen Page and Murdock, with Nelson unable to win over Page and Matt unable to admit that Page loves anyone other than Daredevil. When the revelation of Murdock's dual identity proves too much for Page, she leaves the firm and the comic.

In the 1970s the title featured a double billing, co-starring Daredevil's girlfriend, the Black Widow. During this time, the series' writers included Gerry Conway, Steve Gerber and Chris Claremont. Artists included Bob Brown and Don Heck.

Daredevil vol. 1, #181 (April 1982). Cover art by Frank Miller and Klaus Janson.
Daredevil vol. 1, #181 (April 1982). Cover art by Frank Miller and Klaus Janson.

The modern definition of Daredevil began in 1979 with Frank Miller's entrance on the title. Miller's first contributions were as an artist, where he imbued a new dynamism and a drastically different visual style. The series' tone became that of noir with Hell's Kitchen itself playing a more prominent role.

With issue #168, Miller additionally became the series' writer, and the comic underwent a drastic metamorphosis. The most significant change was the introduction of Spider-Man villain Kingpin as Daredevil's new archnemesis. Until that point, Daredevil's enemies were primarily, though not exclusively, costumed villains. The Kingpin was a departure in that although he possessed extraordinary size, strength and fighting ability, his villainy came from his ruthless brilliance in running a criminal empire, rather than superpowers. The title still retained costumed antagonists — notably Bullseye and Elektra — but found its central theme to be one more grounded in reality: organized crime.

Miller also introduced ninjas into the Daredevil canon, bringing a greater focus on the martial arts aspect of Daredevil's fighting skills, and introducing the characters Stick and the Hand. This was a drastic change to a character once considered a swashbuckler. The focus of a ninja's control of the inner self served as a counterbalance to the emerging themes of anger and torment.

Comics-artist legend Wally Wood, following kidney failure and the loss of vision in one eye, returned to the character he helped define, inking Miller's cover of Daredevil Vol. 1, #164 (May 1980). It was one of Wood's final assignments before his death in 1981.

Miller's noir take on the character continued, even after he left (in 1983, after issue #191). However, successor Dennis O'Neil did not find the commercial success of his predecessor. In late 1985, Miller returned to the series, co-writing #226 with O'Neil, then writing the acclaimed "Daredevil: Born Again" storyline in #227-233 (Feb.-Aug. 1986), with artist David Mazzuchelli.

A round-robin of creators contributed in the year that followed Born Again: writers Mark Gruenwald, Danny Fingeroth, Steve Englehart (under the pseudonym "John Harkness") and Ann Nocenti, and pencilers Steve Ditko, Barry Windsor-Smith, Louis Williams, Sal Buscema, Todd McFarlane, Keith Pollard,and Chuck Patton. Longshot co-creator Nocenti, who'd written #236, became the regular writer for a four-and-a-quarter year run of all but two issues from #238-291 (Jan. 1987 - April 1991). John Romita, Jr. joined as penciler from #250-282 (Jan. 1988 - Jul. 1990), and was generally inked by Al Williamson. The team specifically addressed societal issues, with Murdock, now running a non-profit urban legal center, confronting sexism, racism, and nuclear proliferation while fighting supervillains. Nocenti introduced the popular antagonist Typhoid Mary in issue #254.

Under writers Karl Kesel and later Joe Kelly, the book gained a lighter tone, with Daredevil returning to the lighthearted, wisecracking hero depicted by earlier writers. Matt and Foggy (who now knows of Matt's dual identities) join a law firm run by Foggy's mother, Rosalind Sharpe.

The death of Karen Page. Promotional art for Daredevil Visionaries: Kevin Smith by Joe Quesada and Jimmy Palmiotti.
The death of Karen Page. Promotional art for Daredevil Visionaries: Kevin Smith by Joe Quesada and Jimmy Palmiotti.

In 1998, Daredevil's numbering was rebooted, with the title "cancelled" and revived a month later as part of the Marvel Knights imprint. Joe Quesada drew the new series, written by filmmaker Kevin Smith. Its first eight-issue story arc, "Guardian Devil" depicts Daredevil struggling to protect a child whom he is told could either be the Messiah or the Anti-Christ. Murdock experiences a crisis of faith exacerbated by the discovery that Karen Page has AIDS (later revealed to be a hoax), and her subsequent death at Bullseye's hands.

After "Guardian Devil", Smith was succeeded by writer-artist David Mack, who contributed the seven-issue "Parts of a Hole" (#9-15). This arc introduces Maya Lopez, also known as Echo, a deaf martial artist. Mack brought indie-comic colleague Brian Michael Bendis to Marvel for the following arc, "Wake Up" (#16-19), which follows reporter Ben Urich as he investigates the aftereffects of a fight between Daredevil and an obscure old villain called Leapfrog. Following Mack and Bendis were Back to the Future screenwriter Bob Gale and artists Phil Winslade and David Ross for the story "Playing to the Camera". Mack continued to contribute covers.

Issue #26 (Dec. 2001) brought back Brian Michael Bendis, working this time with artist Alex Maleev, for a four-year-run that became one of the series' most acclaimed. Maleev's harsh and grainy look is in contrast to Quesada's more cartoony lines, and distinctively reads like a marriage of Frank Miller's film noir style and the pulp-magazine art of the 1920s and '30s. Developments in this run included the introduction of Milla Donovan, the outing of Murdock's secret identity to the press, the reemergence of the Kingpin, and Daredevil's surrender to the FBI. Writer Ed Brubaker and artist Michael Lark became the new creative team with Daredevil #82 (Feb. 2006), no longer under the Marvel Knights imprint.

Daredevil vol. 1, #47 (Dec. 1968). Cover art by Gene Colan (pencils) and George Klein (inks).
Daredevil vol. 1, #47 (Dec. 1968). Cover art by Gene Colan (pencils) and George Klein (inks).

Irish-American Matthew Murdock is raised by single father and fading boxer "Battling Jack" Murdock after his mother, presumably a nun named Maggie, left both Jack and Matthew in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood of New York City. Jack instills in Matt the importance of education and non-violence with the aim of seeing his son become a better man than himself. Though Jack's intentions are noble, Matt is left unprepared to handle the bullying he received at school, and is branded with the sarcastic nickname, "Daredevil". Matt vents his frustration and anger by training in secret.[3]

In the course of saving a blind man from the path of an oncoming truck, Matt is blinded by a radioactive substance that falls from the vehicle. Though the act of heroism robs him of sight, the radioactive exposure heightens his remaining senses beyond normal human thresholds, enabling him to detect the shape and location of objects around him. A mysterious man, Stick, becomes his mentor, and teaches him to control his new abilities while honing his natural aptitude in acrobatics and martial arts. Stick, also blind, teaches Matt how to form a mental image of the objects around him, and Matt develops a "radar sense" to make up for his sight. Still in school, Matt continues to honor his father's wishes by excelling in his studies, and ultimately enrolls in the Columbia School of Law.[3]

Back in Hell's Kitchen, Jack struggles and becomes an enforcer for small-time crook and boxing manager, the Fixer. In exchange for his services, the Fixer rigs a series of matches and provides "Battling Jack" a late-life boxing renaissance, resulting in the once near-destitute fighter becoming a title contender. On the night of the title fight against "Crusher" Creel, the future Absorbing Man, with his son in the crowd, Jack ignores the Fixer's demands to take a dive and wins by knockout. For his disobedience, the Fixer has him murdered.[3]

In college, Matt meets and falls in love with Elektra Natchios, the daughter of a Greek diplomat. When Elektra and her father are kidnapped by terrorists, Matt dons a mask for the first time and fights to save the two. In the mayhem that follows, Elektra's father is accidentally shot and killed by a SWAT team member. Overcome with grief, Elektra breaks Murdock's heart by leaving America behind and returning to the study of martial arts.[3]

Matt is devastated by the loss of his father and the judicial system's failure to convict the men responsible. Mindful of the childhood promise he made to his father not to lead a violent life, Matt dons a new identity for providing justice. Adorned in a yellow and black costume made from his father's boxing robes, renamed with the moniker of his childhood derision, and using his superhuman abilities, Matt confronts the killers and avenges his father as the superhero Daredevil.[3]

Daredevil: Yellow is an epistemological take on the origin story, using letters written to Karen Page after her death. Here Page believes she is in love with both Daredevil and Murdock, and Nelson with Karen Page, resulting in a silent rivalry between the two men. The supervillains the Owl and the Purple Man are the antagonists. In this story, Daredevil credits Page with coining the phrase "The Man without Fear", and she also suggest to Daredevil he wear red instead of black and yellow.

Promotional art for Daredevil: Yellow, by Tim Sale: Murdock and Nelson founding their firm.
Promotional art for Daredevil: Yellow, by Tim Sale: Murdock and Nelson founding their firm.

After establishing his law firm with his best friend and college roommate Franklin "Foggy" Nelson and secretary Karen Page, Daredevil embarks on a series of colorful adventures involving such villains as the Owl, Stilt-Man, the Gladiator, the Enforcers, and Bullseye, who would later come to be Daredevil's archenemy. Daredevil's early exploits were often large, swashbuckling adventures, and sub-plots involved romantic triangles between Matt, Karen and Foggy and cases of mistaken identity.

Daredevil moves to San Francisco for a time to live with the spy and superheroine the Black Widow, but she soon ends the relationship, fearing that playing "sidekick" to Daredevil is sublimating her identity. Murdock returns to Hell's Kitchen. The two remain intimate friends and occasional lovers.

Daredevil encounters the Kingpin, who has hired his old flame Elektra (now returned to New York as a ninja mercenary) as an assassin, and Bullseye murders her in a fight to determine the better killer. Taking revenge, Daredevil drops Bullseye from a clothesline high above a street, but he is later given an adamantium spine by Japanese villain Lord Darkwind. Karen Page returns as a heroin-addicted star of adult films, who sells Daredevil's secret identity for drug money. The Kingpin uses this information to destroy Murdock piece by piece: blowing up his house, ruining his reputation as a lawyer, menacing his personal life and nearly driving him insane. Miller ends the story on a positive note, with Murdock reuniting with Karen Page as his sometime lover, and the mother he thought dead, now a nun, and resuming a less complicated life in Hell's Kitchen.

However, Daredevil's secret identity becomes public knowledge. Forced to fake his own death and change his uniform to an armored "razor costume", Murdock undergoes one of his numerous breakdowns. The change does not last, and Daredevil soon returns to his traditional red costume, while Murdock finds a way to convince the world that he is not, in fact, secretly Daredevil (courtesy of a deus ex machina doppelgänger).

Daredevil encounters the supervillain Mysterio, who is dying of cancer from overexposure to his primary weapon, a mist. Mysterio orchestrates events so that Daredevil is convinced he is involved in the saving of a reborn baby Jesus, leading to a battle between Daredevil and Bullseye that ends with the death of Karen Page.[4]

Ambitious mobster Sammy Silke orchestrates a coup against the Kingpin, leading to violent revenge by Vanessa Fisk, the Kingpin’s wife. Silke, in exchange for protection, gives Daredevil's identity to the FBI, which makes it public in the Daily Globe. Murdock responds by vigorous denials and a libel lawsuit against the newspaper. While the world ponders whether the respected attorney has made a mockery of the justice system with many past trials involving Daredevil he hires Luke Cage and Jessica Jones as bodyguards. In other developments, client Hector Ayala, the superhero White Tiger, is shot and killed by police after Murdock loses a manslaughter case in which Ayala was innocent.[5] (During this period, Daredevil was invited to join the New Avengers after aiding the team in stopping a riot at a supervillain prison, but refused the offer because he didn't want to affect their reputations in the public eye[6], although he did suggest his ex-girlfriend Echo as an alternative member[7])

Murdock meets and romances the blind Milla Donovan, and battles efforts by the Owl to take Fisk's place as Kingpin by marketing the drug MGH (Mutant Growth Hormone). Daredevil discovers that the Kingpin, thought dead, has recovered from the coup's attempt on his life and after a violent confrontation that sends his nemesis to the hospital, Daredevil declares himself the kingpin of Hell's Kitchen.[8]

A year later, the increasingly violent and antisocial Daredevil has married Donovan and also won his case against the Daily Globe, resulting in a multimillion dollar settlement he reinvests into the community. His reporter friend Ben Urich suggests he's suffered a nervous breakdown brought on by unresolved feelings over the death of Karen Page. Donovan, in response, annuls the marriage.

Danny Rand as Daredevil. Art by Michael Lark.
Danny Rand as Daredevil. Art by Michael Lark.

Imprisoned by the FBI through the machinations of the Kingpin, Murdock cannot stop the apparent murder of Foggy Nelson at Ryker's, while a mysterious new Daredevil appears in Hell's Kitchen.[9] Murdock escapes with the Punisher during a prison riot and discovers the ersatz Daredevil to be his friend, Hero for Hire Danny Rand, the superhero Iron Fist. Rand is unwittingly employed by a mysterious figure who has been manipulating Daredevil. Unbeknownst to Murdock, Nelson is in the Witness Protection Program.

Traveling to Europe, Murdock learns the Kingpin's wife, Vanessa Fisk, is behind both Nelson's attack and the substitute Daredevil.[10] Ill and dying, she has the FBI agent in charge of the Murdock case killed, planting a fake suicide note saying he had framed Murdock. Matt reunites with Foggy and Milla in New York, and feels obliged to have the Kingpin's charges dropped. The Kingpin, U.S. citizenship revoked, is forced to leave the country. While Murdock is away, Rand, filling-in as Daredevil during the events of the Superhero Registration "Civil War", is captured and imprisoned for not registering.[11]. Rand would later escape and join The Secret Avengers as his regular alter ego, Iron Fist.

Daredevil's four remaining senses are heightened far beyond human levels. Although Murdock is blind, he can "see" by means of his "radar sense". This radar sense allows him to react to attacks and launch his own attacks much faster than normal humans. This also enables him to dodge most ranged and close combat attacks with reliability. Daredevil's radar sense, combined with his super hearing enable him to instantly map the tragectory of a projectile (ie: bullet or arrow) enabling him to dodge attacks with relative ease. He can also detect pulse fluctuations which serve as early warnings to physical attacks.

His sense of touch is sensitive enough to detect the faint impressions of ink on paper, allowing him to read by touch. Mudock can read computer screens by feeling the heat differentiation in varying light intensities. He can 'see' paintings by feeling even subtle brush strokes on the canvas. Early issues even show Daredevil has the ability to 'feel' color because each color reflects light at a different vibration. He is also able to feel minute changes in temperature and pressure due to body heat and air disturbance. His sensitivity to heat allows him to sense the temperature of people and objects in order to determine whether a person is living or dead and, if dead, for how long.

Daredevil's sense of smell is enhanced enough to distinguish individuals by their natural odors, and remember and identify them no matter how they attempt to mask their scent, as well as track that individual scent through a crowd of people. His sense of taste is sharp enough to enable him to detect the number of grains of salt on a pretzel. Though his senses are not as often used for tracking, Daredevil possess the most acute hearing/smell in the Marvel Universe and would be a better tracker than even Wolverine if it weren't for Wolverine's additional training.

Daredevil's enhanced sense of hearing enables him to detect acoustic pressure changes that ordinary humans cannot. Daredevil can often hear gunshots in time to avoid them, if the shooter is far enough away. He can hear human voices through soundproofed walls and the steady rhythm of a heartbeat from several feet away. Daredevil's sense of hearing makes him constantly aware of his own heartbeat, blood circulation, breathing, physical movements, etc. This skill is often employed by Murdock to serve as a lie-detector for his career as an attorney and as Daredevil. Other superheroes have sought Daredevil's aid at times for the expressed purpose of using him as a lie-detector.

Daredevil's senses grant him a superhuman level of kinesthetic awareness, which greatly enhances his fighting skills. Daredevil has extensive knowledge of pressure points, due to his training and radar sense. Due to his training by Stick, and his self training, Daredevil is a master of a unique martial art from a blend of ninjutsu, aiki-jujutsu, judo and American-style boxing. Although Wolverine and Captain America are considered the top martial artists in the Marvel Comics Universe, Daredevil could easily be considered the third best, rivaling even Iron Fist and Shang-Chi, and indeed he has fought Wolverine, Black Panther, Task Master, and Sabretooth to a standstill in single combat. Daredevil is also a very intelligent fighter, in the sense that he often uses his wits to overcome opponents with superior power, such as Electro, Klaw, and the Absorbing Man.

Daredevil is a superb athlete and gymnast, possessing extraordinary agility, endurance, skill and balance. Because a person's sense of balance is linked with their sense of hearing (similar to the way that taste is linked with the sense of smell), Daredevil's superhuman hearing also grants him superhuman balance. He has been know to run across and even jump up and down on hydro wires. This 'super balance' enhances Daredevil's acrobatic skills beyond even what a highly skilled but sighted athlete would possess. Daredevil's agility is on the same plane as Spider-man or Nightcrawler and possibly even more so since Daredevil does not possess the same 'sticky' ability to cling to a surface and therefore requires even greater skill to accomplish these feats.

Daredevil's signature weapon is his specially designed billy club, which he created. Disguised as a cane in civilian garb, it is a versatile, multi-purpose weapon that contains thirty feet of aircraft control cable connected to a case-hardened steel grapnel. Internal mechanisms allow the cable to be neatly wound and unwound, while a powerful spring launches the grapnel. The handle can be straightened for use when throwing. The club can also be split into two. Daredevil has extreme accuracy when throwing his club, and can hit multiple enemies with ricochets.

As Matt Murdock, Daredevil is also a highly skilled criminal defense attorney, even going so far as to defend some of his former adversaries in court. As he believes very strongly in the justice system, he has gone so far as to defend criminal murderers against other superheroes who would kill them for their crimes, battling Wolverine and the Punisher and winning on both occasions.

Daredevil and Elektra. Detail from of Daredevil Visionaries: Frank Miller Vol. 2. Cover art by Miller.
Daredevil and Elektra. Detail from of Daredevil Visionaries: Frank Miller Vol. 2. Cover art by Miller.

Within Marvel Comics, few characters endure a love life as convoluted and tortured as Daredevil's. His girlfriends fall roughly into two groups: ordinary women who suffer great pain at his side; and superpowered, highly dangerous love interests. Either way, most end up killed, maimed or traumatized, a narrative aspect some media critics refer to as "Women in Refrigerators" syndrome.

  • Karen Page — Once his law firm's secretary-receptionist, she devolved into a heroin-addicted pornographic actress. She later turns her life around and gets a respectable job but not long after she is killed by Bullseye.
  • Black Widow — Soviet defector, costumed agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.
  • Heather Glenn — Became an alcoholic and committed suicide.
  • Elektra Natchios — Daughter of a Greek diplomat and college love of Murdock who became an assassin for the Kingpin. Murdered by Bullseye, she was later supernaturally resurrected by the Hand.
  • Glorianna O'Breen — Irish Photographer. Niece of Debbie Harris, Foggy Nelson's ex-wife. Her father was killed by the Gael, and Daredevil rescues her from being his new victim. After breaking her relationship with Matt due to his lack of commitment, she will eventually bond with Foggy, who offers her a shoulder to cry on. She later works as a photographer for the Daily Bugle, accompanying Ben Urich on diverse assignments. She was killed by Victor Krueller, a henchman of the Kingpin, while investigating the circumstances around Matt Murdock's "death" (he had faked his demise and was actually living under a new identity)
  • Typhoid Mary — Kingpin assassin with a dissociative identity disorder and the power of pyrokinesis and telekinesis.
  • Echo — Daughter of a trusted associate of the Kingpin, later a member of the Avengers under the alias of Ronin.
  • Milla Donovan — Murdock's wife in mid-2000s issues. She left him when she discovered their marriage might be a symptom of his nervous breakdown, and in late 2005 attempted to reconcile.

  • Luke Cage — A hero for hire with unbreakable skin who has been an occasional bodyguard for Matt Murdock.
  • Iron Fist - A master martial artist and was once a Hero for Hire alongside with Luke Cage. He has occasionally helped Daredevil and at one point took on the role of Daredevil.
  • Jessica Jones — Former superhero turned private investigator, wife of Luke Cage. Acts at times as bodyguard for Matt Murdock in his civilian life.[12]
  • Sister Maggie — His long-estranged mother who is a nun. She has rarely appeared in the comics.
  • Spider-Man — Daredevil's closest friend in the superhero community.
  • Franklin "Foggy" Nelson — Matt Murdock's best friend, college roommate, sidekick and law partner.
  • Karen Page - Receptionist in for Matt Murdock in Silver Age stories and would later become one of his notable romances.
  • Stick — An old and blind ninja master who served as Murdock's mentor following Murdock's childhood accident.
  • Turk — A street-level Kingpin flunky who frequently acts as Daredevil's unwilling informant and comic relief.
  • Ben Urich — A reporter for the Daily Bugle who discovered Daredevil's identity and eventually became his friend.
  • Dakota North — A private investigator that works for Nelson & Murdock law firm.

Daredevil vol. 1, #170 (May 1981), with the Kingpin. Cover art by Frank Miller & Klaus Janson.
Daredevil vol. 1, #170 (May 1981), with the Kingpin. Cover art by Frank Miller & Klaus Janson.
  • Bullseye — Daredevil's deadliest enemy, a frequent assassin for the Kingpin. He killed the first two loves of Murdock's life: Elektra and Karen Page.
  • Bushwacker - An assassin whose right arm can be turned into a machine gun. Also an enemy of the Punisher.
  • Crusher II - A bantamweight boxer who was made into a heavyweight by a coroner named Dr. Jakkelburr who recreated the Crusher Formula after studying/treating the corpse of the original Crusher.
  • Death-Stalker - Formerly the Exterminator, Philip Wallace Sterling was exiled to a shadowy dimension after Daredevil destroyed his signature weapon, the "T-Ray". He has since returned to our dimension (more insane than ever), in a ghost-like form, to kill the "Man Without Fear".
  • Electro — Primarily a Spider-Man foe, he was nevertheless the first supervillain Daredevil faced (Daredevil vol. 1, #2).
  • Gladiator — Former costume designer Melvin Potter. Has super strength, armor, and deadly wrist blades. Villain of Daredevil who later become Matt's friend and bodyguard. In mid-2000s comics, he is coerced into betraying Daredevil in issue number 95 in volume 2.
  • Jester - A former actor who uses various "toys" such as yo-yo's, explosive balls and mini-robots as weapons.
  • Kingpin— Criminal mastermind and Daredevil's archnemesis. He has long known Daredevil's secret identity, and used this information to try to destroy Murdock's life.
  • Kirigi - A ninja assassin, resurrected by The Hand. Opponent of both the Chaste and two of Stick's former pupils, Daredevil and Elektra Natchios.
  • Leap-Frog - A frog-themed supervillain who frequently crosses paths with Daredevil.
  • Mephisto - Daredevil fought this demon on different occasions
  • Mister Fear - Villain of Daredevil who uses "fear gas" to instill fear to his victims. Somewhat similar to Scarecrow of the Batman comics.
  • Mr. Hyde - Mad scientist who developed a serum that would turn him into a rampaging monster. Originally an enemy of Thor. Based on the fictional character.
  • The Owl — The first supervillain created in Daredevil, introduced in vol. 1, #3 (June 1964). In mid-2000s issues, he makes a play for the Kingpin's territory by manufacturing the drug Mutant Growth Hormone.
  • The Punisher — One of Daredevil's most prolific antagonists, sworn enemy and at times reluctant ally. Frank Castle is a vigilante who has often crossed paths with Daredevil usually when he is hunting down criminals he intends to kill.
  • Purple Man — Has the ability to make people do what he wants due to his radiated skin. Daredevil's willpower and blindness have always kept him outside of the Purple Man's influence.
  • Stilt-Man — Armored villain who towers on gigantic, hydraulically operated "stilts" (actually telescoping leg armor).

  • Personality Comics' Spoof Comics #5 (Oct. 1992) parodied Daredevil, the Man Without Fear, as Daredame, Woman Without a Brassiere. In the 16-page "The Origin of Daredame", a radioactive isotope hits Pat Paddock, daughter of mud wrestler Joltin' Jackie Paddock, in the chest while she saves a man crossing the street. Her bust enlarges hugely and develops a radar sense.[13]
  • Alan Moore, Mike Collins and Mark Farmer parodied Frank Miller's Daredevil stories in "Grit!", a short story in The Daredevils #8.
  • Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird parodied various aspects of Daredevil in their Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comic series.
  • The Toyfare magazine comic strip "Twisted Toyfare Theater", which uses photos of posed action figures portrays Daredevil as completely blind and seemingly lacking his radar sense as he bumbles his way into comical situations, such as mistakenly going to a supervillains', rather than a superheroes', poker game.
  • The film 'Jay and Silent Bob Strikes Back' includes a clip of the shooting of an outdoor set where Daredevil is knocked down by the security guards, Kevin Smith plays the part of Silent Bob, writer for DD in 1999.
  • Matt Murdock also makes a brief cameo appearance in the Top Cow/Marvel crossover "Unholy Alliance".

Daredevil movie poster.
Daredevil movie poster.

Daredevil's earliest appearance in a theatrical movie was a cameo in Kevin Smith's Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (2001), in which the starring characters run through a movie lot where an actor in a Daredevil costume has an action scene in the background. The DVD includes a longer Daredevil scene. Kevin Smith had previously written for Daredevil.

In February 2003, 20th Century Fox released Daredevil, a feature film starring Ben Affleck, Jennifer Garner, Colin Farrell and Michael Clarke Duncan, and directed by Mark Steven Johnson. While opening strongly and eventually surpassing $100 million in ticket sales, poor word-of-mouth and mixed reviews curtailed its momentum.

A director's cut DVD was released November 2004 with nearly 30 minutes of additional footage, including a subplot involving a murder trial that led to the capture of Kingpin Wilson Fisk. Several appearing scenes in the theatrical release were missing from or altered in the director's cut. Missing scenes include Murdock and Elektra's love scene, and scenes set inside a church confessional. A scene featuring Bullseye that was placed after the credits in the theatrical version was integrated into the movie in the director's cut.

Matt Murdock also appeared on a deleted dream sequence of the movie's spin-off Elektra, featured on the DVD release.

Daredevil as he appears in Marvel: Ultimate Alliance.
Daredevil as he appears in Marvel: Ultimate Alliance.

  • Daredevil has appeared in the Marvel Legends toy line. In series 3, he was a chase figure and was based on the movie Ben Affleck version. He is one of the figures in the Urban Legends box set along with Spider-Man, Elektra and the Punisher. He appeared in the spin off series Face-Off (with an unmasked variant) along with the Kingpin.

The "Spider-Man Classics" toy line, which was a precursor to Marvel Legends, also included a Daredevil figure, clad in his traditional red costume. A very hard to find (and sometimes quite expensive) variant of DD in his original yellow and black garb was also released in the same series.

Promotional art for Daredevil vol. 2 #62, by Alex Maleev.
Promotional art for Daredevil vol. 2 #62, by Alex Maleev.

  • Daredevil Vol. 1: #1-380 (April 1964 - Oct. 1998)
  • Daredevil Vol. 2: #1- (Nov. 1998- ) Note: With #22, began official dual-numbering with original series, as #22 / 402, etc.
  • Daredevil Special #1 (Sept. 1967)
  • Daredevil Special #2 (Feb. 1971; reprints)
  • Daredevil Special #3 (Jan. 1972; reprints)
  • Daredevil Annual #4 (1976)
  • Daredevil Annual #4 (1989) Note: mislabeled #4, rather than #5, both on cover and in indicia
  • Daredevil Annual #6-10 (1990-1994)
  • Daredevil / Deadpool '97 Annual (1997)


  • Spider-Man and Daredevil Special Edition #1 (March 1984; reprints)
  • Daredevil and the Punisher: Child's Play #1 (1988; reprints)
  • Daredevil and the Punisher (1994)
  • Spider-Man / Daredevil #1 (Oct. 2002)
  • Daredevil / Spider-Man #1-4 (Jan.-April 2001)
  • Daredevil vs. Punisher: Means and Ends #1-6 (Sept. 2005 - Jan. 2006; no cover dates; #1-2 both indicia-dated Sept. 2005) by David Lapham

  • Daredevil / Batman (per indicia), also known as Daredevil and Batman (per cover) #1 (Jan. 1997)
  • Shi / Daredevil #1 (Jan. 1997)
  • Daredevil / Shi #1 (Feb. 1997)

  • The Daredevils #1-11 (month n.a., 1982 - Nov. 1983) Marvel UK series, mostly reprint)
  • Daredevil vs. Vapora #1 (1993)
Free health-and-safety comic sponsored by Gas Appliance Manufacturers Association & Consumer Product Safety Commission
  • Marvels Comics: Daredevil #1 (July 2000)

  • Daredevil: The Man Without Fear: 1992 Comics Buyer's Guide Fan Award — Favorite Limited Comic-Book Series
  • Daredevil: Yellow: 2001 Comics Buyer's Guide Fan Award — Favorite Limited Comic-Book Series

  1. ^ a b Comics historian and former Jack Kirby assistant Mark Evanier, investigating claims of Kirby's involvement in the creation of both Iron Man and Daredevil, interviewed Kirby and Everett on the subject, years before their deaths. In his column P.O.V. Online: The Jack FAQ: "What did Jack do on the first stories of Iron Man and Daredevil?", he concluded that, "in both cases, Jack had already drawn the covers of those issues and done some amount of design work. He ... seems to have participated in the design of Daredevil's first costume. ... Everett did tell me that Jack had come up with the idea of Daredevil's billy club. ... Jack, in effect, drew the first page of that first Daredevil story. In the rush to get that seriously late book to press, there wasn't time to complete Page One, so Stan had [production manager] Sol Brodsky slap together a paste-up that employed Kirby's cover drawing. ... Everett volunteered to me that Jack had "helped him" though he wouldn't — or more likely, couldn't — elaborate on that. He just plain didn't remember it well, and in later years apparently gave others who asked a wide range of answers". Marvel editor-in-chief Joe Quesada later noted in his Newsarama column "Joe Fridays Week 4" (2005, no other date given) that when Everett turned in his first-issue pencils extremely late, Brodsky and Spider-Man artist Steve Ditko inked "a lot of backgrounds and secondary figures on the fly and cobbled the cover and the splash page together from Kirby's original concept drawing" .
  2. ^ Romita, from Comic Book Artist #6 (Fall 1999) [1]: "I had inked an Avengers job for Stan, and I told him I just wanted to ink. I felt like I was burned out as a penciler after eight years of romance work. I didn't want to pencil any more; in fact, I couldn't work at home any more — I couldn't discipline myself to do it. He said, 'Okay,' but the first chance he had he shows me this Daredevil story somebody had started and he didn't like it, and he wanted somebody else to do it." Elaborating in Alter Ego #9 (July 2001) [2], he added, "Stan showed me Dick Ayers' splash page for a Daredevil. He asked me, "What would you do with this page?" I showed him on a tracing paper what I would do, and then he asked me to do a drawing of Daredevil the way I would do it. I did a big drawing of Daredevil ... just a big, tracing-paper drawing of Daredevil swinging. And Stan loved it."
  3. ^ a b c d e Frank Miller; John Romita Jr. (1993-4). Daredevil: The Man Without Fear. Marvel comics. 
  4. ^ Daredevil vol. 2, #8 (June 1999)
  5. ^ Daredevil vol. 2, #26-37, (Dec. 2001 - Nov. 2002)
  6. ^ New Avengers #3
  7. ^ New Avengers #11
  8. ^ Daredevil vol. 2 #46-50 (June-Oct. 2003)
  9. ^ Daredevil vol. 2, #87 (Sept. 2006)
  10. ^ Daredevil vol. 2, #89-93 (Nov. 2006 - March 2007)
  11. ^ Civil War #5
  12. ^ Vol. 2, #40-44 (Feb.-April 2003), and elsewhere
  13. ^ DD Resource: Daredevil Parodies/Spoofs
  14. ^ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0098512/
  15. ^ IGN.com game-profile pages for Daredevil: The Man Without Fear Xbox and PS2
  16. ^ IGN.com (May 27, 2004): "Daredevil Game Canceled", by David Adams

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