Buzz
For many, Daredevil first made an impact with Ben Affleck's portrayal in the 2003 film, while others discovered the character through Charlie Cox's portrayal in Netflix’s critically acclaimed series. However, like many comic book heroes, Daredevil has a rich history spanning decades, with the movie and show merely scratching the surface of the iconic Man Without Fear.
10. He Served as an Inspiration for Batman
At first glance, it may seem illogical to suggest that Daredevil, who debuted in the 1960s, could have been a precursor to Batman, a character introduced in the 1930s. However, Daredevil did play a pivotal role in shaping the Batman most are familiar with today — the serious, no-nonsense Batman who operates outside the boundaries of the law. In the early days, however, Batman was far more lighthearted, especially with the introduction of Robin, which led to the campy and whimsical Batman TV series starring Adam West. This portrayal of Batman persisted until Frank Miller's groundbreaking Dark Knight Returns comic, which became the cornerstone for nearly all subsequent Batman adaptations, including Batman vs. Superman.
Before transforming Batman into the dark figure we know, Frank Miller was honing his craft on Daredevil. Initially, he worked as an artist, but as sales began to falter, Marvel gave Miller the opportunity to write. He quickly molded Daredevil into a ruthless antihero, unafraid to torture enemies and relying on his ninja training (a detail Miller introduced) to defend himself. At times, the character bore such a striking resemblance to Batman that Marvel’s editors had to ask Miller to make alterations to distinguish the two. By the time Miller wrote Dark Knight Returns, his time spent shaping Daredevil had directly influenced his approach to Batman.
9. He’s Willing to Kill
Fans of Netflix’s Daredevil were introduced to the iconic hero who abides by one strict rule: never kill, no matter the situation. However, this moral code stands in stark contrast to the comic book version of Daredevil, who is far more willing to cross that line, especially when it comes to his arch-nemesis, Bullseye. The ruthless assassin has murdered many, including Daredevil’s past love, Elektra. While Elektra would eventually return (thanks to the magical ways of comic book storytelling), Daredevil’s vendetta against Bullseye remained unwavering.
During Frank Miller’s legendary run on the comic, Daredevil made a bold attempt to end Bullseye’s life by tossing him off a building. When that only left the villain paralyzed, Daredevil’s next move was equally sinister—he barged into Bullseye’s hotel room and forced him into a twisted game of Russian roulette, with an unloaded gun, in an attempt to frighten him to death.
As time passed, Daredevil eventually crossed the ultimate line—he killed Bullseye. While this occurred during a storyline where Daredevil was under the influence of a demonic force, the internal monologue in “Daredevil #512” reveals that Daredevil made the conscious decision to take the life of his foe. The story strongly hints that the demon could only possess Daredevil because of his inherent willingness to kill.
8. He Gets Betrayed By His Girlfriend
Frank Miller's darker, grittier approach to Daredevil often meant disregarding much of the established comic continuity. Whenever he chose to reintroduce past characters or plot points, they were frequently altered in significant ways.
Karen Page, Daredevil's first true love interest, followed the Lois Lane archetype—falling for the hero before discovering his true identity. But their romance didn't endure, and Karen moved to Los Angeles, seeking a career as a TV star.
Years later, Miller reintroduced Karen Page with a shocking twist: she had fallen into a life of pornography to fund a devastating heroin addiction. In her desperation, she betrayed Daredevil's secret identity to her drug dealer, who subsequently informed the Kingpin. This betrayal set in motion a chain of events that would torment Daredevil for years to come.
7. He Has Been Publicly Outed Multiple Times
Eventually, Matt and his partner, Foggy Nelson, manage to win a legal battle against the press for publishing the story. Yet, the public remains convinced that Matt is Daredevil. Later on, in a pivotal moment, Matt openly confesses in court that he is indeed Daredevil, while testifying against a hate group leader. This admission results in his disbarment due to the previous perjury surrounding his identity and the complications of being a vigilante lawyer, forcing him to relocate to San Francisco.
Eventually, he and Foggy Nelson win a case against the press for publishing the story, but the public never entirely stops believing that he isn’t Daredevil. Later, Matt admits under oath that he is Daredevil in order to testify against the leader of a hate group. Subsequently, he is disbarred for previously lying under oath about his identity (as well as the other legal sticky wickets of being a lawyer who takes the law into his own hands), so he packs his bags for San Francisco.
6. He Ascends to the Role of Kingpin
His decision is rooted in noble intentions, believing he can control crime more effectively from within than by simply continuing to fight it from the outside. He holds firm to this belief even when other heroes confront him, accusing him of crossing a line. However, things take a darker turn for Daredevil and his wife, Milla Donovan (whom he secretly married during this chaotic period), when the yakuza target them. Faced with this new threat, Daredevil abandons his Kingpin role and returns to his red costume, resuming his fight against crime alongside his fellow heroes.
He does it for all of the high-minded reasons you’d expect, believing that he can control crime and criminals better from the inside than he can from simply beating them to a pulp. He maintains this when confronted by other heroes who think he’s gone too far. However, things heat up for Daredevil and Milla Donovan (the blind woman he quietly married during this whole mess) when they are targeted by the yakuza. Daredevil quickly steps out of the Kingpin’s throne and back to fighting crime in his red tights alongside his fellow heroes.
5. He Battled a Time-Traveling Robot
One of these strange encounters involved a battle with “Mr. Kline,” a robot from an alternate future, a typical Marvel concept. Mr. Kline was actually on a mission with noble intentions: he had traveled back in time to prevent the apocalyptic future he came from, where humanity no longer exists.
He once clashed with “Mr. Kline,” who is revealed to be a robot from one of those alternate futures that Marvel is so fond of. Kline actually has good intentions, as he was sent back in time to prevent his future, where there is no human life on the planet, from happening.
Kline's methods were a strange mix of calculated actions and chaos: sometimes he would sabotage Tony Stark’s technology, a logical step to preserve future life. At other times, he would masquerade as a crime lord, genetically modifying people into supervillains. He fought against Daredevil and Black Widow repeatedly, before embracing his darker side, declaring that humanity couldn’t be saved and should simply be wiped out. Eventually, he meets his end at the hands of humans from his own future, seemingly rendering his mission pointless.
4. He and Black Widow Were an Item
For those Marvel movie fans waiting for the resolution of the romantic tension between Black Widow and The Incredible Hulk in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it might come as a surprise that she and Daredevil once shared an intense romance. They were often seen together in action, from facing off against Mr. Kline to Matt Murdock defending her in a trial that she feared would be biased due to her Russian background. Before long, the two were not just dating—they were living together, although to satisfy the Comics Code Authority, it was made clear that they were occupying separate floors of their shared home.
Daredevil and Moondragon's wild 1970s adventures continue, but things take a turn when they cross paths. Moondragon has been creating supervillains, convinced by Matt Murdock’s boss that Daredevil is actually an undercover agent for Thanos! Naturally, the boss is revealed to be evil and soon unleashes the villains on Earth, forcing Daredevil to team up with Moondragon to stop them.
Daredevil's attempt to date Moondragon backfires for two reasons: she turns him down, citing her busy schedule filled with cosmic adventures, and when Black Widow finds out, she channels her anger into punishing a criminal. Daredevil gives her a slap to bring her back to reality, and she walks away—leaving both his life and the comic behind. What was once titled Daredevil and The Black Widow becomes simply Daredevil again after her exit.
3. The FBI Tries to Kill Him in Prison
With Daredevil’s identity repeatedly exposed, it’s understandable to wonder why he ended up in prison. At the conclusion of Bendis’s iconic Daredevil run, that’s exactly what happens—Matt Murdock is thrown into prison by the FBI. But they don't stop there—they plan to have Daredevil killed while incarcerated. The FBI places Murdock in the general population, surrounded by the very criminals he put away. They also pull strings to have The Kingpin placed in the same prison, hoping the two will take each other out. As if the situation wasn’t already chaotic enough, Bullseye is thrown in as well, and The Punisher intentionally gets himself incarcerated too.
Things work out surprisingly well, with Daredevil reluctantly joining forces with Kingpin to protect each other during a prison riot. Although Kingpin is shot, Daredevil manages to convince The Punisher to break them out. Punisher pretends to take Murdock hostage, and the FBI director is left to bear the blame for the riot, which was triggered by moving several supervillains into the same prison as their most hated enemy.
2. He Becomes the Leader of The Hand
Among the more questionable superhero side jobs is becoming the leader of a villainous organization, but sometimes the heart desires what it desires. After once becoming the Kingpin, Daredevil later finds himself in charge of the notorious ninja faction known as The Hand. This group was once led by Elektra, but it was later revealed that she was actually a shape-shifting alien—specifically, a Skrull.
The Hand decides, for reasons unknown, that Daredevil should lead them, but he refuses. In response, the group brings The Kingpin back to New York to take the role. In an effort to keep the leadership away from Kingpin, Daredevil ultimately accepts. His motivations are more noble than they might seem. At that time, Spiderman villain Norman Osborn had taken control of HAMMER, an organization that was once known as SHIELD. Osborn was secretly handling villains out of the public eye, and Daredevil planned to unleash his newly acquired ninjas on Osborn’s operations whenever he could.
1. He Embarks on Absurd Homeless Adventures
Frank Miller is often hailed as the one who made Daredevil's life a nightmare. However, another writer who deserves more credit for both her brilliant storytelling and her knack for making Daredevil’s life miserable is Anne Nocenti. She had Matt Murdock, who was obsessed with truth and justice, confronting various social issues far beyond Hell’s Kitchen—literally. During her tenure, Murdock’s free legal clinic is destroyed, his girlfriend Karen Page disappears, and Daredevil finds himself as a wandering homeless man in upstate New York.
What a wild and bizarre journey it was. During his ordeal, Daredevil faces two sinister villains from the depths of the underworld, Mephisto and Blackheart. They drag him through Hell as part of their twisted plan to break the Man With No Fear, ultimately attempting to kill him. Against all odds, he survives and returns to Hell’s Kitchen, but his memory is so distorted that he begins to believe he is his own father, Jack Murdock. Luckily, he regains his clarity before anyone starts asking questions about the curious case of a blind boxer.
