Daredevil: Born Again premieres on Disney Plus in March, with the revived streaming series bringing the Man Without Fear and his supporting cast fully into the MCU after three seasons on Netflix. Born Again will mark an evolution for Matt Murdock and his world, but as a character, Daredevil is no stranger to major changes.
In comics, big, shocking shifts in his status quo are basically Daredevil’s part and parcel, with a longstanding tradition that each creative team who takes on his adventures puts their own spin on how he fits into the Marvel Universe and even his approach to being a superhero.
So who is Daredevil in comics, really? Despite the many changes he’s undergone over the years, Matt Murdock has remained steadfast in a few important traits, from his Catholic faith, to his commitment not to kill, to his unfortunate history with the women in his life.
We’ll run it all down right now as we explore the comic book history of Daredevil from his origins in the ’60s to the present day.
Origins
Matt Murdock made his debut in 1964’s Daredevil #1 by Stan Lee and Bill Everett. Even though Daredevil’s first costume is a bit different from his most classic look, with yellow sleeves under his red jumpsuit, his origins have remained mostly the same up to the present day.
As a child, Matt Murdock is blinded when a barrel of toxic waste splashes in his eyes. Though it takes Matt’s sight, it also enhances his other senses to a superhuman level, along with imbuing him with a unique “radar sense” that allows him to map out his surroundings and the people around him in 360 degrees.
Matt’s father, a boxer named Battlin’ Jack Murdock, raises Matt alone after his mother leaves the family to join a convent as a nun. This shapes Matt’s Catholic faith, while also leaving him orphaned when his father is killed after refusing to throw a fight.
He’s later taken in by a mysterious, blind martial artist named Stick who trains him in how to use his enhanced senses as a crimefighter, eventually leading to his double life as Daredevil, guardian of Hell’s Kitchen.
In this era, Matt’s life is fraught with personal danger, as his girlfriend Karen Page (well known to Daredevil TV fans) breaks up with him after learning of his secret identity, and Matt even having to pretend to be his own twin brother Mike Murdock to hide his identity as Daredevil from the public.
Move to San Francisco
In the ’70s, after years serving as both an attorney and as Daredevil in New York City for years, Matt makes a move across the country to San Francisco, where he basically does the same thing, but with a change of scenery – and a return to his life as Matt Murdock rather than pretending to be his own brother.
Daredevil is joined in this era by the Black Widow, who becomes both his crimefighting partner and his romantic partner as his title was renamed from simply ‘Daredevil’ to ‘Daredevil and the Black Widow,’ similar to the previous renaming of Captain America to Captain America and the Falcon.
Still, they broke up before the end of the decade, with Matt returning to Hell’s Kitchen not long after. This is the era in which he begins his ill-fated relationship with Heather Glenn, who will join the cast of Daredevil: Born Again. It’s also the era in which his arch-enemy Bullseye was introduced, setting up the first truly dark period in Matt’s life.
Born Again
In the ’80s, writer/artist Frank Miller redefined Daredevil from being a relatively carefree, swashbuckling hero into a more gritty, noir-ish story focused on the street-level drama of Daredevil trying to protect Hell’s Kitchen from the machinations of Wilson Fisk, the Kingpin, whose focus moves from battling Spider-Man to battling Daredevil.
Miller brings in Bullseye as one of Matt’s most vicious recurring foes, with a blood lust that is nearly unmatched in the Marvel Universe. First taking on the role of Kingpin’s lead assassin, Bullseye later becomes a free agent after the ninja Elektra, who becomes Matt’s lover as well as his enemy, takes Bullseye’s job – a risky relationship to be sure. Daredevil also begins encountering the ninja cult known as The Hand in this era.
When Bullseye kills Elektra, Matt snaps, throwing him off a rooftop, forever changing his life as both a civilian and a hero. This eventually leads to the events of the Daredevil: Born Again comic story, in which Daredevil’s entire life is dismantled, down to the death of his ex-girlfriend Karen Page, who gives up Matt’s secret identity to the Kingpin before she dies.
Jack Battlin
By the mid-’90s, Daredevil was back to his ways as both an attorney and a superhero, though the violence of the Born Again era remained – to the point where Matt Murdock was forced to temporarily don a suit of armor to give him an edge over the villains he was facing.
At the same time, Matt’s secret identity is exposed. To protect his civilian life, Matt fakes his own death to trick his enemies into thinking the original Daredevil was dead, taking up the pseudonym of Jack Batlin (a play on his dad’s ring name, Battlin’ Jack Murdock).
With Elektra back from the dead, and back in Matt’s life, this era includes Daredevil’s biggest victory over the Kingping yet in the story Daredevil: Fall From Grace, in which Matt fully dismantles Wilson Fisk’s criminal empire.
The ’90s also brought the return of fan-favorite Daredevil creator Frank Miller, who teamed up with artist John Romita, Jr. to redefine and flesh out many of the elements of Matt Murdock’s origin as a superhero in the limited series Daredevil: The Man Without Fear.
Marvel Knights
The early ’00s brought some big changes at Marvel Comics, with a new imprint named Marvel Knights taking the industry by storm with stories that focused on nurturing creative potential rather than tying into event stories and flashy status quo resets.
In Daredevil’s case, his Marvel Knights reboot brought in director Kevin Smith as the series’ new writer, along with artist Joe Quesada, one of the architects of the Marvel Knights line who later became Marvel’s editor-in-chief.
This began a string of high-profile writers and artists taking on Daredevil, making it one of Marvel’s most prestigious titles with a dedicated fan-following who responded to the more mature, graphic storytelling that kept Matt Murdock at a bloody street level.
Top creators of the era include writer/artist David Mack, writer Brian Michael Bendis and artist Alex Maleev, and writer Ed Brubaker and artist Michael Lark – nearly all of whom would go on to become Marvel’s top writers and artists for years and years to come.
Shadowland
One of the most shocking things to happen to Matt Murdock in his long history of pretty rough and tumble stuff (believe me, we’re sincerely scratching the surface here) was his turn to The Hand, the undead ninja cult who had long been his enemies.
Donning a black costume, Daredevil opens his own secret Hand prison known as Shadowland deep in the heart of Manhattan, turning Matt Murdock into one of the Marvel Universe’s most vicious villains overnight, and setting off a chain of events that would bring him into conflict with many of his closest allies, including his old friend Spider-Man.
There’s a secret behind Matt’s turn however, as he’s actually been possessed by a demon who is driving him to his villainous actions. And though this absolves Matt Murdock from culpability for his misdeeds, the Shadowland saga ends with Matt departing Hell’s Kitchen on a journey of self-discovery.
In the time while Matt was away, it’s actually none other than T’Challa, the Black Panther, who takes over as temporary guardian of Hell’s Kitchen in his absence in the series Black Panther: The Man Without Fear.
Swashbuckling return
Following Matt’s stint away from Hell’s Kitchen, he returns to his old stomping grounds with a refreshed personality calling back to his swashbuckling days of the ’60s and ’70s in a new Daredevil title from Mark Waid and artist Paolo Rivera, who would eventually cede art duties to Chris Samnee.
Together, Waid and Samnee would go on to define a whole era of Daredevil’s life with a renewed focus on superheroics and a less gritty, more upbeat aesthetic courtesy of Samnee’s Silver Age-influenced art style.
Nonetheless, this era didn’t skimp on the thrills and chills, with some of Daredevil’s most vicious battles taking place, including his now iconic fight with the ninja assassin Ikari, which was adapted into one of Daredevil season one’s most memorable episodes.
In many ways, it’s the Waid/Samnee era of Daredevil that most informed Charlie Cox’s first appearance as Daredevil in the MCU in his guest appearance in She-Hulk: Attorney At Law, with his happy-go-lucky attitude combined with a modern edge.
Mayor Fisk
In the years after Mark Waid and Chris Samnee left their mark on Daredevil, writer Charles Soule, himself an actual real life attorney, brought his own spin to Matt Murdock alongside artist Ron Garney with a unique focus on his work as a lawyer, and the introduction of a sidekick named Blindside. Soule also introduced the villain Muse, who will play a role in the Daredevil: Born Again streaming series.
Following Soule’s exit, writer Chip Zdarsky and artist Marco Checchetto began a multi-year stint on Daredevil that first had Wilson Fisk get elected as Mayor of New York City, taking his brutal feud with Matt Murdock to stunning new levels of intensity.
In the course of the story, Daredevil goes to prison for manslaughter – literally Daredevil, not Matt Murdock, as he argues before the Supreme Court for his right to stay masked while serving his sentence to not give up his secret identity.
While Daredevil/Matt is imprisoned, Elektra comes back into the picture, taking up the mantle of Daredevil and becoming protector of Hell’s Kitchen in Matt Murdock’s absence. Daredevil eventually leaves prison, joining Elektra on the streets of Hell’s Kitchen.
Fisk eventually tips his hand as a supervillain, attempting to use the powers of the Purple Man to control the minds of the citizens of New York, leading to him losing his position as mayor in disgrace, literally sailing off into the sunset to retire at the end of the story Devil’s Reign.
The Death of Matt Murdock
Changed by his time in prison and his (apparent) final battle with Fisk, Matt Murdock joins Elektra in forming a new ninja group of their own known as The Fist, meant to be a direct counter to The Hand. Though Stick, Matt and Elektra’s former mentor, foretells of a prophecy in which The Fist must destroy The Hand and take out their leader, known as ‘The Beast’, he withholds the secret from Matt that either he or Elektra will have to die to defeat The Hand once and for all.
What’s more, the reigning Beast of The Hand is none other than Daredevil’s old rival, Frank Castle, the Punisher, who has been brainwashed by The Hand to believe that leading their force of evil undead ninjas is the only way to complete his final mission of destroying all criminals.
In the course of the arc, Matt Murdock amasses a new army of warriors under his training, including several former villains. A bunch of truly wild stuff happens, including Elektra actually assassinating the president of the United States because he’s secretly a mind-controlled Hand zombie.
The story ends with a massive battle in which Frank Castle is mind-wiped and displaced in time, and Matt Murdock dies, winding up in Hell to literally face his demons. But as you might guess, that’s not the end of the story for Matt Murdock – nor the Kingpin, who isn’t gone for long.
Father Matt
In the current era of Daredevil by writer Saladin Ahmed and artist Aaron Kuder have brought Matt Murdock back from Hell, resurrected, he believes, with a greater purpose than simply being Daredevil. In fact, at the start of the run, Matt has a whole new life as a Catholic priest who helps run a foster home for troubled kids.
Still, he secretly moonlights as Daredevil from time-to-time, leading to a confrontation with Elektra, who is still technically meant to be the one-and-only Daredevil, allowing Matt to move on with his life. But the confrontation escalates, revealing that Elektra is possessed by a demon – which Matt Murdock exorcises.
At the same time demons are possessing his friends, Daredevil is faced with the return of Wilson Fisk, who is himself possessed. Using demonic power and influence, Fisk regains his empire as Kingpin, employing Bullseye to help unite as many of New York City’s gangs under his control as possible.
But Fisk’s possession culminates in a massive fight with Matt and Elektra, in which Fisk begs Matt to exorcise him. Unable to do as he’s asked, Matt has a crisis of faith, leaving his priesthood behind to become Daredevil again full time.
And that’s where things are at right now – with Matt Murdock riding the razor’s edge of his Catholic faith, his belief in a higher purpose, and his own need to be Daredevil.
All of that lines up quite nicely with Daredevil: Born Again, which takes influence directly from the time in which Wilson Fisk was mayor of New York City, setting up a similar crisis of faith and identity for Charlie Cox’s MCU version of Matt Murdock.
While you’re reading up on Daredevil, check out the best Daredevil comics of all time and the best Daredevil villains of all time. And be sure to check out our list of the best new TV shows coming your way in 2024 and beyond, as well as our guide to all the upcoming Marvel movies and shows you need to know about.
