“A Line Was Crossed”: Daredevil May Be Hero, But the Marvel Icon Has Blood on Their Hands

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While there are a few exceptions, like the Punisher, very few superheroes kill people – which is why it’s such a huge deal when it happens. While Daredevil has spent his life trying to make Hell’s Kitchen a better place, there’s been a few times when he’s crossed the line and killed someone.

Daredevil has always had a problem with violence. The truth is that he’s a bit of an adrenaline junkie. He is constantly putting himself in dangerous situations and going after dangerous people, simply so he has an excuse to get into fights.

While he’s definitely doing so as a means to make the city a better place, he also just enjoys the fight, leading to a few situations where Daredevil has ended up ultimately crossing the line and killing someone, whether intentionally or not.

Does Daredevil Cross the Line in His New TV Show?

Fans Will Have to Tune In to Find Out

Netflix’s Daredevil was a beloved TV show and one of the most critically-acclaimed superhero shows on TV. The new trailer released for the Disney+ revival, titled Daredevil: Born Again, has been praised for keeping the same cast and tone, but one line has stood out to fans. Matt Murdock claims that he quit being Daredevil because a line was crossed, implying that Daredevil ended up going too far and had to give up the mask. But exactly what this line means is ultimately unclear. It’s possible that Daredevil ended up killing a criminal during one of his patrols.

While Daredevil becoming a killer would be a surprisingly dark turn for the TV show to take, it’s not out of the realm of possibility. While Daredevil has always tried to be firmly against using lethal force, hence his intense dislike of the Punisher, he has killed several people in the comics: accidentally and intentionally. Daredevil has brutally murdered Kingpin in alternate universes, but even in continuity there were three major murders that Daredevil was involved in – some indirectly, and some not.

Daredevil Accidentally Killed His Father’s Killer

Daredevil #164 by Roger McKenzie, Frank Miller, Klaus Janson, Glynis Oliver, and John Costanza

Perhaps the most understandable of Daredevil’s kills was the time he killed the man who had murdered his father. Daredevil hadn’t intended to do it, but after gaining his powers and learning how to use them, he spotted the man who took his father from him. Naturally, Daredevil was overcome with rage and chased the man down. Since it had been several years since the murder, the gangster had gotten quite old, and the shock of being chased was too much for him to bear. When Daredevil finally cornered the man in a subway, his heart gave out and he died.

The death of his father’s killer isn’t the only accidental death that Daredevil has caused either. During Chip Zdarsky’s phenomenal run on Daredevil, Matt Murdock ended up in prison for causing the accidental death of a criminal. It was simply a moment of Daredevil hitting someone in exactly the wrong way with the wrong amount of force. Daredevil certainly didn’t mean to kill him; he was a simple convenience store robber, but one wrong punch from Daredevil was all it took to put that man in the morgue instead of the hospital. The death haunted Daredevil for a long time.

While both of those examples were certified accidents, there was one instance that absolutely wasn’t. Daredevil has fought several dangerous villains, people who have truly ruined his life and pushed him to the edge. While Daredevil has very seriously considered murdering the Kingpin, he’s never done it in the main Marvel universe. The other villain who has consistently pushed him to the edge is Bullseye. While Kingpin has ruined Matt’s life by exposing his identity, Bullseye has a brutal habit of continually attacking Daredevil’s love interests and murdering them. He infamously killed Karen Page, and eventually, Daredevil returned the favor.

Daredevil Intentionally Murdered Bullseye

Until Marvel Later Retconned It

Daredevil willingly “crossed the line” during the events of Shadowlands. After taking control of the Hand, Daredevil decided that Bullseye had finally gone too far. He had proven that he would never change and that all he wanted was to ruin the lives of innocent people. In response, Daredevil took one of Bullseye’s weapons and stabbed him through the chest, mimicking the same way Bullseye had killed Elektra decades ago. It was the first time that Daredevil intentionally murdered someone.

This major moment for Daredevil started his descent into darkness. Unfortunately, Marvel quickly changed course, instead revealing that Daredevil was actually being possessed by the Beast: the dark god of the Hand. Daredevil’s decision to murder Bullseye wasn’t really his, and instead it was just something he was manipulated into doing. Because of this retcon, Daredevil didn’t really suffer many consequences for the kill. This story marked pretty much the only time that Daredevil has willingly killed someone in the main universe.

Will Daredevil Cross the Line in Born Again?

Only Time Will Tell, But It’s Possible

There have been more than a few times that Daredevil has ended up murdering someone in comics. If the newest season of his TV show decides to go down the same route, it’s not like it would be a betrayal of the character. Matt Murdock has killed people both intentionally and unintentionally. Considering how devout Matt is to his religion, taking a life is one of the biggest mortal sins, and it’s a big deal for him. It would certainly be enough to push him to stop being Daredevil and give up life as a vigilante, which Kingpin could use to take power as mayor.

In the end, fans will just have to tune in to see why Daredevil finally hung up the mask – and what happens that spurs him into becoming the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen once more. Matt has had to deal with death his entire life. He has experienced it, he’s caused it, and he’s lost people to it. He has a very complicated relationship with death, and when he caused the death of a criminal by mistake, he willingly went to prison for it. Fans will just have to see if Disney is ready to take Daredevil down a dark path – one he’s already walked before.

Daredevil: Born Again premieres March 4th, 2025 on Disney+!

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