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Daredevil is one of the most beloved characters in Marvel Comics. The character has been through multiple iterations in the comics with different writers, some storylines darker than others. Regardless of what Matt Murdock goes through, he always comes out the other side due to his unwavering resilience.
Daredevil: Born Again–set to premiere on March 4 on Disney+–marks Matt Murdock’s first solo series in the larger MCU. After the Netflix Daredevil was canceled and Disney announced that the show was getting a “soft reboot” on their streaming service, many worried that Disney would not be willing to keep the gritty, dark tone that made the Netflix series so popular among fans.
However, in a recent interview with Empire, Wilson Fisk actor, Vincent D’Onofrio, promised that the new show goes “further in the darkness, the action, the nastiness.” With that in mind, let’s explore Matt Murdock’s darker comic history.
Frank Miller Redefined the Character With His Iconic Daredevil series
Miller Took Daredevil From a B-Lister to a Full-Fledged Hero
Frank Miller is widely considered to be the writer who made Daredevil what it is today in the comics. Miller worked on Daredevil in the late 1970s, but did not take over as the sole writer until 1981 with Daredevil #168. Up until that point, Daredevil was mostly a secondary hero who played a supporting role in other stories, but did not have much characterization of his own. Miller saw something special in Matt Murdock and began to dig deep into who he was as a person and what that meant for his vigilante alter ego.
In order to fully show who Murdock was outside the cowl, Miller put the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen through hell itself with his famous Daredevil: Born Again miniseries. Comprising of Daredevil #227 to #231, Born Again deals with Matt Murdock losing everything in his life due to his nemesis, Kingpin, finding out his real life identity. The storyline breaks Murdock down to the point where he loses hope and is homeless, friendless, and penniless. The gritty tone reflects the real-life Hell’s Kitchen at the time, and shows what makes Daredevil a true hero.
Miller not only started the dark tone that became a staple in Daredevil comics, but put Murdock through the ringer yet again with the creation of one of the most well-known characters in his lore: Elektra Natchios. Miller introduced Elektra in 1982 in Daredevil #181 as Matt’s ex-girlfriend. However, Miller subsequently killed her off, leaving Murdock broken and alone once more. Although Miller would eventually bring Elektra back in Daredevil #190, her death in Murdock’s arms was one of the darkest moments in Daredevil history.
Brian Michael Bendis and Ed Brubaker Followed in Miller’s Footsteps, Using Matt Murdock’s Secret Identity as His Downfall
Bendis Wrote Daredevil from 2001 to 2006, While Brubaker Wrote From 2006 to 2009
Brian Michael Bendis took over writing Daredevil in 2001 with Daredevil #26, focusing heavily on Wilson Fisk as Matt Murdock’s primary nemesis. With art by Alex Maleev, Bendis’ Daredevil was more violent, using force to subdue Fisk, even going so far as calling himself the kingpin of Hell’s Kitchen. However, Matt’s identity once again gets leaked, putting him in jeopardy. Bendis ended his run with Matt in prison, surrounded by the many criminals he put there himself. As many of these criminals wanted to murder Matt, the ending is suspenseful, leaving the reader uneasy at the end.
“The most important part of Matt Murdock/Daredevil as a character is that he always gets back up in the face of the most difficult fights of his life, meaning even when Murdock is down, he is never out for long.”
Following on the heels of Bendis’ run, Ed Brubaker began writing Daredevil in 2006 with Daredevil #82, collaborating with artist Michael Lark. Lark’s art alone had a darker pallet, setting an eternal feeling of gloom hanging over Matt’s head. Brubaker had the task of getting Murdock out of prison where Bendis left him, and did so by having Danny Rand aka Iron Fist posing as a copycat Daredevil to cast doubt on the allegations that Murdock was the vigilante. However, Murdock is put in the position of grappling with the fact that not everyone believed he was innocent.
Moreover, Brubaker’s run deals with the results of the enormous amount of mental stress Matt is under, which manifests as depression and anxiety. Matt’s mental struggles are only made worse when he goes up against villains who bring out the worst in mental status, particularly Mr. Fear. Brubaker’s work on Daredevil is some of the grittiest, and earned Brubaker three Eisner Awards for Best Writer.
A Break From the Darkness Came in 2011, But Was Short-Lived
Matt Murdock Had a Moment of Levity
In 2011, Mark Waid took over Daredevil with Daredevil vol. 3, in collaboration with artists Paolo Rivera, Marcos Martín, Javier Rodríguez, Muntsa Vincente. Waid took a new and refreshing approach to Matt Murdock, leaving the heavy shadow that loomed over the character since the early 1980s behind. Instead, Waid’s Daredevil was brightly colored and light in tone, with Murdock oftentimes making self-deprecating jokes. Waid teamed up with writer Chris Samnee in 2014 to end his arc by leaving Murdock in San Francisco.
Chip Zdarsky followed Waid and Samnee, beginning his tenure as Daredevil writer in 2019 with Daredevil #1 alongside artist Marco Checchetto. Zdarsky brought the darker tone back to Daredevil, as Murdock accidentally kills a criminal in the middle of trying to prevent a robbery. Murdock suffers from the ramifications and moral implications of having caused a death when his long-standing ethical code was to not cross that threshold. Matt becomes more and more reckless as he tries to prove that he was not the reason for the man’s death, even earning chastising from the Defenders and the Avengers.
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“Don’t Read It While Eating”: Marvel’s New Daredevil Run Promises to Be a Rather Bloody One
Writer Erica Schultz promises “Daredevil: Unleash Hell” earns its Red Band title, showing a gritty and gory Elektra as The Woman Without Fear.
Zdarsky’s run eventually leads to Murdock quitting being Daredevil and standing trial for his crimes. When he is sentenced to prison for murder, Matt struggles with seeing the results of his vigilantism, simply leading to criminals being arrested without a chance of reform. In his absence, Elektra takes up his place as protector of Hell’s Kitchen. Zdarsky is also the writer responsible for the storyline where Wilson Fisk becomes mayor of New York. Given the trailer for Daredevil: Born Again, it appears as though Zdarsky’s run is largely influencing the upcoming series.
Murdock Has Fought Many Battles, Both From Internal and External Forces
Who Knows Where the Man Without Fear Will Go in the Future
To say that Matt Murdock has been through a lot over the decades would be putting it lightly. From multiple prison sentences, to accidental murder, to mental breakdowns, Murdock has been torn down time and time again. But the most important part of Matt Murdock/Daredevil as a character is that he always gets back up in the face of the most difficult fights of his life, meaning even when Murdock is down, he is never out for long.
Source: Empire
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