- Looking for another article with the name Daredevil? Check out the Daredevil disambiguation page.
Matt Murdock is a blind attorney that at night fights crime as the vigilante Daredevil.
History[]
Early life[]
Matt Murdock was the son of a boxer named Jack Murdock. Jack was past his prime and had to stop being a boxer. However, Jack had to make money to support his son, Matt Murdock, so he began collecting protection money for an up-and-coming mobster called "the Kingpin."
One night, Matt witnessed his father robbing a store. Matt was so saddened by what he saw that he ran off. Without paying attention, Matt ran into the street and was nearly hit by a truck. The truck managed to swerve and miss Matt. However, the oil drum in the back of the truck containing radioactive waste burst open and the radioactive waste hit Matt in the eyes and blinded him.
Jack learned that his employer, Kingpin, was behind the transportation of the radioactive waste. Jack discovered where Kingpin was keeping the radioactive waste and planned to tell the police. However, Jack was caught by Kingpin's men and Kingpin had Jack killed.
When Matt recovered, he learned that even though he was now blind the radiation he was exposed to enhanced his other senses to superhuman levels. However, Matt had a hard time controlling his new powers. Around this time, Matt met a mysterious man named Stick. Stick was able to teach Matt how to control his new powers and taught him various forms of martial arts.
As a young adult, Matt went to law school and eventually graduated. Matt then became an attorney and eventually became a very famous and very successful criminal defense attorney. However, Matt decided to use his powers to help people and became a costumed crime fighter called Daredevil.
Later life[]
Helping the Fantastic Four[]
Seeking advice[]
Doctor Doom kidnapped Invisible Woman and took her to a deserted island to be used as bait for the other members of the Fantastic Four. When Mister Fantastic, Human Torch, and Thing got to the island they had to fight off several Doombots. Mister Fantastic managed to free Invisible Woman from her prison but could not escape the island before a nuclear bomb exploded. However, the explosion did not kill them. Instead the radiation took away their powers.
Ben Grimm's girlfriend, Alicia Masters, began to worry about what would happen to the Fantastic Four should any of their enemies discover they no longer had their powers. Alicia then took Ben to see her friend, Matt Murdock, to ask him for advice. However, Ben believed that Matt would not be much help to the Fantastic Four due to him being blind and walked out of Matt's office. Alicia apologized for the way Ben acted. Matt then told Alicia that he had a "friend" that could help them.
Defending the Fantastic Four[]
The Fantastic Four were later attacked by Doctor Doom. However, Daredevil arrived and was able to get them to safety. During this time, Doctor Doom was also able to take over the Baxter Building and used technology in Mister Fantastic's laboratory to remotely control the Fantasti-Car. Doom controlled the Fantasti-Car to attack the Fantastic Four. However, Daredevil was able to cause the Fantasti-Car to crash into a building and explode. Daredevil then told the Fantastic Four that Matt Murdock asked him to protect them. Daredevil then told the Fantastic Four to try and sneak into the Baxter Building while he drew Doctor Doom's fire.
While the Fantastic Four tried to get into the Baxter Building, Doctor Doom unleashed a man made tornado by using Mister Fantastic's vortex generator. Daredevil was able to lure the tornado over to him and caused it to crash into a gas station and suck up the gasoline from the pumps. Daredevil then struck his billy club on the ground and created a spark which caused the gas to catch on fire and explode. This was able to destroy the vortex.
Fighting Doctor Doom[]
Mister Fantastic then decided that they needed need to sneak into the Baxter Building and get to his laboratory to use a device he created to restore their powers. Daredevil then offered to keep Doctor Doom busy while they did this.
Doctor Doom then blew up all the public elevators in the Baxter Building forcing the Fantastic Four to take their personal elevator even though they knew Doctor Doom had booby trapped it. At that moment, Daredevil made it to Mister Fantastic's lab and fought Doctor Doom. However, Doom was able to shoot Daredevil with a laser and knocked him out. Doom then activated a timber for a bomb he had planted on the Fantastic Four's elevator. However, Mister Fantastic was able to defuse the bomb and the Fantastic Four escaped the elevator.
As Doctor Doom was about to kill Daredevil, the Fantastic Four rushed in and attacked him. However, without their powers the Fantastic Four were no match for Doctor Doom. Doctor Doom then revealed that he had changed their ventilation system to where it would suck all the oxygen out of the room. As Doctor Doom left, he activated the ventilation system. However, Ben was able to use a machine in Reed's lab to turn himself back into the Thing and he stopped Doctor Doom.
Helping Peter Parker[]
Defending Peter[]
When Richard Fisk framed Peter Parker for selling defense plans, he was arrested and sent to prison. J. Jonah Jameson believed that Peter was innocent and hired Matt Murdock to defend him.
When Matt went to visit Peter in prison, Peter was shocked to see that his attorney was blind. Peter and Matt then went over the events leading up to his arrest.
When Peter went to trial, Matt demanded that Peter be given his freedom to prove that he was innocent. However, the judge decided that Peter's innocence was up to a jury to decide and ordered that Peter be remanded to prison.
As Peter was being taken to prison the police van, he was attacked. Chameleon, disguised as Spider-Man, broke into the van and kidnapped Peter and took him to a warehouse. There Peter learned that his employer at Fisktronics, Richard Fisk, was the one who framed him. Richard Fisk was the one responsible for selling the classified information.
Peter was then put into a chamber that was designed to suck out all the oxygen and suffocate whoever was inside. At that moment, Daredevil arrived and was able to subdue the guards and rescue Peter before he could die. Daredevil then told Peter that he was a friend of Matt Murdock's and he took Peter to Murdock's apartment.
Fighting Spider-Man[]
Daredevil knew Richard Fisk was involved with framing Peter Parker so, he went to Fisktronics to try and find evidence that could clear Peter. However, Peter, as Spider-Man, went to Fisktronics to do the same thing.
Spider-Man was able to find the information he needed on a computer and downloaded it to a computer disc. at that time Daredevil arrived and fought Spider-Man. Daredevil believed that Spider-Man was helping Fisk frame Peter, but was unaware that Chameleon framed Spider-Man as well by using his Image Inducer to disguise himself as Spider-Man. Some of Richard Fisk's men rushed in and activated a bomb and it exploded. However, Spider-Man and Daredevil were able to escape Fisktronics.
Chain of evidence[]
After escaping Fisktronics, Spider-Man gave Daredevil the disc containing the evidence to clear Peter Parker. Daredevil then told Spider-Man that he would give it to Matt Murdock.
Later that night, Matt Murdock gave the disc to a federal agent named Susan Choi that was working to hunt down Peter Parker. Choi told Matt that she would call off the man hunt and exonerate Peter Parker. However, Susan Choi was secretly working for Richard Fisk and later gave him the data disc. Richard wanted the disc because the information on it would not only prove that Peter was innocent but could also be used to prosecute his father, the Kingpin.
Saving Peter Parker[]
A short while later, Peter learned that his Aunt May had collapsed and had been taken to a hospital. Peter went to the hospital and Mary Jane Watson was able to help Peter sneak into May's room. At that moment, Anna Watson walked into the room and offered to help Peter get past security. Peter and Mary Jane followed Anna Watson outside. However, Anna turned out to be Chameleon is disguise. Chameleon then knocked Peter and Mary Jane out with knockout gas and shoved them into the back of a van.
A short while later, Detective Terri Lee called Matt and informed him that Susan Choi was working for Richard Fisk and they now had the disc.
Peter and Mary Jane were then taken to Wilson Fisk's mansion where Richard placed both of them in a decompression chamber and began to suck the oxygen out of it. At that moment the police raided the mansion. Fisk, Choi, and Chameleon grabbed guns and attempted to hold them off. Terri Lee was then able to subdue Susan Choi and release Peter and Mary Jane from the chamber.
At that moment, Daredevil arrived and fought off several of the guards. Daredevil then faced Chameleon. Chameleon was able to use his Image Inducer to take Daredevil's appearance. Because of this Spider-Man was unable to help because he could not tell which was the real Daredevil. However, Daredevil was quickly able to defeat Chameleon. Richard Fisk and Susan Choi were then arrested. However, Chameleon managed to escape.
Fighting Kingpin[]
Spider-Man and Daredevil then followed Chameleon to Crime Central. As they got inside, Daredevil told Spider-Man to keep the guards busy while he went after Kingpin.
As Daredevil got to Kingpin's office, he and Kingpin began to fight. After a while, Kingpin used the taser on his cane to electrocute Daredevil. Just as Kingpin was about to kill Daredevil, Spider-Man arrived and stopped him.
However, Kingpin made it to the hangar and flew away in a helicopter. Spider-Man was able to shoot a web line at the helicopter and pull himself and Daredevil onto it. Spider-Man was then able to force the helicopter down. However, Daredevil revealed that it was really Chameleon disguised as Kingpin and that they must have made the switch back at Crime Central.
Aftermath[]
Sometime later, Richard Fisk, Susan Choi, and Chameleon were put on trial for treason and convicted. Peter was also cleared of all charges.
Later that night after the trial, Daredevil met with Spider-Man on top of the Woolworth Building. Daredevil told Spider-Man that Matt Murdock had been called to Washington D.C. on special assignment for the Justice Department. Right before Daredevil left, he told Spider-Man that since he wouldn't be in New York City it would be up to him to keep Kingpin at bay until Murdock could gather enough legal evidence to put him in prison forever. Daredevil also told Spider-Man that he would be a life long ally to him in his war against Kingpin.
Alternate timeline[]
In an alternate timeline where Professor X was killed before forming the X-Men, humans and mutants were at war with each other. In this timeline the Avengers were a group of meta-humans working for the U.S. government to be used against mutants. Daredevil was a member of the version of the Avengers.
Daredevil with the Avengers
Daredevil and the Avengers were sent in by the government to attack a group of mutants. However, Daredevil and the Avengers were defeated.
Wolverine, Storm, and Bishop then travel back in time and prevented Charles Xavier's assassination which restored the timeline to normal.
Powers and equipment[]
Powers[]
After Matt Murdock was hit in the eyes with radioactive waste he was blinded. However, the radiation enhanced his other senses to superhuman levels.
Daredevil's hearing was much better after the accident. Daredevil is capable of hearing through walls. He could even hear a persons heartbeat. This made Daredevil a human lie detector. If a person's heart started to beat faster it meant they were lying.
Daredevil's radar sense
With this enhanced hearing also came what Daredevil called his radar sense. This radar sense is very similar to echolocation that is used by animals such as bats. Just by using the sounds in the room Daredevil's radar sense could map out an entire room and people's movement. When Daredevil hears noises his brain gives him a mental image of everything happening in the room. Matt has described this as a new type of sight and has said that now he could "see" even better than before he was blind.
Daredevil's sense of touch was also enhanced. Matt could touch any kind of writing and his fingers could feel how the ink was shaped and could make out what letters they were.
Daredevil's enhanced taste buds allow him to pick out each individual ingredient in any kind of food.
Daredevil's incredible olfactory senses which is even sharper than a dog allow him to detect any scent three floors above him and through several walls.
Equipment[]
Daredevil's main weapon is his billy club. The billy club could extend to nearly five feet or could retract to three feet. In it's sort state it could be used as a baton and when extended it could be used as a bō staff or a pole vault. The billy club also had a grapple hook built into it which Daredevil could use to swing from buildings or could ensnare enemies.
In the comics[]
In Daredevil's original origin a young Matt Murdock saw an old blind man standing in the street with a truck driving toward him. Matt rushed into the street and pushed the old man out of the way. The truck swerved and missed Matt. However, a container of radioactive waste burst open and hit Matt in the eyes blinding him. The radiation blinded Matt but enhanced his other senses to superhuman levels. In more recent retellings of Daredevil's origin the old blind man is omitted. Instead Matt runs into the street because he witnesses his father committing a robbery.
Jack Murdock was killed by a crooked fight promoter named Roscoe Sweeney a.k.a. the Fixer because he refused to throw a fight. Kingpin was not the one that killed Jack Murdock in the comics.
While in law school Matt dated a woman named Elektra Natchchios. Years later Elektra became an enemy, and later an ally, to Daredevil.
Daredevil's original costume had a black torso with yellow sleves and a yellow mask. This was later changed to a totally red costume.
After law school Matt Murdock started a law firm with his friend Foggy Nelson. A woman named Karen Page was hired as their secretary. Matt Murdock was a small time lawyer that often struggled to get clients and money. This was changed in Spider-Man: The Animated Series to where Murdock was a very successful and famous criminal defense attorney.
In the comics, Matt Murdock's law firm is located in Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan. This is also the part of New York City that Matt Murdock operates as Daredevil.
Appearances[]
Spider-Man: The Animated Series[]
Fantastic Four: The Animated Series[]
- And a Blind Man Shall Lead Them
X-Men: The Animated Series[]
- One Man's Worth, Part I
- No Mutant is an Island (As a photograph)
Trivia[]
- In Fantastic Four: The Animated Series, Daredevil was voiced by Bill Smitrovich.
- In the X-Men: The Animated Series episode, Bloodlines, a child that is trick or treating during Halloween is dressed in Daredevil's original yellow and red costume.
- Daredevil was unvoiced in the X-Men: The Animated Series episode, One Man's Worth, Part I.
- Daredevil's appearance on Spider-Man: The Animated Series was intended to be a backdoor pilot for his own series.
- In the non-canon video Spider-Man Web Files, which was a Fox Kids promo for Spider-Man: The Animated Series, Daredevil's height was given as 6 feet even and was said to weigh 200 pounds.
Left: Original footage from No Mutant is an Island
Right: Revised footage from No Mutant is an Island
- In the episode, No Mutant is an Island from X-Men: The Animated Series, Zebediah Killgrave had a dartboard with a picture of Daredevil on it hanging in his room. However, No Mutant is an Island ran into animation problems causing it to be delayed for two years. The producers were not satisfied with the final result, and retakes for the episode were ordered. Because of this there are two different versions of No Mutant is an Island. Daredevil's picture was removed from the revised version.