5 Things You Need To Know About Daredevil Before He Debuts In The MCU
Daredevil is one of the oldest and most complex characters in all of Marvel. He’s spent his existence fighting some of the most well-known, and some of the most obscure villains in Marvel history. Daredevil is unique in the sense that unlike other heroes, he is a blind superhero who, as a by-product of an accident, has his other senses heightened. With them heightened, he is able to perform amazing acrobatic feats and do more than many other heroes.
With the acquisition of Fox by Disney, it’s just a matter of time before Daredevil makes his way into the MCU. Saying this, I feel it’s important that you know a thing or two about the character before this happens. Here are 5 Things You Need To Know About Daredevil Before He Debuts In The MCU.
5. Kingpin enemy
Many people believe, thanks to the Netflix Daredevil series, know that Wilson Fisk, the Kingpin, is the quintessential Daredevil enemy. It makes perfect sense. The show brilliantly portrays his as the antithesis to Daredevil. He’s cunning, smart, methodical, controls most of Hell’s Kitchen, and is without remorse. Given the performance of both Charlie Cox and Vincent D’Onofrio you’d think that the two were made for one another.
But don’t let what Netflix gave you convince you it’s the truth.
The Kingpin made his first appearance in Amazing Spider-Man #50 a way back in 1963. In this issue, he was exactly how he was on the show but with one difference. He was made to be a Spider-Man enemy. That’s right. It wasn’t until the beautiful Frank Miller run on Daredevil that Wilson Fisk transformed into Matt Murdock’s greatest foe. His run, specifically the Born Again story that Netflix loosely adapted in their third and final season did two important things. First, it cemented Kingpin as a Daredevil enemy. And second, it took claim as one of the greatest comic book stories ever told.
4. Red suit was first
Not true. Not even a little bit.
The Red Suit that Daredevil wears has become as synonymous with the character as his blindness. Every movie that comes out, every comic that’s produced, and every appearance of the character typically shows him in red. But, it wasn’t always this way.
From April 1964 to February 1965, Daredevil was clad in a color scheme that resembled a banana. That’s right, for six short issues Daredevil struck fear into the hearts of his enemies looking like a banana. There are very few characters that can pull off yellow (Wolverine and Sinestro, for example) but Daredevil isn’t one of them.
Thankfully in 1965, they gave him a much-needed color swap. In one of the most important issues in the entire Daredevil run, issue #7, Matt Murdock puts to rest his banana yellow in favor of red. The red suit worked and it’s still the one that he
3. His movie is not the worst rated superhero movie
If you have had the privilege, and I use that term loosely, of watching the Ben Affleck led Daredevil movie then you know it’s one of the worst superheroes movies of the last 25 years. Not only did it drop the bar of what superhero movies could be, but it also set the genre back years.
The movie ranking and review site, Rotten Tomatoes, generously gave Daredevil a score of 44% on their “Tomatometer”. The movie, which saw Colin Farrell portray a mask-less Bullseye and Jennifer Garner become Elektra, was panned critically, commercially, and by the fans who paid to see it. But it isn’t the worst. Not by a long shot.
- Ghost Rider – Spirit of Vengeance – 26%
- Punisher: Warzone – 29%
- X-Men Origins: Wolverine – 37%
And those aren’t even the worst. The Daredevil spin-off, Elektra, has that distinction. Rotten Tomatoes gave the movie a 10% on their meter. Yes, 10%. The spin-off was so bad that it has become the definition of what bad superhero movies are. So, while Daredevil was terrible, it had nothing on Elektra.
2. Has been a villain
Is Daredevil a hero? Sort of. He’s probably best described as an anti-hero.
You know, the kind of character who does what’s right but doesn’t always do it within the confines of the law. Think Wolverine, Batman,
“Shadowland” saw the return of Daredevil to Hell’s Kitchen after he took control of The Hand. With The Hand by his side, he became more violent and removed from the man he was. This is so much that in the story, he kills his longtime enemy, Bullseye, and constructs a prison and temple dubbed Shadowland. His former allies take notice of his work and quickly realize that the Beast of the Hand has possessed him. They, along with some of his enemies work together to free Daredevil from that which has possessed him. By the stories end, Iron Fist had removed the Beast of the Hand and Daredevil sacrificed himself.
Fans of the character only warmly received Shadowland. Most felt it was too far a departure and a mess to read. This, however, doesn’t detract from the fact that, for a period of time, he was a villain.
1. Hasn’t always been blind
Daredevil has been characterized by his blindness. At a very young age, Matt Murdock was involved in an accident that left him blind. What he didn’t realize at the time was that as a result of an accident all of his other senses were heightened. This, unlike many other heroes, is what makes him special. Rather than have an accident impair him for life, he realizes the gift he has been given and uses it for the benefit of everyone around him.
Saying this, know that it hasn’t always been the case and on more than one occasion, Matt’s vision has been restored. In one instance, he gained the Uni-Power and became Captain Universe. In another, Moondragon temporarily restored his vision. And then the Beyonder allowed him to see. What’s important to know about these isn’t that he was able to see. Instead, what’s important to know is how regained sight affected a superhero built on being blind. Due to this, these stories, more than many of his others, are some of the best Daredevil reads
And that’s it. 5 Things That You Need To Know Before Daredevil Debuts In The MCU. What did you think?
Cheers,
Joel
