10 Iconic Daredevil Nicknames You Need to Know About

Daredevil has always been one of the most epic and most popular Marvel Comics characters. His popularity in modern days skyrocketed with the Netflix TV show Daredevil, and now, Charlie Cox is back in the MCU with his Matt Murdock portrayal in Spider-Man: No Way Home, and She-Hulk: Attorney at Law. Soon, he’s getting a new show of his own.

Seeing that Daredevil is here to stay in the MCU, I wanted to digress and pay tribute to how awesome the character is in the comics. So, without further ado, here are the ten most iconic Daredevil nicknames from both the show and the comics, that you absolutely need to know about. The list is, like our other nickname lists, not ranked but rather alphabetically ordered.

Double-D

The nickname Double-D appeared in Amazing Spider-Man #566, and it was Spidey who gave the nickname to Daredevil. The two both operate mostly in New York City, so it wasn’t that rare to see Peter Parker and Matt Murdock work together to fight crime, supervillains, and other threats.

Double-D is the abbreviation of the moniker Daredevil. He was also called DD several times in the comics, referring to his costume that always has those two letters highlighted on it. When you think about it, calling a guy Double-D is kind of funny, but no, Daredevil doesn’t have big boobs, if that’s what you thought.

God Without Fear

This one came in a specific situation, namely, in War of the Realms #3, when Matt Murdock actually became the God Without Fear. Heimdall, the Guardian of the Bifrost, lost his eyes and gave Daredevil his sword, Hofund. It turned Daredevil into the new Guardian of the Bifrost and gave him all the godly gifts that Heimdall had.

It was so awesome to see the Man Without Fear become the God Without Fear, and I think it’s a pretty iconic nickname for him, as it is one of those moments in comic books where a character reaches the pinnacle of power.

Hornhead

This particular nickname, obviously, stems from Daredevil’s costume, which features a mask with two small red horns, making him look like a devil. The nickname was used in numerous comics, starting with Daredevil #300, but it appeared in different versions, too, like Horn-Head in Daredevil #25.

The best ‘horn-something’ nickname, though, came from Wade Wilson, aka Deadpool, in Deadpool Annual Vol. 1 #3 from 1997. In the issue, Deadpool refers to Daredevil as Hornboy instead of Hornhead. Obviously, it was a funny poke at Murdock, meaning he’s horny – is it because of the horns, or… take it any way you want.

Jack Batlin

Over the years, Daredevil more-or-less successfully hid his true identity as Matt Murdock, the blind lawyer. Whenever he had to give a name, though, he used an alias, and one of the most common aliases he used was Jack Batlin. I remember he used it in Daredevil Vol. 1 #327 when he worked with Captain America to deal with an imminent threat.

Jack was the name of Matt’s father, and Batlin sounds quite similar to “battling,” which could refer to Matt’s battle against crime or be an homage to his father’s career as a boxer. We could’ve used any alias he came up with over the years for this list, but I think Jack Batlin was the coolest and deepest of them all.

Matty

This one is obvious but kind of funny, too. Fun fact – Matt is also a nickname or an abbreviation of his real name Matthew. Matty, however, is a nickname used as a pet name for Murdock, namely, in Daredevil Vol. 2 #83.

I found it funny that a guy like Daredevil – the guy who fears nothing, fights criminals at night, and prosecutes them during the day – has such a soft nickname. The nickname came from a girl, of course.

Mike

Daredevil’s nickname Mike is pretty straightforward at first glance, but it’s actually quite ambiguous. His real, full name is Matthew Michael Murdock, which explains the nickname Mike, right? Well, it would if he ever used his middle name.

The nickname Mike came after Matt made up a twin brother called Mike and impersonated him to throw suspicion off of himself. Every time his identity was in jeopardy of being exposed, Matt pretended to have a twin brother, Mike, and claimed he was the actual Daredevil. The plot actually worked for a while, but his partner Foggy soon realized the scam.

Mr. Devil

I absolutely love this one – Mr. Devil sounds so sinister yet so sophisticated. It came in Daredevil Vol. 6 #24. Clearly, it refers to the moniker Daredevil, but in a respectful – or disrespectful – way, depending on if it’s used sarcastically or not.

Scarlet Swashbuckler

This one is probably the weirdest nickname on the list, but still, it explains who Daredevil is, what he does, and what he looks like perfectly. The nickname came in Daredevil #69 and referred to Daredevil’s scarlet red suit and his swashing batons as his weapon of choice. Daredevil uses them to beat his opponents silly and buckle them, but not kill them.

There’s also the nickname Scarlet Avenger appearing in the comics, but it wasn’t used as often as the Scarlet Swashbuckler. And, to be honest, it isn’t as cool, either.

Shades

Daredevil always wears a red mask with red lenses over the eyes, making his appearance that much more intimidating and cool – almost demon-like. However, Matt Murdock also hides his eyes behind red-tinted sunglasses. As a matter of fact, we hardly ever see Matt without them.

Hence, the nickname Shades was born in Daredevil #170, referring to Murdock always wearing his shades. It’s not uncommon for blind people to wear sunglasses all the time, not because it helps them in some particular way, but because, as Matt explained in the Daredevil TV show, people can feel uncomfortable and get awkward when speaking to a blind person, not knowing where to look.

The Man Without Fear

Last but not least, The Man Without Fear is by far the most popular, iconic, awesome nickname for Daredevil. It’s been with him since he first appeared in Marvel comics, and it has stuck to this very day, even appearing in the live-action versions of the character – both the Ben Affleck-led film and the Charlie Cox-led TV show/MCU appearance.

He got the nickname due to his unfaltering bravery and insanely acrobatic stunts he pulls off in the middle of the night, jumping between buildings and dealing with bad guys – despite being blind. That being said, even though Matt embraced the nickname wholeheartedly, he admits that it’s completely untrue.

In fact, in Marvel Comics #1000, Murdock says that the nickname The Man Without Fear is not true and that he’s actually afraid all the time – which is the only thing that keeps him alive. Goosebumps, am I right?