Image taken from comicbookmovie.com
Welcome to Daredevil Month everyone! For the next month, I’ll be examining and introducing you all to everything that is Daredevil/DD/the Man Without Fear/Hornhead. Or at least as much as I can put into all the days leading up to the premier of Marvel’s Daredevil anyway. To kick off the month, I thought it’d be important to take a quick and generalized look at just who is defending Hell’s Kitchen from the evil and the corrupt.
The Man Without Fear is born. Image taken from marvel.wikia.com
Daredevil, born Matthew Michael Murdock, first appeared in Daredevil #1 in 1964, where he was co-created by Stan Lee and artist Bill Everett, along with input by Jack Kirby, who designed the character’s billy clubs. Some speculated that Kirby actually designed the Daredevil costume, although this has not been proven as of this post. Speaking of the costume, Daredevil was featured in a yellow and black costume made from his father’s boxing robe, with red lettering for the “D” (later becoming “DD”) on his chest. It took seven issues until Wally Wood, an artist who had stories in EC Comics during the 1950s, designed the more famous red costume for our hero.
Matthew Murdock was abandoned by his mother at a young age, leaving him to be raised by his boxer father, Jack “Battling Jack” Murdock (aka Jack “The Devil” Murdock, as seen in 2003’s Daredevil). Matt, desiring to help the innocent, began to study law in an effort to become a lawyer. Then, while saving an elderly man from a rampaging truck, Matt was splashed in the eyes by a radioactive material, causing him to go blind instantly. However, in compensation, Matt’s other senses were raised sharply to superhuman levels, allowing him to remain as active as he was before the accident. These senses were further enhanced and utilized in a series of brutal martial arts lessons provided by the old man Stick, whose training made Matt one of the most formidable hand to hand combatants the Marvel Universe has ever seen.
Stick trains Daredevil. Image taken from aintitcool.com
Matt eventually attended Columbia University, where he met his future business partner and friend Franklin “Foggy” Nelson. Around the time of his graduation, Matt’s father was murdered by the Fixer because of Jack’s refusal to throw a match. Ina fit of rage, Matt dons the first Daredevil costume and seeks his revenge, nearly beating the henchmen and the Fixer himself to death. Now calling himself “Daredevil”, Matt found himself born again, ready to take on the criminal element in New York in general and Hell’s Kitchen specifically.
Daredevil’s had his fair share of enemies over the years, from his on again/off again love interest Elektra, to the assassin known as Bullseye (who eventually killed Elektra in issue 181 of Daredevil’s comic), to the formidable Wilson Fisk, aka the Kingpin of Crime, a man who rules over all of the crime in New York City. But I suppose we can find out more about him later…
I hope you enjoyed this look into the life of one of Marvel’s troubled vigilantes, and the start of Daredevil Month. Did I miss anything you felt would be important? Any questions or comments about Red that I never explained in the above post? Leave me a comment, send me a tweet with that widget on the left (and don’t forget to check out the official Comic Books vs The World Youtube channel), and enjoy Daredevil Month!
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