Batman and Daredevil are two characters who share a lot of similarities. They are both men who channel their darkest impulses and rage into changing their homes for the better, and have an unbreakable connection to their home that is only matched by their willpower and martial arts skills. Heck, a classic joke about the two is that they should swap names, given that Daredevil relies on enhanced hearing like bats do. Odds are, if you like one of these characters, you’ll like the other, so it only makes sense that these two have worked together before. In fact, the Dark Knight and the Man Without Fear have crossed over twice before.
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Both of these adventures are well worth reading, in no small part due to their incredible villain selection. Batman and Daredevil are often cited as having some of the best rogues galleries in all of comics, and combining their rosters opens the door for some of the most interesting stories ever told. Daredevil/Batman: Eye for an Eye saw the heroes go up against Two-Face and Mr. Hyde, while Batman/Daredevil pitted them against the might of Scarecrow and Kingpin. The perfect villain for this heroic team is easily Scarecrow, but he only appeared in one of the stories. However, the next best villain, Bullseye, never appeared at all, and that’s a problem.
Master of Fear Versus the Man Without Fear
One of Daredevil’s most famous nicknames is the Man Without Fear. He’s called that because Matt Murdock is always able to either overcome or refuse to be intimidated by his fears. Scarecrow, in contrast, deploys gas that forces those infected to live through their worst fears imaginable. While Batman’s rivalry with Scarecrow comes from how both of them weaponize fear, Daredevil is the perfect third parter for the trio because he breaks that cycle and truly overcomes fear. Case in point, Daredevil’s fight against Scarecrow went exactly as it should.
Scarecrow traveled to New York with the intent to flood the entire city with fear gas, which naturally brought him into conflict with Batman and Daredevil, but also drew the Kingpin’s ire. While the Dark Knight battled the Kingpin of Crime, Daredevil went to stop Scarecrow. The Devil of Hell’s Kitchen wrestled Scarecrow to the ground, but he managed to spray Daredevil with fear toxin. Daredevil immediately lived through all of his worst moments, saw all of his most dangerous foes and deepest fears splayed out before him. But he is the Man Without Fear. Daredevil literally laughed it off and took down the villain, putting the fear of God into him.
Like this moment showed, Daredevil’s personality makes him the perfect contrast to Scarecrow and Batman. The Man Without Fear shares many similarities with Batman in his pursuit of justice and style of crime-fighting, but Daredevil gallantly throwing off his fear contrasts so beautifully with the dark, psychological terror Scarecrow normally inflicts. He meets the fear-obsessed villain head-on and shatters expectations, which is always exciting to see. Still, Scarecrow isn’t the only villain perfect for this duo.
Bullseye Is a Dead-On Pick
Bullseye is another one of Daredevil’s archenemies, and while he might not have as much thematic relevance as Scarecrow, he’s still an excellent choice to battle Batman. Bullseye has the same setup as many great Batman villains, being a master assassin with a unique gimmick. Bullseye’s uncanny ability to always hit his target with any projectile is something that Batman hasn’t gone up against before, and would test the Dark Knight in a brand new way, something which is always an absolute pleasure to see.
The maniac villain is also the perfect person to push Daredevil to the edge, as he’s hurt the Man Without Fear more than anyone else, even the Kingpin. Matt has a strict dedication to preserving life, the same as Batman, but he never comes closer to crossing that line than when he’s beating down Bullseye. Another crossover between these heroes could see Batman needing to pull Daredevil back from the point of no return, saving his soul as much as anyone’s life. A confrontation with Bullseye could be a moment of profound connection between two of the world’s best heroes, and would be one of the coolest fight scenes ever put to page.
At the end of the day, Batman and Daredevil are two beloved heroes with a lot of similarities that make them perfect partners for crossovers. Every time these two work together is a blast, and having them go up against even more of the other’s awesome villains would be a dream come true for so many fans, me included.
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