One of the greatest street-level heroes in comic book history, Matt Murdock, aka Daredevil, is a unique and complex character. After being blinded by radioactive waste, all of Matt’s other senses were enhanced to superhuman levels. When gangsters murdered his father, Matt dedicated his life to cleaning up the streets of Hell’s Kitchen as a costumed crimefighter. The Man Without Fear’s hit Netflix series and its successful Disney+ continuation have brought to life many of the hero’s best storylines. With the release of Daredevil: Born Again Season 2, now is the perfect time to honor the greatest tales involving the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen and his never-ending war on crime.
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Daredevil is often the center of many of Marvel Comics’ darkest and most morally nuanced storylines. Many of these stories involve Matt trying to balance his civilian and vigilante lives and struggling with the hardships of crimefighting. A hero defined by bravery and tragedy, Daredevil is a fascinating character who has been through hell to protect the little guy.
10) “Devil at Bay”
Although Daredevil is best known for his dark, gritty storylines, “Devil at Bay” takes the hero back to his more lighthearted, eccentric roots. After spending most of his life defending the streets of New York City’s Hell’s Kitchen, Matt in “Devil at Bay” moves to San Francisco, sets up a new law practice, and brings his vigilantism to the new city. Of course, even in this new location, Daredevil can’t help but run into his old enemy, the Owl. While “Devil at Bay” may have a lighter tone, it doesn’t ignore the losses in Daredevil’s life. Instead, it allows him to move on and adopt a more optimistic outlook on the future.
9) “Parts of a Hole”
Daredevil is well-known for his iconic supporting cast, and “Parts of a Hole” introduced one of his most iconic allies/love interests, Maya Lopez, aka Echo. When Matt first met the deaf Maya, they were kindred spirits and quickly fell in love. Unfortunately, Maya was secretly an assassin who was on a quest to avenge her father’s murder. To destroy his longtime rival, Kingpin tricked Echo into believing that Daredevil was her father’s killer. This naturally leads Echo to try to kill Daredevil, all without realizing that he and Matt Murdock are one and the same. Daredevil is then forced to clear his name. “Parts of a Hole” is a tragic and compelling story that perfectly introduces one of Marvel’s best heroes in recent years.
8) “Hardcore”
When Daredevil’s life falls off the rails, he goes down a very unexpected path. In “Hardcore,” Daredevil must deal with the FBI outing his secret identity to the public, murder charges, and the return of villains like Kingpin and Typhoid Mary. Kingpin once again engages in a plot to destroy Daredevil and everyone he loves, including the hero’s latest girlfriend, Milla Donovan. Sick of Kingpin and the derailment of his personal life, Daredevil snaps. After Daredevil beats the crime lord to a bloody pulp, the hero declares himself the new Kingpin of New York City. “Hardcore” certainly lives up to its name with incredibly brutal action sequences, intense drama, and an ending that ushers in a new era for the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen.
7) “Good Guys Wear Red”
With their opposing views on crimefighting, Daredevil and the Punisher have one of the most complex rivalries in Marvel Comics. In “Good Guys Wear Red,” the two vigilantes are trying to track and take down a drug dealer named Hogman, who sells his products to children. However, Daredevil and the Punisher soon start fighting each other when their ideas on the boundaries of vigilantism clash. The Punisher makes his intentions to kill Hogman clear. He believes that criminals like Hogman deserve to die for the lives they have destroyed. In contrast, Daredevil’s moral code prevents him from allowing anyone die on his watch. “Good Guys Wear Red” pushes Daredevil’s morals near the breaking point as he and the Punisher engage in their most epic confrontation.
6) Daredevil: Yellow
A somber tale about death, regret, grief, and moving on, Daredevil: Yellow puts a new spin on the hero’s origin. As therapy, Matt writes a letter to his deceased love, Karen Page. Through this framework, Matt recounts his father’s death, his early adventures as an inexperienced superhero, and the first time he met Karen. Daredevil: Yellow is a poignant character study as the hero looks back on his life and constantly ponders what might have happened if he had done things differently. This nuanced miniseries delves into Daredevil’s deepest thoughts and regrets while also showing how he has evolved, both as a superhero and as a person.
5) “Guardian Devil”
“Guardian Devil” is one of the best stories in which Daredevil’s Catholic faith is examined and challenged. In this story, the hero suffers like never before. It revolves around Daredevil taking in a mysterious infant who may be either the Messiah or the Antichrist. Additionally, Daredevil must deal with the combined threat of Bullseye and Mysterio. The latter villain was diagnosed with cancer and sought to go out with one last hurrah by driving Daredevil insane with a mind-warping drug. And to top it all off, this storyline has the tragic death of Karen Page, whose loss forever changes Daredevil and the arc of his story. “Guardian Tale” is a gripping, heartbreaking tale full of twists and deep themes of faith and death.
4) “Roulette”
Daredevil may live by a strict moral code, but even he can be pushed too far. In this dark storyline, Daredevil visits the psychopathic assassin Bullseye after he was left hospitalized and paralyzed. Still reeling from Bullseye murdering Elektra, Daredevil decides to play a little game of Russian Roulette with the man who caused him so much misery. During this game, Daredevil recounts an event that has made him wrestle with how his violent approach to crime-fighting affects others. The event involved a young boy who idolized Daredevil and decided to take justice into his own hands by shooting his school bully. “Roulette” offers an engaging and grim examination of vigilantism and what it means to be a hero.
3) The Man Without Fear
The best retelling of Daredevil’s origin story, Daredevil: The Man Without Fear, offers the definitive version of how Matt Murdock became the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen. The miniseries expands on Matt’s childhood, the accident that blinded him, his father’s murder, and the early days of his vigilante career. The story shows how Daredevil went from fighting random thugs to taking on the Kingpin himself. Instead of red and yellow spandex, Matt was reimagined in a homemade black costume, which became so iconic that it was later adapted for the Netflix series. This intense, grounded storyline offers a dark, gritty version of Daredevil’s origin that fully exploits the character’s nuances.
2) “The Last Hand”
One of the most pivotal storylines in Daredevil history, “The Last Hand” concerns the death of the hero’s longtime love interest, Elektra. After breaking out of prison, Bullseye was furious to learn that Elektra had taken his spot as Kingpin’s top assassin. To prove his superiority, Bullseye killed Elektra in one of the most shocking deaths in comic book history. When Daredevil found her dead, he swore to get his revenge on Bullseye. What followed was a climactic, hate-filled battle between the hero and the villain. “The Last Hand” perfectly cemented Bullseye’s place as one of Daredevil’s greatest enemies, while also taking the Daredevil brand in a much darker direction.
1) “Born Again”
The most important and gripping Daredevil story of all time, “Born Again,” sees the Man Without Fear struggling to overcome his greatest challenge. When Karen Page falls on hard times and becomes an addict, she gives Daredevil’s secret identity to Kingpin so that she can get more drugs. What follows is a harrowing tale of Kingpin using this knowledge to dismantle every part of Matt’s life, including his career, home, and relationships. Having lost everything, Daredevil must rebuild himself and become an unstoppable force of vengeance who won’t rest until Kingpin pays for his crimes. No other storyline encapsulates what makes Daredevil such an engaging hero like “Born Again,” as even at his lowest point, he will always get back up and face the darkness.
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