5 Daredevil Stories to Read Before The Character’s 700th Landmark Issue & 1 Features Marvel’s Darkest Moment

Daredevil #700 is coming in 2027, and this landmark issue gives fans a chance to go back and read some past iconic stories to prepare for how this new issue will change the Man Without Fear. Daredevil #700, from Stephanie Phillips and Lee Garbett, is set for a March 2027 release, with Daredevil #11 in January leading into it. Daredevil has led his own Marvel series nearly continuously since 1964, and this new landmark issue could harken back to his past. Throughout that time, there have been many storylines that have helped to reshape Matt Murdock’s status quo in comics, and it is certain that his story will keep changing from here.

The best Daredevil comics to read while heading into the 700th issue include some of the hero’s biggest moments. These storylines changed everything about Matt’s place in the world, from his origin and his identity exposure to a stint in prison and another as the leader of the Hand. One of these included one of the darkest moments in Marvel’s history.

5) Guardian Devil

“Guardian Devil” is a Daredevil storyline from the late 1990s, an eight-part story by Kevin Smith and Joe Quesada. This launched the Marvel Knights line, which was a darker line for Marvel, taking characters like Daredevil, Black Panther, Punisher, and the Inhumans and delivering more adult-oriented stories. This was a comic book line that Marvel needed to help revive interest as the company was on the edge of bankruptcy at the time.

This series saw Karen Page break up with Matt, and he went hard into his Catholic faith. This then led to a teenager who left him a baby and claimed she delivered the child but was still a virgin, while a man named Nicholas Macabes claimed this might be the Antichrist. A lot happened here, including Karen revealing her HIV diagnosis, Foggy Nelson being accused of murder, and Matt trying to murder the baby, believing he was saving the world. This was also the series where Bullseye killed Karen Page.

4) Shadowland

Shadowland is the darkest moment of Daredevil’s life and the lowest he ever went. This was a five-issue miniseries by Andy Diggle and Billy Tan, and it spun off from Daredevil #508-512. After Daredevil #500, Daredevil took control of the Hand to protect Hell’s Kitchen during Norman Osborn’s H.A.M.M.E.R. era. Bullseye bombed a tenement and killed 107 civilians, and Matt blamed himself. He built Shadowland, a fortress and prison, on the bomb site and declared martial law.

The first issue saw Daredevil kill Bullseye with a sai, the same way that Bullseye once killed Elektra, and this led most of Daredevil’s friends to try to stop his reign of terror. Luke Cage, Iron Fist, Spider-Man, and other street-level heroes moved against Matt, and it was soon discovered that the mythical Beast was influencing him. Iron Fist used his chi to free Matt, and when he asked Elektra to kill him, she told him to be a man, so he died by suicide. This was one of Marvel’s darkest moments.

3) The Devil in Cell-Block D

Daredevil has always had moments of Catholic guilt, and it was on full display during his “The Devil in Cell-Block D” storyline, which ran in Daredevil #82-87 (2006) by Ed Brubaker and Michael Lark. Matt started in protective custody on Ryker’s Island and learned from the Daily Bugle that an impostor Daredevil is working in Hell’s Kitchen. This was also the series where Foggy Nelson came to see Matt, and then was attacked and stabbed, with Matt hearing the presumed murder without being able to do anything about it.

It was later shown that Foggy went into witness protection, but Matt didn’t know this, and this made it seem like Matt being in prison caused Foggy’s death, adding to his growing guilt. This then led to the Punisher killing a criminal in front of a police car and surrendering so he could get into Ryker’s, telling Matt he wanted to see Matt become the Punisher. It ended with Daredevil and Kingpin fighting side by side in a prison riot before the Punisher helped Matt break out, and he went into hiding.

2) The Man Without Fear

The Man Without Fear brought Frank Miller back to the Daredevil title in 1993. After writing one of the best Daredevil runs in history, Miller and John Romita Jr. created this five-issue miniseries. Daredevil: The Man Without Fear starts with Daredevil’s origin story. It shows Jack “Battlin’” Murdock owing money to the Fixer and pushing Matt into studying law, while also training at his dad’s gym. It then shows Matt losing his eyesight, Stick training him, and his dad’s death.

This retelling of Daredevil’s origin is actually a better read than going back to the original Daredevil issues with the origin story. Miller writes a grittier tale that really plays into what readers had learned about Daredevil over the past three decades. This also shows how Matt and Elektra first met, and the Kingpin’s rise to power is also part of the story. This modern-day retelling is one that Daredevil fans need to read.

1) Born Again

“Born Again” is the storyline that the recent Disney+ series named itself after, and there is a good reason why. This is the best Daredevil storyline in all of comic book history because it tears Matt Murdock down to his lowest point and then forces him to stand up and fight his way back. It ran in Daredevil #227-233 (1985-1986), by Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli, and it started when Karen Page returned as a drug addict and sold out Matt’s identity for a fix. This reached the Kingpin, and he began to dismantle Matt’s life.

Kingpin is able to freeze Matt’s bank accounts through the IRS, have him disbarred through a lying cop, and then firebomb his home, leaving him homeless. He is then attacked and driven into the East River, only to escape. Matt crawls to his late father’s gym, where he encounters Sister Maggie, a nun who turns out to be his mother, and she nurses him back to health. The issue titles show the Catholic leanings, with “Apocalypse,” “Purgatory,” “Pariah,” “Born Again,” and “Saved,” and this is truly the one story that shows why Daredevil is the iconic hero that he has grown to be.

What is your favorite Daredevil storyline? Let us know your favorite Daredevil moments in the comments below.

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