Everyone Who Knows Matt Murdock Is Daredevil in the MCU

While he’s tried to keep his secret identity intact in the decade since he first appeared in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, there are a number of people who know it’s Matt Murdock beneath the Daredevil mask. Blind lawyer by day and crime-fighting vigilante by night, Matt Murdock’s Daredevil is among the most important fixtures in the MCU’s street-level stories. Daredevil is one of the few heroes in the MCU who still value their hidden identity, primarily because he makes many enemies who would target those he loves, but some people have figured out his secret.

Several people have worked out Matt Murdock’s secret identity throughout his appearances in Daredevil, The Defenders, She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, and Daredevil: Born Again. The latter marked the revival of his original Marvel Television series that brought Charlie Cox’s Man Without Fear back at odds with Vincent D’Onofrio’s Wilson Fisk, the new Mayor of New York City. Murdock is building an army ahead of Daredevil: Born Again Season 2, so more individuals might work out his secret identity very soon, joining the likes of these other MCU characters.

15) Stick

Back in Netflix’s Daredevil, Stick (Scott Glenn) debuted as the young Matt Murdock’s mentor, later revealed to be a member of the Chaste, the ancient rivals to the Hand. Stick trained Murdock how to harness his blindness and his other enhanced senses to become a formidable fighter, which eventually led to him becoming the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen. Because he was there at the very start, Stick was the first person to learn of Matt Murdock’s vigilante operations, acting as the young boy’s father figure – even though he didn’t want to assume that role.

14) Elektra Natchios

As another of Stick’s young trainees, Elektra Natchios (Élodie Yung) met Matt Murdock while he was still studying at university, as she’d been tasked by Stick to bring him back into the fold of the Chaste. Elektra formed a close romantic bond with Murdock that persisted into their adulthood. While he didn’t explicitly reveal himself to be Daredevil to her, it wasn’t rocket science for Elektra to surmise that it was Matt Murdock under the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen’s cowl. After all, she’d seen him fight for years and admired his hidden brutality and combat skills.

13) Father Lantom & Sister Maggie

After the death of his father at the hands of Roscoe Sweeney, Matt Murdock was sent to live at the Saint Agnes Orphanage, situated next to the Clinton Church in Hell’s Kitchen, where he first met Father Paul Lantom (Peter McRobbie) and Sister Maggie Grace (Joanne Whalley). Lantom worked out Murdock’s secret identity during confession sessions in Daredevil Season 1, while Grace, later revealed to be Murdock’s mother, helped her son become Daredevil again in Season 3. Lantom and Grace had a pivotal role in Murdock becoming a good, just, and morally-sound Daredevil.

12) Claire Temple

The most prominent piece of connective tissue between the shows of the Defenders Saga was the inclusion of Claire Temple (Rosario Dawson), who appeared as an ally to each of the Defenders, and helped to form the team in their 2017 miniseries. Claire Temple was the Defenders Saga’s version of Marvel Comics’ Night Nurse, who provides medical assistance to a variety of heroes. She learned of Daredevil’s civilian identity very early on in Daredevil Season 1, and she fixed up Matt Murdock many times in the years since. Many want to see Dawson reprise the role in Daredevil: Born Again.

11) Kidnapped Boy

Daredevil Season 1, episode 2, “Cut Man,” saw Matt Murdock suit up to save a young kidnapped boy from the Russian mafia, led by Vladimir and Anatoly Ranskahov (Nikolai Nikolaeff and Gideon Emery). After taking part in the now-iconic one-shot hallway fight scene, Matt Murdock took down his mask and showed his face to the young boy. While the boy surely didn’t know it was Matt Murdock specifically under the mask – they’d never met before – he has seen Murdock’s face, so could still work out Daredevil’s true identity.

10) Franklin “Foggy” Nelson

Franklin “Foggy” Nelson (Elden Henson) met Matt Murdock at university, and went into business with him as attorneys at law after graduating. Throughout their entire friendship, Murdock kept his fighting skills and true nature a secret from Foggy, which led to an explosive and intense interaction between the pair when Foggy eventually came upon a severely injured Murdock, following his battle with Nobu (Peter Shinkoda). Foggy Nelson eventually came to accept his friend’s activities as Daredevil, though this eventually led to his demise in the opening moments of Daredevil: Born Again.

9) Madame Gao

Madame Gao (Wai Ching Ho) was one of the most mysterious characters introduced in Netflix’s Daredevil series, while The Defenders confirmed her to be one of the leaders of the Hand. Gao led the heroin trade in New York City, which made her a keen target for Daredevil. She somehow surmised that Daredevil was actually Matt Murdock, though the exact nature of how she figured this out has never been revealed. Gao is presumed dead, but her body has never been seen, so it’s possible she could still return to battle Daredevil again.

8) Frank Castle’s Punisher

Similarly to Madame Gao, it hasn’t been revealed exactly when Frank Castle (Jon Bernthal) worked out that Matt Murdock is Daredevil. Castle, as the Punisher, became one of Daredevil’s best frenemies in Daredevil Season 2, as they wanted the same thing, but used very different methods. Matt Murdock then represented Castle in court. It’s possible Castle saw Murdock fighting the Hand in Season 2’s finale, but this wasn’t confirmed before Castle and Murdock reunited in Daredevil: Born Again, which may have set up their continued partnership in Born Again Season 2 and the Punisher’s own Special Presentation.

7) Karen Page

Alongside Foggy Nelson, Karen Page (Deborah Ann Woll) is one of Matt Murdock’s closest confidants, so it’s a wonder that it took him so long to reveal to her that he is Daredevil. As Daredevil, Murdock saved Karen’s life on a number of occasions, but it wasn’t until Daredevil Season 2’s finale when she learned of his true nature. She was terrified and fascinated when hearing the news, but mostly angry that her friend and romantic interest had been lying to her for months. Karen will have a larger role alongside Matt Murdock in Daredevil: Born Again Season 2.

6) The Defenders

2017’s The Defenders miniseries brought together the separate heroes of the Defenders Saga to take on the leader of the hand, Alexandra Reid (Sigourney Weaver), and bring down the ancient organization once and for all. To earn trust from the other members of his team, Matt Murdock showed his face to Jessica Jones (Krysten Ritter), Danny Rand (Finn Jones), and Luke Cage (Mike Colter). Jessica Jones is set to return in Daredevil: Born Again Season 2, developing her hilarious and tight friendship with Murdock, while it’s still unclear whether Rand and Cage will also be returning.

5) Wilson Fisk’s Kingpin

It took quite a while for Wilson Fisk to learn the true identity of his archenemy, but when he finally figured out that the man beneath Daredevil’s mask is Matt Murdock, it put all his close friends at risk. The pair entered into a tenuous truce at the end of Daredevil Season 3, which Vanessa Fisk then broke, setting the stage for Daredevil: Born Again. Now that Kingpin is the Mayor of New York, and still knows Daredevil’s secret identity, there’s no doubt that Fisk will prove to be a powerful and frightening threat to Murdock in the MCU’s future.

4) Ray Nadeem

One of the most tragic characters connected to Daredevil, FBI Special Agent Rahul “Ray” Nadeem (Jay Ali) was manipulated by Kingpin in Daredevil Season 3 to facilitate his gradual escape from prison. Daredevil eventually revealed his civilian identity to Nadeem to gain trust so that Nadeem would testify against Kingpin and the FBI, though this eventually led to Nadeem’s murder at the hands of Bullseye and Vanessa Fisk. Nadeem’s recorded dying declaration helped Matt Murdock put Fisk in prison, though this ultimately amounted to nothing.

3) Benjamin Poindexter’s Bullseye

It seems very likely that Benjamin Poindexter learned of Matt Murdock’s identity as Daredevil during his time under the thumb of Wilson Fisk’s Kingpin. While Poindexter learning this fact was never seen on-screen, the fact that he targeted Daredevil at the places closest to Murdock and his friends surely meant he caught on. While it’s never actually been stated whether Poindexter knows of Daredevil’s identity, it seems a surety that this is the case, especially given their conversation in Season 1 and reunion in Daredevil: Born Again Season 2 set photos.

2) Jennifer Walters’ She-Hulk

Following his brief cameo only as Matt Murdock in 2021’s Spider-Man: No Way Home, 2022’s She-Hulk: Attorney at Law series on Disney+ brought Daredevil back to the MCU. He teamed up with Jennifer Walter’s She-Hulk (Tatiana Maslany) in Los Angeles to save their costume designer, Luke Jacobson (Griffin Matthews) from Leapfrog (Brandon Stanley). This obviously got them worked up, as they ended up forming a romantic and sexual connection, and Matt Murdock was even introduced to Walters’ family, including Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) and his son, Skaar (Wil Deusner), so the Hulk family could also know he’s Daredevil.

1) Cherry

Regarded as one of the most wasted characters introduced in Daredevil: Born Again, Cherry (Clark Johnson) was a leftover from the series pre-overhaul. Cherry found Matt Murdock crying on the roof of Josie’s bar in Born Again’s premiere following Foggy Nelson’s death, which allowed him to find out that Murdock is Daredevil. It would be great to see Cherry get a larger role in Born Again Season 2, especially since he’s a part of Daredevil’s army, who have been brought together to aid in the battle against Kingpin and the Anti-Vigilante Task Force.

Who do you think will be next to find out that Matt Murdock is Daredevil? Let us know in the comments!