Matthew "Matt" Murdock (alias Daredevil) is a blind Marvel Comics hero by night and a lawyer by day, he is the protagonist of the 2015 Marvel/Netflix television series Daredevil. He is played by Charlie Cox. Matt Murdock was once a regular kid until he was splashed with chemicals. The chemicals blinded him, but enhanced his other four senses to superhuman levels. Now, he can recognize anyone from their scent, track people by their scent, is immune to all poisons, and can hear so well that he has developed a "radar sense" that lets him hear anyone approaching from miles away. Using these powers and his skills at boxing and kung fu, he fights crime in New York City as the superhero Daredevil. His archnemesis is the Kingpin.
Daredevil was created by Stan Lee and Bill Everett.
Background
Personality
Matt maintains an idea of justice and righteousness that he carries with him through work as a lawyer by day, and a vigilante by night. While professional, Matt is not without a sense of humor, and is very easygoing with his friends. Quips about his blindness don't bother him, and he even frequently jokes about it himself. Despite this, when under stress, Matt pushes the people around him away, attempting to take all responsibility upon himself to fix Hell's Kitchen. Although he tries to be a pillar of strength and support for the people around him, Matt can only take so much pressure before he breaks down.
As Daredevil, Matt is cruel and ruthless towards criminals. Although he refuses to kill, Matt is not afraid to break bones or torture his targets to get what he is after, even if his targets are not criminals themselves. Due to his extremely violent nature as a vigilante, Matt realizes that he has the potential to become the very thing he hates, and takes care to never cross that line.
Powers and Abilities
Powers
- Superhuman Senses/Radar Sense: Matt became blind in a chemical accident when he was nine years old, the chemicals increase his four remaining senses to superhuman levels, as he got older his powers got stronger, by the time he became an adult, Matt had gain full control over his senses and can use them very proficiently. Through a combination of all of his heightened senses, Daredevil is able to perceive the world around him through a radar-like sense. As everything looks orange and red as if "the world's on fire".
- Superhuman Hearing: Daredevil can hear far better than a normal human. Daredevil's hearing is so acute that he can tell whether people are lying or not, based on the rate of their heartbeat.
- Superhuman Smell: Daredevil can smell far better than a normal human.
- Superhuman Taste: Daredevil's sense of taste is far better than a normal human's.
- Superhuman Touch: Daredevil's sense of touch is far better than a normal human's.
Abilities
- Expert Lawyer: Matt is an excellent lawyer.
- Master Hand-To-Hand Combatant/Martial Artist: Daredevil is a highly skilled hand-to-hand combatant and martial artist.
- Master Stick Fighter: Daredevil is a highly skilled stick fighter.
- Indomitable Will/High Tolerance for Pain: Daredevil is fearless. Under no situation does he ever give up.
- Heightened Reflexes: Daredevil has excellent reflexes.
- Heightened Agility: Daredevil has excellent agility.
- Heightened Dextereity: Due to his superhuman hearing Matt has excellent balance giving him perfect equilibrium, increasing his agility and refining his movements.
- Free Running/Acrobatics/Stealth: Daredevil is capable of scaling buildings and running from rooftop to rooftop easily.
- Multilingual: Matt is capable of fluently speaking English and Spanish.
Weapons and Equipment
- Daredevil suit: Matt wears a red leather protective suit as his superhero alter-ego, Daredevil, to hide his identity from his enemies when he goes out fighting crime.
- Expandable Batons: It functions as a a multi-purpose cane with different modes, such as two short sticks or a larger staff.
Former Weapons and Equipment
- Sticks: Daredevil briefly used two pair of wooden sticks, given to him by his former mentor.
Appearances
Daredevil (TV Series)
Into the Ring
When Matt Murdock was young, he saved an old man from a truck that was about to hit him. The chemicals from the truck blinded Matt and gave him high senses. He was taken by his dad to the hospital. Years later Matt and his business partner, Foggy Nelson, were opening a lawyer business. One day Matt attended confession at church. He told Father Lantom that he wasn't asking forgiveness for what he'd done but for what he was about to do. Later that night he attacked a group who had kidnapped some women and defeated them with his senses. He was able to rescue the women and did this while dressed in a black mask.
The next day Karen Page was found in an apartment beside a murdered man. Matt and Foggy offered to defend in her court, although he refused after finding out she had no money to pay them. Matt, who knew that Karen didn't murder the man due to her heartbeats, offered to do this job for free, so they took her to their office. They questioned her and found out that she knew the man from work and that they were going out for a drink. She told them that she found important files for her boss and she revealed this to the man and after that she just remembered waking up in the man's apartment. Matt let Karen stay at his apartment, although she left in the middle of the night. Matt followed her to her apartment where she was attacked by another man trying to kill her. Matt, dressed in the black mask, intervened and after a long fight defeated him.
Karen became secretary for Matt and Foggy, and Matt kept up his act as the vigilante. He went in to Fogwell's Gym where he began punching a punching bag rapidly. That night a boy was kidnapped from a car and was put into the back of a van while watching his father being beaten. Matt tried to rescue the boy but was left badly wounded in a dumpster.
The Cut Man
Matt is found in the dumpster by a young boy, who calls his nurse friend to help. She takes him back to her apartment where he wakes to find that she saw her face. As Matt sleeps, he remembers being in hospital the day of his accident where he was calmed by his father. He wakes up and begins to stop breathing, but is saved by the nurse. She reveals her name is Clare Temple and when Matt refuses to tell her his name, she calls him Mike (stating that she had an ex-boyfriend who was good at keeping secrets as well).
Matt hears a man coming into the building and begins to listen carefully. When he is on the third floor, Matt tells Clare that the man smells of cologne, to which Clare find weird. He arrives at Clare's apartment and Matt is prepared to knife him, although Clare makes him hide so she can work it out. She answers the door and finds that he is a member of the F.B.I and is looking for a man with a trail of blood. She denies any knowledge and he leaves. Matt tells Clare that the man doesn't believe her, so they follow him. They see him speaking Russian on the phone, so Matt drops a fire extinguisher on his head, and the boy who rescued Matt sees it happen. It is revealed that Matt's father, who was a boxer by the name of Battlin' Jack Murdock, was set to fight a boxer named Creel. His manager put money on Jack losing in the fifth round and that some of the money would go to Jack and his family if he took a loss. However, due to Matt saying that Murdocks never lose, Jack wins the fight and is killed by his manager.
On the roof, Matt and Clare have the man tied up and begin to interrogate him. After punching him doesn't work, Clare tells Matt of a very painful place above the eye. Matt stabs him and finds out that the kid Matt was tracking was sold, but the man refuses to say where. Matt dangles him over a rooftop and gets the address from him. When the man begins to mock him, Matt pushes him off the roof, but he lands in a dumpster. Clare goes to a different address for safety while Matt goes to rescue the kid. After defeating loads of guards, Matt is able to rescue the kid and presumably goes to Clare's address after taking the boy home.
Other Media
Daredevil's a prominent figure who has appeared in a number of cartoons and video games based on Marvel properties. Before Marvel owned Daredevil's film and television rights, Fox made a Daredevil movie in 2003 starring Ben Affleck (who would later portray Batman in the DC Extended Universe) that was ill received by critics and fans, leading Fox to sell the rights back years later.
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