The Best And Worst Day Of Daredevil's Life
1. ...And His Best - Daredevil Vol. 4
Mark Waid and Chris Samnee's Daredevil was a lot of things - uplifting, stunning and revitalising - but it was also revolutionary. It departed from decades' worth of storytelling precedent and depicted Matt Murdock as he used to be: a swashbuckling, energetic and happy man who revelled in superheroics. The genius of this approach, however, laid in the fact that Waid didn't opt to ignore the character's history; rather, Murdock's happiness stemmed as a direct result from his past trials and tribulations - both figurative and literal.
Yes, this isn't a day per se, but while it would've been easy to say Matt getting one over the Kingpin in Last Rites was his happiest moment, it's important to remember that Daredevil is more than just his rivalry with Wilson Fisk. He has a life, a strong supporting cast and a bevy of other worries to navigate, and even when everything seems completely hopeless, Waid and Samnee's Murdock still carries on, utilising his new demeanour as a potent weapon in a long-running battle with misery.
There's something uniquely empowering about seeing a figure like Daredevil, a character who's battled with depression for most of his adult life, come out on top in story after story, whether that be taking down Marvel's most menacing criminal syndicates, escaping from Latveria, or de-weaponising his secret identity in the courtroom - it's why the comic has garnered such a reputation so soon after ending.
So, in a way, Daredevil's happiest day actually came on an unassuming Wednesday in 2014, when volume 4 commenced. It may not be as notable as Born Again, or even quite as influential, but it was equally significant. That, more than anything, enshrines its publication as one of the character's - and his fans' - greatest days.