8 Reasons Why Daredevil Is Marvel's Greatest Superhero

6. Matt Murdock Has Been Through Hell And Back

Marvel Comics

When you think of those characters who have managed to endure the most and triumphed against all odds, chances are the first figures that come to mind are either of the wall-crawling persuasion, or skull-clad ex-military types who execute copious amounts of bad guys in quests for revenge.

Despite the sombre demeanour, not many know of the trials and tribulations Matt Murdock has faced. Here is a man who has experienced his entire life being taken from him, time and again, by enemies he just can't seem to stop. Born Again depicted Murdock bloodied, bruised and exasperated. Karen Page had been ravaged by drug abuse, Nelson & Murdock had been ripped right underneath the attorney's feat, and his revered vigilante persona was shattered to pieces.

Of course, Murdock's meticulously crafted rise to revenge is equally as compelling as his original downfall was, but the story of torment and abuse doesn't just begin and end with Born Again. No, further stories would leave Murdock with innumerable broken relationships, his secret identity compromised, and - though not a narrative success by anyone's definition - even a newfound status as the self-anointed murderous king of Hell's Kitchen in Shadowland. Bit of a hectic life to live, is it not?

Daredevil is as much a courtroom drama as it is an enthralling chronicle of the underdog overcoming ridiculous odds to do the right thing. It's a tale best exemplified in Waid's run on the character, but no matter what comic book you pick up, you're guaranteed to experience emotive highs and lows. It really is character-driven story telling at its finest.

Content Producer/Presenter

WhatCulture's very own resident movie guy, Ewan has been working in the content creation biz for over 10 years now, having started as a freelance contributor to WhatCulture Gaming all the way back in 2015. After graduating with a First-Class Honours in History from Northumbria University in 2017 (where he won a prize for a totally killer dissertation on the Watergate years), Ewan took on the role of Comics Editor at WhatCulture and quickly developed WhatCulture Comics into one of the biggest superhero-focused channels on YouTube. He followed this with a brief hiatus at Screen Rant in 2021, where he worked across the Gaming and Film sections as a writer and editor, before returning to WhatCulture as a Senior Content Producer / Presenter in 2023. He started his own podcast, We Love Dad Movies, in 2022, and has contributed several written pieces to the Eisner-nominated comics website Shelfdust as well. In his current role, Ewan incorporates his love of cinema, comic books, and history into written pieces and video essays for WhatCulture's Film & TV channel, as well as WhatCulture Gaming and WhatCulture Horror, with a particular focus on nineties-era Dad Movies, old school Westerns, and Golden Age Hollywood Noir. John Carpenter is his fave, and he thinks Batman Beyond should never have been cancelled. If that's your vibe, you'll probably like his stuff.