8 Worst Things Daredevil Has Ever Done

6. That Time He Became Kingpin

Brian Bendis and Alex Maleev's Daredevil is the very definition of a modern classic. It rivals the works of Miller and Nocenti with ease, but while the Daredevil of those stories was very clearly meant to be a hero, Bendis pushed Matt Murdock in a new and frightening direction during the Marvel Knights era, one which saw the Devil of Hell's Kitchen slowly become its new Kingpin.

This was a moment that had been building for years at this point, with Matt having experienced repeated trauma at the hands of New York's most feared crime boss, and when the Kingpin finds himself out of prison once more, the character has had more than enough. Ignoring protocol, Daredevil barges into the Kingpin as he's having a meal and beats him half to death then and there, proclaiming with equal ferocity that he - not Wilson Fisk - is now in charge of Hell's Kitchen.

From there on in, Matt's life would spiral out of control. The Kingpin would mastermind his revenge from behind bars, leaking Daredevil's real identity to the press; Matt's personal life would collapse, with the mental wellbeing of his wife Mia Donovan first to crumble; and then - by its end - he'd find himself in prison.

Bendis' run was fantastic because it showed that Matt had limits - a breaking point, even. What better way to show it than by having him assume the role of his most hated adversary?