Daredevil: Bio, Origin & History

Real Name: Matt Murdock

First Appearance: Daredevil #1 (April, 1964).

Powers: Enhanced sense of Smell, Touch, Taste, and Hearing. Heightened Strength, Speed, and Agility. Martial Artist. Sees the world through radar-like perception.

Affiliation: Defenders, Marvel Knights and like just about every hero in the Marvel Universe, Avengers

Enemies: Kingpin, Bullseye, The Hand, Owl

Love Interests: Black Widow, Elektra, Karen Page, Heather Glenn

Did You Know: Daredevil’s costume was originally yellow and black. It stayed that way until issue #7. The yellow and black version also sported only one ‘D’ on the front. The well-known red suit sports twin ‘D’s’.

A Little History

During a successful attempt to save an unaware blind man from an oncoming vehicle, Matt is stuck by a truck. As a result, the radioactive chemicals that the truck was carrying were dumped all over him. This accident left Matt blind while heightening all of his other senses.

His senses became so acute that he could easily decipher exactly how many bullets were in a gun from its weight or the amount of salt on a pretzel because of its taste. During this time, he also gained a radar-type sense that allowed him to “see” the world in the same way a dolphin uses its radar.

Unable to gain employment, his aging father, Jack Murdock returns to boxing under the criminal The Fixer. After refusing to throw a fight because Matt is in the audience, The Fixer orders Jack to be killed.

Unwilling to use physical force to unleash his revenge due to a promise he made his dad, Matt turns to creating an alter-ego that can…Daredevil.

Wearing a Yellow and Black costume made from his father’s clothes, Matt seeks out The Fixer and just before he can get his revenge, The Fixer has a heart attack and dies.