Did'ya know? Ben Affleck was not the first live Daredevil.
“We are each our own devil, and we make this world our hell” --Oscar Wilde
With the news of a possible new Daredevil movie, lets take a look at the actors who have played the blind crimefighter. And I have one surprise that even the old timers may not know about.
First who is Daredevil?
Matthew Murdock is a son of a prize fighter named Battlin' Jack, he grew up in the relative poverty of Hell's Kitchen with much reverence for his father, who constantly pressed him to study instead of playing with his friends. In turn, they taunted him with the nickname, 'Daredevil', since he always went back to studying, instead of doing things with them.As a boy, Matt witnessed a man about to be hit by a truck, and pushed him out of the way, just as the truck crashed and spilled its cargo, extremely toxic chemicals, into his face.He awoke in the hospital, now blind from the toxins, and learned that his other senses were amplified as a result of his loss of sight. He was able to see by a radar-like sense using natural sounds around him, giving him ultimate confidence in his surroundings.He would later become a lawyer, opening a law firm with Foggy Nelson, and taking on the mantle of 'Daredevil' after his father's death, in order to protect the citizens of Hell's Kitchen and bring justice to the streets as well as the courtroom.
Now on to the actors who played the Man without Fear.
1. Ben Affleck : Daredevil (2003)
Ben's version fought the villains the Kingpin and Bullseye and found an ally in Elektra.
His costume is derived mainly on the red costume from the comics, but instead of spandex it was more of a leather material. It has a more "utilitarian" look to it. Another difference from the comics is his mask that is detached from the whole costume. Present in this iteration is his trademark weapon the billy club.
Ben also cameo'ed in the Elektra movie.
2. Rex Smith : The Trial of the Incredible Hulk
Daredevil, portrayed by Rex Smith, appears in the 1989 television movie, The Trial of the Incredible Hulk. When David Banner, Hulks alter-ego, gets arrested, Atty. Matt Murdock helps to prove Banner's innocence. Daredevil tells his origins to Banner, which in this version involves Murdock being inspired by a police officer to become a hero. Later, with the help of the Hulk, he battles Wilson Fisk.
There were some major changes on the costume worn by Daredevil in this adaptation. He is wearing black instead of the more familiar red outfit, missing are the "devil" horns and the D insignia on his chest, and the costume overtly states his blindness with a cowl that completely hides his eyes.
The potrayal of the actor is pretty decent you could see a sample on the video below. And Matt's "radar" is serviceable as well.
And now for the surprise… Didya' Know? That there was a planned Daredevil/Black Widow TV series back on 1975 (me, I did not know that because I was not born yet at that time). Angela Bowie, former wife of actor/singer David Bowie, asked permission from Stan Lee to have the rights of Daredevil for a year. They already have designs for a suit by O'Neill and Natasha Kornilkoff. Nothing was ever filmed because back then it was considered too difficult and expensive. But there was a photoshoot, with a picture of Daredevil and Black Widow. Here it is:
Ben Carruthers is Daredevil in this picture. I will leave the colorful remarks to you. You know where to write it down.
sources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daredevil_(Marvel_Comics)#In_other_media : http://marvel.wikia.com/Matthew_Murdock_(Earth-616) : http://marvel.wikia.com/Matthew_Murdock_(Earth-701306) : http://www.manwithoutfear.com/ddmovie.shtml
Note: Any error in the article above, if any, just blame it on my humanity. Just be sure to check the comment section for the corrections, any error I made will surely be pointed out and corrected by much bigger geeks (because there will always be a bigger geek out there).
-This has been PollMaster inviting you to the geekside.
This is the 3rd article in my Didya Know? series. Any requests and suggestions for an article for this series write it down in the comment section.
Assignment for the CBM community: Can someone please post a pic or a video of that cameo of Ben Affleck in the Elektra movie.