I was introduced to Daredevil at the age of 5 and have ever since been completely blown away by the character. From grandfather Stan Lee to godfather Frank Miller to Smith, Bendis, Brubaker, and Waid--the character's writing pedigree alone is worth praise. But I'd like to look into what defines Daredevil as a hero and why his cinematic journey could be the most breathtaking we've ever seen.
Matt Murdock is a hero, damn it. And he's a hero all the time. See, when Tony Stark isn't Iron Man, he runs into the issue of being super sexy, being a philanthropist, a playboy, and a billionaire. When Bruce Wayne isn't Batman, he's trying to fool the masses that he isn't Batman. When Peter Parker isn't Spider-Man, he's taking pictures...of Spider-Man (okay, he's got a social life).
But when Murdock isn't Daredevil, he's still constantly seeking justice as a lawyer. He's a man truly devoted to the idea of helping people, putting criminals where they belong, and making his world a better place on both sides of the law. While Matt may be blind, his vision for justice is quite clear and it burns inside of him. He can be just as electric in front of a judge as he can when he's punching in the jaws of the likes of Bullseye, Kingpin, and the Purple Man.
So, what does that mean for our movie? That
Daredevil has a chance to be a court room drama with heart as much as a vigilante film. One of the greatest (and in my opinion, under-read) DD tales is David Hines'
Daredevil: Redemption, which follows Matt under a court case (pretty much exclusively) as he defends a boy deemed of murder and following a Satanic cult. The book is more
To Kill a Mockingbird than anything else, and it has one of the greatest emotional pulls I've ever read in comics. So, if you're interested in seeing a
To Kill a Mockingbird element within a Daredevil film, then it's possible you could be in for a real treat.
Matt Murdock has genuine relationships. I'll overlook the fact that Murdock has bedded Elektra, Black Widow, and Black Cat for a moment (even though, seriously, eternal bragging rights), and focus on what I believe is the greatest romantic relationship in comics: Matt Murdock and Karen Page.
Karen always been a star player, right up into Kevin Smith's
Guardian Devil run, where he *spoiler* kills her with Daredevil's own billy club thrown at the hands of Bullseye *end spoiler*. And because Karen is such a star player in Matt's life, she has to be developed. Matt and Karen are on and off, always searching to better their relationship or end the pain of dating because of their personal responsibilities. It's real. It's true. Karen Page isn't dressing up and fighting crime and she's not just waiting around for her superhero boyfriend to come back home. She wants a life and experiences one hell of a character arc that eventually leads her to Mexico, where she's become a drug addict and porn star. It is there she sells Matt's secret identity for a hit of drugs.
But the cultivation for their relationship comes in the epitomizing tale of Frank Miller's
Born Again where after outrunning drug lords and blazing guns, Karen finally meets Matt again, his life in complete desolation. But their moment of contact is absolutely beautiful and revealing, as they hold each other in the snow, lives both in shambles. It's a moment that goes down in comic history for its sheer brutality as Matt clings to her, both becoming everything the other needed.
So, what does that mean for our movie? It means that in a span of movies with underdeveloped romantic subplots (The Dark Knight, Green Lantern, The Incredible Hulk, The Amazing Spider-Man)
Daredevil has the chance to develop its characters realistically and truthfully. Movie-goers shouldn't be afraid of romance. Our heroes certainly aren't. Check out Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale's
Daredevil: Yellow. You're welcome for your tears.
Matt Murdock's story is action meets sci-fi! Spoiler alert: Matt Murdock is blind. His radar sense that allows him to fight brings in a super-sci-fi element to his story, opting for some really cool visuals that have already been done numerous ways in the comics.
Not to mention the fact that Murdock is faced with both the mafia and ninjas on a daily basis, leaving him with quite a large option for enemies. Now, you might be thinking that it sounds a lot like Batman, and this wouldn't be the first time ol'hornhead has been referred to as Marvel's Batman, but the difference predominantly lies in the enemies. The Kingpin is arguably the most important mafia character in comic history, and that puts his mob escapades a little higher than any of Batman's foes, even though Batman has to deal with Black Mask and, sometimes, the Penguin.
Batman's rogues villains seem to be there to test Batman as a hero (if they were interested in just thievery or domination, why not go somewhere else?) while Daredevil's villains are all about territory. In the Daredevil comics, DD isn't the only one running around New York City. You've got Spider-Man, Luke Cage, Iron Fist, Punisher...these villains aren't hung up on dancing a jig for one person; they've got stake in their land and they're not willing to give it up. Whether you prefer villains that are villains for the hero's sake, or villainous because of their own intent is up to you, because both make a hell of a story.
Matt Murdock is more important than Daredevil. One of the few superheroes whose image as a person is more important than one as a hero, Matt Murdock is a rounded, developed, and complex guy. The fact is, Matt faces down justice enough in court that he could easily justify that as being enough. Understand something here; Matt is Daredevil because Daredevil just finishes the job. Obviously, he's taken a liking to being a vigilante, but Matt's got that clear vision for justice I was talking about earlier, and he assaults crime on all fronts.
If Daredevil one day ceased to exist, Peter Parker, Reed Richards, and others who know Matt's secret identity would probably think nothing of it if he stayed in court. Matthew's just not afraid to get his hands dirty with his friends, though he still obliges by a specific moral code (though never really abruptly stated line for line) that keeps him from killing.
So, what does this mean for a movie? Obviously, comic book movies are well-known for their development of the hero; but Matt can take that extra step. In a universe filled with meta-humans and superstars like Thor and Hulk, where do guys like Matt fit in? Matt's humanity is more important than his heroics which leads him to face down some pretty stressing issues. Once again, in
Born Again when the Avengers shake up Matt's party in hunting down spree killer Nuke (amidst the total destruction of Hell's Kitchen), Matt's left feeling a bit like a second-rate hero, even though he completes the job he set out to do under the Avengers' noses.
Matt Murdock is not afraid of religion. It doesn't matter what issue on religion or faith you take; my point here is that it a belief or disbelief in it is a rather defining aspect in what makes you who you are. Matt's been a struggling Catholic almost his entire life, which leads to some pretty big questions for him as a person (the costume's a bit of a zinger). But Matt often doesn't know when he's challenging God with his lifestyle, or if God's challenging him with destiny. Or if God's even up there at all.
This conflict leads to some pretty big questions for how we're supposed to interpret signs from "God." Matt feels a responsibility for his fellow man which is brought on by his upbringing in the Church. But when his faith in God dwindles, he never seems to falter on his belief that he's destined to help. This leads into a back-and-forth struggle of finding an identity in belief, and with the help of his mother Maggie, a nun, Matt finally affirms himself in the idea that if there's a God up there, he's applauding for Matt, and if there isn't, then a good man lives for another day.
So, what does this mean for our movie? More hero complexity and a little bit of
A Man for All Seasons! The movie shouldn't preach; it should just bring up the relevance of religion in Matt Murdock's life. It's who he is and to ignore it will leave a pretty big elephant in the room.
Matt Murdock's parents are of the utmost importance (and his dad is just flat-out awesome). Jack Murdock, Matt's father, died because he wouldn't throw a boxing match. What he stood for in Matt's life and what he wanted for Matt (to be a better, smarter man than he ever could) is only superseded by the way he goes out; standing up for what one truly believes in and ultimately becoming a martyr for it. Is there really more of a badass way to stick it to the man that to beat up your opponent in a fixed fight (that you're supposed to lose) in front of thousands of people after a few months of being called washed-up?
And let's not forget Maggie, who, even though she leaves her family while Matt is still a baby, comes in to save his life a few times and even divinely inspire him to be greater than he is.
What does this mean for our movie?
Raging Bull scenes, baby. And it'll be nice to see an actual mother appear for more than twenty seconds in a superhero film.
So, there you have it. Just a few reasons why the complexity of Daredevil as a character could lead us into one of the greatest movies of all time. I've left out a few things; namely the baddies. Trust me when I say that you don't wanna mess with Bullseye and Kingpin. And Mister Fear is much scarier than Scarecrow.
If you'd like to check out the screenplay I wrote for Mr. Murdock myself (passion project), you can check it out below. Thanks for reading! I'm interested to hear your comments on where you'd want to see a Daredevil movie go!
The Man Without Fear (Complete Script)