10 Amazing Facts You Probably Didn't Know About DAREDEVIL
Once one of Marvel's more obscure characters, Daredevil is now the star of his own TV series. However, there's a lot we're willing to bet you didn't know about the comic book character and his bizarre history.
Created by Stan Lee and Bill Everett in 1964, Daredevil appeared around the same time as many of Marvel's other now classic superheroes, but after costume changes, behind the scenes problems, and disappointing sales, it wasn't until Frank Miller showed up that the Man Without Fear could be considered truly one of the publisher's greatest creations. Of course, it hasn't been all smooth sailing since then either; who can forget Matt Murdock donning armour or that whole Shadowland debacle?
These days, ol' Hornhead is perhaps best known to many people for starring in a hit show on Netflix, but he has a fascinating history full of amazing facts we're willing to bet you probably didn't know. From his role in the creation of a number of superhero teams (including one with no ties to Marvel Comics whatsoever) to a scrapped TV series and the grim fate that awaited him when his series faced cancellation, the real life story of Daredevil is every bit as interesting as the character's on the page.
10. The Comics Code Authority Banned Him From Sleeping With Black Widow
While many of the women in Daredevil's life have met pretty terrible endings, Black Widow came out of her relationship with the Man Without Fear pretty much unscathed. Their romance was in fact so popular at one point that the title was renamed Daredevil And Black Widow for a brief stint in the 1970s, but their living arragements were a little peculiar to say the least.
That was the fault of the Comics Code Authority because before Marvel kicked them to the curb, they kept a very close eye on what was happening in the pages of titles like this one. One of their biggest rules was that two unmarried people could not be shown living together, and as a result, Daredevil and Black Widow were shown as sleeping on separate floors of the same apartment building. No wonder things didn't last between them!
9. We Have Daredevil To Thank For The Avengers
Despite being the co-creator of Daredevil, artist Bill Everett was fired by Marvel after working on just a single issue of the Man Without Fear's first solo series. The reason for that was because it took him over six months to deliver the finished pencils for issue #1, something which left the publisher with a pretty huge void to fill as they eagerly anticipated the next potential hit series from writer Stan Lee.
With time to kill, it was then that Lee dreamed up The Avengers, a team he believed could match the success of DC's popular Justice League series. The debut of Earth's Mightiest Heroes was rushed out to take Daredevil's place (problems at the printers caused further delays), and while there's every chance The Avengers could have still happened, ol' Hornhead's slow start may have played a key role in their creation!
8. He Was Once Mashed Up With Deathstroke
Between all of the variant covers and terrible storytelling decisions, the 90s weren't a great time to be a comic book fan (though the same could be said for Marvel in 2016). One of the most bizarre moments came when Marvel and DC decided to fight back against dropping sales with a peculiar crossover combining some of their best heroes and villains to create new Amalgam characters.
In the case of Daredevil, he was mashed up with Deathstroke to create the female Slade Murdock, a.k.a. Dare The Terminator. In this alternate universe, she was a mercenary with horns implanted in her head by New Gotham City major Enigma Fisk. Dare was blind, but still decided to wear an eypatch over the one eye which had been shot out by a criminal. To be honest, she looked more like Elektra and even at one point used her sais...
7. David Bowie's Wife Wanted To Make A Daredevil TV Show
Way back in 1975, the late David Bowie's wife at the time somehow managed to get her hands on the small screen rights for Daredevil from Stan Lee. A fan of the character, she hoped to use this series to show off her acting abilities, hence why she cast herself as Black Widow and later chose Ben Carruthers to star as Matt Murdock.
In a bid to get one of the leading TV networks to give the show a green light, several photos were taken of them in costume, and as you can see, it looked pretty terrible! That's surprising considering the fact that her husband's Ziggy Stardust era costume designer Natasha Kornikoff helped come up with the live-action looks for the heroes, but regardless of whether or not these designs worked for the characters, networks still had little to no interest in the property.
6. Daredevil And Iron Man Were Going To Be Lumped Into The Same Series
Team-ups are all the rage these days, but back in the 1960s and 70s, superheroes sharing the same series usually weren't lumped together to have adventures. Instead, it was done because their own titles weren't selling well enough. Nowadays, Iron Man is possibly Marvel's most popular character (sorry, Spider-Man) and Daredevil has starred in two seasons of one of Netflix's most popular and critically acclaimed dramas, but they were struggling in the 70s as both of their titles were facing imminent cancellation.
As a result, the plan was for them to be put in a comic book together with half an issue devoted to them both. Luckily, "Demon in a Bottle" would increase the Armoured Avenger's profile while Frank Miller taking over Daredevil took the Man Without Fear to the next level and saved him from obscurity.
5. He Wasn't The First Daredevil
Only a small handful of superheroes share their names with very different characters who preceded them; Green Lantern and the Human Torch are good examples of that, but did you know that Matt Murdock wasn't the first Daredevil? Though this version wasn't created under the Timely Comics or Marvel banner, the first Daredevil series came out courtesy of the now defunct Lev Gleason Publications.
He too had a disability, but rather than being blind, he was deaf. His short-lived adventures revolved around battles with the Nazis before America entered World War II, and while there's nothing to say that Stan Lee was inspired by this character ("Daredevil" is a common enough moniker), it's hard not to wonder whether he might have thought of this deaf superhero while creating the first blind one!
4. The Strange Story Behind His Team-Up With Uri Geller
Perhaps best known in the UK these days for being a D-List celebrity who has tall tales aplenty to tell about his "friendship" with Michael Jackson, Uri Geller became briefly known some years ago for being a spoon bender and one of the world's leading Mentalists. In fact, he was a household name in the states for a time, and Stan Lee and Marvel ended up making a bizarre pact with Geller to have him take on a starring role in one of their comic books.
However, when push came to shove, none of the publisher's writers wanted to have any involvement in this team up. As a result, then Marvel Editor-in-Chief Marv Wolfman stepped up to do the deed, and while it was a pretty bad comic, he can't be entirely blamed for that seeing as he had to tone down the mad "origin story" Geller had given the press about where he got his powers!
3. Stan Lee's Favourite Comic Book Is An Issue Of Daredevil
As you've now more than likely realised, Daredevil's adventures got off to something of a rocky start. Following Everett's sudden departure, it took twenty issues for the hero's title to find a regular artist in the form of Gerry Conway, someone who would work alongside Stan Lee for an impressive thirty one issue run. While the latter's work here wasn't quite as memorable as it was on the other titles he worked on at the time, Daredevil #47 has been highlighted by Lee as one of his all-time favourite comic books.
In it, Daredevil visited troops in Vietnam and met Willie Lincoln, a solider blinded in battle. Learning of his history as a discharged cop who was wrongly fired after being forced into accepting a bribe, Matt went out of his way to help the veteran get his job back with the NYPD and clear his name.
2. He's Regained His Sight (More Than Once)
Daredevil being blind is obviously one of his defining characteristics, but that hasn't stopped Marvel from coming up with ridiculous "cures" over the years. The first came courtesy of Guardians of the Galaxy member Moondragon. She restored the hero's sight, but robbed him of his radar sense, leaving Matt too scared to continue his vigilante activities.
Later, The Beyonder would give Daredevil back his eyes, while S.H.I.E.L.D. at one point kidnapped the hero, restored his vision, and brainwashed him into becoming one of their agents (as you've probably guessed, that took place during the 90s). Hell, it was only last year that the "Superior" Iron Man briefly cured Daredevil's blindness, a sign perhaps that this silly - and somewhat offensive considering the fact that real blindness is far from curable - plot point won't go anywhere any time soon.
1. Daredevil Inspired The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
While we may or may not have Daredevil to thank for the creation of The Avengers, one group of heroes we do know he inspired are the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird took direct cues from not only Frank Miller's style, but also the Man Without Fear's origin story. In fact, take a close look at the first issue and a young boy can be seen being blinded after saving a man from being hit by a truck, with the radioactive chemicals on that then spilling into the sewer.
It's there that the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and their sensei Splinter (who was named after Daredevil's mentor, Stick) were obviously created, and even the foursome's main foes The Foot Clan were inspired by The Hand. Despite all of this, various inter company politics have meant that they've never once teamed up.