Daredevil: 5 Marvel Heroes Who Love Him (& 5 Who Despise Him)

Often referred to as ‘the man without fear’, Daredevil is an iconic character from the Marvel comics canon. In the day, he’s Matt Murdock, a New-York lawyer who’s blind but has his other senses enhanced above human ability. He uses these enhanced senses at night when he dons the costume of the vigilante known as Daredevil.

Frank Miller’s work on the comic series in the 1980s and the character’s critically acclaimed Netflix series has made Daredevil an immensely popular and influential character in pop culture. A natural leader with a balanced sense of justice, there are many heroes in the comics who look up to him but there are a few others too who don’t always agree with his heroics. Here, we count down 5 heroes who love Daredevil, and 5 who despise him (or have despised him at some point of time).

10 Love: Elektra

Elektra has been one of the most complicated people in Daredevil’s life. She and Matt first met and dated back in law school and she has been manipulative ever since then. Daredevil often functions with his philosophy and moral code but around Elektra, he loves doing things without thinking about the consequences. Hence, fans speculate that Elektra loves him for this attention that he gives her.

Daredevil and Elektra do have disagreements over her mercenary lifestyle and her impulsiveness as a superhero. But in the end, they still share a relationship based on compassion for each other. She also respects the fact that even after betraying him at times by siding with adversaries like the Hand and Kingpin, Daredevil still trusts her.

9 Despise: Namor

Namor is Marvel’s answer to Aquaman. He first encountered Daredevil in a 1965 storyline which might sound tacky for modern readers but is still iconic nonetheless. The warlord Krang approaches Namor in Atlantis and tells him that humans have misused the seas and oceans for long. Instead, he should rise up and take over all humankind.

Namor tries to find a legal solution and goes to Matt Murdock’s law firm in New York to sue all humanity! Murdock empathizes with him but also explains there’s no legal basis for this claim, Namor gets angered and starts damaging defense facilities and all buildings around him. As Daredevil, Matt quells the situation and Namor does respect the vigilante for his courage. But his quest to wage the marine worlds’ wars carries on.

8 Love: Spider-Man

Together, Daredevil and Spider-Man are the greatest heroes of New York. Both hardly have any similarities in their approach to justice but still make for a good team that has each other’s back. After various crossovers, the two got their own miniseries written by Paul Jenkins in 2001. Spider-Man always looks up to him and is driven by the sense of responsibility that Daredevil emulates.

In fact, there was a time when Spider-Man even donned Daredevil’s costume. The latter’s secret identity was about to be questioned by the public and all eyes were on Matt Murdock who was stepping out of a courthouse. Right then, the web-slinger also made an appearance as Daredevil, erasing all suspicion around Matt.  Daredevil actor Charlie Cox often expressed his wish on how Spider-Man and Daredevil could be partners for a possible film too.

7 Despise: Deadpool

Daredevil and Deadpool have partnered with each other for various missions but they often end with Daredevil frowning at the mercenary. A strict Catholic, Daredevil feels instantly guilty if his activities cause any collateral damage. Deadpool is on the totally opposite spectrum and doesn’t like it if Daredevil forces his brand of justice on him.

Just take this instance from a recent Deadpool storyline when Deadpool is running around Manhattan like a madman and Daredevil arrives at the scene to take care of him. Deadpool is not at all interested in this confrontation. So, he blatantly shoots an innocent man on the street in his leg. He knows it’s a flesh wound so the man won’t die but Daredevil will have to focus on this civilian now rather than him.

6 Love: Wolverine

Wolverine and Daredevil have often worked together against the organization of evil mystical ninjas known as the Hand. This is amusing as the grumpy old mutant hardly gets along with members of his own teams like the X-Men.

Apart from engaging in action, the two heroes also bond over philosophical matters of the soul. Both have seen the loss of their loved ones in their journey as heroes, and both have also faced significant guilt despite all their heroics. Wolverine’s admiration for the horned devil is based on maturity and understanding as he does understand what Daredevil goes through.

5 Despise: Black Cat

Black Cat and Daredevil have surprisingly had a fling with each other which didn’t last long. The anti-heroine first met Daredevil through Spiderman, as both heroes tried freeing her from prison. They tried to bail her out but by that time, Black Cat escaped herself.

When they finally found her, Black Cat made a building collapse on them and derived satisfaction out of seeing Daredevil pinned to the ground. Why does she hate Daredevil, we don’t know exactly. But then as it is, Black Cat has so many unanswered questions around her as it is. It only adds up to the ominous nature around the character. It’s funny to see Spider-Man’s reactions when they date though. ‘I think this is my super villain origin’, he mumbles on seeing the couple kiss.

4 Love: Jessica Jones

Jessica Jones had been a client of Matt Murdock and an ally of Daredevil as the founder of the New-York based crime-fighting team, The Defenders (as seen in the show of the same name too). Jones is a detective with superhuman strength and durability, who shares Daredevil’s passion for uncovering the truth behind whatever she encounters rather than being satisfied with the facades of everyday life.

Only one time did she attempt to attack Daredevil but it was revealed that she was under mind control by her arch-nemesis Kilgrave.

3 Despise: Hawkeye

The archer Hawkeye and the man without fear have been at loggerheads in a duel that will be reminiscent of warriors from the past showing off their toxic masculinity to woo a common lady. The lady, in this case, is Black Widow, who has had significant romantic relationships with both these heroes.

In Daredevil #99 (Vol. 1), Daredevil decides to express his love to her but then Hawkeye (her ex-boyfriend) shows up. The two engage in a duel which finally ends in a draw. In a shocking moment from Civil War II, Hawkeye killed Bruce Banner (the Hulk) after he’s warned by a psychic about the damage that Hulk will case in the future. Matt Murdock sits as the prosecutor of the case and holds Hawkeye guilty giving him all the more reason to hate Daredevil.

2 Love: Luke Cage

Luke Cage has always held Daredevil in high esteem. The fact that both are street-level heroes in New York contributes to frequent team-ups between the two. With his exceptional strength, Cage provides the muscle, while Daredevil acts as the brains behind the missions with his strategic sense.

Daredevil also looks at Cage with the same amount of love and loyalty. When he became the new Kingpin (yes, Marvel has all kinds of ridiculous alternate versions of its characters), he chose Luke Cage and Jessica Jones as his new bodyguards.

1 Despise: The Punisher

The Punisher and Daredevil were never meant to work together. The two have had iconic face-offs both in comics and TV. The part where the skull-wearing vigilante Frank Castle chains up an injured Daredevil has got to be one of the most iconic scenes in comic book history.

The reasons for their disagreement is clear. Daredevil doesn’t believe in killing. Punisher, as his name suggests, believes that evil should be punished by death; they shouldn’t be given any chances for repentance. The Punisher’s major issue is how Daredevil often tries to interfere in his cases and change his morals. He’ll never kill Daredevil (even though they both can leave each other in situations of near-death) but will hardly ever take his side, unlike other heroes.

About The Author

Shaurya Thapa
(736 Articles Published)

Shaurya Thapa is an Indian freelance journalist who mostly dabbles in writings on cinema, music, and human interest features. When it comes to Screen Rant, he writes lists on a wide array of subjects ranging from international films to mainstream Netflix series and comic book trivia. He also hosts a podcast called ‘BhindiWire’, an Indian parody of IndieWire.

More From Shaurya Thapa