Daredevil’s Son Has The Opposite Reaction To His Powers

Daredevil is one superhero whose powers can be just as devastating to him as his enemies. Thanks to his enhanced senses, Matt Murdock can navigate the world even better than a sighted person despite being blind. However, his senses – particularly his heightened hearing – often threaten to overwhelm him, especially when he’s battling criminals.

Still, Daredevil usually manages to focus his senses thanks to years of discipline and martial arts training. However, this isn’t true of his son Jonathan Franklin Murdock, who readers got to meet in Daredevil (2014) #1.5, a 50^th Anniversary issue which showed a possible future for the Murdock family line in a tale by Mark Waid and Javier Rodriguez.

The son of Matt Murdock and an unknown mother, Jonathan (“Jack” to his father) appeared to lack any powers at birth. At fourteen months, however, Jack’s super senses kicked in, overwhelming him with sensory input. Being so hypersensitive caused him to bruise at the slightest touch or suffer nose bleeds just by smelling his mother’s perfume. Thankfully, Dr. Valeria Richards, Reed and Sue Richards’ genius daughter, was able to stabilize him – but by that point the psychological damage had already been done and Jack grew up a frightened child, terrified of the slightest noise or touch.

Meanwhile, Matt’s own super senses continued to grow sharper with age, an unexpected side benefit of his radioactive accident. His radar sense even became so sensitive it could distinguish colors, depth, and contour, something that pleased Matt since he was finally able to enjoy something he’d been denied for years. Matt also retired his Daredevil costumed identity to spend more time with Jack. Unfortunately, Jack’s jumpy nature made it impossible for Matt to teach his son how to box or ride a bike, and Jack spent virtually all of his time in his room, reading.

Matt was forced to don his Daredevil suit again when a mysterious affliction rendered most of the San Francisco Bay Area blind. He discovered the blindness was caused by a doctored “cyber-optic” fluid that people could now use to stay connected to the “worldstream” information network. He also learned the daughter of his old enemy the Owl was behind the plot in a twisted scheme to get the Man Without Fear to return to action. Daredevil managed to end her scheme by smashing the radioactive element, but lost his powers as a result.

But his sacrifice had an upside. Since he now had to watch out for his father, Jack finally began going outside to help Matt adjust to using a cane and his guide dog. In a classic case of history repeating itself, Jack momentarily overcame his fear to shove his father out of the way of a speeding truck while Matt was crossing the street. And while only time will tell if the son of Daredevil manages to overcome all of his psychological scars and become the new Man Without Fear, for now, Matt Murdock is just happy to have a son who loves him enough to put his own life on the line.

About The Author

Michael Jung
(700 Articles Published)

Michael Jung is a mild-mannered freelance writer-for-hire, actor, and professional storyteller with a keen interest in pop culture, education, nonprofit organizations, and unusual side hustles. His work has been featured in Screen Rant, ASU Now, Sell Books Fast, Study.com, and Free Arts among others. A graduate of Arizona State University with a PhD in 20^th Century American Literature, Michael has written novels, short stories, stage plays, screenplays, and how-to manuals.

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Michael’s background in storytelling draws him to find the most fascinating aspects of any topic and transform them into a narrative that informs and entertains the reader. Thanks to a life spent immersed in comic books and movies, Michael is always ready to infuse his articles with offbeat bits of trivia for an extra layer of fun. In his spare time, you can find him entertaining kids as Spider-Man or Darth Vader at birthday parties or scaring the heck out of them at haunted houses.

Visit Michael Jung’s website for information on how to hire him, follow him on Twitter Michael50834213, or contact him directly: michael(at)michaeljungwriter(dot)com.

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