If Daredevil Trained Harder, He Could Take a Hit from Superman

Matt Murdock, AKA Daredevil, is one of the greatest street-level heroes in Marvel Comics, with ninja skills that rival even the powers of Spider-Man, but no fan would sensibly argue this makes the lawyer-by-day capable of taking on Superman. Nevertheless, Daredevil has only unlocked a fraction of his potential, and if he trained harder, he could gain the ability to withstand even a punch from the Man of Steel.

Matt Murdock lost his sight after he saved an old man from getting hit by a truck carrying toxic chemicals. That truck crashed and spilled the chemicals all over the road, with some getting in Matt’s eyes, blinding him (and creating the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.) While Matt lost his sight, his other senses were heightened as a result of the accident, and to learn how to control them, Matt began training with his new mentor, Stick. Stick was a member of an ancient order called the Chaste who were able to train their bodies to achieve superhuman feats including self-healing and even invulnerability.

Daredevil’s potential is revealed by another member of the Chaste named Stone. Stone was Stick’s star pupil before Matt, and as his name suggests, he was able to make his body nearly indestructible by focusing his chi. Stone’s chi power meant that as long as he could see an attack coming, he could withstand it – an awesome ability that still left him vulnerable to the deadly tactics of the Hand, who the Chaste were formed to combat. While Stone was a lifelong adept, Daredevil was even more gifted, especially after his exposure to toxic chemicals unlocked his potential so early in life.

Daredevil ended his training before officially becoming a member of the Chaste, much to the dismay of his master. Instead, Matt decided to become the protector of Hell’s Kitchen as Daredevil and assert his vigilante justice on criminals in his city while helping innocents through his law practice. Daredevil decided he had learned enough from Stick in order to control and focus his heightened senses and left before committing his life to an ancient order of ninjas fighting a war in which he had no interest.

If Daredevil stayed with Stick and learned every ability the Chaste could have taught him, then he would have been able to achieve the same chi control as Stone and even gone further. Stone can take any attack anyone could possibly inflict, so with Daredevil’s extra superhuman edge, Matt could apply that power and withstand even a punch from Superman (so long as he was able to prepare for the blow), shifting the energy so it didn’t hurt him. Members of the Chaste can even move life energy, killing and resurrecting others as an act of will, and boast other powers Daredevil should have been able to achieve.

Aside from fighting the Man of Steel, Daredevil would have been a much more intimidating superhero with this ability in his arsenal, as he wouldn’t take any damage when fighting low-level criminals. Whether it be an upgrade in his normal crime-fighting abilities or taking a hit from Superman himself, Daredevil could have been a much stronger hero if he had just trained harder.

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