The 12 Best Daredevil Comics Ever

Thanks to the critically praised TV series on Netflix, Daredevil has been gradually gaining more popularity in the mainstream. With this attention (and some rumored future roles in the MCU), more fans are bringing their attention toward the comics. Some of the best Daredevil comics have inspired the Netflix series and will likely inform the MCU as well.

Daredevil has had the benefit of some of the best writers in the industry, with famed Batman writer and artists Frank Miller having had a tenure with the character that introduced many of the character’s most important aspects, like Elektra. The likes of Brian Bendis, Ed Brubaker, Mark Waid, and the current Chip Zdarsky run have only maintained Daredevil’s high reputation in comics.

Updated on December 10th, 2021 by Darby Harn: Kevin Feige has confirmed that when Daredevil reappears in the MCU (which rumors suggest could be very soon) he will be played by Charlie Cox, who played him in the MCU. There are a number of not-so-subtle clues that one of his biggest villains Kingpin is already in Hawkeye.

When Daredevil does return, it’s very likely that the MCU will draw on some of his best Marvel Comics. Though some have been adapted already for the Netflix series, some of Daredevil’s best stories remain to be explored on screen, including major new characters like Echo.

The Woman Without Fear

The most recent Daredevil comics have provided some of the character’s best stories, with Elektra taking over the role of the protector of Hell’s Kitchen. Matt Murdock is in prison, struggling with the consequences of his actions as a vigilante, making for one of the most complex stories involving the character.

Written by Chip Zdarsky, the storyline also provides plenty of opportunities for Elektra to showcase her skills as one of the best martial artists in the Marvel Universe as she holds off the growing criminal tide in Hell’s Kitchen.

A Touch Of Typhoid

Writer Ann Nocenti defined Daredevil in the late 80s with many complex stories that blew up the status quo in many ways. One of the best stories of her run – the longest of any writer on Daredevil at over four years – introduced Typhoid Mary, one of the coolest Daredevil villains.

A Touch Of Typhoid runs between issues #253-270 of the series, as Typhoid Mary drives Daredevil to his limits and Matt Murdock falls in love with her alter ego, Mary Walker, leading to disastrous consequences for all and Matt leaving New York City for the first time.

Parts Of A Whole

One of the most important figures in Daredevil’s life – and now one of the latest MCU characters – is Echo, who appears for the first time in Parts Of A Whole. Maya Lopez initially appears in Daredevil #9 as an enforcer of Kingpin and his adoptive daughter.

Her encounters with Daredevil complicate her life a great deal. Maya eventually falls in love with Matt Murdock and learns Kingpin killed her father, beginning a dramatic story that is very likely to inform her own solo series in the MCU.

Born Again

Written by Frank Miller with outstanding art by David Mazzucchelli, Born Again brings Matt Murdock to one of his lowest points in comics. After Karen Page sells his identity to the mob out of desperation, Kingpin makes use of this to dismantle Daredevil’s life from top to bottom.

Matt even gets his apartment bombed by the crime boss, wandering the streets succumbing further and further to rage. Born Again turns into a heated revenge story, making Matt’s eventual triumph and letting go of his anger feel all the more rewarding. Much of the storyline was adapted into season three of the Netflix series.

The Man Without Fear

Years after Frank Miller’s work on Born Again, he wrote a revised version of Daredevil’s origin story. It’s one of the best Daredevil comics and one of the most influential, as The Man Without Fear served as the prime reference material for the first season of the Netflix series.

In this comic, fans see Matt’s beginnings from a young age in the impoverished neighborhoods of Hell’s Kitchen and his “proto-Daredevil” suit in the form of the black makeshift suit, which was adapted into the Netflix series. It’s a good arc showing Daredevil’s progression from dealing with smaller organized crime figures while teasing and building up the likes of Kingpin in the background.

Hardcore

Hardcore finds Daredevil dealing with murder charges and his identity being outed, making him resort to giving Kingpin one of the most shocking beatdowns in comics. More than that though is the shock of Daredevil throwing the mangled Wilson Fisk for other criminals to see, and then declaring himself the new Kingpin of New York.

Writer Brian Michael Bendis and artist Alex Maleev create a gloomily realistic style that creates one of the darkest and best Daredevil comic books. Matt getting beaten down has become a trope, but Bendis’ plot finds new ways to make stakes feel real, and with dire consequences.

End Of Hell

Matt Murdock has a “no-kill” rule, but the End Of Hell storyline kicks off with the revelation that he accidentally killed a thief due to his body having trouble getting back into the rhythm of being Daredevil. Over the course of the story, written by Chip Zdarksy, Matt makes steps gradually to get back to being the Daredevil he believes he should be.

While Mayor Fisk and the rest of the organized crime world scheme, Matt reforges an alliance with Elektra. By the end, this comic culminates into a street war pitting the citizens of Hell’s Kitchen and a redeemed Daredevil against a squad of his villains. It’s another explosive arc to this series that emphasizes how effective street-level stories and characters like these can be.

Devil At Bay

Mark Waid is one of the best Fantastic Four writers of all time, and he brought his unique talents to Daredevil with Devil At Bay. This first story arc exemplifies Waid’s run on the character which returned the character to a brighter, funnier tone after years of the noirish identity the book had taken on in the Frank Miller era.

It all made for a refreshing change of pace and setting, with Matt Murdock relocating to San Francisco. The great art by Chris Samnee also contributed to the lighter tone, which emphasized cleaner, simpler lines over the dark heavy lines of earlier Daredevil.

Roulette

One of the most staggering single comic book issues of Daredevil is #191, “Roulette.” In this story, written and drawn by Frank Miller, Daredevil plays a dangerous game of Russian roulette with Bullseye, who killed Elektra. It’s a sobering and dark exploration of the nature of heroes and heroism, contrasted with a flashback to a relative moment of peace.

In the flashback, Daredevil’s positive engagement with a young boy who idolizes him ends in disaster when that boy shoots a bully at school. It asks major questions of who and what a hero is, questions that would continue to be asked in the decades to come in comics.

Guardian Devil

Director Kevin Smith also had a brief stint writing Daredevil, on the Guardian Devil story arc. This comic is simultaneously looked at as one of the most iconic stories in The Man Without Fear’s catalog, while also stirring up some controversy over the use of Karen Page as a character.

Criticisms were partly aimed at using Karen as a prop to be killed for the sake of making Matt’s life utter turmoil, but praises went largely toward its use of deeper Catholic themes that are pivotal to Daredevil’s personality. His religion is one of the pillars of his character, and it explores the more complex philosophical questions that contribute to his internal battles.

Echoes

Comic book fans know Echo is an important character in relationship to Daredevil, and one of the best Daredevil comics showcases her fascinating origin. “Echoes” is a fantastic story written and drawn by David Mack that runs between issues #51 and 56 of the series.

The unique art homages many great art styles not just in comics but classic art as well to explore Maya Lopez’s complex and tragic origin. Though Kingpin killed her father, she was adopted by the criminal and become one of his most lethal enforcers.

Last Hand

One of the best single issues of Daredevil ever features the tragic death of Elektra at the hands of Bullseye. Daredevil #181, written and drawn by Frank Miller with finishes by Klaus Janson pits Elektra in a duel to the death against the deadly assassin. Things do not go as expected for her or the reader.

The death of such a popular character and important figure in Matt Murdock’s life was a shock to readers in the 80s, and though she has since returned to the comics, this issue remains perhaps the apex of Daredevil in Marvel Comics.

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