Daredevil (2003)

Daredevil is a fictional superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Daredevil was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Bill Everett, with an unspecified amount of input from Jack Kirby. The character first appeared in 'Daredevil #1' (April 1964). Writer/artist Frank Miller's influential tenure on the title in the early 1980s cemented the character as a popular and influential part of the Marvel Universe. Daredevil is commonly known by such epithets as the 'Man Without Fear' and the 'Devil of Hell's Kitchen'. Ben Affleck portrayed the superhero in the film Daredevil (Mark Steven Johnson, 2003).


Belgian postcard by Boomerang Free Cards, no. 1/4. Image: Marvel / Regency / 20th Century Fox. Ben Affleck in Daredevil (Mark Steven Johnson, 2003).


Belgian postcard by Boomerang Free Cards, no. 2/4. Image: Marvel / Regency / 20th Century Fox. Jennifer Garner in Daredevil (Mark Steven Johnson, 2003).

Hell's Kitchen in New York City

Daredevil's origins stem from a childhood accident that gave him special abilities. While growing up in the historically gritty or crime-ridden working-class Irish-American neighbourhood of Hell's Kitchen in New York City, Matt Murdock is blinded by a radioactive substance that falls from an out-of-control truck after he pushes a man out of the path of the oncoming vehicle.

While he can no longer see, his exposure to the radioactive material heightens his remaining senses beyond normal human ability, and gives him a 'radar sense'. His father, a boxer named Jack Murdock, is a single man raising his now blind son, who despite his rough upbringing, unconditionally loves his son and tries to teach him to form a better life for himself.

Jack is later killed by gangsters after refusing to throw a fight, leaving Matt an orphan. In order to protect himself, Matt began training to hone his physical abilities and superhuman senses under the tutelage of a mysterious blind stranger named Stick, eventually becoming a highly skilled and expert martial artist.

Some years later, after graduating from law school with high grades, Matt seeks out the criminal element in Hell's Kitchen and starts his crime-fighting activities. Matt targets the local gangsters who murdered his father and succeeds in bringing them to justice.

Eventually, donning a costumed attire modeled after a devil, Matt took up a dual life of fighting against the criminal underworld in New York City as the masked vigilante Daredevil, which put him in conflict with many super-villains, including his arch-enemies Bullseye and the Kingpin. He also becomes a skilled and respected lawyer after graduating from Columbia Law School with his best friend and roommate, Franklin 'Foggy' Nelson, with whom he becomes law partners, forming the law firm Nelson & Murdock.


American postcard by Chronicle Books from 'The Art of Vintage Marvel: 100 Collectible Postcards'. Image: Marvel Comics Group, 2007. It's a detail of the cover of Daredevil #182 "She's Alive" (1982) by Frank Miller. Caption: Daredevil, The Man Without fear. 100 classic comic book covers from the 1960s to the 1980s. Featuring everyone's favorite superheroes, from Silver Surfer, the Hulk, and Spider-Man to the Fantastic Four, Captain America, and X-Men.

An R-rated director's cut

Daredevil has since appeared in various forms of media, including several animated series, video games, and merchandise. The character was first portrayed in live-action by Rex Smith in the 1989 television movie The Trial of the Incredible Hulk.

Then Ben Affleck portrayed the superhero in the film Daredevil (Mark Steven Johnson, 2003). Jennifer Garner plays his love interest Elektra Natchios; Colin Farrell plays the merciless assassin Bullseye; David Keith plays Jack 'The Devil' Murdock, a washed-up fighter and Matt's father; and Michael Clarke Duncan plays Wilson Fisk, also known as the crime lord Kingpin.

Johnson shot the film primarily in Downtown Los Angeles despite the Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan setting of the film and comics. Rhythm and Hues Studios were hired to handle the film's CGI. Graeme Revell composed the Daredevil score, which was released on CD in March 2003, whereas the various artists' soundtrack album, 'Daredevil: The Album', was released in February.

Daredevil was released on 14 February 2003. It received generally mixed reviews from critics with many praising the action sequences, acting performances, soundtrack, storyline, visual style, and stunts, while others criticised Affleck's performance and its perceived lack of ambition. Nevertheless, the film became the second-biggest February release to that time and grossed over $179 million against a production budget of $78 million.

In 2004, an R-rated director's cut of Daredevil was released, reincorporating approximately 30 minutes of the film, and received significantly more acclaim from critics than the theatrical version. In 2015, Daredevil was portrayed by Charlie Cox in the Marvel Television productions Daredevil and The Defenders, created by Drew Goddard, on Netflix.


Belgian postcard by Boomerang Free Cards, no. 3/4. Image: Marvel / Regency / 20th Century Fox. Colin Farrell in Daredevil (Mark Steven Johnson, 2003).


Belgian postcard by Boomerang Free Cards, no. 4/4. Image: Marvel / Regency / 20th Century Fox. Michael Clarke Duncan in Daredevil (Mark Steven Johnson, 2003).

Sources: Man Without Fear, Wikipedia, and IMDb.