Name: Matthew Michael Murdock
Aliases: Daredevil
Nicknames: Matt / Red, DD, Hornhead
Date of birth: 21st October
Place of birth: Hellās Kitchen, New York
Gender: Male
Pronouns: He/Him
Family: Jack Murdock (father), Sister Maggie Grace (mother)
Combat style: Acrobatic, a blend of martial arts & street boxing. Wields a set of billy clubs & also particularly adept with a staff. Non-lethal.Ā
Enneagram: 1w2
Basic fear: Of being corrupt
Basic desire: To maintain integrity & personal moral code.
Yes, Matt is Catholic, but he is not devout. Lapsed is a far better word to describe him. Matt was raised Irish-Catholic & is deeply rooted in Irish American cultural identity, so his Catholicism is deeply important to him. But I dislike when people make assumptions that heās devout or brings it up constantly, or even that his Catholicism would define his politics or worldview.Ā
I also dislike the common notion that Matt is promiscuous. Like with his faith I feel this is an aspect of the character that gets overblown (and imo I feel thereās some ableism at play). Heās certainly not above casual sex but the vice lies far more in the way he gets into serious relationships he cannot fully commit to (or end tragically).Ā
Yes, Matt is blind. Ugh I canāt believe I even need to say this, but I see WAY too much ableism about it. In how I write him, his radar-sense is composed entirely of pieces built from other senses (sound, smell, touch, taste, a sense of spatial awareness). And in my portrayal, this sense is something he needs to be able to focus on to some extent. So yes, he does need the cane when in his civilian identity and he is not āfaking a disability.ā
Iām well versed in both comic & tv Daredevil. This portrayal is built upon both versions of the character, and is neither of them. Instead, I've compiled my own 'self-canon' for my Matt, utilising a mixture of Daredevil media. Ā
I. TO PUT ON A MASK . . . (ages 25-26): Freshly graduated from law school and interning for a prestigious law firm, Matthew Murdock can't sleep. He notices things other people never seem to, & perhaps its his strong sense of justice that compels him to start fighting crime in a makeshift costume
/ primary inspirations are very early Daredevil comics, Frank Miller's Man Without Fear & the early vigilante activities implied by the Netflix show.
II. TO TOPPLE A KING . . . (ages 26-27): His conscience compels Matt to convince his best friend Foggy Nelson to start their own legal firm together, alongside their first client (office manager Karen Page). While his actions as Daredevil escalate into something bigger. The devil begins to uncover a twisted web of crime that all leads back to a man in the shadows: Wilson Fisk. Using a mixture of law, bloodied fists & the power of the free press (thanks to a newfound ally in Daily Bugle reporter Ben Urich), the upstart lawyers somehow manage to dent an empire, and Fisk is sent to prison.
/ primary inspiration is series 1 of Daredevil. most major changes revolve around Ben Urich.
III. TO BE A MAN WITHOUT FEAR . . . (ages 27-29): The plucky young lawyers are the talk of the town & for a while everything seems... good? Cue a series of run-ins with the Punisher, with a ninja organisation known as the Hand and his ex-girlfriend Elektra. And more! Consider this one a baseline verse. This is Daredevil how you expect him.
/ primary inspirations are Daredevil (series 2) & Frank Miller's run of Daredevil. Do not assume anything in series 2's plot happened verbatim.
IV. TO BE BORN AGAIN . . . (age 29-30): From prison, Wilson Fisk has been working behind the scenes in his long-game: a plan to take down the lawyers who put him away. And another thing comes to mind too, that of Daredevil, and what his real identity might be. So, he begins to test the waters. Matt Murdock wakes to frozen assets, his apartment foreclosed and false accusations of corruption. As Fisk is released into FBI custody, Matt sinks lower. Homeless, beaten and bruised, he finds himself cared for by a nun by the name of Sister Maggie, only to discover Fisk is back & trying to reclaim power. He even manipulates an FBI agent into dressing as Daredevil to discredit the hero. Ultimately Daredevil does return though innit, and Fisk is put away yet again. Probably.
/ primary inspirations are Daredevil (series 3) and the Born Again comic arc, by Frank Miller (which it was based upon). Typically uses the TV sequence of events, but uses the comic's angle of Fisk trying to ruin Matt's life.
V. TO PROTECT THE KITCHEN . . . (30-32): To rebuild his life, Matt finds work at a diner & finds it quite satisfying indeed. He goes back to being Daredevil and probably fights Bullseye a lot. Eventually sets up a legal advice clinic/charity too. Largely, this is another "baseline" era for Matt & Daredevil, but in my version he does not properly become a lawyer again. Towards the end of this he becomes a legal professor at Empire State University.
/ general inspirations are the Ann Nocenti, D. G. Chichester eras, as well as early volume 2, and then borrows the conceit of the newest Daredevil run by Stephanie Phillips.
VI. TO SATISFY THE MASSES . . . (32-34): A newspaper headline shocks Matt's world: Daredevil is Matt Murdock??? Wilson Fisk swears on his life that he didn't leak it, and Matt has reason to believe him. But who? With his career on the line and even the possibility of legal ramifications, the blind lawyer fervently denies being Daredevil. Which um... goes as well as you'd expect.
/ primary inspirations are Brian Michael Bendis & Ed Brubaker's runs.
VII. TO BE CONTINUED. . . (34-36): I'm writing this one up when I want to actually write it lmao. But it'll be the most recent one I write.
/ primary inspirations are Mark Waid & Charles Soule's Daredevil runs.