Daredevil: Marvel's Most Cohesive Character
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- Опубліковано 22 чер 2024
- This essay is an in-depth exploration into the character of Daredevil/Matt Murdock, and I why I believe he is Marvel's most tightly written character.
Chapters:
Introduction: 0:20
Character Overview: 1:53
Aesthetics & Traits: 05:29
Religion & Ethics: 07:29
Conclusion: 12:15
Check out the rest of my content for more educational and philosophical stuff around writing and storytelling!
One factor that also allowed Daredevil to be so cohesive as character was all the great writers who worked on his titles (ex: Brian Michael Bendis, Ed Brubaker, Mark Waid, Chip Zsdarsky and, my personal favorite Frank Miller) with each one working with what the previous ones build rather than just ignoring it and doing their own stuff. The best exemple is Mark Waid's run and how he brought back the light-hearted swashbuckling tone of the 60's comics. Waid could just ignored the previous dark runs and have Matt already acting in this more fun upbeat attitude, but instead he made this change be part of Matt's development, with Matt reflecting about how much of mess his life became and trying to be more optimistic.
Daredevil is my favourite superhero to read. He is such a realistic depiction of a human imo.
My second favourite character in a similar regard is Cyclops. He never seems to backtrack like most other characters. Every bad decision remains a part of his life and his morality keeps getting challenged.
It's so much my favorite that I have him inked on my neck
One thing I've always appreciated about DD is his consistent faith throughout the years. There are countless villains, both in film and in comics, who are motivated by religion. It's good to have a character that uses faith as an impetus for good, rather than fanatical evil. Modern America is heavily biased against religion noawadays, so his kind of positive example is nice to still have.
I agree with this. But I do take issue with the fact that it dumbs down religion as faith of choice and personal, romantic interpretation, rather than something they hold true because of convincing power, and at least to some degree dictated by some consistent interpretation of the source material. In fact the former is often the reason the smarter among the anti-religion folk try to beat down on religion.
No sensible person dislikes religion for no reason, some people who believe in God are just assholes and some who don't too.
Lmao the faith wasn't even introduced until the late 80s
My favorite Marvel character, no competition.
same.
Fr
Charlie Cox is so insanely compelling, and the writers and supporting cast are amazing too. Its such a good show 😢
His conflict is what makes him so interesting. He’s constantly at odds with the laws of man, the laws of his faith, and the laws of his own vigilante code. Also by virtue of his religion, his stories thematically are typically much more mature and philosophically interesting than most superheroes, as his struggles with faith are a very relatable and realistic topic that can be explored and applies pretty universally unless you’re just a staunch atheist.
This is a great video! I feel like I've watched every daredevil video under the sun recently so it's wonderful to find one with a fresh take/topic of discussion. This was very well put together too
Glad you enjoyed it!
Daredevil is sooo cool! I love his character arc, his story, his supporting characters, his film was okay but his television show was AMAZING!
Such a well rounded hero!
That is an excellent essay, and you're right. Daredevil is cohesive. My WIP features a character that's just as cohesive. A brilliant super scientist with super strength and intelligence who tries to protect the city of Utopia.
lol, my WIP is just a kaiju comic about a kid who has access to a giant mech built with the help of his coworkers and fights against giant demons all while learning more about his family history.
@@projekttaku1 my WIP is both of you kissing
Daredevil is one of my favourite characters in marvel great video new sun!!
Personally I think Magik is the most cohesive character Marvel has. She dies for 20 years, comes back and her character arc doesn't miss a beat. I've never seen that happen with any other character in comics, and I doubt we will ever see it from any character to come. She gets her full character arc from beginning to end before they start to take her in different directions. You also don't have to go all over the place to follow her story. There aren't any retcons you have to worry about. Her timeline is also very straightforward.
Brother he is talking about the MCU
@@brownrice8503 No he's not.
@@ProcyonNite yes majority of the the time he was lol
@@brownrice8503 Not really. He was talking about Daredevil in general, and used the MCU as an example because the characterization is very similar.
My most cohesive character vote goes to my favorite character, Nightwing. Nightwing, as a character, represents a better Batman, and this is reflected in a few ways. One, in origin, Nightwing and Batman are almost identical. They both had their parents taken away at a young age by sheer fate and organized crime. The difference, however, is that Bruce didn't have anyone to guide him out of that dark place. Dick had Bruce, who was broken, but was still able to help Dick find his way out of the dark. Then, unlike Bruce, Dick is able to move past his trauma and becomes a pure symbol of hope who fights for (generally) less traumatic and self deprecating reasons. Even his name is part of his character, albiet a retroactive one. In more recent depictions, Nightwing gets his name from Superman (specifically a Kryptonian Legend), which shows how he gets the more positive aspects from the DC universe. Also contrasting Bruce, is the fact that he started the Teen Titans because he likes people and teamwork, which is opposed to Bruce who is usually a part time member. Wrapping this all together in a nice bow is his (post mulletwing era) costume. It's all black, with a blue eagle piercing through, showing how out of the darkness shines the brightest lights.
3:46 did you just assume that a blind guy needs flashlight to move in dark.😅😅, awesome video, keep them coming.
I love this video, but I will say that daredevil technically has two origin stories. The most well known being the Miller origin, in which his father dies after he’s blinded and Matt is an orphan, but his original origin has Matt’s dad die while he’s in college. In fact, in the original origin, Foggy Nelson knew Matt‘s dad.
I always interpreted Matt’s choice of the/a devil as his symbol as something else; in Judeo-Christian theology, the devil is never actually referred to as evil but instead a - and I think this is very interesting given his extensive and complex relationship with another Marvel hero - PUNISHER of evil, albeit with cruel(er) methods and I believe Matt, unlike a lot of religious folk, is aware of this truth
Interesting point, but not accurate. In the Bible, the devil is described as a tempter and the father of lies. He wants to corrupt and destroy God's order and encourage people to rebel against God. He is not a figure who judges or punishes evil like Hades, God alone is the Judge and the Devil himself will eventually be eternally damned.
The devil is definitely an evil entity not a punisher of evil. Hell is torture for the devil too
You are so ignorant it actually hurts. Please never insult Christians again by sitting on your high horse and pretending like you’ve read scripture. The devil is very clearly evil dummy.
What a name 💀
Where in the bible that is stated?@@katherinebare8212
I mostly agree with everything you said but I think that Batman shares the trait you mentioned. Like Daredevil his morals are extremely specific, I’d say even more so. Batman as a character (when he’s written well and faithfully) doesn’t just not kill people, he also refuses to permanently injure them. He’s very specific in how he’ll torture or interrogate someone. He has so many lines he won’t cross not out of faith but because of his belief that Gotham needs a symbol of hope and he knows that something like that takes very specific and complex morals to keep intact. He’s a symbol of fear to those who need to be afraid but the symbol of the Batman is also a symbol of hope to others. The light in the dark.
There's another quality of Daredevil that fits in with this cohesive hypothesis, which is IMO Daredevil just might be one of the more believable characters. No superhero is realistic, but sometimes believable.
Sometimes I think a Batman or Ironman character is even more unbelievable than characters with limitless powersets just because we know how fragile the human body is.
Daredevil as a Character with Superhuman Senses is not so campy and unbelievable as limitless powers. I do believe if there is one set of abilities that we could leverage science to develop in humans right now is Superhuman Senses. MK Ultra is arguably proof of this.
Daredevil is just Super enough to suspend our constructs of human fragility while maintaining a possibility of it happening. I don't know how, but it meshes with the cohesive principle you speak about.
This is how I feel about Spider-man 2099 from the Peter David run. Everything fits together so perfectly
Moon Knight is probably the other character in Marvel who is almost as linked to his setting as Daredevil is, and surprise surprise, Marc and Matt are both some of Marvel’s best characters
That was an educational essay
I really enjoyed watching it
“Least talked about” I don’t agree with that
The defenders show has made the character one of marvel’s most popular characters
After the X-Men, the Spider-Folks, the Avangers, the Fantastic Four and Ms. Marvel.
I would say he is still a lesser discussed character.
Yeah I mean he's one of the least talked about when you compare him to the main MCU Avengers, Spiderman, etc
@@AuthorsAnvil Seriously? After the awesome comic runs and tv show?
@@zemox2534 yes
This was a really high quality video.. why don't you have more subscribers? It's unfair lol.. hope you grow alot
fine I'll rewatch daredevil
I put together a Daredevil costume for comic con. It’s the classic comic version.
Another character that you just mentioned in video is Hawkeye. Both Hawkeye's are very consistent from run to run, but most writers drastically one, both, or their world changing, either drastically or subtly. Despite the writers changing the personality, motive, or even themes of these two characters, they transition from one theme, whether one writer finishes it in their run or it's left for the next person to complete the theme and to create a transition or new theme for the character to follow.
On the other side, Moon Knight is so inconsistent from run to run because his history and themes, like daredevil, are so complicated and in depth, with the difference being that moon knight's theme aren't related to each other. With talented writers examing the character; they can write cosmic horror, religious themes, family and friends dealing with DID, accepting DID, religious interaction, to international crime.
So if ya want to write more about Marvel's Consintent characters, I recommend analysing these two; one with drastic arcs, but the line between being solid allows for a smooth transition, while the other doesn't need consistent cohesiveness, because his themes don't interact with each other, allowing for the writers to jump around.
I really like this video: it reveals a lot of depth on the Matt Murdock/Daredevil character. I especially like the reasoning behind why he chooses to dress as the devil:
Is it to scare criminals like Batman?
Is it because he feels he's acting like the Devil with his violent lifestyle?
Is it meant to be a joke to himself? A devoutly religious man runs around dressed like the devil?
Maybe a combo of the above? He feels he's letting out his inner demonic side when he fights and terrorizes criminals, and he considers it one of the scariest things he can dress up as
Daredevil is one of my favorite characters in all of comics. I love his faith, something often overlooked for heroes. I love his stories, especially the Netflix show which is peak imk. Daredevil is what Batman isn't. He's a grounded hero who isn't given the thickest plot armor ever made.
In my honest opinion, Matt is like a more solid Batman, everything about him is a lot more concrete, his logic behind the no kill rule for example, Bruce doesn’t kill because he doesn’t want to become the person who killed his parents, while allowing a crazed clown to murder hundreds if not thousands, so it just ends up being a stupid scapegoat, but with Matt, he doesn’t kill because he’s a genuinely good person, because he doesn’t want to kill a killer because the amount would stay the same, Matt uses daredevil to express his evil side, to alleviate it, while Bruce EMBRACES his evil side, that being Batman
While that opinion is common, I wholeheartedly disagree. Batman doesn't kill because if he can justify the first kill, he can then justify the second, and the third, and then he becomes a monster. Batman is not Bruce's "evil side", Batman is the person Bruce wishes existed to save his parents from Joe Chill. Bruce literally became his childhood hero. Though I do agree that Daredavil is much more solid than Batman, however that might simply be due to Batman's popularity causing a disruption in his storylines
Wish we got that cool daredevil game back in the day that got cancelled
To me, Daredevil is a character that gets better with age. When I watched the movie as a kid in the early '00s, I of course thought he was cool. Not as cool as say Wolverine or The Hulk, but still cool.
But it was watching the Netflix series and reading more of the comics that solidified to me the Man Without Fear as one of Marvel's all-time greatest characters (and the best period in the MCU)
Make many more my man.
Who's your favourite marvel character?
Oooh tricky, it honestly flips between Spiderman, Wolverine, and now Daredevil!
He wears a devil costume because he didn't at first. And they called him The Devil of Hell's Kitchen. It's all for them.
I think its the first and third examples you use on why he wears that suit that represents the devil, he want to punish alot of terrible people by his actions where that gives fear and he said before in the show that he sees himself and father as a devil or atleast people called them devils in a way that he feels he really has the devil in him by all the violence he does and how apart of him sees himself as that insulting himself like that
The devil of Hell’s Kitchen is a sweet fit, but surely The Black Panther of Wakanda would also be sorta close.
P.s went searching comments for DD story recommendations, please drop any here if you have some, I’d really appreciate it.
Great video
I seen Matt’s costume as a form of letting out his demons so he dresses as one
I know they're from different brands but id love a daredevil Constantine cross over
Could you do the lion guard they count as superheroes
Shitty ass Disney jr superheroes
Do you think that Wolverine should have a new costume, and if you were to fix Wolverine to make him a better character, how else would you fix him?
I just wish there was a shorter muscular wolverine. Like in the comics. Supposed to be small bulky and nimble
Kingpin works out of New York, and that state does not have a death penalty. Not criticizing the video just letting everyone know not every state has the same laws in america.
His crime network is not limited to NY. He could be extradited to a place that has the death penalty.
2:12 Moon Knight: hold my truncheon.
Good video, but, like the Ben Affleck movie and even the Netflix series, it omits and/or inaccurately describes DD's "radar sense." Contrary to the Affleck film, it's not simply echolocation. In the comic books it's completely independent of his senses of hearing, smell, touch and taste (unless that's been retconned out of canon without my knowledge).
2:38 one of those cans of chemicals ended up in the sewers and created the ninja turtles.
It’s a thing look it up haha.
What I find baffling despite reading plenty of his comics (nowhere near all) is how he believes in the justice system and his religion despite both being challenged and factually proven uncertain or outright a scam… he sees Thor and Mephisto but believes in Jesus and sees Wilson Fisk manipulate the system to gain more power upon incarceration… yet he works within the system. Very interesting dilemma for a character but one that perplexes me
Hulk. Doctor Jeckle a man of science, Bruce banner a man of science. Radiation = Anger both hurting themselves those around them. Father Abuse tying into the Uncle Sams Military IndustrialComplex. Hulk is often depicted in a desert, where bombs are tested, and this can mirror the isolation angry people find themselves in.
How Bruce banner is often seen as the actual villain, not the monster, because he doesn’t handle his anger appropriately.
Ultimate power not only corrupting a Man, but turning him into a monster. The color of green for envy, green- but also nature- anger being a natural emotion to have.
5:57 two words. Captain America.
Ahh yes my favorite super hero.
Maybe just maybe…Ben from the thing I’d like to hear any debate fr
He got the devil Nick name from his dad.
This character is more complex than batman even frank miller has agreed to it
If Daredevil is the most cohesive can we say Spider-Man is the most adhesive?
Daredevil over Batman.
My explanation is this exact video. Cohesion and consistency. Batman just doesn't have that. I love both JLA Batman and just regular Batman but it's hard to believe that Batman can defeat ducking DARKSEID yet go to Gotham and struggle to catch the Joker. Ik Joker is smart but come on that's plain inconsistency. But as I said I love Batman but for this reason, Daredevil (who I think is very similar to Batman in tone especially) is a better character than Batman.
Daredevil's coherent story : Matt Murdock is a gloomy blind man who fights crime but would like to live a peaceful life.
Unfortunately for him every writer puts him in darker and darker situations trying to ruin his life more than the previous writers.
End of the story.
Always found “Man Without Fear” to be a weird name. If he had no fear he would take on Kingpin Day 1 and get smushed.
Lacking fear doesn't mean lacking common sense
i didnt like when he ran the hand
just felt like "wouldnt it be cool if" without actually thinking about it
Daredevil with Bruce Wayne's backstory would've been the absolute best
And Disney will f it up
I like to try and be positive about things, but at this point Disney makes it almost impossible to be so 😅
I try to remind myself the original daredevil season 1 was a script for an mcu film and the folks at marvel thought it was so good it deserved something better than an mcu film. Im hoping that same level of care for the character remains.
I don't think so. Disney originally developed daredevil and went to Netflix for the distribution.
Are you John Cena?
I wish...
Daredevil sounds and looks goofy, what makes his backstory so rough and tragic?
“He grew up in NYC Hell’s Kitchen”
There it is.
Also doesn’t the Bible say someone should be executed for murder? Kinda want to see DD to try to convince himself it’s ok to kill if they kill but thinks about how god let Cain go.