20 Daredevil Comics You Need to Read

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Daredevil has always been one of the most compelling characters in Marvel Comics history because of his antihero qualities and his overall capabilities as a protagonist that you would want to root for. Of course, Daredevil has its own fair share of different comic book stories and issues that you may want to read. As such, let’s look at the best Daredevil comics that you need to read if you are a big fan of the live-action version of this superhero.

20. The Purple Children

If you want a good story to start with and if you are a fan of Daredevil, then it should be a good idea to begin with Mark Waid’s Daredevil because of how it allows you to get to know more about Matt Murdock and his overall personality. That’s because The Purple Children is where things like his chronic depression and his other personal problems catch up with Murdock, who has been in denial about his issues for a long time.

This version of Mark Waid’s Daredevil looks at what depression can do to even one of the strongest people, and that’s where it becomes interesting because it also allows you to see Daredevil himself experiencing the trauma experienced by The Purple Man’s telepathic children, who end up pushing him deeper and deeper into a depressive state. It’s the fact that it’s a dark and very relatable story that makes this comic book series so interesting.

19. The Return of Bullseye

The Return of Bullseye is also a part of Mark Waid’s version of Daredevil, as we get to see the hero getting pushed to his limits by the different villains that he encountered. And we also get to see one of the best introductions in the history of the Daredevil comics when Ikari was introduced as one of the villains in this storyline.

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Of course, this storyline is still all about Bullseye, who has been one of the most popular Daredevil villains of all time and is someone who pushes the hero to his very limits in an emotional sense. This is where we get to see how Matt Murdock has to control the darkness within him in a battle against one of the enemies that often keeps him on edge.

18. The Woman Without Fear

We often call Daredevil the man without fear, and it’s only right that there should be a Daredevil comic book series about a woman who is just as fearless as Matt Murdock himself. This is where we see Elektra becoming the woman without fear as she takes over Daredevil’s role as the protector of Hell’s Kitchen while Matt Murdock is in prison and is suffering from the consequences of being the Daredevil

What makes this storyline great and unique is that it isn’t all about Elektra’s adventures as the woman version of Daredevil but is also about seeing Matt Murdock struggling with the fact that he was imprisoned for being a vigilante. It allows us to see a complex storyline involving the different characters in this comic book series. Of course, this storyline also gives us a better look at how really good Elektra is.

17. The Devil in Cell Block D

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The Devil in Cell Block D is one of the most interesting Daredevil comics because of how it allows you to see what happens to him while he is in prison, following how his identity as Daredevil was exposed. In that regard, he is left there to try to protect himself against some of the villains who are also behind bars.

In that regard, Matt Murdock is left at one of the lowest points in his entire life. Then again, things become interesting when a new hero arrives and when the Punisher enters the picture. And while this may be a low point in Daredevil’s life, this seems to be one of the highest points in writer Ed Brubaker’s career because he was able to properly portray Matt Murdock in one of the worst situations a hero could ever be in.

16. A Touch of Typhoid

This storyline in Daredevil’s life seems to be one of the most intriguing ones because it tends to be something that goes against the status quo when you think about superhero comic book stories. That said, A Touch of Typhoid introduces a cool Daredevil villain named Typhoid Mary.

What makes this so interesting is that, while the villain was able to push Daredevil to his limits, Matt Murdock falls in love with the villain’s alter ego. Of course, this relationship between the hero and the villain becomes disastrous, as expected of any kind of relationship between people who don’t belong in the same world.

15. Parts of a Whole

Parts of a Whole is a Daredevil comic book series that allows us to get to know one of the most important characters in the hero’s life, and we’re talking about Echo, as this character first appeared in this storyline. The character first appears as one of the people working under Kingpin and is actually the crime lord’s adoptive daughter.

However, as the storyline proceeds, Echo’s encounters with Daredevil make things a bit more complicated because she falls in love with Matt Murdock. On top of that, she also discovers how Kingpin was involved in the death of her father. As such, this is one of the most compelling storylines in Daredevil’s history as a comic book character.

14. The Elektra Saga

One of the most popular characters in the history of Daredevil is Elektra, who became one of the top names in the Daredevil series of comic books because of her relationship with the hero and how she herself can stand up as a great character herself. And the character was redefined in the Elektra Saga, which is one of the most critical moments in the development of the Elektra character in Daredevil.

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In a sense, the Elektra Saga is a seminal moment in Elektra’s history because of how engaging and relatable the character’s story is. It allows you to see the different perspectives involved in this storyline as the comic books switch from one tone to another while blending different genres all in one series. This is why the Elektra Saga stands as one of the Daredevil comic book stories that you should read.

13. Hardcore

Hardcore is the storyline wherein we get to see Matt Murdock’s identity getting released to the public, and that means that he gets charged with murder due to the actions of Daredevil. This forces him to beat Kingpin in one of the best and most surprising displays of emotions in the history of the character. On top of that, as he basically beat Kingpin to a bloody pulp, he announced himself as the new Kingpin of the city.

In a sense, Hardcore is basically hardcore as we get to see a darker and gloomier side to the Daredevil character. Written by Michael Bendis, who also became one of the writers of Moon Knight, this is one of the best storylines you need to read if you are a true fan of Daredevil because of the very fact that it allows you to see a different side to the hero.

12. Man Without Fear

You probably already know that Daredevil has always been called the man without fear, and the Man Without Fear storyline is basically a different version of the character’s origin story. This time, you get to see Matt Murdock’s childhood up to the time that he became a masked vigilante that wore a black costume instead of the traditional Daredevil outfit he is often seen wearing.

Of course, if you’ve seen the Netflix version of the character, Matt basically wore this black costume for an entire season, as the show’s creator admitted that he drew inspiration from this comic book storyline. And you’ll understand why this is one of the most influential character origin stories in the history of Marvel when you get to read the comic book.

11. End of Hell

Matt Murdock has always been known as a hero that doesn’t kill because he still has a moral compass despite his apparent brutal way of handling criminals. However, End of Hell allows us to see Matt accidentally killing a thief because he wasn’t in action for a very long time and is still trying to get his usual rhythm back. Nevertheless, he ends up suffering from his actions while slowly getting back to his former self in this storyline.

End of Hell also allows us to see Daredevil teaming up with Elektra once again to take down Mayor Fisk and the rest of the organized crime underworld in Hell’s Kitchen. Of course, this comic book storyline also allows us to see the people of Hell’s Kitchen actually fighting a squad of villains while following a redeemed Daredevil’s lead in an explosive storyline that you are going to relate to on a personal level.

10. End of Days

End of Days is a different take on the Daredevil story because of how it takes place in an alternate future that tells the story of what would happen had Matt Murdock been killed by Bullseye, his greatest enemy. In that regard, Daredevil leaves behind a large legacy that needs to be filled at the End of Days storyline.

In this storyline, Daredevil whispered the word “Mapone” upon his death, and this sets a reporter to uncover the mystery behind the word that Murdock uttered in his final moments. That said, he uncovers some of the different enemies and friends that Murdock as Daredevil made throughout his career. And the trail leads to a new Daredevil that was trained by the first one so that he could someday follow the legacy left by matt Murdock himself.

9. Devil at Bay

Devil at Bay is headed by Mark Waid, who wrote some of the finest Fantastic Four storylines of all time, and we get to see him using his skills as a storyteller in Devil at Bay, which is also one of the best Daredevil stories you will ever see in your life. And you’ll find that this version of Daredevil is something that’s easier to swallow because of how cheerful and funny he is compared to the darker and gloomier versions that some other comic books tend to portray.

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That said, the refreshing change that we see in Daredevil in Devil at Bay allows us to have a new outlook on the character, especially when you factor in the pace and setting of the entire storyline. Murdock also relocates to the west coast in San Francisco to give a new take on the character, especially when you consider the fact that the New York setting was actually quite gloomy in some instances.

8. Roulette

Roulette is one of the storylines that will allow us to see how far Daredevil is willing to take his moral code, especially when his personal life is now tested. In this storyline, Elektra was murdered by Bullseye, and this pushes Daredevil’s strict moral code to the limit when he decides to visit the villain in the hospital to play a friendly game of Russian roulette.

While playing with Bullseye, Daredevil made the villain feel a taste of his own medicine while tempting him with the prospect of the character dying. This allows you to see a different side to the character. But of course, there is a refreshing twist at the end of the storyline, as you’ll understand that not even the death of a lover will force Daredevil to the brink of self-destruction.

7. Daredevil vs. Punisher

The superhero vs. superhero storyline will never become overplayed in comic books because we get to see what makes the characters so different from one another. In that regard, the Daredevil vs. Punisher storyline is a unique take because of how you’ll get to understand what separates Daredevil from a cold and brutal character like the Punisher.

In this storyline, the Punisher wants to summarily execute a criminal, but Daredevil tries to stop him from doing so because, while he may be blind, he doesn’t see things in black and white. This will allow you to see some fight scenes between the characters while also learning more about how they think, especially when it comes to how morally different they are from one another. And because of how influential this conflict is, they actually ended up clashing in the live-action series adaptation.

6. Guardian Devil

The Guardian Devil arc in Daredevil is one of the most iconic stories in the history of the character because of how it allows you to see a more controversial side to the story, especially when it comes to how Karen Page was used in this storyline. Without spoiling too much, Karen was killed off as a prop to set up the stage for Daredevil’s character development, and that move was as controversial as any move can get.

Nevertheless, the writers did a heck of a job in how Catholic themes were used to dive deeper into Daredevil’s personality, especially because his religion was portrayed to be a big part of what makes him unique. In a sense, there are a lot of philosophical themes used in this storyline while allowing us to see the different internal conflicts that Matt Murdock had to undergo throughout Guardian Devil.

5. Echoes

Echoes is another one of the most character-defining storylines in the entire Daredevil character history, especially when you consider how important Echo is to Daredevil. In this regard, this Daredevil arc focuses a bit more on Echo because you get to understand the character’s amazing and fascinating origin.

What we really love about Echoes is the art style that was used to allow us to get to know the character a bit more as we get to see classic art utilized in this great yet tragic origin story of the Daredevil character. That said, we get to see how she was able to find herself getting adopted by Kingpin, who was responsible for killing her father.

4. Gang War

One of the most interesting villains in the entire history of Marvel is Kingpin because this is but an ordinary man who was able to rise to power as a crime boss and is strong enough to stand his ground against some of the strongest characters around. That said, Gang War tells a good story of how Kingpin became a Daredevil villain after starting out as a Spider-Man villain.

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The good thing about this story is that we get to see how the relationship between Daredevil and Kingpin is established and how this relationship continues to define their dynamic in the next years. And you’ll get to understand that the war going on between Matt Murdock and Wilson Fisk is more than just a physical one because they also try to take it to the mental stage, especially when it comes to their conflicts with one another.

3. Born Again

We have established the fact that Daredevil and Kingpin are mortal enemies and are always locking horns in the comic books. Of course, we aren’t short on storylines and arcs involving the conflicts between Matt Murdock and Wilson Fisk, as Born Again is easily one of the best comic book storylines written about the rivalry between Daredevil and Kingpin.

In this story, Karen Page reveals that Matt Murdock is Daredevil, and this makes it all the way to Kingpin, who uses this information against him. This allows you to see a more emotional battle between the two characters because of how Matt is at a low point in his life and how he is forced to rebuild from scratch after getting beaten down emotionally and physically.

2. Through Hell

Through Hell is one of the best storylines in the history of Daredevil because of the fact that we get to see Matt Murdock trying to atone for the sins that he committed during the Hell storyline. Actually, Through Hell is the compilation of all of the Hell storylines (including End of Hell) in Daredevil, as we get to see a different side to the character and how Murdock is looking to find a way to redeem himself following a mistake that was way beyond his moral code as a hero.

Of course, Wilson Fisk is also one of the most important characters in this storyline because of his involvement in how he was able to usher the entire war between Hell’s Kitchen and the crime gangs of New York. It’s another great Daredevil vs. Kingpin storyline that focuses more on the emotional side of Matt Murdock’s character. This means that it is a touching tale of redemption, and that is why it is one of the best comic book storylines ever written.

1. Last Hand

What we believe is the best Daredevil comic book ever written is a single issue, which is Daredevil #181, which is one of the most important moments in the history of the character. That is because this is where Matt Murdock had to undergo a drastic change in his life when Elektra went up against Bullseye but ended up getting killed. This was a surprising move on the part of the writers but it was one of the things that allowed Daredevil to become as popular as it is.

In a sense, this storyline was a huge shock to the readers during the 80s because of how Elektra was always a staple in Daredevil. Of course, the emotional aspect and the impact that this story arc had on the entire Daredevil character changed the course of the hero’s life. That is why this issue is one of the most influential ones in the history of Marvel Comics.

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