Daredevil vs. Captain America: Who Would Win & Why?

There are so many things that make Daredevil and Captain America such fan-favorite characters in Marvel Comics. They both have strict moral codes and incredible fighting skills but aren’t superhuman, per se, making them so relatable to the audiences. So, if Daredevil and Captain America ever fought, who would win, and why?

Captain America would win against Daredevil more often than not. They both have some advantages against the other, but Cap’s skills and more powerful equipment would eventually help him edge out a victory. If you look at their comic book history, Cap usually won their fights.

However, that doesn’t mean that Daredevil stands no chance against Steven Rogers. After all, Matt Murdock’s incredibly enhanced senses and hard training dubbed him The Man Without Fear, and he certainly has the necessary skills to match Cap. Let’s compare them in individual categories to see who would eventually win.

Physical Attributes

Steven Rogers was just a frail, small guy who wanted to be a soldier and serve his country. He agreed to undergo experiments with the Super Soldier Serum (SSS), which eventually turned Rogers into Captain America. He became a perfect specimen of a human being, both physically and mentally.

Now, his physical attributes aren’t superhuman, per se, but rather enhanced to the absolute peak of human capabilities. He’s stronger, faster, more durable, and agile than any other human in the world, including Olympic-level athletes.

His durability is also enhanced with a nice healing factor. It’s not on Wolverine or Deadpool’s level, but Captain America heals much quicker than other humans. A punch from Thanos would kill most humans, but Cap took them and kept fighting. His metabolism is also perfect, and due to the SSS, even if he took an unhealthy lifestyle, he’d remain in peak condition.

Additionally, Cap’s mental and cognitive abilities have been pushed to the absolute peak of human capabilities. He’s highly intelligent and incredibly mentally stable.

On the other hand, Matt Murdock is a blind individual who gained enhanced physical abilities not just from his accident but from meticulous training. Through training and mental focus, Daredevil can enhance his physical condition to peak human levels, matching Captain America. That includes strength (enough to tip over a car), speed, agility, stamina, and durability.

That being said, he does need to consciously work on enhancing those abilities instead of living with them 24/7. Daredevil is quite strong, and his balance is unmatched despite his blindness, but in terms of sheer physical attributes, Captain America comes out slightly on top.

Point: Captain America (1:0) Daredevil

Senses

Just as his physical attributes were enhanced to the perfect human state, Captain America’s senses are also at the peak human level. That includes his sight, smell, taste, hearing, and touch. However, despite his senses being at a peak, perfect human state, they’re nowhere near Daredevil’s.

Sure, Matt Murdock doesn’t have sight. However, his other senses are so enhanced that he can practically “see.” He can count the people in the room just by hearing their breathing and heartbeats and sense if they’re lying by their pulse changing. His senses are so enhanced that Daredevil can track down individuals when it’s pitch dark.

Also, Murdock has borderline superhuman reflexes, enough to dodge bullets from point-blank range. With training and focus, Daredevil also developed a form of echolocation, known as an additional radar sense.

It’s connected to his sonar sense. He can mentally project low radio wave frequencies that bounce off of objects around him, giving Matt an incredible perception of the surrounding objects. That’s how Daredevil “sees” despite being blind. However, he can only see outlines, not details such as, for instance, a human face.

Finally, Daredevil’s overall senses – combined with the other senses he developed – are so powerful that he can identify people simply by hearing the rhythm of their heartbeat, footsteps, smell, etc. 

In the beginning, Murdock had to learn how to control and absorb all the information he was getting from his senses so as not to get sensory overload. Despite not having sight, it’s really not even close when you compare who has the better senses between Daredevil and Captain America.

Point: Daredevil (1:1) Captain America

Additional Skills & Powers

I find it incredible how amazing both of these characters don’t really have some crazy superpowers but are still so epic due to their skillsets. Don’t get me wrong, they both have powers, just not on the level of other comic book superheroes.

Apart from his physical attributes and cognitive enhancements, Captain America’s biggest power is the combat skill he has. Cap is one of the best fighters in the world, prolific in numerous martial arts, having learned from the best of the best. Additionally, he has intense military training behind him.

Steven is a great leader and a masterful tactician and strategist. Also, his will is just outstanding, and he will never give up, regardless of how bad the odds are for Cap or his team. Rogers is an awesome acrobat, which he often uses in battle, and is proficient with numerous weapons, vehicles, languages, etc.

Daredevil, on the other hand, is also an incredible fighter – possibly one of the best in the world, but just not as good as Cap. Still, his other skills and powers more than make up for that.

Matt Murdock is a phenomenal attorney, often relying on the law instead of his fists. To add to it, he’s a very religious person, which keeps Murdock on the right path under a strict moral code, and a no-kill policy. 

Despite that, Daredevil is known as The Man Without Fear. It’s not that he doesn’t feel it at all, but he’s capable of ignoring such feelings to the point of almost not having them – bordering on sociopathic behavior. That makes Daredevil immune to fear toxins and even magical spells revolving around fear.

Apart from all the physical and sensory powers I’ve already mentioned, Daredevil is also immune to illusions and has exceptional telepathic resistance due to his training with Stick. Like Cap, Matt’s will is just as indomitable, and his acrobatics are possibly even better than Captain America’s.

Both of them have unique weapons and equipment hidden in their utility belts or costumes. Overall, both have some advantages that the other doesn’t have, so it’s only fair to give both points here.

Point(s): Daredevil (2:2) Captain America

Billy Club Vs. Shield

Daredevil and Captain America both don iconic signature weapons. For Matt Murdock, it’s his awesome multi-purpose billy club/baton. Sometimes, it’s in the form of a cane with numerous functions, including two shorter sticks that can be used separately or combined into one larger stick. 

It has a grappling hook, rope, chain, and other stuff that helps Daredevil on his vigilante missions. Murdock has enough strength to break concrete when throwing his billy clubs, but the best part about them – at least for Matt – is that he can use them to incapacitate the opponent without killing.

His billy club got a huge upgrade in War of the Realms Omega #1. The Keeper of the Bifrost made two batons out of Yggdrasil, the World Tree itself, as a sign of respect and gratitude for Daredevil and his help. But however powerful or iconic Daredevil’s batons and billy clubs are, I think nothing compares to Cap’s shield.

First of all, it’s made out of vibranium, the most powerful metal in the universe. That makes Captain America’s shield almost indestructible. Additionally, it has numerous features related to its vibranium properties, such as minimal wind resistance and bouncing off of objects without losing momentum.

I love Daredevil and his iconic billy clubs, but compared to Cap and his shield, there’s almost no other weapon in Marvel Comics I’d call more iconic. And, when it comes to power, there’s no comparing the two – it’s basically wood versus the most powerful metal in existence.

Point: Captain America (3:2) Daredevil

Comic Battles

Finally, if you want to know how a fight between two characters would go – look at what happened in their fights throughout their comic book history. Captain America and Daredevil confronted each other numerous times, and it’s usually Cap that comes out on top.

For instance, in Daredevil #43, Cap hosts a charity boxing event, in which a crazed Matt Murdock crashes. The two fight down an elevator shaft, and Daredevil eats a few hits, but before the fight gets even more serious, Matt comes to his senses and flees.

Another fight – which was probably the closest Daredevil came to a win, as far as I could find – came in Daredevil #2, when Matt stole Cap’s shield in the fight and fled yet again.

Then there was the one-issue storyline called Daredevil & Captain America: Dead on Arrival, where Daredevil was drugged and attacked Cap, thinking he was a monster. Cap beats him in a fight there as well.

There were other instances where Matt Murdock proved to be a more than worthy opponent. Still, we rarely get a conclusive fight between the two since both are quite morally pure and try to solve issues diplomatically.

Both have some wins against each other on their resumes, but if there’s at least a partially decisive outcome of their fight, it’s usually Captain America coming out on top.

Point: Captain America (4:2) Daredevil

Daredevil Vs. Captain America: Who Wins?

In the end, the scoreboard says 4:2 in Captain America’s favor, which is exactly how I’d see their fights go – Cap winning two out of three times. Sure, Daredevil’s immense training and extra senses would give him a big advantage in a one-on-one fight, but keep in mind that Cap has a stronger weapon and spectacular training of his own.

Also, he has military experience and incredibly strategic skills, so he’d certainly be able to develop a plan to defeat Daredevil if need be. Now, I still think Daredevil has a great chance to beat Cap as well – because he has a great chance against anybody one-on-one.

All he needs to do is take the fight into darkness or a poorly-lit area, and his sensory advantages would be too much to overcome. It’s almost impossible to catch him off guard, as Matt can hear your heartbeat and breathing, let alone movements.

Also, if the fight turns into a legal battle – as it did with the Superhero Act – I’m sure Murdock would find a way to beat Cap legally instead of physically. It wouldn’t be the first time he takes down his opponents in a courtroom, after all.

In the end, I think Captain America does have a slight advantage and would win more often than not, but if the fight happens on Matt’s territory, he could take it, too.