Matt Murdock

> Oh yeah, that blind guy gave me a contact card in case Spider-Man ever needed a lawyer. Wait, hold on... if he's blind, how did he know I was Spider-Man?
>
> Peter Parker talking about Matt Murdock, Marvel's Spider-Man.

**Matthew "Matt" Murdock** is a lawyer in Hell's Kitchen, New York City. He is the former co-founder of the law firm Nelson & Murdock: Attorneys At Law alongside his frequent collaborator and close friend Franklin "Foggy" Nelson, and later co-founder of the Dockmur & Terwals underground firm alongside Jennifer Walters. He is also known for his specialty in superhuman legal defense, in addition to his exploits as the crimefighting vigilante **Daredevil**.

## History

#### Early history

Raised in the neighborhood of Hell's Kitchen in New York City by his father Jack "Battlin' Jack" Murdock, Matthew Murdock was permanently blinded during childhood from a car accident that caused radioactive waste to be spilled directly into his eyes. However, in lieu of his eyesight, all of Murdock's remaining senses were heightened to superhuman levels, allowing him to manifest a "radar sense" that enabled him to visualize the world through touch, smell, taste and sound. His father would later be killed by a group of gangsters for refusing to throw a boxing match, orphaning Matt, and motivating him to train in order to hone his abilities and master control over his superhuman senses.

At some point, Matt would enroll into law school, while also coming into contact with fellow student Franklin Nelson, whom he nicknamed "Foggy". They would soon become close friends and working partners, establishing the firm Nelson & Murdock: Attorneys At Law to pursue legal defense for the helpless. Meanwhile, Matt himself would also don the costumed identity of "Daredevil", pursuing criminal justice outside the constraints of the law as a vigilante, in order to more directly contribute to eradicating New York's criminal element.

#### Meeting Peter Parker

At some point in time, Murdock came into contact with Spider-Man, another masked vigilante operating in New York whom he successfully recognized. This came as a shock to the hero as he had known of Murdock being blind. However, an unfazed Murdock would present Spider-Man with a contact card pertaining to his law firm in the event the hero needed any legal assistance in the future.

#### Eviction and reestablishment

Murdock and Franklin Nelson would later be evicted from their offices. However, Murdock would immediately use his relationship with fellow superhuman lawyer Jennifer Walters (also known as **She-Hulk**, the cousin of an Avenger, **Bruce Banner/Hulk**), to establish a co-operated underground firm under the pseudonym "Dockmur".

## Characteristics

#### Appearance

Murdock is a red haired Caucasian adult, wearing a formal dress suit and sunglasses with red-tinted lenses as part of his civilian attire.

#### Personality

Murdock is said to be very articulate in his mannerisms and calculative in his social interactions, and has demonstrated his thorough knowledge and reach of the superhuman community, as evidenced by his successful deduction of his interaction with Spider-Man in spite of his blindness.

#### Powers and abilities

* **Radar Sense:** Despite losing his sense of sight, every other sense Matt Murdock possesses has been increased in range and power. Murdock possesses a "radar sense" that allows him to instantly visualize his surroundings based on touch or smell, in addition to his taste allowing him to point out individual ingredients in food.

## Original appearance

*For more background on Matt Murdock throughout comic book history, see **all appearances of Matt Murdock** and the **original appearance of Matt Murdock** on **Marvel Database**.*

Matt Murdock / Daredevil made his debut in *Daredevil* #1, written by Stan Lee and illustrated by Blll Everett, and published by Marvel Comics in April 1964. His original design was based on yellow, acrobatic attire worn by circus performers. An updated, red costume would debut in *Daredevil* #7, completely replacing the original yellow suit, and becoming synonymous with the character, while a black "origin" costume inspired by ninja clothing would be created for the revised origin story, *Daredevil: The Man Without Fear*, a five-issue limited series published in 1993, written by Frank Miller and illustrated by John Romita Jr.

In the comics arc "Gang War", beginning with *Daredevil* #170 and concluding in *Daredevil* #180, the character Kingpin, previously featured as an antagonist in stories associated with Spider-Man, would be firmly established as Daredevil's primary archenemy. Spider-Man himself would also become a prominent working partner and friend to Murdock, first appearing as a supporting character in *Daredevil* #16 in May 1966,

## Behind the scenes

Thus far, Matt Murdock has not made any substantial physical appearances in the *Marvel's Spider-Man* series, but his former offices at Nelson & Murdock: Attorneys At Law is a recurring landmark across both games, in addition to Murdock himself making a cameo appearance in the comic book adaptation, *Marvel's Spider-Man: City At War*, and a pictured appearance alongside Franklin Nelson in *Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales*. He was also mentioned in passing during the events of the prequel novel *Marvel's Spider-Man: Hostile Takeover.*

1. ↑ *Marvel's Spider-Man: Hostile Takeover* Chapter 1
2. ↑ *Marvel's Spider-Man* script
3. ↑ *Marvel's Spider-Man: City At War* #2
4. ↑ *Marvel's Spider-Man* script
5. ↑ Miller, Frank and Janson, Klaus, *Daredevil* #170: "The Kingpin Must Die!" (Feb. 1981)
6. ↑ "Enter... Spider-Man!" *Daredevil* 16 (May 1966), Marvel Comics