AsDaredevil, Matt Murdock surrounds himself with incredibly strong allies. When it comes to physical strength, Daredevil’s allies rank among the strongest on the Marvel roster. He has no problem sharing the streets of New York City alongside them. When necessary, he’s even been known to share his mask, allowing his most trusted allies to take up the Daredevil mantle whenever Hell’s Kitchen’s lead hero is M.I.A.
Being a superhero can’t be a solo mission, and while that usually yields to team-ups and collaborations among superheroes, heroes like Daredevil aren’t afraid to hand his mantle to another hero in his place. It’s a rare practice to find in the superhero community, but not unheard of. Oftentimes, for at least a temporary basis, heroes will take up the mantles of other heroes for one reason or another, likewhen Nightcrawler became Spider-Man. In other instances, someone new emerges from a fallen hero’s mantle to continue their legacy.
8Elektra Natchios: The Rise of the Woman Without Fear
Daredevil#25 by Chip Zdarsky, Marco Checchetto, Mario Menyz, and VC’s Clayton Cowles
When naming heroes who become Daredevil, one would be remiss to leave Elektra Natchios out of the conversation. When Matt Murdock finds himself behind bars, her love for Matt and a desire to rid herself of darkness compels Elektra to carry out his mission. WhileElektra’s penchant for violenceis enough to strike fear in many men, Hell’s Kitchen needed its symbol of justice to carry out that mission properly. Ergo,Elektra adopted the mantle of Daredevil. Matt’s so impressed that once he’s free, Matt allows her to co-exist with him as a second Daredevil.
Since debuting as the Woman Without Fear, Elektra has proven herself to beone of the best Daredevils, arguably surpassing Matt. Meanwhile, her background as an assassin and martial arts training supersedes that of Matt’s.On a technical level, she’s at least better skilled than Matt Murdock is, but when it comes to physical strength, both characters are on more or less the same level as average humans. She doesn’t have any enhanced senses or increased strength, but what she lacks in strength, Elektra makes up for in pure, unadulterated grit and determination.
7Tim Urich: The Daredevil With the Biggest Heart
Daredevil: End of Days#1-8 by Brian Michael Bendis, David Mack, and Klaus Janson
If the name Tim Urich sounds familiar, that’s because it should, as the young boy once played a prominent supporting role during Brian Michael Bendis' run on Marvel’s mainlineDaredevilseries. After suffering abuse at the hands of his father, Buford Lange, Tim was able to help Daredevil defeat his dad, better known as Leap-Frog.The boy would then come into the custody of Ben Urich and his wife, Doris, and upon being adopted, it would appear as if his story ended there. In many ways, it does, but that’s the beauty of Marvel’s illustrious multiverse.
Thanks to the vast scope of the multiverse, readers are occasionally shown possible futures. In one such future, Matt Murdock is brutally killed by Bullseye after a grueling one-hour and forty-five-minute battle.To ensure Hell’s Kitchen isn’t without its Guardian Devil, 16-year-old Timothy picks up the mantletobecome Daredevil’s replacement. As a teenager with no proper training, Timothy Urich is the weakest Daredevil. Granted, Matt quietly prepared Tim as his replacement by training him in secret. Matt dies before training is complete, although it’s implied that Matt and Black Widow’s child, Mapone, will one day finish training Tim.
6Iron Fist: TheCivil WarDaredevil
Daredevil#82 by Ed Brubaker, Michael Lark, Frank D’Aarmata, and VC’s Cory Petit
Danny Rand and Matt Murdock first meet under ironic circumstances. Long before Foggy Nelson learns that his blind best friend is Daredevil, he hires Luke Cage (then known as Power Man) and Iron Fist as Heroes for Hire to protect Matt Murdock after he’s ambushed by goons. Matt would constantly insist that he didn’t need protection, and over time, as they got to know each other, Danny would finally believe him. It wouldn’t be until years later thatIron Fist would take up Daredevil’s mask after Matt finds himself in prison, leaving Hell’s Kitchen defenseless against evil.
Few readers realize that Danny Rand was the Daredevil featured during Marvel’sCivil Warevent, a fact that wasn’t revealed until much later. His brief time wearing the cowl proved that even ifMatt Murdock’s vigilante days were over, the Daredevil legacy could still live on. As the Iron Fist, Danny brings a unique source of power that most other Daredevils lack. However, there’s a key difference between inherited strength and mystical energy. Without the power of the Iron Fist, Danny isn’t nearly as physically strong as Matt or some of his other successors.
Iron Fist and Power Man are hired to protect Matt Murdock inDaredevil#178 by Stan Lee, Klaus Janson, Glynis Wein, and Joe Rosen.
5Eric Nelson: The Future Daredevil
2099 A.D. Genesis#1 by Warren Ellis, Dale Eaglesham, Scott Koblish, Mike Thomas, and Jon Babcock
There have been multiple future iterations of Daredevil, and even multiple men to claim the Daredevil 2099 title, but nothing beats the original.Marvel’s forgotten Daredevilis Eric Nelson, who, like Matt Murdock, has enhanced senses.The difference being that, for Nelson, these powers are overwhelming.It’s difficult for him to even leave his home without his suit, which also functions as a dampening device that helps him manage and interpret his overwhelming senses. Otherwise, every sense of smell, sight, hearing, taste, and touch is far too overstimulating for him.
Although his appearances since his debut as Daredevil are sparse, Eric Nelson has recently returned to the Daredevil 2099 mantle in theSpider-Man 2099: Dark Genesisseries.
Like Matt Murdock, Eric Nelson’s Daredevil isn’t known for exceptional physical strength, though his enhanced senses technically place him in the superhuman category. However,the sheer intensity of Eric’s senses suggests that his sensory abilities surpass even Matt’s.Despite there being no direct connection between them, aside from both being lawyers in their respective timelines, Eric struggles far more with managing his powers. While Matt has learned to live in balance with his heightened senses in both his civilian and superhero lives, Eric finds that kind of coexistence nearly impossible.
4Samuel Fisk: Kingpin’s Grandson
Daredevil 2099#1 by Robert Kirkman, Karl Moline, Mike Perkins, Rick Magyar, Nick Bell, and Dave Sharpe
Sam Fisk is the other Marvel character to adopt the Daredevil 2099 mantle, and by comparison, Fisk might be the most surprising. Matt Murdock’s arch-rival, Kingpin,created the future Daredevilas Sam carries the legacy of Wilson Fisk. It’s not a legacy he was ever proud of. While he never met his grandfather before Wilson killed Matt in this universe, Sam’s father proudly spouted about the"Fisk Family Triumph"whenever possible, sickeningSam to the point it endeared him more to Daredevil’s legacy than that of his family’s.
Out of guilt, he’d use his family fortune to invest in the technology necessary to fight crime, becoming more of a 2099 equivalent to Batman than Daredevil.Like Batman, Fisk utilizes money as a form of superpower.He may never be the strongest in the fight, but the gadgets he has make up for it, as does the years' worth of training in multiple fighting styles that his fortune has afforded him. Not to mention, he still carries that signature Kingpin rage that allows him practically superhuman levels of strength, hence how he pummels a Sentinel with his bare hands.
3Peter Parker: The Spider-Man Daredevil
Amazing Spider-Man#566 by Marc Guggenheim, Phil Jimenez, Mark Pennington, Chris Chuckry, Jeromy Cox, and VC’s Cory Petit
During the “Kraven’s First Hunt” arc, Peter Parker’s roommate, Vin Gonzales, found himself masquerading as Spider-Man in Peter’s costume, only to be mistaken for the real deal. Peter, needing to search the city for Vin, is unable to do so without his own costume. This is where hislong-standing friendship with Daredevil comes in handy.Peter asks Matt Murdock to borrow his Daredevil suit, and he doesn’t stop there. Spider-Man goes even further by impersonating Daredevil, visiting the police station to find out Vin’s whereabouts. In doing so, Peter becomes one of the most unlikely yet capable men to ever don Daredevil’s suit.
On his own merits,Spider-Man has rightfully earned the reputation of being one of the strongest heroes in the Marvel Universe.To outperform Spider-Man, Daredevil would have to surpass his own limits and skillset, something few Marvel superheroes are capable of doing when the bar is set by Spider-Man. It is constantly expressed in the comics that, due to his pure heart, Peter is always holding himself back and pulling his punches. Whenever he stops holding back on rare occasions, the feats of strength and rage from Spider-Man have been seen to be downright scary.
2Ray Connor: The Daredevil Turned Vampire
Ultimate Avengers#13 by Mark Millar, Steve Dillon, Andy Lanning, Matt Hollingsworth, and VC’s Cory Petit
Per the aftermath ofUltimatumfrom the original Ultimate Universe, Daredevil was dead. In his place, on paper at least, youngRay Connor was Daredevil’s perfect replacement. Much like Matt before him, Connor was involved in an (admittedly unspecified) accident that took away his sight but gifted him an enhanced sense of everything else. Seeing the same potential in Ray that he saw in Matt when the latter first had his accident, Stick visits the boy at St. Mary’s Hospital on the Upper East Side of New York City with the promise that he’ll teach him to hone his senses.
Ultimatumis best described as a nuclear rampage orchestrated by an infuriated Magneto, resulting in the deaths of several superheroes, including Daredevil. The bulk of the story takes place inUltimatum#1-5 by Jeph Loeb and David Finch, but there are multiple tie-in comics released at the time that further elaborate on the carnage.
Stick also trains Ray on how to fight, but one thing that Stick doesn’t train Ray for is how to fend off vampires. It costs them both once they’re attacked, bitten by, and turned into vampires. After a handful of issues, he burns to death in the sunlight.It’s a tragic final fate for the new Daredevil, ending his superhero run before it even starts.Vampires are incredibly strong in the Marvel Universe, hence why they have such a problematic reputation in its lore. Their immense power makes them seem dangerous, and instantly makes Ray one of the strongest Daredevils.
1David Jarrett: The Immortal Daredevil
Earth X#2 by Alex Ross, Jim Krueger, and John Paul Leon
Most superheroes immediately decide to fight crime after gaining superpowers, but David Jarrett decided to become a stuntman instead. When the world is exposed to the Terrigen Mist, David is one of those whose life is changed forever by a mutation. David learns after dying for the first time that he has the power to regenerate.Driven by a constant desire to die, David becomes Daredevil.As a circus performer who engages in death-defying stunts to push his regenerative abilities to their limits, he hopes that one day he will finally meet death. NotThanos' would-be girlfriend, but the feeling of losing a pulse.
When he does engage in superhero duties, David battles supervillains, hoping that amidst the chaos, a lucky blow will bring about his end. It’s a bittersweet existence that he never chose, but it reveals his true strength. Daredevil is immortal, unable to escape his fate just as no one can stop him. Even if his limbs are torn to shreds, they regenerate. David Jarrett may be the strongest, most powerfulDaredevilto ever exist.
