Daredevil (Marvel)

'''Daredevil is a fictional character, a superhero who appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Bill Everett, with an unspecified amount of input from Jack Kirby,[1] and first appeared in Daredevil #1 (April 1964).'''



Living in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood of New York City, Matt Murdock is blinded by a radioacti

'''ve substance that falls from an oncoming vehicle. While he no longer can see, the radioactive exposure heightens his remaining senses beyond normal human ability. His father, a boxer named Jack Murdock, supports him as he grows up, though Jack is later killed by gangsters after refusing to throw a fight. After donning a yellow and black, and later a dark red, costume, Matt seeks out revenge against his father's killers as the superhero Daredevil, fighting against his many enemies including Bullseye and the Kingpin.[2] Daredevil's nickname is "the Man Without Fear".[3] '''

'''Although Daredevil had been home to the work of many legendary comic-book artists — Everett, Kirby, Wally Wood, [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Romita,_Sr. John Romita, Sr. ], and Gene Colan, among others — Frank Miller's influential tenure on the title in the late 1970s and early 1980s is particularly remembered, having cemented the character as a popular and influential part of the Marvel Universe. Daredevil has since appeared in many various forms of media including several animated series, video games, merchandise, and a 2003 feature-length film'''

==Powers and abilities==

'''Although blind, the character's remaining four senses function with high levels of superhuman accuracy and sensitivity, giving him abilities far beyond the limits of a sighted person; few know that the hero cannot see. Daredevil developed a sonar sense, which is similar to echolocation. According to Stan Lee, due to the fact that Murdock's sensory organs have a superhuman level of development, his inner ear, which controls the equilibrium and motions of the body, is also preternaturally developed, aiding him in acrobatic feats that surpass even Olympic-level athletes.'''

'''When Frank Miller expanded most of Daredevil's abilities, he attempted to make them "extraordinary enough to be exciting, but not on par with Superman", noting Superman's distinctly unbelievable powers. When Miller joined the title in 1979, the first thing he did to the character was "revamp" his radar sense and made it less distinct and more believable; he wanted Daredevil to have the "proximity" sense that most martial artists claim to have. Because of this, he created an ability for Daredevil to hear the Hulk's heartbeat four blocks away. Due to the character's sensitive sense of touch, Daredevil can read by passing his fingers over the letters on a page. (though laminated pages prevent him from reading the ink) Daredevil has also commonly used his superhuman hearing to serve as a lie detector for interrogation by listening for changes in a person's heartbeat. However, this ability can be fooled if the other person's heart is not beating at a natural rate, such as if they have a pacemaker.'''

'''However, just as Daredevil's other senses are stronger, they are also sensitive; his main weakness is his vulnerability to powerful sounds or odors that can be used to temporarily weaken his radar sense. This weakness is often used to immobilize Daredevil if he were bombarded by too much sound, which will cause him great pain and disorient him. Additionally Daredevil needs to detect something with his radar to know it is there or it will remain invisible to him, which makes it possible to have something get past his radar if he is unable to detect it. In one instance the hallucinogenic drug that Mysterio created was designed with no taste or smell so Daredevil could not tell he was drugged until he consulted Doctor Strange who was able to discover it from the small cross that Mysterio gave to Daredevil in disguise which contained the drug and magically cured him.'''

'Though he has no superhuman physical'' attributes beyond an enhanced sense of balance, Daredevil is a master of martial arts. Having been trained by Stick, Daredevil is a master hand-to-hand combatant. His typical moves are unique blends of the martial arts of Ninjutsu, Aikijujutsu, Jujutsu, capoeira, Judo, Aikido, wrestling and stick fighting combined with American-style boxing while making full use of his gymnastics capabilities.'''

'''Daredevil's signature weapon is his specially-designed billy club, which he created. Disguised as a blind man's cane in civilian garb, it is a multi-purpose weapon and tool that contains thirty feet of aircraft control cable connected to a case-hardened steel grapnel. Internal mechanisms allow the cable to be neatly wound and unwound, while a powerful spring launches the grapnel. The handle can be straightened for use when throwing. The club can also be split into two parts, one of which is a fighting baton, the other of which ends in a curved hook.'''

'''In his civilian identity, Murdock is a skilled and respected attorney with an encyclopedic knowledge of law, especially New York statutes. He is also a skilled detective, tracker, and interrogation expert, as well as being an expert marksman.'''