BIOGRAPHY -- Page 3
[Note: Daredevil’s origin has been revisited through several mini-series over the years, each adding new details and revisions to the original tale. Many additions are outright contradictory to each other, but some could fit within the original continuity without much fuss.
Daredevil: The Man Without Fear #1-5 added several details to the origin. Jack Murdock was now a mob enforcer working for the Fixer when he wasn’t in the ring. It expanded on 
Stick’s early training of Matt as a potential Adept for the Chaste. However, it depicted Jack Murdock’s death as taking place before Matt even graduated high school. Matt hunted down Fixer, Slade and their men as a teenager in a ski mask, not as Daredevil. While tracking the last thug, Angelo, to a brothel, Matt accidentally pushed a prostitute out the window to her death when the women attacked him. This one element would eventually make it into regular continuity. Also, Matt and Foggy initially went their separate ways after law school, with Matt getting a job at a Boston law firm. A case led him back to New York and Hell’s Kitchen where he broke up a child trafficking ring overseen by an early Kingpin henchman named Larks, leading to him becoming Daredevil and reuniting with Foggy. His first billy club was a police truncheon stolen from an officer when he was a kid, and he wore a black set of clothes and blindfold-bandanna which have been adopted for many early stories and revisions of Daredevil in different media.
Daredevil: Yellow #1-5 was mostly consistent with the original stories, although it rearranged several of Daredevil’s early cases and re-contextualized them. Early encounters with Karen Page showed she was responsible for nicknaming him “The Man Without Fear” and suggesting a red costume. Also, initial charges made against Slade and the Fixer for Battlin’ Jack’s murder immediately after the event were dismissed thanks to their high-priced lawyer and (implicitly) the judge taking a bribe. This failure of justice is what pushed 
Matt to become Daredevil and work outside the law. After being caught by Daredevil, Slade was convicted of Jack’s murder and sentenced to death by electrocution. Even on death row, he refused to tell Matt who was pulling the Fixer’s strings, implying the Kingpin had been bankrolling Sweeney and Slade’s racket. However, Daredevil (2nd series) #66 indicated Fisk’s predecessor Alexander Bont owned Fogwell’s Gym and directed the Fixer’s operations.
Next, Daredevil: Battlin’ Jack Murdock #1-4 told the origin through the eyes of Matt’s father. In this story, Jack and Maggie were never married. Maggie got pregnant and left baby Matt 
with Jack, joining the convent because of her “sin” of conceiving a child out of wedlock. Jack was already a mob enforcer for the Fixer before Matt was born. He tried to get away from the mob life and his alcoholism because of Matt, while also developing a relationship with Josie, the local bartender. Fixer’s men were afraid Jack wouldn’t throw the big fight, so they threatened Matt and roughed Jack up at Fogwell’s Gym. A masked Matt drove off Slade and his enforcers. During the match, Jack realized Matt was his masked protector, and that he didn’t need to protect his son anymore. Josie got the money to buy Josie’s Bar from betting on Jack, and he died laughing at what would happen to Slade and the Fixer if they ever tried to go after his boy.
One final confusing tale comes from Daredevil (4th series) #15.1. This story supposedly took place early in Daredevil’s career when he still wore his original costume. It was intended as the first time Matt Murdock, esq. was forced to confront the consequences of Daredevil’s vigilantism in court. He was assigned a pro bono case defending a man wrongfully arrested for a murder after Daredevil caught him near the scene with a gun. The man was innocent, and both Matt and Daredevil worked to prove it. This story showed a Matt Murdock with no experience in criminal law, assigned the case by his senior partner at Hutching & Wheeler, a law firm he apparently worked at before going into business with Foggy. This doesn’t match existing continuity and was further confused by the mention of super-villains like Shocker, who debuted long after Matt changed to his red costume.]
As Nelson & Murdock got off the ground, the fledgling firm got their first big client… literally, in the form of Benjamin J. Grimm, the ever-lovin’ blue-eyed Thing. The Fantastic Four were renewing their lease at the Baxter Building and wanted a lawyer to review the contract before they signed. Daredevil was out thwarting a car theft ring but, when Matt Murdock got back to the office, Foggy and Karen told him about their exciting new client. Karen had also taken the initiative to write to an eye specialist she knew from back home. The doctor believed it was possible to cure Matt’s blindness with an operation. Matt secretly feared losing his other enhanced senses if his sight was restored, limited his effectiveness as Daredevil, so he was nowhere near as enthusiastic as the perky secretary expected.
Matt left to examine the Baxter Building while the Fantastic Four were in Washington D.C. At the same time, the super-villain Electro happened to force his way into the FF’s headquarters, hoping to find scientific secrets he could sell on the black market. Matt detected Electro and changed into Daredevil to confront the burglar. Daredevil held his own well against his first super-powered foe, but Electro soon caught him off-guard and zapped him unconscious. The Living Dynamo chose to dispose of Daredevil by launching him into space aboard one of the Fantastic Four’s rockets. Matt 
regained consciousness and miraculously guided the rocket blindly back down to earth in a safe landing at Central Park. Daredevil returned to chase Electro from the Baxter Building towards the theatre district. They battled in the rafters until Daredevil knocked Electro off balance and trapped him under a heavy curtain. The police arrived and kept the villain dowsed wet and short-circuited, taking him into custody. [Daredevil (1st series) #2]
Matt Murdock’s (and Daredevil’s) next case arose from the shady business financier, Leland Owlsley. Known as the Owl of Wall Street, the criminal had arranged for his accountant Gregory Grey to be framed for fraud if his own dealings ever came to light, and Grey committed suicide in traffic rather than face indictment. The Owl had been over-confident, however, as he still came under suspicion for both fraud and the circumstances of Grey’s death. The egotistical Owl refused to believe the police could make a case against him, even after being hauled downtown, and so he chose to hire a lawyer at random from the phone book. Foggy Nelson’s sharp instincts led him to reject representing the Owl, but Matt insisted every man deserved representation and agreed to appear in court. Besides, as Daredevil, he had his own suspicions about the Owl and wanted them confirmed or denied.
Murdock got the Owl released on bond, but his senses detected Owlsley was lying when he agreed to appear for his hearing the next morning. Indeed, Owl had decided to abandon any pretense of legitimacy and become a crime boss, hiring henchmen named Ape and Sad Sam. He intended to kidnap Matt Murdock and force him to become the gang’s criminal lawyer. At Nelson & 
Murdock the next day, Matt picked up the Owl’s odor and made an excuse to get Foggy out of the office. He changed clothes and confronted the Owl’s men as Daredevil. Unfortunately, Karen returned to the office and Owl was able to seize her as leverage against Daredevil. Matt and Karen were brought to the Owl’s Aviary as prisoners and strung up in separate bird cages. Daredevil got them both free, although he mistakenly used Karen’s name, arousing her suspicions. Daredevil fought the Owl while Karen ran for the police, who soon surrounded the Aviary. The Owl used his flight power to escape their dragnet and reach a speedboat, but Daredevil sabotaged the propeller with his cane. The Owl submerged, leaving his fate unknown for the time being. [Daredevil (1st series) #3]
One day, Matt Murdock was accosted on the streets by a group of thugs. The amazing Spider-Man came to the blind lawyer’s rescue, and Matt was intrigued by the web-slinging hero. When 
Karen and Foggy suggested a trip to the circus, Matt agreed to go along, once he heard Spider-Man would be headlining. As it turned out, the Ringmaster and his Circus of Crime had only promised Spider-Man’s appearance to draw a big crowd. Ringmaster’s hypnotic top hat placed the entire audience in a deep trance, including Spider-Man, who innocently showed up. The sightless swashbuckler was unaffected by the hypnotic swirls, though, and changed into Daredevil to confront the criminals. Ringmaster commanded Spider-Man to fight Daredevil, but DD outmaneuvered his sleepwalking opponent and stole the Ringmaster’s hat, releasing Spider-Man from his control. Daredevil allowed the fighting-mad Spidey to mop the floor with the remaining circus trope, making an appreciative new friend in the process. [Amazing Spider-Man (1st series) #16]
Nelson & Murdock received a call asking for an appointed lawyer for a man accused of bank robbery. The man, named Killgrave, had the unusual defense of claiming the clerk just gave him the money when he asked. Matt accepted the appointment as Foggy was busy, and Karen asked to come along to see her employer practicing firsthand. At the jail, Matt discovered the Purple Man named Killgrave emitted an aura of palpable evil to his senses. Bored with entertaining the judicial system, the Purple Man simply told the guard to release him from his cell. True to Killgrave’s earlier claim, the guard did exactly what he was told. Matt could feel Killgrave emitting a power that sapped the will of those nearby. A combination of his enhanced senses and iron will enabled Matt to resist Killgrave, but only just. Matt was forced to play along as the Purple Man told him to remain at the jail and commanded Karen to be his new traveling companion. 
Once he could get away without arousing suspicion, Matt changed into Daredevil and pursued Killgrave and Karen. The Purple Man was fascinated by Daredevil’s ability to resist his power, and he ordered the crowd on the streets to attack the crime-fighter. Unable to locate Killgrave again, Matt returned to the law office and told Foggy the bad news. Foggy’s furious reaction made Matt realize just how strongly his partner felt about Karen. As Daredevil prepared for his next encounter with the Purple Man, Killgrave did the same. He acquired a gaggle of bodyguards from bodybuilders at the local gym, then demanded control of the Ritz Plaza hotel’s penthouse. Daredevil found Killgrave at the Ritz and outfought his entire team of bodyguards. The Purple Man regained the upper hand by commanding Karen to stand on the ledge of the balcony and prepare to jump at the slightest provocation.
While Daredevil worried for Karen’s safety, Matt Murdock was also concerned that Killgrave might technically go free even when caught, as it was no crime to simply ask for things. Using Killgrave’s overconfidence and a concealed tape recorder, Daredevil got Purple Man to explain his origins. Killgrave was a spy for a foreign power who tried to steal a new nerve gas from an Army depot, 
only to be accidentally exposed to the strange formula and gain the bio-chemical power to command men’s wills. With a recording of Killgrave admitting to treason in hand, Daredevil was confident he could bring the Purple Man to justice. He quickly separated Karen from Killgrave before returning for the final showdown. Using a chemically-treated shroud he prepared earlier, Daredevil wrapped Purple Man in the material which inhibited the transmission of his pheromonal power. The Purple Man was defeated, but now Matt Murdock had to reckon with the fact that he and his partner, his best friend, loved the same woman. [Daredevil (1st series) #4]
Daredevil’s next case involved the stylish criminal known as the Masked Matador. The Matador’s daring crimes and showmanship caused the public to attach a “Robin Hood” style image to him, despite his illegal acts. When the Matador turned up at a costumed party attended by Matt and Karen, Daredevil tried his luck at catching the criminal. The Matador’s agility and the chaos of the party environment flummoxed Daredevil’s radar sense, forcing him to experience an embarrassing and public loss. Matt was determined to rebuild his reputation, and to occupy his mind with 
something other than Foggy’s old-fashioned plans to propose to Karen. After some research, Matt deduced the Matador’s true identity as a disgraced bullfighter, and reasoned his ego was the key to beating him. Matt Murdock held a press conference announcing that the Matador was secretly Daredevil, an absurd claim that nevertheless made the Matador come to Nelson & Murdock to defend his pride. Daredevil was waiting for him, and this time Matt was ready for him. Daredevil lured the Matador into a public fight, which restored his reputation and disgraced the criminal before turning him over to the police. [Daredevil (1st series) #5]