Essay | daredevil

Cullen McIntyre

Ms Barbara Barklow

Monsters & Misfits M4

19 December 2017

Good vs Evil in Marvel’s Daredevil

The idea of Good vs Evil is a basic concept of life. Since the dawn of time the concept of good or bad has played a strong role of life. In many religions, God is seen as the embodiment of all that is good, and the Devil or Satan is seen as all that is evil. Throughout history, good and evil have been fought over and debated about. In today’s culture, there are many different ideas of what is good and what is evil. In Netflix and Marvel’s Daredevil, it can be debated if Daredevil is good, or evil.

In the Daredevil TV Show, Daredevil’s true identity is Matthew Murdock. A lawyer who was blinded in an accident at a very young age. In this accident, Matt lost his sight, but gained extremely heightened senses that let him hear anything from long distances and see the world through his senses. After the passing of his father Matt is taken in by a man named Stick who teaches him how to fight using his senses. When he gets older and opens a law firm, he also becomes the masked vigilante, Daredevil.

Though Daredevil is seen as a hero, he has a dark side to him. “Murdock is well aware of the devil inside him. Like his father, he is all too capable of enjoying the violence he metes out, and his friends warn against this” (Henderson 148). Murdock’s father was a boxer, and he would let out this beast inside him when he fought that enjoyed hitting and being hit. In a scene in the first season, Murdock tells a man he is torturing, “I need you to know why I’m hurting you. It’s not just the boy. I’m doing this ‘cause I enjoy it” (Rainaldi). Though he enjoys hurting others, Daredevil saves innocent people and brings down the corruption in New York City. In the first season he takes down the ruthless crime lord Wilson Fisk who has control of most of the crime in Hell’s Kitchen. Though Fisk is the seen as the evil one, him and Murdock are similar, “Daredevil shows a world that is so morally troubled, and, looking at Daredevil and Fisk, violence is both the source of their problems and the remedy for it” (Rainaldi). Both Murdock and Fisk have this need to hurt physically, but the difference between them is that Murdock uses that need to do good in Hell’s Kitchen.

The second season of Daredevil delves more into his morality and beliefs. The character known as The Punisher introduced. The Punisher, Frank Castle, is an ex-marine whose family was in the wrong place at the wrong time and were all killed, leaving him as the lone survivor. He demanded vengeance and set out to kill everyone involved. The moral difference between Daredevil and The Punisher is, “The Punisher’s main distinction is that, although he is a protagonist in his story, he isn’t afraid to kill his enemies. This affinity for murder is a wonderful chance to further delve into Daredevil’s moral stance. Murdock’s desire to do right without going against what he believes in solidifies him as a hero” (Rainaldi). The Punisher is a character who is also morally questionable, but also shows light onto Daredevil’s morality.

Vigilantism is also a major role in the idea of Good vs Evil in Daredevil.

“Taking the law into one's own hands and attempting to effect justice according to one's own understanding of right and wrong; action taken by a voluntary association of persons who organize themselves for the purpose of protecting a common interest, such as liberty, property, or personal security; action taken by an individual or group to protest existing law; action taken by an individual or group to enforce a higher law than that enacted by society’s designated lawmaking institutions; private enforcement of legal norms in the absence of an established, reliable, and effective law enforcement body” (JRank).

There is a serious absence and failure of justice in Daredevil, as the police are very corrupt and controlled by criminals. Hell’s Kitchen is the place in need of a hero, “The neighborhood turns into a veritable war zone during Season One, with much of the police force, media, and even judiciary on the payroll of a ruthless man who kills scores of people in a series of simultaneous bombings. Police officers execute those who might ‘out’ this man. And things don’t look up in Season Two, when criminal gangs seek to fill the vacuum his arrest leaves behind” (Henderson 162). Hell’s Kitchen is a vulnerable city, controlled by criminals. Daredevil brings down the biggest threat in Hell’s Kitchen and saves the justice system.

Though that doesn’t change that he’s a vigilante. A vigilante can be viewed as someone who is in the way of law, but in his situation, there is no right law in his way. But when it comes to criminals, after taking them down he leaves them to the law. “Murdock is very faithful to this rule: his goal is to leave criminals for the police and the system, not to Punisher-style kill them” (Henderson 171). But Murdock’s enjoyment in hurt is risky, in that he could cross a line one day and come back. “In the very first episode, during the Sacrament of Penance, Murdock describes how sometimes his father--in the midst of a boxing match--would just “snap” and “let the devil out.” Murdock did not fully understand it as a boy, but he does as an adult, and his bright line “no killing” rule seems one attempt at not running afoul of such norms” (Henderson 171). Daredevil is a vigilante who has come close to crossing many lines, but in a messed up and corrupt neighborhood he is a hero to the people.

In Conclusion, though morally he may be wrong in some areas, and he is a vigilante, the Daredevil is good. To Hell’s Kitchen he has saved them from problems far beyond their knowledge and belief, and has risked his life to protect the innocent. Daredevil is a light in a very dark place, and gives hope to many in Hell’s Kitchen

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Endnotes:

I chose to do an essay because I felt like it would be the best way to really highlight my ideas and thoughts on my topic, good vs evil in Marvel’s Daredevil. It also allows me to incorporate more citations into my project, and use them for proof of my ideas and facts. An essay is the best way to explain and inform on a topic.