The Birth of the Marvel U's Greatest Villain - Will Daredevil Actually Go Bad?

With Shadowland approaching within a month, more teasers have hit that Daredevil might just become the Marvel U's newest, and greatest, villain. It's an interesting premise  and one I would like to explore just a little bit more. Just what would it mean if Matt Murdock were to suddenly become the bad guy?

There’s always that great Frank Miller quote to fall back on. Given Matt Murdock’s history, the absent mother, the brutal and then dead father, the sight robbed from him because of a dodgy situation and he being so inherently selfless, everything has been taken from him. He should have been a villain. It does make sense and it’s why Daredevil make’s such a good hero because he does it in spite of what life gave him. His location of living, his life, his problems. Daredevil always struggles against the world and says he must be good because somebody has to be. If he doesn’t perhaps no one will.

But it’s been nearly 50 years. Daredevil has seen two lovers killed (by the same man, natch), and he’s lost other lovers to suicide, and mental destruction. Anything he loves turns to dust given enough time, the only ones to escape have been his ever-present man-at-arms Foggy Nelson, and his once paramour Natasha Romanoff, and probably only because she upped and left him; a smart move. Matt Murdock’s life is officially harder than anyone else’s and all of that grief and trauma has to eventually resolve or manifest itself. No man can stay the same under it all.

Though, Murdock has tried his best through it all. Sure, he’s had a few mental breakdowns in this time, he’s declared himself the Kingpin of Hell’s Kitchen before, a move his friends thought he was crazy, and perhaps wrong, to do. So watching him take over the ninja assassin clan The Hand has almost made perfect sense. He’s always dabbled with the evil side of life, never certain to commit. Now, Marvel says he might just finally tip the scales and become one of the greatest villains of the Marvel U. It’s an interesting premise, this is a man who walked into a hospital and pulled a gun on an incapacitated Bullseye, talked his ear off and then pulled the trigger. Sure, DD’s gun had no bullets, but that doesn’t mean he wasn’t still pointing it around.

If DD were to actually become a villain, what would that look like? He’s already dressed like a devil. He already knows how to brutally and personally take his enemy down, see what he last did to Bullseye, or the Kingpin, or the Owl if you don’t believe. He’s got no compunction is severely incapacitating the enemy. What choices will DD make that will pit him against Marvel U?

Personally, I’d like to see Daredevil become a villain. Or let me rephrase that; I’d like to see him become a villain in the eyes of the Marvel U. I’d like to see people disagree with his ways and methods. I’d like to see heroes not appreciate the goals he is after. Heroes have had goals of good for years and it’s mostly got them nowhere, they keep the status quo, barely, and they always have the threat come back. Perhaps Daredevil is sick of the game and is after his final solution. And though the Avengers, or other true do-gooders, might not like that, perhaps they will be wrong.

Other heroes would have a hard time dealing with Daredevil if he were doing the wrong thing. It would make for some great character moments between him and old lovers like Elektra or Black Widow. Men like Peter Parker or Luke Cage would have to go about fixing the perceived problem in very interesting ways.

That would be the ultimate end to this little saga that Andy Diggle, with able assists from Antony Johnston, is cooking up. In the end, DD is right. He fixes some major problems but ends with blood on his hands. And in the end, is that worth it? We expect young soldiers to do it on older generals’ orders, why not have the hero do it himself for once?

Perhaps now DD’s gun will finally have bullets. May his aim be true.

What do you think of DD becoming a ‘villain’? Could they ever do that with such a large character, even for just a short time? Would you buy a comic about a 'bad' Daredevil? Let us know in the comments.

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