Matt Murdock has been many things in his life as Daredevil. A lawyer. A lover. A warrior. A vigilante. A crime boss. But the new Daredevil series from Marvel Comics casts him in an unexpected yet fitting role.
Matt Murdock is a Catholic Priest
Daredevil #1 by Saladin Ahmed, Aaron Kuder, and Jesus Aburtov reveals that Matt Murdock was literally reborn as a Catholic priest. Now known as Father Matthew, he manages the Saint Nicholas Youth Home in Hell’s Kitchen. Father Matthew tries to be a man of peace, but shows a surprising capacity for violence when his flock is threatened. He has no memory of a life before coming to the Church. He also has no idea why God has blessed him with “strange senses” that make up for his lack of sight.
The last Daredevil series ended with Matt Murdock sacrificing himself to save his loved ones from a demon. The new Daredevil series suggests that divine intervention saved him, bringing him back from Hell. Yet Matt is being observed by demonic forces, which briefly possess his lover Elektra. She too has been watching over her amnesic lover, wondering if she should reenter the peaceful new life he’s been given.
Matt’s memories begin to return by the issue’s end, but he decides to stay in his new role. Matt believes that God had a reason for putting him in Father Matthew’s life. “To reject that path – that divine purpose – and just pretend nothing happened… I’d be betraying everything,” he explains. Elektra does not like his reasoning, but respects it and leaves Matt to his new life.
It remains to be seen how long this new status quo will last. Previous volumes of Daredevil have upended Matt Murdock’s life, yet he always returns to being a crusading lawyer. For now, at least, the Man Without Fear remains a Man of the Cloth.
Daredevil (2023) #1 is now available from Marvel Comics.
