In the ten years since his debut as the Man Without Fear, Charlie Cox’s Daredevil has taken on some formidable villains, but there are many more from Marvel Comics that haven’t yet been seen in the MCU. Cox first appeared as Matt Murdock, blind lawyer-come-vigilante Daredevil, in 2015’s eponymous Netflix series, the first in the Defenders Saga. Prior to the Defenders Saga being made MCU canon, Cox reappeared as Matt Murdock, taking on new villains including Leapfrog and Maya Lopez’s Echo, which led to his official return in Daredevil: Born Again.
Over the duration of his history in the MCU, Daredevil has taken on live-action versions of some of his most iconic adversaries from Marvel Comics. This includes Elektra (Élodie Yung), Bullseye (Wilson Bethel), The Punisher (Jon Bernthal), and, of course, Wilson Fisk’s Kingpin (Vincent D’Onofrio). While Kingpin is expected to continue to pose a significant threat to Matt Murdock in Daredevil: Born Again Season 2 and beyond, there are still many obscure villains from Marvel Comics that have never been given live-action adaptations. We’d love to see Daredevil battle these antagonists.
7) Stunt Master
Introduced back in 1969, washed-up stunt motorcyclist George Smith was offered $1000 by Crime-Wave to kill Daredevil, ultimately being foiled by the Man Without Fear. After being released, Smith moved to Los Angeles and kidnapped Karen Page, once again opposing Daredevil. Smith then worked alongside a new Stunt Master while gaining a portion of his profits. Stunt Master is an unusual adversary, but his agility and fighting skill would make him a great street-level villain for Matt Murdock. With a young protégé, various iterations of Stunt Master could be staunch enemies to Daredevil for years to come.
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6) Stilt-Man
Scientist Wilbur Day was one of the first antagonists Daredevil ever fought in Marvel Comics, having designed telescopic metal legs that allowed him to tower above cities. Day originally hired Matt Murdock as his lawyer, but soon came to odds with Daredevil, leading to an altercation that thrust him into the microverse. Stiltman’s MCU debut may be outlandish, but could create a bridge between street-level stories and those of the Quantum Realm, and since Stiltman is a villain to both Daredevil and Spider-Man, his debut could bring these two live-action heroes together at long last.
5) Lady Bullseye
Since Benjamin Poindexter’s Bullseye has such a prominent role in Daredevil: Born Again, and will continue to in Season 2, Marvel Studios might perfectly be setting up Lady Bullseye’s debut. She has little connection to her namesake other than that she witnessed his crime spree, but Lady Bullseye is actually a member of the Hand. As a lawyer in her civilian guise, Maki Matsumoto, Lady Bullseye battles Daredevil on two fronts. Her MCU debut could bring the Hand back after the collapse of Midland Circle in the Defenders Saga, while also continuing Bullseye’s legacy.
4) Death-Stalker
After battling Daredevil as the Exterminator, and being bombarded with his weapon’s strange energy, Philip Sterling found himself trapped between two dimensions, able to return to Earth for only a few hours at a time. Sterling stole gloves with a “death-grip” from AIM and became the Death-Stalker, who would make a fantastic street-level villain for Daredevil in the MCU. Death-Stalker could bridge the gap between the real and magic powers of the MCU, just as the Hood will in Ironheart, which could be a fun addition to Daredevil: Born Again and Matt Murdock’s developing story.
3) Jester
Struggling, egotistical actor Jonathan Powers became the villainous Jester by turning to a life of crime after years of being under-appreciated and ridiculed on-stage. As the Jester, Powers tried to get Foggy Nelson to stop his district attorney campaign, which brought him to odds with Daredevil, leading to Powers staging his own death at Daredevil’s hands. Jester would be a small-scale villain for Matt Murdock in the MCU, but he has posed an annoyance to Daredevil for many years in Marvel Comics, so it would be fantastic to see him adapted into live-action.
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2) Black Tarantula
As an adversary of many New York-based Marvel heroes, most notably Daredevil and Spider-Man, it would be brilliant to see Black Tarantula finally appear in the MCU. The mantle is passed from father to son, with the generations all posing as the same person, which creates the illusion of immortality. As a member of the Hand, Carlos LaMuerto’s powers already have roots in the MCU, which means he could appear as one of the Hand’s last survivors. Black Tarantula has also been an antihero, so he could become a member of Daredevil’s new army in Born Again Season 2.
1) Mister Fear
Four characters have assumed the Mister Fear moniker in Marvel Comics, and each of them have gone toe-to-toe with Daredevil. As one of the most prominent antagonists of the Man Without Fear, it’s surprising Mister Fear, who uses a fear gas contained in specialized pellets as his weapon, hasn’t yet been adapted to live-action. Fear’s long-running partnership with Latverian Lucia von Bardas means Doctor Doom’s debut in the MCU could set up Mister Fear’s own. This villain would be a very welcome addition to the darker narrative of Daredevil: Born Again Season 2.
Which Marvel Comics villains do you want to see battle Daredevil in the MCU? Let us know in the comments!
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