Daredevil’s Worst Run Is Finally Over, And Its Ending Was Everything Wrong With It

by

Daredevil is widely seen as one of Marvel’s most reliable heroes. He’s enjoyed a nearly unbroken series of ongoing comics since he first appeared, and most of them have been quite good. Of course, no hero is flawless. Every character experiences a weak story arc eventually. Spider-Man, for example, has both some of Marvel’s greatest and worst storylines. In comparison, Daredevil’s different comic runs have generally maintained a decent level of quality. While not every story is a hit, almost every run offers something for fans to appreciate. Sadly, this streak of excellent runs came to an end with the most recent one.

The recent twenty-five-issue run of Daredevil has concluded, and the last issue unfortunately highlighted all the issues with the entire series. It tried to return everything to how it was originally and simultaneously pushed the story forward in a way that didn’t fit the characters, ultimately ending weakly instead of with a strong conclusion. This run definitely had its share of problems, and today we’ll be taking a look at them.

The Dreaded Status Quo

The way things are currently established is vital for superhero comics. These stories are designed to go on forever, and to keep creating new adventures with these long-lasting characters, you need a solid foundation to build from. This is why big, lasting changes to a character’s core situation are uncommon. If you change the basic formula too drastically, you could lose what already works well. Chip Zdarsky’s highly praised work on Daredevil, the story arc immediately before this one, brought significant changes to the Daredevil universe – such as Fisk leaving a life of crime and Matt being reborn as a priest who had forgotten his previous life.

It was always clear that Matt would once again become the Man Without Fear; it was a predictable outcome, and things needed to return to normal. This storyline was dedicated to bringing everyone and everything back to how it was before. Matt immediately resumed his role as Daredevil, Kingpin went back to his criminal activities, Matt distanced himself from his family and friends, and he quit his job at St. Nicholas. These events aren’t inherently negative, but the way they unfolded felt forced. It didn’t feel like a genuine return to character, but rather like the story was simply fulfilling pre-set requirements. The return to the status quo felt superficial and lacked a natural progression.

Let’s examine issue #25, focusing on the scene where Matt and Elektra reconcile. While Elektra had understandable reasons to be upset with him, it was evident she still felt strongly for him, and she even questioned if he wanted to end things when he attempted to. Matt began to express how much he missed her, ultimately hinting at his desire for intimacy. However, instead of being a powerful, emotional release, the moment turned into Elektra making a somewhat crude joke about Matt’s sex drive, and from there, their relationship resumed. This interaction doesn’t ring true for either character, particularly Elektra. It felt forced and hurried, driven by the needs of the plot, much like every other reunion in this storyline.

New Directions With Zero Depth

Another major issue with this comic was surprisingly the opposite of what it usually struggles with: its fresh ideas. Consider Kingpin’s last showdown with the two Daredevils in this issue. After committing multiple murders throughout the city, Fisk announced he wanted to become a god. He then used a MacGuffin to instantly incapacitate both heroes and vanished to pursue his goal. Whether you approve of this new path for Fisk isn’t the point; it’s how it’s shown and explored.


Matt’s reaction to his greatest enemy wanting to become God felt disappointingly normal, and that’s where the story falls short. Considering Matt is a deeply religious Catholic-he even fought Kingpin inside a church after an attack on a priest-his emotional distance is surprising. While his response can be understood, given the comic run was unexpectedly cut short and needed a quick ending, this issue has been present throughout. The run presented some compelling concepts, such as having Matt battle the seven deadly sins and confront his own weaknesses related to each, and exploring a crisis of faith where he questions his beliefs. However, it never delves deeper than a superficial level into these potentially rich themes. It’s a shame, as the ideas had promise.

Matt’s Catholic faith is frequently mentioned during his battles with villains representing sins and his efforts to maintain his beliefs, but it’s only explored on a surface level. While we’re informed about how each sin connects to his personality, we don’t see those connections reflected in his past or current behavior. We understand Matt is wrestling with his faith, but the narrative stays *in* the struggle without delving into its meaning. This isn’t necessarily a flaw, but it doesn’t fully realize the story’s potential. Similar to the nineteen issues dedicated to Matt fighting the sins, Fisk’s lengthy speech about becoming a god offers rich opportunities for developing the story and characters, but it only provides the basic information before moving forward.

This storyline introduced many compelling concepts, but didn’t fully explore them. Compared to other Daredevil stories, this one feels like it didn’t live up to its promise, though that doesn’t diminish its worth. There’s genuine value in the ideas presented here. If one of the weaker Daredevil runs is only considered ‘bad’ because it didn’t fully develop strong ideas, that’s still a positive sign for the character and the people who created it. It shows potential and creative ambition.

I’m glad this story arc is over, though I’m a little unsure about the future direction of the Man Without Fear. I’m not entirely convinced by Kingpin’s pursuit of becoming a god. What are your thoughts? Leave a comment below and join the discussion now in the ComicBook Forum!

https://comicbook.com/comics/news/10-most-surprising-daredevil-team-ups-and-2-is-ridiculous/embed/#

Read More

2025-09-30 01:41