Matt Murdock: Daredevil Appreciation 2021

[Albert1981]

I don't mind Daredevil's secret identity being revealed to other superheroes with whom he cooperates and is friends with. I just think it would be mayhem and cause no end of problems for his loved ones and in his "day job" of attorney.

It COULD cause problems if the writers go that route. But I don't think they will. Stark literally revealed his home address on national television and Happy Hogan (or should I say Foggy Nelson?) and Pepper Potts are still VERY much alive.



I think Murdock should have some swagger like Stark, Strange and Fury. He's more than capable of taking care of his friends and family (especially if he has the Avengers by his side). Plus the MCU has differentiated itself right from its beginnings from other superhero franchises by getting rid of the secret identity trope. And they have been MASSIVELY successful because of it:

https://screenrant.com/mcu-marvel-he...tities-reason/

I think Feige has a deep disdain for secret identities and I don't see him giving them to future characters in the MCU.

[Nanashi]

It COULD cause problems if the writers go that route. But I don't think they will. Stark literally revealed his home address on national television and Happy Hogan (or should I say Foggy Nelson?) and Pepper Potts are still VERY much alive.



I think Murdock should have some swagger like Stark, Strange and Fury. He's more than capable of taking care of his friends and family (especially if he has the Avengers by his side). Plus the MCU has differentiated itself right from its beginnings from other superhero franchises by getting rid of the secret identity trope. And they have been MASSIVELY successful because of it:

https://screenrant.com/mcu-marvel-he...tities-reason/

I think Feige has a deep disdain for secret identities and I don't see him giving them to future characters in the MCU.

I don’t know if your being genuine or not at this point by referencing that scene and, I presume, knowing what happens as a result.

[Raffi Ol D'Arcy]

I think in a cinematic universe which is rapidly growing its roster of superheroes, like the MCU's, it's better for Murdock to "out" himself to the general public. He has to work with a wide variety of heroes in these MCU "event" shows and movies. I think a lot of screen time would be wasted in him trying to hide his identity from other people. Plus, let's face it: DD's adversaries are GONNA find out who he is eventually ANYWAYS. So I say, Daredevil should take off his mask QUICKLY if he joins the MCU (Feige's MCU to be more specific):

https://www.theverge.com/2019/10/1/2...ker-tony-stark

I don't agree. Daredevil's life is a total different dynamic to the Avengers who are basically Avengers full-time. Matt isn't. He has a totally different day job. Dr Strange is also the doctor full-time as is Black Panther the Panther and King full-time.

No. That’s a really bad idea especially for characters who have civilian friends and family who could be targeted by enemies as has been demonstrated time and again.

I agree.

I like the idea of keeping Matt’s identity secret. It is one thing that bothers me about the MCU and how secret identities are almost non-existent. It allows for more storylines and also allows for him to live his two lives: one as Daredevil and one as Matt Murdock. I think the only people who should know are characters close to him and after a bit… not right away.

Agree also.

Peter Parker and Matt Murdock are the two characters I think should be the most protective of their secret identities. Not a fan of any take where they're casual about that.

Me neither. Peter like Matt has another life.

[Arsenal]

If they do expose Matt's ID, I wouldn't mind them taking some inspiration from Bendis's run.

[Raffi Ol D'Arcy]

It COULD cause problems if the writers go that route. But I don't think they will. Stark literally revealed his home address on national television and Happy Hogan (or should I say Foggy Nelson?) and Pepper Potts are still VERY much alive.



I think Murdock should have some swagger like Stark, Strange and Fury. He's more than capable of taking care of his friends and family (especially if he has the Avengers by his side). Plus the MCU has differentiated itself right from its beginnings from other superhero franchises by getting rid of the secret identity trope. And they have been MASSIVELY successful because of it:

https://screenrant.com/mcu-marvel-he...tities-reason/

I think Feige has a deep disdain for secret identities and I don't see him giving them to future characters in the MCU.

Matt is not a trillionaire with tons of layers of security. Matt's life is a totally different ball game. In addition to what I wrote earlier, the secret identity is what makes part of Daredevil exciting and interesting.

[Albert1981]

I don’t know if your being genuin or not at this point by referencing that scene and, I presume, knowing what happens as a result.

Iron Man 3 is one of my favorite MCU movies. I loved the Mandarin twist. It totally subverted my expectations and was hilarious. All I'm saying is that in the long-term, Pepper and Happy were fine. It was Tony who got whacked...And not because he revealed that he was Iron Man. You stated the way Murdock revealed his identity in the Netflix shows was lackluster. Well, it could happen again if it takes him many years onscreen to do it. I think expectations will be subverted (in a GOOD way) if DD says he's Matt right away. I actually think shows/movies make the supporting casts of characters with secret identities look like absolute IDIOTS by having them REPEATEDLY not discovering who they really are. I'm happy Spider-Man ditched his secret identity in his last movie. We've ALREADY seen like six films with him trying to hide it, and I just got tired of it. For me, it's like watching the origin stories of superheroes again and again. How many times are we gonna see Krypton destroyed and Thomas and Martha Wayne get capped? And yes, I would like to see Feige and company do something different with Matt. No more origin stories. Fans get the gist of how Murdock got his powers. Make him funny and quippy. Not saying he should be a typical MCU joke machine, but I think Daredevil can be charming in a way he hasn't been in previously darker portrayals. One thing I AM concerned about though. And it has something to do with Wilson Fisk. I DON'T think DD should be making too many fat jokes when he fights the Kingpin (should they both make it into Feige's MCU). That would make Daredevil look like an asshole and I wouldn't like that.

[Nanashi]

If they do expose Matt's ID, I wouldn't mind them taking some inspiration from Bendis's run.

They certainty could but I don’t think they’d do the publicly revealed superhero’s identity story again anytime soon after Spider-Man NWH.

[Albert1981]

Matt is not a trillionaire with tons of layers of security. Matt's life is a totally different ball game. In addition to what I wrote earlier, the secret identity is what makes part of Daredevil exciting and interesting.

I guess I'm in the minority on this thread, but I think secret identities makes characters far LESS interesting to me. Especially after watching that first Iron Man movie. Don't you think it's become sort of a stale concept with the same manipulative stakes every time, most always leading to civilians being threatened by some bad dudes? And what about power and accountability? Being anonymous IS a sort of power and folks can do some very nasty (and often illegal) things with TOTAL immunity because they have secret identities. Matt can be the Perry Mason of the MCU AND Daredevil at the same time. I mean, She-Hulk barely makes any attempt to conceal who SHE really is, so I don't see why Matt should. It'll be fun if Murdock's on a first name basis with Shang-Chi, Marc Spector, Yelena Belova, and Jennifer Walters. They'll probably be official Avengers in the not-too-distant future.

[Raffi Ol D'Arcy]

Daredevil by Nikola Čižmešija:

[Raffi Ol D'Arcy]

The Man Without Fear by Mike McKone:

[phonogram12]

As ever, you and anyone else can like that character as much you want, sure. But that character is not The Kingpin.

To you. But like you said, to me and anyone else, it sure is!

[phonogram12]

I guess I'm in the minority on this thread, but I think secret identities makes characters far LESS interesting to me. Especially after watching that first Iron Man movie. Don't you think it's become sort of a stale concept with the same manipulative stakes every time, most always leading to civilians being threatened by some bad dudes? And what about power and accountability? Being anonymous IS a sort of power and folks can do some very nasty (and often illegal) things with TOTAL immunity because they have secret identities. Matt can be the Perry Mason of the MCU AND Daredevil at the same time. I mean, She-Hulk barely makes any attempt to conceal who SHE really is, so I don't see why Matt should. It'll be fun if Murdock's on a first name basis with Shang-Chi, Marc Spector, Yelena Belova, and Jennifer Walters. They'll probably be official Avengers in the not-too-distant future.

The thing is with She-Hulk, that IS who she really is. That's why she's She-Hulk most of the time. And I have to agree with the sentiment that when you have a day job that's not being a billionaire and civilian friends, it completely changes everything. For example, Cap's day job is being Cap.

[Nanashi]

To you. But like you said, to me and anyone else, it sure is!

No, not to me. To the fact that other than his appearance they essentially created a new character they decided to name after an existing one.

[Nanashi]

The Man Without Fear by Mike McKone:

That’s awesome!

[Albert1981]

The thing is with She-Hulk, that IS who she really is. That's why she's She-Hulk most of the time. And I have to agree with the sentiment that when you have a day job that's not being a billionaire and civilian friends, it completely changes everything. For example, Cap's day job is being Cap.

But if you watch superhero movies/shows/cartoons before 2008, we've seen the secret identity thing done to death! It got old for me. Different superheroes, but similar stories about folks hiding who they really are to "protect the ones that they love". Iron Man was a game changer. MCU Tony Stark, Clint Barton, Scott Lang and Sam Wilson ABSOLUTELY have families and friends to protect and folks DEFINITELY know who they are. Their supporting casts have survived their movies/shows largely unscathed. So I think Daredevil's friends and loved ones can survive people knowing who Matt is. Besides, simply wearing a mask across your eyes DOESN'T prevent you from being recognizable. I concede superheroes might need to balance life differently if superheroing is not their full-time job, but I think it can be done. Here are some valid reasons I found online in defense of dispensing with secret identities in superhero live-action content:

"Some of it may be an update based on the sliding time scale which puts heroes in the same time frame as our own. While comics such as Spider-man explored the idea of ubiquitous cameras in the city decades ago, the fact of the matter is that, today, the odds of a super-hero maintaining their secret identity for any reason other than the police and general populace looking the other way is looking pretty slim. DNA analysis means any blood or hair left on the scene can be analyzed. Even without security footage, there's enough cameras in the general populace that the odds are that a hero will be filmed changing. And analysis tools such as gait analysis and analysis of body structures mean that it's likely that computer systems will passively analyze any footage and pin down who it is."

And:

"In my opinion, the most significant reason is simply because of modern technology. Maintaining a "secret identity" in a first-world country seemed feasible 20+ years ago. Today? Not so much. The only people who can operate in the shadows are those deeply involved in technology and thus their actions must remain in an electronic playing field. Unless you have a superhero saving lives with his/her amazing "hacking" powers, the idea that a superhero's true identity can remain completely anonymous in a world with cameras on every corner (and in the pockets of every citizen) just doesn't make for a believable story. I don't think it gets more complicated than that."

For me, since Daredevil's origin story and secret identity have been portrayed onscreen in live-action vehicles previously, I think Feige's MCU has to do something DIFFERENT than what came before (that also goes for the Fantastic Four, the X-Men and Ghost Rider). Two big changes could be revamping Matt's personality (make him quippier and snarkier like other MCU characters) and removing his secret identity.