How Will Catholicism Play A Role In The Daredevil Reboot?
Image Source: IMDb
Most superhero introductions in movies begin with a bold entrance, a snappy one-liner, or a voyeuristic close-up of a tightly fitted suit. Matt Murdock’s first appearance as an adult in the Netflix adaptation of Daredevil, however, begins much more humbly: in the confessional booth of a Catholic church. From his first moments onscreen, Matt’s arc has its roots in his complicated relationship with his Catholic upbringing.
Daredevil, created in 1964 by Stan Lee and artist Bill Everett, has been explicitly written as Catholic as early as 1975. His Catholicism first played a major role in the comic story arc “Born Again” in 1986, and lent imagery and conflict to the 2003 Daredevil film starring Ben Affleck. The 2015 Netflix adaptation starring Charlie Cox, however, brought Matt’s faith to the forefront of the story.
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Religion might not be the first thought when considering superhero motivations, but Daredevil is not the only one whose story is grounded in some world faith. Moon Knight, for instance, wrestles heavily with Marc Spector’s Jewish heritage in the comics, and many fans criticized the recent Disney+ adaptation for erasing much of that storyline. With Matt Murdock’s return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe in Daredevil: Born Again on the horizon, it is hard to say how much Disney will allow Catholicism to influence Matt’s story.
The Netflix adaptation depicted Matt’s faith as one of the central conflicts of his character. Matt’s pedagogy as a superhero is influenced by his Catholic upbringing. This also makes him morally opposed to killing. While he is not against maiming a few bad guys in the name of justice, he has never gone so far as to take a life. But when the powerfully connected Wilson Fisk evades every one of Matt’s legal tactics in his quest to control Hell’s Kitchen, Matt questions whether leaving him alive may ultimately do more harm than good.
Image Source: Decider
Throughout the series, Matt’s Catholic faith both grounds and plagues him. He asserts several times that “only God can take a life” even when his beliefs often leave him backed into a corner and isolated. His insistence on facing his enemies alone earns him the snarky nickname “Saint Matthew” from Rosario Dawson’s Claire, and she rightfully points out that his savior complex pushes away anyone who might be able to help him. His closest friends cannot always understand his motivations or live up to his expectations. He is stunned to find that his friend and love interest Karen Page does not share his reluctance towards killing and experiences a crisis of faith when he realizes the nun who has cared for him since childhood is actually the mother who left him.
Yet despite all this, Matt’s story arc does not simply culminate in a rejection of religion. Instead, his faith serves as the source of his final victory. His belief that there is value even in the lives of his enemies allows him to save Hell’s Kitchen without losing himself. He is able to stop Fisk without killing him. He extends compassion and forgiveness to those who have disappointed him, and he ends up finding a measure of peace at the end of the series.
There are several considerations for the upcoming Daredevil: Born Again to move away from depicting Matt’s religion. There could be a fear that relying too much on his Catholicism might isolate viewers of different faiths. But there is something very universal about portraying something honestly, even if it does not align with everyone’s experience. Matt’s faith speaks to a deeper desire to fight for compassion and humanity, and adds a measure of realism that can be appreciated even by those who do not share it.
Image Source: Marvel News Desk
The Disney series could utilize Matt’s faith in unique ways. Since the series takes place after “The Blip,” which destroyed half the galaxy’s population and then brought it back, there is an opportunity to explore how Matt wrestles with his beliefs of a higher power and the afterlife. There is also a question of whether or not Matt’s moral code is as strict as it was when we last visited him. For someone whose life was so heavily steeped in religion, it would make little sense to erase that aspect of the character entirely.
In Matt’s final confrontation with Fisk in Season 3 of Netflix’s Daredevil, he stops himself just short of killing him. When Fisk derides this as a weakness, Matt stands firm. “No,” he asserts, “You don’t get to destroy who I am.” Matt’s faith is such a big part of who he is. It would be a shame if the new series takes it away from him.
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