Warning: contains spoilers for Daredevil #2!
Marvel’s Daredevil finally has a classic Spider-Man moment of his own – and it ends up saving his life. The Man Without Fear is frequently teamed up with Spider-Man in comics, especially during darker adventures with street-level enemies that the two routinely fight. Now in Daredevil #2, Matt Murdock is nearly killed at the hand of his newest supernatural villain – but receives some much-needed help from the citizens of New York City.
In current comics continuity, Matt Murdock has recently survived a massive ordeal. The Devil’s Reign event has tested the superhero community of New York in ways many haven’t thought possible since the original Civil War, and Matt Murdock’s twin brother Mike was tragically killed. Matt used the opportunity to fake his own death – Mike was buried as Matt and Daredevil still operates in the city. With everything going on, Daredevil meets a new villain: Goldy, his old colleague from law school who has seemingly acquired supernatural (demonic) powers.
Now, in Daredevil #2, written by Chip Zdarsky with art by Marco Checchetto, Daredevil chases after Goldy after the latter seemingly causes a train to crash and other various accidents along the way. Goldy eventually leaves Daredevil pinned under the rubble of a collapsed bridge (the result of the initial subway train explosion) and despite his strength, he cannot free himself; Daredevil’s powers and enhanced senses are of no use here. Fortunately, the citizens of New York City come to his aid – and they’re quite familiar with Daredevil. “You’re not safe…[Goldy] makes horrible things happen,” warns Daredevil, to which a woman responds “Horrible things happen all the time. My little brother was in a car crash a couple of years ago…and a man dressed like the devil saved him. So yeah, horrible things happen…you just gotta help when they do.”
This moment echoes the famous train scene in Spider-Man 2 in which a group of passengers pull an injured Peter Parker to the floor of the train after having saved their lives. The fact that they recognize Daredevil as a hero says a lot about Matt Murdock’s exploits during the tumultuous time of Devil’s Reign. The people need heroes to rescue them and give them hope – and heroes need people to do the same for them. One even wants Daredevil to wait for an ambulance, but Matt needs to pursue Goldy; a construction worker says “All right, I get it. You’re Daredevil. Go kick his ass.”
Spider-Man 2 is widely considered to be one of the greatest superhero films ever created, and while the Daredevil movie fared slightly worse, the superhero himself has the same recognition as his webslinging ally. New York City’s civilians are always portrayed respectfully in the Marvel Universe, and despite their animosity toward groups like the X-Men, they stand by their own local heroes. Daredevil, in many ways, is better suited for New York than Spider-Man; he isn’t naieve like Peter Parker, and understands precisely the evil that can exist in New York – and the goodness as well.
