The Evolution Of Daredevil
The Evolution Of Daredevil
Compared to other heroes who have celebrated their 50th anniversary, Matt Murdock has had very few costume changes, due in no small part to the longevity of the of the classic red design. Sometimes you just can’t improve on perfection.
1964 Original Yellow
The title character made this first appearance in the Daredevil #1 wearing a yellow costume designed by Jack Kirby and Bill Everest. When new series artist Wally Wood came on board with Daredevil #5, he immediately replaced the single-D on his chest with an overlapping double-D
1965 Classic Red
After tweaking the chest emblem, Wally Wood introduced a whole new costume in Daredevil#7. The timeless simplicity of wood’s design has made it difficult to replace, though it was given a minor tweak in 1979 when Frank Miller modified the double-D to look like two 1964-style D’s
1989 TV Movie
Daredevil made his live-action debut in The Trial Of The Incredible Hulk, which was intended to spin the character off into his own series. Perhaps inspired by that years’s Batman movie, actor Rex smith was dressed in head-to-toe black, albeit made of spandex instead of rubber.
1993 Armored Black
A new armored costume was introduced in Daredevil #319 to allow the character to convincingly battle stronger supervillains. Scott McDaniel had his work cut out for him trying to create a look that would please everybody. The process ultimately resulted in a “design by committee.”
1993 Man Without Fear
Daredevil: The man without was an updated origin story by Frank Miller and John Romita, Jr. that didn’t reveal the classic red costume until the final page. The black sweats might look inspired by the TV movie, but the book was being planned years before the movie aired.
1998 Flying Blind
Daredevil #376-379 followed Matt on a S.H.I.E.L.D. mission so deep undercover that his memories were reprogrammed to make him think he was someone else. Cully Hammer tried to design a S.H.I.E.L.D. uniform that would look just Daredevil enough for someone who don’t realize Daredevil enough for someone who didn’t realize he was Daredevil.
2003 Movie
Executive had strong and sometimes conflicting opinions about how Ben Affleck’s Daredevil should look. Designer James Acheson did his best to sort things out, recalling at one point brought into a phone conference to have “a 40 minute conversation about the color red.”
2010 Shadowland
In shadowland, Matt became possessed by The Beast while leading The Hand. His internal transformation was represented externally in the form of a new darker costume. Series artist billy Tan considered his design more of a tweak on the classic red than a complete redesign.
2015 TV Series
Inspired by Daredevil: The man without Fear, the Netflix serious will see Charlie Cox as Daredevil assembling a black outfit made up of “practical sports and military wear.” According to designer Stephanie Maslanky, the outfit will evolve over time, leading up to a final reveal.
The following collection showcases Daredevil costumes that are notable for living been worn longer than just a couple issues.