Among the literal universe of Marvel characters (using their terms), there is one superhero that stands out as an avowed Catholic: Daredevil (2003).  Unfortunately, the film dedicated to Matt Murdock’s (Ben Affleck) alter ego came out at a time when the comic book company did not have the direction with which we are all familiar.  Nonetheless, with the rumors swirling around the upcoming Deadpool & Wolverine as to how that film is going to do away with Marvel’s past mistakes, I thought it might be fun to revisit Daredevil.  There are others I could cover, though none of them have its protagonist being introduced clutching the Cross atop a Catholic church.  If only the rest of the content was as good as this opening shot.

As stated, Daredevil is on the roof of a church in his beloved home neighborhood of Hell’s Kitchen in New York City.  It is raining.  It is always raining.  As we will come to find out, Matt’s current wounds are a theme, too.  Much of what follows from here is to explain how he gets to this point.  He is not born with a stronger than normal sense of hearing that allows him to basically “see” through echo location, which is the result of an accident that also makes him blind.  In fact, he is a perfectly normal boy (Scott Terra) with a single father, Jack “The Devil” Murdock (David Keith).  If you know your boxing lore, it will be no surprise that dad is a fighter, though past his prime and in need of funds.  The lack of cash has him lend himself as muscle for the Kingpin (Michael Clarke Duncan), the city’s primary mover and shaker when it comes to crime.  When Matt witnesses David beating up someone who owes the Kingpin money, Matt runs away in shock.  Unfortunately, his flight takes him through a busy industrial area where they are moving barrels of biohazardous material.  One of them bursts open when it is punctured by a forklift swerving to avoid the boy, causing it to spray into Matt’s face and giving him the abilities previously described.  For whatever reason, it also makes him extremely agile and able to fight, all of which he hones to become the vigilante we see at the start.  By day, he is a lawyer, working with his partner Franklin “Foggy” Nelson (Jon Favreau).  One of the defendants they try to put in jail is acquitted, despite evidently being guilty of sexually assaulting a woman.  Matt knows this because he can essentially hear when someone is lying based on their heartbeat.  Thus, when the criminal walks out of the courtroom free, Daredevil tracks him down at a pool hall.  Their struggle ends with the perpetrator dead on the subway tracks.  Foggy and Matt hear about this from New York Post columnist Ben Urich (Joe Pantoliano), who often writes about the masked man patrolling Hell’s Kitchen.  In the middle of their coffee shop conversation, in walks Elektra Natchios (Jennifer Garner).  Again, because of his abilities, Matt seems to know that she is a beautiful woman.  Elektra, though, seems guarded and uninterested in his advances.  She leaves, but he follows her down the street where they end up sparring in a nearby playground.  It is in trading blows that they come to respect one another, and she finally gives her name.  So much for Christian courtship, I guess.  The Natchios name carries with it significance.  While they are well known for their business empire, Elektra’s father, Nikolas Natchios (Erick Avari), is in league with Wilson Fisk.  By this juncture, it is no revelation that he is the Kingpin.  However, the rest of society does not appear to know this fact, and he wants to keep it a secret.  Nikolas is privy to this information, and his decision to end any dealings with Wilson is perceived as a threat by the Kingpin.  Hence, Wilson turns to Bullseye (Colin Farrell), an assassin who, as his name would suggest, does not miss.  With Elektra and Matt’s romance beginning to blossom, she invites him to a benefit being hosted by Nikolas.  Foggy urges that they go as a way of getting better paying clients for their law firm.  As such, they are on hand when Wilson hands Nikolas a trademark rose, the signal that Nikolas has been marked for execution.  Nikolas hurriedly leaves with Elektra, Matt worriedly standing by as they get in the car.  Once more, because he is Daredevil, he senses that something is amiss.  Unfortunately, his efforts to prevent the tragedy fail, and the instrument with which Bullseye kills Nikolas is one of Daredevil’s tools.  Elektra sees the weapon and assumes it is the vigilante, vowing revenge.  Meanwhile, the other half of the hit involves Wilson orchestrating it to make it look like Nikolas was the Kingpin.  The person who is not completely happy with these results is Bullseye, who unsuccessfully targeted Daredevil.  To put it mildly, Bullseye does not like being off the mark.  Thus, he decides to go after Daredevil.  Elektra has the same idea, meeting Matt on the rooftop and putting one of her sais through his shoulder.  Only then does she realize her mistake.  Of course, it is at this moment that Bullseye appears.  She goes after the real culprit, and seemingly dies in the process.  An injured and saddened Matt makes his way to the church, which is where we began.  Bullseye finds Daredevil there, but this time the good guy wins and the bad guy is handed over to the police.  Somehow, this also means that the authorities know that Wilson is the real Kingpin.  At least this is how Matt finds out, having been told by Bullseye.  Matt goes to confront the Kingpin, and during their confrontation, his mask comes off revealing his true self as the somewhat famous blind lawyer of Hell’s Kitchen.  This moment of hesitation is all Matt needs to emerge victories, breaking both the crime lord’s legs.  Wilson threatens to reveal Matt’s identity, to which Matt replies by musing that no one would believe someone like him could be the Daredevil.  The person who also knows is Ben, having figured it out from examining the Nikolas’ murder weapon.  Ben basically gives Matt a thumbs up and the movie ends.

Maybe Daredevil does not sound as bad as my synopsis lets on?  Or maybe it sounds worse?  It does not matter much because, as usual, my focus will be on the Catholic aspects.  Luckily, there is some good material here to discuss, though not always the most flattering for the Church.  I suppose because Matt is “special,” his regular attendance to the Sacrament of Reconciliation goes differently than it would for anyone else?  In any case, while I applaud his frequent Confession, it must be emphasized that being a vigilante is not the best decision for a Catholic.  Still, it is understandable.  God granted Matt physical abilities that he wishes to use in order to make a positive difference in his community.  That is a noble aspiration, as is his musings throughout as to whether one person can make a difference.  By the end, despite the challenges he faces, he comes to the conclusion that it is possible.  As a Catholic, I wholeheartedly agree with this sentiment.  Indeed, The Legionnaire likely would not exist if I did not share this feeling.  Yet, note the difference in approach.  I am not donning a costume, bursting into people’s living rooms, and punching them in the face for watching the wrong movies or not taking from them the correct lessons.  One can only give information.  Faith is about making a choice, and I hope people choose to read my blog in order to better arm themselves against the dangers of modern American culture as presented on film, and be led closer to God.  The perpetrators that Matt goes after do not seem to have the same freedom.  To be fair, Matt has the ability to exact ultimate revenge on the Kingpin in the end, and instead opts for mercy.  That is an important decision, and we should do the same for others in our lives.  At the same time, he lets that first criminal be run over by a subway train, and he throws Bullseye out a church window.  The fall could, and should, have killed Bullseye.  I am not saying I am an expert on how a Catholic should act.  I also know that much of what Daredevil does is not Christ-like.

If you read the comics on which Daredevil is based, or have seen the Netflix (now on Disney+) series about the same character, you will know that Faith is something with which Matt struggles.  There are many Christians who can identify with those emotions.  One thing with which you do not have to struggle is watching this movie.  Put simply, there is no need to see it.