Born Again Is Missing Matt Murdock’s Most Important Trait

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This post contains spoilers for “Daredevil: Born Again.”

“Daredevil: Born Again” is named for the most famous “Daredevil” comic ever, 1986’s “Born Again” by Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli. Miller is the writer credited with making Matt Murdock/Daredevil a Catholic, and “Born Again” (running in “Daredevil” #227-233) is the story that canonized that.

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The title, “Born Again,” evokes Jesus Christ’s resurrection. Like Jesus, Matt is betrayed by one of those closest to him — Karen Page sells Daredevil’s secret identity for a heroin fix. He finds refuge in a convent, healed back to health by the nun Sister Maggie (who is secretly Matt Murdock’s long-lost mother).

Ann Nocenti started writing “Daredevil” shortly after “Born Again” at issue #236, and kept the Catholic themes going. During the X-Men’s “Inferno” event, the Goblin Queen literally unleashed Hell on New York City. Nocenti tied into that during “Daredevil” issues #262-263, #265, where Daredevil comes face-to-face with the lord of Hell, Mephisto.

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The back half of Nocenti’s “Daredevil” literalizes Matt’s inner struggles as Mephisto tempting him into evil, the way Christianity ascribes temptations to the Devil’s work. In “Daredevil” #270, Mephisto creates a “son,” Blackheart, from the residual evil of a murder scene.

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When “Daredevil” relaunched in 1998 with a new issue no. 1, filmmaker Kevin Smith wrote the first eight issues (drawn by Joe Quesada and Jimmy Palmiotti). The story, “Guardian Devil,” featured Daredevil having to protect an infant who was apparently immaculately conceived.

Chip Zdarsky, who wrote “Daredevil” from 2019 to 2023, described the contradictions of Daredevil’s Catholicism as part of what makes him fascinating: “[Matt Murdock is] the good Catholic boy who dresses as the Devil.” Zdarsky’s run took a page from Nocenti for its climax, literally sending Daredevil to Hell. In his angelic white costume, Matt Murdock had to face personal and true demons.

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The original “Daredevil” Netflix series agreed with Zdarsky’s assessment, putting Matt’s (Charlie Cox) faith front and center. Now that “Daredevil: Born Again” season 1 has finished, though, it’s clear the series has pushed Matt Murdock’s Catholicism into the background.