Daredevil's Entire MCU Timeline Explained
Created by Stan Lee and Bill Everett in 1964, Daredevil has been a Marvel Comics staple ever since. A "street-level" superhero, Daredevil protects the New York City neighborhood of Hell's Kitchen by night, while working as lawyer Matt Murdock by day, defending those who couldn't defend themselves — physically and legally. Aided by a compelling supporting cast and a host of formidable foes, Daredevil has consistently overcome the odds, armed with his two billy clubs, keen senses, and his wavering Catholic faith. Over the years, there have been many adaptations of the Man Without Fear, both in film and television, but none has compared to the version introduced in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, played to perfection by Charlie Cox.
Originally a part of Marvel's partnership with Netflix, "Daredevil" delighted audiences everywhere upon its initial streaming release, with powerful characters, intricate plotlines, and the best action scenes you've ever seen in a comic book-adapted television series. This action-packed series sparked Netflix's entire "Defenders" franchise and a "Punisher" spin-off but was sadly axed just after its third season. But that wasn't the end for Cox's Matt Murdock, as he and his archnemesis Wilson Fisk aka Kingpin (Vincent D'Onofrio) returned to the MCU in the 2020s, kicking off a brand-new wave of street-level Marvel material. As Daredevil, our favorite Marvel Knight, continues to defend his home in Hell's Kitchen, the Man Without Fear has proven time and again that he's not one to easily back down from a fight.
Origin story
Matt Murdock is born in New York City in the 1980s. His parents are a boxer named Jack Murdock and a nun named Maggie Grace. After Maggie returns to the church to deal with her postpartum depression, "Battlin' Jack" raises his son alone, hoping Matt will get out of the life of poverty they live in. Because of his father's fighting career, Matt often stitches up Jack's injuries and cares for him, becoming his biggest cheerleader from outside of the ring. After a freak accident sends toxic chemicals into Matt's eyes, he discovers that the rest of his senses — taste, touch, hearing, and smell — are all heightened.
These abilities allow Matt to overhear Jack's deal with some local gangsters to throw a fight in exchange for extra winnings. However, Matt convinces his father to win instead, which ultimately results in the mob killing Jack in revenge. After Jack's death, Matt is taken to an orphanage, where he's cared for by Maggie — now Sister Maggie, who he doesn't know is his mother.
It's at the orphanage that Matt is found and trained by the blind warrior Stick. This training allows him to eventually become Daredevil. Like Maggie and Jack before him, Stick leaves Matt too, forcing him to live out his days alone. That said, he isn't completely alone: he befriends the local priest, Father Paul Lantom, who gives Matt guidance and advice most of his life.
Nelson and Murdock
After years of studying, Matt is accepted into Columbia University's prestigious law program, where he befriends college roommate Foggy Nelson. Matt and Foggy not only become quick friends, but eventually share their deepest desires with each other. Inspired by Matt's hopes to use the law to help the underprivileged, Foggy sticks by Matt throughout their time at Columbia and beyond.
At Columbia, Matt also meets Elektra Natchios and begins a complex relationship with her. Their romance isn't something to be admired, as they both become adrenaline junkies — especially after Elektra discovers Matt's hidden abilities, turning each other into the worst versions of themselves. After confiding in Elektra about his father's killer, a man named Roscoe Sweeney, she brings him to Sweeney's home with the intent of pushing Matt over the edge to kill him.
Matt rejects killing Sweeney, instead reporting him to the FBI. Feeling rejected, Elektra leaves Matt. Foggy, however, refuses to leave Matt's side, and they come up with "Nelson and Murdock" together. After interning at the powerful New York firm Landman and Zack, Matt convinces Foggy to leave the money and prestige behind to help the people of Hell's Kitchen. Though initially hesitant, Foggy eventually agrees, believing completely in Matt's mission.
The Devil of Hell's Kitchen
Later that night, Matt masks up for the first time and forcefully stops a local father from abusing his daughter, deciding that the law will never be enough. It's here that he makes the decision to become the Devil of Hell's Kitchen, and begins wearing a black suit and mask to take on the criminals that rule the streets. Shortly after the Avengers' battle for New York, Matt and Foggy launched their own firm, Nelson and Murdock, with their first client being a young woman named Karen Page who has been framed for murder. After they prove her innocence, Karen becomes their secretary.
As Daredevil, Matt saves Karen's life twice, along with countless others harmed by the Yakuza, the Russian mob, and other forces that plagued Hell's Kitchen with drugs and violence. After being jumped by the Russian Mafia, Matt barely escapes with his life, only to be found and aided by a local night nurse named Claire Temple. Matt and Claire work together to dig up more dirt on the Russians, all the while beginning a relationship of their own, but Claire can only handle so much.
Soon after, Stick returns to New York to enlist Matt's help to find "the Black Sky," a being of incredible power to the ninja assassin group known as the Hand. Unbeknownst to Matt, Stick plans to kill the Black Sky, who is only a child. After failing to stop his old mentor, Matt demands that Stick leave New York for good.
Uncovering the Kingpin
After helping Karen prove her innocence, Nelson and Murdock eventually uncover a plot to force all of Hell's Kitchen's tenants out of their homes, with a wealthy buyer hoping to demolish the neighborhood completely. Simultaneously, Matt-as-Daredevil begins tracking the Yakuza, the Russian Mafia, and other groups, learning that they are all in bed with one another and commanded by a mysterious man named Wilson Fisk.
After Matt nearly dies in battle against Fisk and his men, Foggy finds him on the brink of death. It's here that Foggy learns his best friend is Daredevil, and hopes to convince him to end his crusade for good. Naturally, Matt refuses, seeing Fisk as a threat that only he can deal with. This causes some strain within Nelson and Murdock, especially as they build their legal case against Fisk. After Fisk has Elena Cardenas and reporter Ben Urich — both friends of Matt, Foggy, and Karen — killed, they work tirelessly to put Fisk away. Eventually, Nelson and Murdock win the case against Fisk, sentencing him to federal prison.
While their plan seems to work at first, Fisk's men reacquire their leader, hoping to smuggle him out of the country during his transport. Catching wind of Fisk's plan, Matt suits up as Daredevil (in a new-and-improved armored suit) to take him head-on. After a brutal fight, Daredevil stands victorious over Fisk, and Nelson and Murdock are able to celebrate their victory over the crime lord.
The People vs. Frank Castle
As Daredevil continues to protect the city, a new vigilante — one more brutal than Matt — arrives on the scene: the Punisher. Punisher begins killing criminals, mostly the Kitchen Irish, the Mexican Cartel, and the Dogs of Hell. One of his intended victims, a man named Grotto, is taken on by Nelson and Murdock as they hope to get to the bottom of it. However, in the process, the Punisher — revealed to be a man named Frank Castle whose family was killed by the three gangs — kills Grotto and captures Daredevil, hoping to convince him to think the same way.
Daredevil confronts Punisher on a few different occasions, and eventually rescues him after Castle is abducted and tortured by the Kitchen Irish. After Daredevil hands him over to the police, Castle is taken to the hospital to treat his wounds. Soon after, Nelson and Murdock represent Castle after he pleads "not guilty," sending them to trial. Unfortunately, Matt's double life keeps him from helping much, but Foggy handles it like a pro. They almost win over the jury before Castle goes off script, declaring himself guilty.
Eventually, Castle escapes, discovering that the hit on his family was ordered by a man named the Blacksmith. Daredevil and Punisher work together to take the Blacksmith down, though the Punisher ends up killing him, but not before first saving Daredevil's life. Finally recognizing Daredevil's mission, Castle aids Matt in his battle against the Hand.
Complex relationships
During the events related to the Punisher, Matt and Karen begin dating. It's simple at first, with dinners here and there, but it quickly becomes something more. Unfortunately, their relationship doesn't last very long, and is completely undone by both Matt's secret life as Daredevil and Elektra's sudden reappearance. The latter point causes Karen to break it off with Matt, instead choosing to help Frank Castle pursue the Blacksmith.
As Elektra makes her way back into his life, Matt becomes torn between living completely as Daredevil and holding onto his life as Matt Murdock. His time with Elektra quickly reminds him of why they broke it off in the first place, but Elektra seems to want to change. That is, until Stick shows up again, revealing the Hand's plot to wipe out New York — beginning with a mysterious hole they've been digging in the middle of Hell's Kitchen.
Their battle with the Hand gets sort of, well, out of hand, as Matt, Stick, and Elektra are quickly outmanned by the league of ninjas. Things become especially complicated after Stick reveals Elektra's identity as the next Black Sky and attempts to kill her. This all comes after Stick admits to having sent Elektra to Matt in the first place, hoping she would turn him into a killer to fight his war. By Season 2's end, Elektra is killed in battle by the Hand assassin Nobu and dies in Matt's arms.
Devil no more
After Elektra's death, Matt is left heartbroken. Having failed to put away the Punisher or bring Elektra's killer to justice, he decides that it might finally be time for him to hang up the mask and forget his life as Daredevil. Because of this, he confesses his secret, his identity, and his abilities to Karen, and after some time to process they slowly become friends again. Matt swears off crime fighting for good, but as you can imagine, it doesn't really stick.
In "The Defenders" miniseries, Matt returns to practicing law, defending the defenseless in Hell's Kitchen. While Nelson and Murdock no longer exists (Foggy has taken a higher-paying job elsewhere and Karen has taken Ben Urich's place at the New York Bulletin), Matt is happy to do what he can through the legal system to help. It's during this time that he takes on Jessica Jones as a client, though she has no interest in legal counsel.
After Jones' release, Matt begins following her, and in the process Jones discovers his strange abilities. Eventually, Jones' own investigation into mysterious tremors occurring around New York City lead her to a building called Midland Circle, home of the Hand. Inside, Matt teams up with Jones, the superpowered Luke Cage, and the billionaire warrior Danny Rand, aka the Iron Fist. All of them are investigating the same conspiracy and have to fight their way out, but not before Matt discovers that Elektra has been resurrected by the Hand.
The Defenders
After escaping Midland Circle, the four heroes hide in a local Chinese establishment, where they plan their next move. Matt insists that he isn't a part of any of this and attempts to leave — until Stick arrives, explaining the Hand's plot to use the hole beneath Midland Circle to extract a resurrection elixir from the bones of a dead dragon. It's a lot to take in, almost too much for Matt, but he doesn't have a choice. WIth Matt forced to fight alongside the others, they escape the Hand once more, but not before Matt encounters Elektra, trying and failing to reach her.
Eventually, Danny Rand is taken by the Hand, forcing the rest of the heroes into Midland Circle to rescue him — but not before Matt shares a quick moment with Foggy, who pushes him to embrace Daredevil one more time. After detonating bombs around the building, and ending the Hand once and for all, the four heroes win. Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist all make it out, but Daredevil and Elektra stay behind.
Matt refuses to leave Elektra, even as the building collapses on top of them, and he confesses his love for her, hoping to save her once more. As the other heroes, Claire, Karen, and Foggy all watch in horror, Matt is buried alive beneath Midland Circle. Afterward, per Matt's wishes, Iron Fist protects his city in honor of Daredevil's memory.
Trials and tribulations
Months later, Matt wakes up in the orphanage he grew up in, with Sister Maggie taking care of him this whole time. Although Matt has miraculously survived, Elektra's death causes him to have a crisis of faith, turning his back on God and cursing his abilities. Sister Maggie slowly encourages Matt to regain his strength, and eventually he goes back out on the streets as the black-suited Daredevil to defend the helpless.
All the while, Matt suffers from constant hallucinations of Wilson Fisk, all representing his doubt, anger, and fear. Eventually, Matt learns that somehow Fisk has weaseled his way out of federal prison and into a deal with the FBI, forcing Matt to reveal himself to Foggy. Though Foggy tries to convince Matt to take his life back, Matt explains that "Matt Murdock is dead," before leaving with Foggy's stolen ID badge.
Matt uses this badge to break into the prison that holds Fisk, only to be ambushed by Fisk's men on the inside. Not realizing that security cameras are watching his every move, Matt inadvertently reveals his abilities to Fisk, who sends seemingly the entire prison after him. Well, not the entire prison — Matt is able to convince a rival gang to help him out so that he might take Fisk down for good. It's here that Matt decided the only way to stop Fisk is to kill him.
Mistaken identity
After Daredevil goes after Fisk's operation once more, the criminal Kingpin unleashes his ace in the hole: a rogue FBI agent named Benjamin "Dex" Poindexter. Setting Dex up in a mock red Daredevil costume, Fisk sens him off to kill every witness that Matt, Foggy, and Karen have dug up on him. After Karen reveals to Fisk that she killed his friend James Wesley, Dex sets his sights on her as well.
Meanwhile, Matt learns that Sister Maggie is indeed his mother, and that pain pushes him even further from God and his friends. In trying to reach Matt, Karen goes to Sister Maggie, who offers her sanctuary in their church. Unfortunately, Dex discovers Karen's location and attempts to kill her once more. Unable to stop him, Matt listens in horror as Dex kills Father Lantom, who sacrifices himself for Karen. Though Matt and Karen are able to fight Dex off, he continues to pursue them through the FBI.
Hiding together to escape Fisk's FBI goons, Matt and Karen begin to reconcile, and Matt decides that he might need help from his friends after all. This eventually leads them to FBI Agent Ray Nadeem, who's being blackmailed by Fisk. Wanting to do the right thing, Nadeem helps the reunited Nelson and Murdock team build a case to take the Kingpin down.
Baptism by fire
Although Fisk has Nadeem killed, the agent manages to release a confessional video to Nelson and Murdock that's pretty damning to Fisk's case. Regardless of this new evidence, Nadeem's death pushes Matt over the edge, with him deciding for certain that the only way to stop Fisk for good is to kill him. As Daredevil, Matt breaks into Kingpin's penthouse on the night of Fisk's wedding to Vanessa Marianna to take out the crime lord for good. Unfortunately for Matt, Dex arrives at about the same time, hoping to kill Fisk himself after Kingpin betrayed him too.
Daredevil and his copycat fight once more, but in the heat of battle, Dex is paralyzed by Fisk after he attempts to harm Vanessa. This results in a brutal combat between Daredevil and Kingpin that ends not with Matt killing Fisk, but rather striking a deal: if Fisk no longer attempts to kill Foggy and Karen, and doesn't reveal Matt's identity as Daredevil, then Matt won't press charges against Vanessa for the crimes she committed alongside the Kingpin. After some serious consideration, Fisk accepts these terms and is afterward taken off to prison once again.
It's these events — and Father Lantom's legacy — that teach Matt what it truly means to be a Man Without Fear, and his touching eulogy at Lantom's funeral only reinforces that. But of course, this isn't be the end of Matt Murdock or the Devil of Hell's Kitchen. They still have work to do.
Nelson, Murdock, and Page
After everything that happens with Kingpin, Season 3 of "Daredevil" ends with Matt, Foggy, and Karen together again, with new hopes and dreams. Hoping to continue the work they started together back in the first season, the trio kick off their plans to start a new firm: "Nelson, Murdock, and Page." Though Karen isn't a lawyer, her investigative journalist skills are more than enough to assist Matt and Foggy in their legal work. At the end of the day, they're all just happy to be together again. After so much bad blood, they begin the healing process of forgiving one another, and themselves.
As the series ends, it's unclear if Matt decides to continue on as Daredevil after putting away Fisk for a second time. Now in a much happier place in life, there is less of a need to use the Devil of Hell's Kitchen as an outlet, especially if he's back to defending the innocent the legal way. After all this, he even makes up with his mother, Sister Maggie, both finally acknowledging their true roles in each other's lives.
Unfortunately, "Daredevil" — along with the other "Defenders"-related shows — was canceled by Netflix after its third season. This is sadly the last time we see Matt, Foggy, and Karen all together on the screen, though Daredevil's MCU story doesn't end here.
Daredevil continued his crusade during The Blip
During the events of "Avengers: Infinity War," Thanos snapped his fingers and turned half of the universe's population into dust. While the remaining Avengers each dealt with their failures differently, other street-level heroes like Daredevil continued to tackle the criminal underworld that our favorite big-screen superheroes tend to overlook. As a result of "The Blip," the Kingpin was no longer incarcerated, and using the Tracksuit Mafia as his enforcers, he began to rebuild his New York empire. At some point down the line, Matt catches wind of Fisk's activities and returns to his Daredevil persona (in a new, red uniform) to defeat the one-time crime lord. But in stalking Kingpin's goons, he encounters Fisk's violent protege, a young woman named Maya Lopez aka Echo.
The Marvel Spotlight miniseries "Echo" chronicles the brief battle between Daredevil and Echo, in which the Man Without Fear overpowers her on various occasions. Matt's skills as a gymnast and athlete have clearly improved since "Daredevil" ended, despite this flashback in "Echo" taking place not long afterward. "None of my men have ever held their own with him like that," Fisk tells Maya afterward, pleased with her performance, but Daredevil never faces her in combat again. Years later, as depicted in the season finale of "Hawkeye," Maya turns on Fisk and hunts him down. Who knows — maybe one day, Daredevil and Echo will find themselves on the same side against a familiar foe, especially since Kingpin is still out there.
Representing Peter Parker
Sometime after the Blip was reversed, the supervillain Mysterio reveals to the world that Peter Parker is Spider-Man. This makes Peter's life all the more complicated and puts him in a legal bind. In "Spider-Man: No Way Home" — the immediate follow-up to "Spider-Man: Far From Home" – Matt agrees to be Peter's attorney and quickly has all the charges against him dropped. He explains that the public's opinion of Peter will affect him the most going forward, urging him to stay out of the public eye for a while.
When an anti-Spider-Man protester throws a brick through the Parkers' window, Matt catches it before it can harm anyone, making Peter, Aunt May, and Happy Hogan all wonder. Clearly, Matt has kept up with his abilities. In a deleted scene, Matt is also seen representing Happy — who was the best friend of the fallen hero Tony Stark, aka Iron Man. He presumably gets similar charges against Happy dropped. It's worth noting that actor Jon Favreau, who plays Happy, once played Matt's partner Foggy Nelson in the 2003 "Daredevil" film opposite Ben Affleck.
After Doctor Strange casts his "forget Peter Parker" spell at the end of "No Way Home," everyone, including Matt, forgets that Peter Parker (and possibly Spider-Man) ever existed in the first place. While there's no doubt that Spidey and Daredevil will reunite again eventually, it's likely that Matt doesn't remember any of these events — or at least those involving Peter Parker and his wall-crawling alter-ego.
Smashing with She-Hulk
A few months later, in "Ribbit and Rip It," an episode of the limited series "She-Hulk: Attorney at Law," Matt Murdock travels from New York to Los Angeles to represent a client, Luke Jacobsen, in a legal battle against Eugene Patilio, better known by his alias Leap-Frog. Jacobsen is a designer who specializes in superhero costumes and equipment, having made suits for Jennifer Walters, aka She-Hulk, and even Matt himself. That's right, Matt is back as Daredevil, and he's got a fancy new yellow-and-red suit that's reminiscent of the character's first Marvel Comics appearance.
That night, Daredevil tracks down Leap-Frog, who has kidnapped Jacobsen in retaliation. After a misunderstanding with She-Hulk — who just so happens to be Patilio's legal council — the heroes team up to defeat Leap-Frog, sparking another exciting hallway battle sequence between Daredevil and Patilio's goons. Along the way, chemistry develops between Matt and Jen, who spend the night together after their superheroics. In the next episode, She-Hulk and Daredevil briefly reunite before Jen introduces Matt, who's "just visiting," to her family, including her cousin Bruce Banner, aka the Incredible Hulk.
Daredevil Will Return
As there is for most heroes in the MCU, there's a lot more coming down the pike for our favorite blind vigilante. There's no doubt that there are more Daredevil stories for Marvel to tell in the future, and in 2022 it was announced that Marvel Studios was working on a new "Daredevil" streaming series for Disney+. Titled "Daredevil: Born Again" after the infamous Marvel Comics story (which "Daredevil" Season 3 already partially adapted), the series was set to star Charlie Cox and Vincent D'Onofrio as their respective characters, along with a new supporting cast. "Born Again" was initially announced as a reimagining of the Daredevil story, not holding to a strict continuity with the original Netflix show, but in October 2023 those plans changed.
Along with "Daredevil" and the other Netflix shows being added to the official MCU timeline order on Disney+, former cast members Deborah Ann Woll and Elden Henson, who played Karen Page and Foggy Nelson respectively, will be returning for the revised "Born Again." This means that, as an official continuation of the original series, "Daredevil: Born Again" will reveal what happened to "Nelson, Murdock, and Page" and reset our hero's status quo going into the next face of the MCU franchise. Jon Bernthal is likewise returning as Frank Castle aka Punisher, as is Wilson Bethel as "Dex" Pointdexter, likely on his way to becoming the Marvel assassin Bullseye. There's a lot more in store for Marvel's Daredevil going forward, and this is only the beginning.