Daredevil Resource Daredevil Resource

DAREDEVIL AND SPIDER-MAN: COMPARISON
IS DAREDEVIL A SPIDER-MAN KNOCKOFF?

Some folks over the years when making the inevitable comparison between Spidey & DD claim that Daredevil is just a cheap imitation of Spider-Man. Anyone who knows the two characters very well also knows that both characters are much too deep and well-developed to be that easily written off. However, for those who don't know them that well, or for those who just want to have a little fun comparing, browse the chart below & draw your own conclusions.

  Daredevil Spider-Man
Civilian ID
Employment
Matthew Michael Murdock
lawyer (Sharpe, Nelson, & Murdock)
Peter Parker
newspaper photographer (Daily Bugle)
Costume yellow & black w/ red "DD" on chest
red w/ "DD" on chest
black & silver armored
blue & red (w/ spider insignia)
black (w/ white insignia)
Weapons/devices billy clubs (one with cable) web shooters, spider tracers
Special powers/abilities extremely heightened senses (except sight, DD is blind)
radar sense
can cling to walls/ceilings
spider-sense, spider strength/speed/agility
Strength level Peak athlete Spider strength - proportional to strength of spider while DD is very strong for a human, Spidey has the definite edge here -- his "spider" strength puts him in a whole class above DD & other "low" powered superheroes
Agility/reflexes very highly honed -- between martial arts training, mystic training w/ Stick and ability to "detect" when someone is going to do something I'd give DD a slight edge here ?spider? agility & reflexes -- Spidey is very agile, very fast, & very acrobatic
Fighting skill Boxing & numerous martial arts disciplines, special training by Stick, all combined and supplemented by his enhanced senses & 360 degree radar self-taught use of Spider strength and agility
Childhood Lost mother as baby, lost father at early age; only child; bullied by other children orphaned at early age; only child; bullied by other children
Personality Driven by a desire for justice, DD/Matt often look at the overall picture; experience and maturity play a big part, and don't forget his monicker "the Man Without Fear" -- he often jumps into situations that appear to be quite hopeless without any reservations Originally driven by guilt at not saving his uncle, Spidey/Peter tends to be very reactionary; his youth & idealism tend to drive him to try to make things "right" that he sees as wrong -- while this tends to make him short-sighted at times, it lends him an energy & exhuberance which helps to balance the maturity and somewhat cynical nature of some of the less idealistic superheroes
Public Perception DD is pretty much looked up to by the public. Even when Bullseye went around dressed as DD trying to besmirch DD's reputation, people either figured DD was up to something good anyway, or that it wasn't really DD under the mask. Spidey never seems to catch a break...seems like every time people read another Jameson headline, they ask themselves, "Could Spider-Man really be a criminal?" And even if Spidey saves the day, he often gets blamed for creating a problem in the first place.
Sales DD's heyday was in the Lee/Colan years and then again with Miller/Janson, Miller/Mazzuchelli. He's gone bimonthly twice, was considered for combination with Iron Man at one point (the thinking being that he couldn't carry a book solo anymore), and was paired up with the Black Widow for a time. For exact numerical figures, see the sales chart. What can one say? Regardless of how Spidey and DD might fare against each other in a fight, or who is more skilled, or who is more experienced... when it comes to the bottom dollar, Spidey kicks butt on everyone including the X-Men. Spidey is the icon of Marvel Comics. He appears on dozens of items every year ranging from lunchboxes to sleeping bags. He's had numerous animated series and is recognized by just about anyone anywhere in the world. He's had multiple titles (Amazing..., Spectacular..., Untold Tales of..., plain ol' "Spider-Man") going at any given time, a regular team-up series for many years (an honor that only the Thing can also lay claim to), and innumberable specials, one shots, mini-series, etc. The number of toys and action figures is truly astounding, and you still see kids dressed up as Spider-Man every year at Halloween. For the exact figures on only the "Amazing Spidey" issues, be sure to check the sales chart.


The Daredevil Resource ©1996,2004 Kevin Hall.     Corner DD graphic courtesy Piekos Arts.
Daredevil TM & ©2004 is the property of Marvel Characters, Inc. - all rights reserved.