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Religion and Comics – A Top 10 (Part 9)

Daredevil: Guardian Devil

Publisher: Marvel Knights (1998-99)
Creators: Kevin Smith; Joe Quesada; & Jimmy Palmiotti

Today’s religion and comics posting looks briefly at the Marvel character of Daredevil in the Kevin Smith story Daredevil: Guardian Devil.

The religious dimension of Marvel’s Daredevil (Matt Murdock) is well established as Roman Catholic. It connects with the history of his family, as well as providing a point of reference for his own life. At times it is a source of strength of him, while at others it is a source that can hinder him or be taken advantage of.

In Guardian Devil, Daredevil’s enemies take advantage of his faith, through the combination of subtly drugging him, using a combination of hypnosis and special effects, and engineering crises in the lives of those around him. The story explores themes of life and death, redemption, deception, and the possibility of hope emerging from darkness. If you had to pick one story to explore the explicit religious dimension of a mainstream comic book character, then Daredevil in this story is a good choice.

As an aside, if you’re interested in what particular religious affiliation different comic book characters have, then you can check out the comics section of adherents.com at the link below: