Episode 94 - Murdock and Marvel: 2020

In case you don’t remember, 2020 pretty much sucked. Comics did not escape the vortex of Covid-19 and its associated disruptions and dangers, but the industry actually weathered the first year of the pandemic better than one might expect.

The Year in Comics

Comics in Other Media

Comic Sales

Notable Comics

Top Comic News

Notable Passings

Marvel

Eisner Awards

Dan's Favorite

The Year in Daredevil

Appearances: Daredevil v6 #13-23, Daredevil Annual #1, Jessica Jones: Blind Spot #1, Tarot #2-3, True Believers: The Criminally Insane – Bullseye #1, True Believers: The Criminally Insane - Purple Man #1, Hawkeye: Freefall #3-4, Captain America: Marvels Snapshots #1, True Believers: Black Widow & Daredevil #1, Amazing Spider-Man: Sins Rising Prelude #1, Spider-Man: Marvels Snapshots #1, True Believers: Black Widow - Yelena Belova #1, True Believers: Black Widow & the Avengers #1

Writer: Chip Zdarsky (#13-23)

Pencils: Marco Checchetto (#13, #19-21, #23), Checchetto and Francesco Mobili (#14-15), Jorge Fornes (#16-18), Mobili (#22)

Inks: Marco Checchetto (#13, #19-21, #23), Checchetto and Francesco Mobili (#14-15), Jorge Fornes (#16-18), Mobili (#22)

The year begins with a massive 8-part story entitled Through Hell that appears to be just that for Matt Murdock. We pick up with Matt trying to not be Daredevil… and basically failing at it. Elektra tells him he’s gone soft, Mindy is spiraling after the sniper attack, and Matt’s stuck between messy romance and even messier morality. Meanwhile, Detective Cole North gets a new partner and a new perspective when Spider-Man drags him out of a vigilante sting operation and gives him the “law vs. justice” pep talk he desperately needs. And in the background? Fisk tries to put the Owl in his place—but the Owl refuses, kills Fisk’s men, and openly challenges the Kingpin’s throne.
Matt keeps trying to help people without putting the horns back on, but New York just won’t let him stay retired. He checks in on Tom—the brother of the man Matt accidentally killed—and then stumbles into a fake Daredevil getting pummeled. Matt and Foggy try to save the impostor without throwing punches… which lasts about 30 seconds. When it all goes sideways, Elektra swoops in, makes her “train or die” pitch again, and this time Matt finally says yes. Meanwhile, Fisk loses control during a tense meeting with the ultra-rich Stromwyns and ends up murdering a loudmouth in a bathroom—triggering a cover-up and putting him in the crosshairs of people way more powerful than he expected.
As Matt and Elektra begin intense, targeted training, Hell’s Kitchen spirals into a full-scale mob war. The Owl challenges Izzy Libris openly, kills her men, and declares himself the new kingpin; Izzy responds by forging an alliance with Hammerhead before the whole thing goes south. Cole North, beaten down by cops and politics, is still trying to be the “good cop” in a rotten system, and Daredevil—watching him stand up for a homeless man—asks the detective to coffee. They have a brutally honest conversation about guilt, accountability, and the difference between lawful and right that starts to bridge the gap between them.
The Stromwyns’ influence becomes the heart of the conspiracy, pushing the story from street-level grit into political corruption on a terrifying scale. They convince the governor—via massive donor pressure—to pull police out of Hell’s Kitchen entirely, setting the neighborhood up for collapse so they can swoop in and buy it all. Matt and Elektra infiltrate the governor’s summer home, confirm the Stromwyn plan, then tumble into an emotional, romantic reconnection. Meanwhile, Fisk is punished by the Stromwyns for his unauthorized murder—forced into a brutal fight he loses, tossed out a window, and reminded that he’s still just a “thug” to the true elites of New York.
Daredevil and Elektra strike back, Robin Hood–style, as the mob war escalates to bloodshed. They break into a Stromwyn server farm, steal millions, and funnel the cash into Hell’s Kitchen—though Elektra takes her own cut for “something big.” Izzy Libris uses her share to flip Hammerhead’s crew and put him down herself. But the Owl retaliates by kidnapping Belle, Mindy’s daughter. Daredevil teams up with North to save her, defusing a hostage situation without bloodshed. The Owl, enraged at the loss, murders Tom Libris, pushing the crime family to the brink.
And just when it seems things can’t get worse… the Stromwyns pull the nuclear option. With police back in Hell’s Kitchen and the neighborhood refusing to collapse, the Stromwyns call Fisk and tell him a purge is coming. They deploy a nightmare roster—Bullseye, Rhino, Crossbones, Bullet, and Stilt-Man—to wipe the slate clean. Daredevil, newly trained, morally sharpened, and more determined than ever, now faces a city where the mob, the government, the cops, and the ultra-rich have all decided Hell’s Kitchen is theirs to burn.
Up next, we get the short 2 book “Inferno” story arch that continues the story. Hell’s Kitchen becomes a war zone, and the heroes are just… regular people. With Bullseye, Rhino, Crossbones and the rest tearing the neighborhood apart, the cops won’t enter—not out of orders, but pure fear—so citizens pour into the streets, many wearing makeshift Daredevil masks, and start fighting for their homes. Cole North joins them. Matt meets one of the “fake Daredevils,” comforts him, takes his mask, and steps into the fire. When Bullseye mocks him as just another imitator, Matt corrects him: “Not a fake… just Daredevil.” Across the neighborhood, Sister Elizabeth—Matt’s spiritual confidant—reveals herself as Typhoid Mary, throwing herself into the chaos. Fisk and Wesley watch helplessly as the villains slaughter civilians.
Daredevil turns the tide—reminding the city who he really is. Drawing on Elektra’s training, Matt cuts through the chaos, coordinating with Mary, who charges Rhino straight into the river—only for him to swim out. The Owl’s men abandon him, unwilling to aid in destroying their own neighborhood, and Fisk finally storms into the streets himself, beating the Owl senseless as news cameras capture the destruction the Stromwyns unleashed. When the smoke clears, Fisk orders Cole North to arrest Daredevil for murder. North refuses. So Matt, battered, masked, fully reclaiming the mantle, simply turns himself in.
The final story of the year is called “Truth / Dare” which appears to be the reckoning for the death caused by Daredevil way back in issue 1 of volume 6. This 4-part story arch will be the spotlight for this week.

This Week's Spotlight: Daredevil Volume 6 issues #21-24 from September 2020 to January 2021 “Truth / Dare”

Recap

Why We Picked This Story

Daredevil Rapid Fire Questions

The Takeaway

No matter what your industry was, it was all about the pandemic this year.

Questions or comments

We'd love to hear from you! Email us at questions@comicsovertime.com or find us on Twitter @comicsoftime.

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THANKS TO THE FOLLOWING CREATORS AND RESOURCES

Music: Our theme music is by the very talented Lesfm. You can find more about them and their music at https://pixabay.com/users/lesfm-22579021/.

The Grand Comics Database: Dan uses custom queries against a downloadable copy of the GCD to construct his publisher, title and creator charts.

Comichron: Our source for comic book sales data.

Marvel Year By Year: A Visual History

DC Comics Year By Year: A Visual Chronicle

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_films_based_on_English-language_comics

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Marvel_Comics_superhero_debuts

https://comicbookreadingorders.com/marvel/event-timeline/

https://www.comic-con.org/awards/eisner-awards/past-recipients/past-recipients-1990s/