Alternative versions of Daredevil

In addition to his mainstream incarnation, Daredevil has had been depicted in other fictional universes.

1602
In Neil Gaiman's Marvel 1602, set in Earth-311, Matthew Murdoch (known as The Bard) is introduced as a blind balladeer. Secretly he is an adventurer for hire, who charges reasonably excessive prices to anyone who has the money, for any job. Matthew, as a child, was a fearless boy who would explore anywhere. One day he discovered a dark cave that glowed inside from a green substance. As a boy Matthew thought nothing of tasting it, and so he did to know what it was. He soon walked back the way he came. His mother later found him with a fever and discovered that her son is completely blind. Though he lost his sight, the rest of Matthew’s senses became enhanced with superhuman sharpness. Matthew traveled as a blind beggar and poet, singing songs of heroes, and appearing weak and helpless. His true nature would be revealed when he was either on a job for a client or attacked.

The Queen of England’s head spymaster, Nicholas Fury, had hired him to hunt down and protect Donal, the Templar keeper of Thor’s staff. On the way to meet Donal he encountered a woman named Natasha (aka the Black Widow), whom he referred to as the most dangerous woman in Europe. His analysis of Natasha proved to be very accurate when she betrayed him by smashing a bottle over his head and pushing Matthew off a bridge into a canyon below. Murdoch survived, and appeared again in a dark cave just in time to save Donal from being attacked by Natasha’s men. Matthew attempts to rescue Donal from her by taking him as away as he could. But Natasha had the cave entrance surrounded with a garrison of men, sent by Count Otto von Doom of Latveria to capture the old man’s treasure, Donal, and Matthew Murdoch. Doom imprisons them in one of his castle’s cells and works to uncover the secrets of the golden bauble that Donal gave to him to distract him from the true treasure: the staff. Donal is also in contact with Doctor Strange, the former Queen’s court magician and physician, who informs them that a group of heroes are on their way to the castle.

When the imprisoned Captain of the Fantastic Four rails against his stone prison, it shakes the castle from its foundations and frees Murdoch and Donal. Murdoch uses his abilities to carry the old man and leap from wall to wall to the courtyard many feet below. When Doom’s men corner them, after Donal demands to find his staff, the old man uses it to transform himself into the Thunder God, Thor. Thor uses his immortal powers to stop Doom’s men and assist Carlos Javier’s witchbreed in their attack on Doom’s castle, finally allowing Doom to use Thor’s electricity to explode the golden sphere that Donal had given him, scarring Doom and bringing him to the brink of death. While Donal-as Thor-joins the group aboard their ship, headed to the New World to fix the tear in their universe, Murdoch uses his own means to leave Latveria.

Murdoch later appears to King James, in the dark, threatening to cut his throat if he ever attacked the late Queen’s spymaster, Fury. He then disappears through the window, promising to return again if James is untrue to his word, and with a final warning not to touch his home land of Ireland.

2099

 * Marvel Knights Daredevil 2099 is Samuel Fisk, a grandson of Wilson Fisk, who feels some remorse over his grandfather's actions, and carries on the legacy of Daredevil, as well as the Kingpin legacy he inherited.
 * The one-shot 2099 A.D. Genesis (Jan. 1996) introduced a Marvel 2099 version of Daredevil, opposing the corporate criminals of Alchemax in a futuristic New York. His real identity is Eric Nelson, grandson of Matt Murdock's longtime associate Franklin "Foggy" Nelson.

Age of Apocalypse
In the Age of Apocalypse timeline, Keeper Murdock serves Mikhail Rasputin, one of Apocalypse's Four Horsemen. Exposure to toxic waste during his time in one of Apocalypse's labor camps for humans caused Murdock's blindness and powers, though he believed his powers were granted by an implant given to him by Rasputin. When he accidentally touched the incapacitated Empath, he realized the error of his ways, he then put Empath out of his misery by beating him to death with his Billy Club. Renouncing Mikhail, Murdock ripped off his visor and realized that his enhanced senses were not the result of his cybernetic augmentation. Murdock broke down upon realizing how many years Mikhail had been manipulating him.

Ten years later, Murdock is seen working for Weapon Omega, Apocalypse's replacement. He serves as the keeper of New Apocalypse city, using his sense to monitor humans who try to enter the city. He's seen hunting for Harper Simmons and fights with Prophet hand to hand but was defeated with a poison gas that allowed Prophet escape with the X-Terminators.

Assassins
In Amalgam Comics, Slade Murdock was a blind mercenary in New Gotham City acting under the name of "Dare the Terminator", because of the dares she took, and that few dared to challenge her. A combination of Daredevil and Deathstroke the Terminator, except for being a female, while her DC and Marvel counterparts are both male.

House of M
In the House of M crossover, Matt Murdock/Daredevil is romantically involved with She-Hulk. The origins and the extent of his powers are never explained, but is very much similar to his mainstream counterpart. It is also unknown if he gained the fighting skills from his radioactive senses, or if they were gained when Layla Miller "awakened" him.

Earth X
In the Earth X series, there are at least three different alternative "Daredevils". First, in an interesting visual pun, Kurt Wagner eventually goes back in time to become the red-skinned demon Belasco. But ultimately, when he becomes a hero again, he goes to Hell's Kitchen (the original Daredevil's old stomping grounds), to become the neighborhood protector.

Secondly, in the afterlife, Matthew Murdock is shown as part of the Avenging Host.

Thirdly (and most prominently) an invulnerable stunt man, thought by the Thing to be Deadpool, goes by the name of Daredevil, as well as donning a costume that looks somewhere between that of Daredevil and Evel Knievel. This version craves his own death. Ben Grimm repeatedly tries to guess at Daredevil's identity, guessing Deadpool at first and then a string of other obscure Marvel characters, but Daredevil denies being any one of them. Eventually Machine Man confronts Daredevil and reveals that he was never any previously known Marvel character - he is an original character from the Earth X universe.

End of Days
Daredevil: End of Days is a 2013 8-issue comic book that chronicled Daredevil's final days.

Exiles
The Daredevil from Earth-181 is an assassin working for his reality's Kingpin.

Lev Gleason Publications/Mutant X
An unrelated superhero named Daredevil, published by Lev Gleason Publications during the 1940s period fans and historians call the Golden Age of comic books, wore a red-and-blue costume and fought crime with boomerangs. The alternative universe version of Matt Murdock in the Mutant X series wore a similar costume as an homage.

Marvel Mangaverse
The Marvel Mangaverse features a version of Daredevil called the Devil Hunter. His costume is patterned after an oni, or Japanese demon.

Marvel Zombies: Dead Days, Marvel Zombies 2, Marvel Zombies Return and Marvel Zombies: vs. The Army Of Darkness
Daredevil appears in the limited series Marvel Zombies vs. The Army of Darkness. While still un-zombified, he is seen fighting the villain Thunderball. Ash, misunderstanding, unexpectedly helps Thunderball win the fight.

Daredevil also appears in Marvel Zombies: Dead Days. He shows up on the scene in order to save a terrified Nova from the zombified Spider-Man. Ironically, he becomes a zombie when Spider-Man bites him on the back because Nova is way too scared to assist him.

In the limited Marvel Zombies 2 series, Daredevil is among those who chase and eventually eat Magneto, but not before Magneto hurls an I-beam completely through his torso. It is assumed he is eventually destroyed after several zombies gain the Power Cosmic and incinerate all the other zombies.

MC2
In the alternative timeline published under the MC2 imprint, Daredevil is murdered by the Kingpin while saving the life of Kaine. Kaine attempts to revive Daredevil by sorcery, but inadvertently bonds both Daredevil's soul and the demon Zarathos to Reilly Tyne, who becomes the superhero Darkdevil.

Old Man Logan
In the storyline Old Man Logan, in an alternative future, fifty years after the superheroes lost a great battle, two young men dressed as Daredevil and the Punisher are found chained together on a pole by a new Kingpin, who has killed Magneto in the past, after an attempted mission to free the town from him. The man dressed as Daredevil asks for the whereabouts of Spider-Man's granddaughter, who is also the daughter of the Avenger Hawkeye. The new Kingpin states that he's still thinking of what to do with her and that Daredevil and the Punisher got off easy. They were then eaten by raptors.

Noir
In the Marvel Noir imprint, Matt Murdock was blinded by his father's assassin who brutally slammed his head into a brick wall, leaving him blind. Though he did wish to become a lawyer, his impoverished lifestyle denied it, leaving him to be a performer instead, under the name Daredevil. Later he took to the streets as a vigilante, killing criminals to avenge those they killed.

Runaways
In a Runaways alternative future, Daredevil is a member of Heroine's team of Avengers.

Ruins
In the two issue Warren Ellis limited series Ruins, a newspaper headline reveals that Matthew Murdock was fatally injured when an atom truck crashed spilling a radioactive substance in his face. Thus he never became Daredevil.

Spider-Ham
The funny animal comic book Spider-Ham from the Marvel children's-comics imprint Star Comics included versions of Daredevil named "Deerdevil" and "Deviled Ham".

Ultimate Daredevil

 *  See also: Ultimate Daredevil and Elektra for information on the two starring miniseries.

Another version of Daredevil has appeared under the Ultimate Marvel imprint, which updates and re imagines Marvel characters without linking them to previous Marvel Universe continuity. Ultimate Daredevil has appeared in two different limited series Ultimate Daredevil and Elektra, written by Greg Rucka, and Ultimate Elektra, a team to take down the Kingpin. It is revealed in Ultimate Spider-Man #109 that Jack (Murdock's father) was a boxer killed by the Kingpin (a.k.a. Wilson Fisk) when he wouldn't throw a match as opposed to the Fixer of 616 mainstream. Later, after the Kingpin burns down his law offices, a crazed Daredevil breaks into Fisk's apartments and threatens to murder the comatose Vanessa Fisk by snapping her neck, but is convinced not to by Spider-Man.

During Magneto's flooding of New York during Ultimatum, in which millions of people are killed, Daredevil's corpse is found by Spider-Man and the Hulk.

In Ultimate Comics: Avengers, a new, 12-year-old Daredevil named Ray Connor is discovered and trained by Stick after experiencing an accident similar to the one that gave his predecessor powers. On a somewhat related note, Conner is a fan of Spider-Man. Sometime after being publicly known as the new Daredevil, he and Stick are attacked by vampires. This Daredevil becomes a vampire and bites Captain America. Just when he was about to kill Blade, the second Daredevil perished when Captain America had teleported the Triskelion to the desert of Iran.