5 Daredevil Villains Every Marvel Fan Must Know — And 5 So Bad You Won’t Believe They Exist
Comic book superheroes are defined by their villains. The motivations and actions of the villain can make the hero go to heroic or dark places to reach their goal. Sometimes the villain is so silly and goofy its hard for the hero to them them seriously. Daredevil villains usually come in two varieties, either the best or the worst kind.
The Kingpin, originally a run-of-the-mill gangster and Spider-Man villain, is now a notorious Daredevil villain. Bullseye, a psychopathic assassin who never misses his target, is one of the deadliest and scariest Daredevil villains ever. Then, on the other side, you have Daredevil villains who are only dangerous because they are painfully laugh-inducing.
Stilt-Man has a suit with extending stilt legs. Leap-Frog wears a suit that makes him hop long distances. Angar the Screamer screams a lot and makes his target hallucinate. They are all original Daredevil villains that most comic book fans barely take seriously.
Here is a list of the five best and absolute worst Daredevil villains.
The Best Daredevil Villains
1. Bullseye
Bullseye is one of the most well-known Daredevil villains. Wilson Bethel’s portrayal of the character made him wildly popular with modern MCU fans. However, the character has been wildly popular for decades in the comics. Bullseye has the innate ability to hit any target, with any object, with uncanny precision.
He is also a complete psychopath who enjoys making Matt Murdock’s life a living hell. The character made his debut in Daredevil #131.
2. Kingpin
Vincent D’Onofrio’s portrayal of the Kingpin on Netflix and Disney+ has made the larger-than-life character a household name. The Kingpin of crime is one of the deadliest Daredevil villains. The Kingpin once found out Matt Murdock was Daredevil and systematically destroyed his life in the comics. This happened in the iconic “Born Again” storyline in 1986.
The Kingpin made his debut in The Amazing Spider-Man #50 in 1967. Kingpin did not become one of the deadliest Daredevil villains until 1981. Legendary creator Frank Miller would repurpose Kingpin as a Daredevil villain to give the character more narrative gravitas.
3. Elektra
Frank Miller originally meant Elektra Natchios to be a one-time villain. Can you imagine that? One of the most popular Daredevil villains ever was meant to be a one-time use character. Elektra is a Greek assassin, mercenary, and lover of Daredevil. While Karen Page had Murdock’s heart, Elektra, an assassin who tried to kill him many times, had his lust.
Elektra made her debut in Daredevil #168 in 1981.
4. Purple Man
Zebediah Killgrave is a Croatain spy who got the ability to control the minds of others after exposure to experimental chemicals. Kilgrave’s skin and hair became purple, and so he took the name the Purple Man. His body secretes pheromones that make people obey him whenever he is near. Kilgrave uses his creepy powers as a small-time gangster.
Daredevil can resist Purple Man’s powers because he is blind. The Purple Man requires access to every sense to control people verbally. Dr. Who actor David Tennant portrayed Kilgrave in the Netflix series Jessica Jones.
Kilgrave made his debut in Daredevil #4 in 1964.
5. Muse
Muse is one of the newest and most popular Daredevil villains. The character is an inspirational mix of street artist Banksy and a typical serial killer. Muse kills people and uses living humans as the medium to create his “art.” His absolute psychopathy and unwillingness to value human life make him an irredeemable villain.
The character made his debut in Daredevil #11 in 2016.
The Worst Daredevil Villains
6. Stilt-Man
This character made his debut in Daredevil #8 in 1965. Although several characters have used the name Stilt-Man, the first one was Wilbur Day. Day was an engineer who built armor with built-in telescoping stilts. He is one of the most ridiculous Daredevil villains and is never taken seriously in stories.
7. Leap-Frog
This character made his debut in Daredevil #25 in 1967. He is just a criminal who uses a frog costume. The shoes of the costume feature powerful coils that can propel Leap-Frog over 100 feet when used. The first Leap-Frog was Vincent Patillo. Leap-Frog made his debut as a joke character in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law on Disney+. Even on that show, he was a joke character suing the developer of his suit.
8. The Jester
The Jester made his debut in Daredevil #42 in 1968. He has no superpowers and is one of the most ridiculous Daredevil villains. Jonathan Powers was the first Jester. The Jester wears a clown-like costume and sometimes uses a fencer’s foil. He is an unremarkable villain and unworthy of being a Daredevil villain.
9. Man-Bull
Willaims Taurens was an everyday criminal who was exposed to a serum that turned him into a human bull hybrid. Daredevil would often fight Man-Bull like a matador, with Man-Bull often running into walls. The character has never been used seriously in Marvel Comics. Man-Bull also made his live-action debut in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law as a joke character. Man-Bull made his first appearance in Daredevil #73 in 1971.
10. Angar the Screamer
David Angar was a 1970s social activist who underwent experimentation that gave him superpowers. Angar can emit a sonic scream that causes his target to hallucinate and mentally lose balance. He dresses like a stereotypical 1970s hippie and works as a criminal enforcer. Angar actually beat Daredevil once; Daredevil had to team up with Black Widow to take down Angar.
Angar is still a viable villain in Marvel Comics, but not a popular one. The character made his live-action debut on an episode of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.; Anger made his debut in Daredevil #100 in 1973.
Daredevil Villains
Daredevil is a 62-year-old comic book character with a deep lore in comics. The character was only popular with comic book fans until the Ben Affleck film and finally the Charlie Cox streaming shows broke the character through to mainstream audiences.
It’s easy to take for granted the incredible villains we enjoy on the Daredevil show; however, the character spent decades cycling through deadly and laughable villains in the comics before becoming the pop culture icon he is today.
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Allen Francis is a full-time writer, prolific comic book investor and author of The Casual’s Guide: Why You Should Get Into Comic Book Investing. Allen holds a BA degree from Marymount Manhattan College and has decades of experience in comic investing and personal finance. Before becoming a writer Allen was an academic advisor, librarian, and college adjunct for many years. Allen now focuses on comic book reviews, collectible investments, and helping others collect and enjoy comics.