Daredevil’s Coolest Costumes, From Marvel Comics to Netflix and Disney Plus – CNET [CNET]

Oct. 6, 2022 4:19 a.m. PT

Wood then introduced a whole new costume in issue #7, and the classic look was born. The timeless red costume has remained the template ever since, with tweaks to the double-D emblem including a change by Frank Miller that harked back to the original D design.

In 1989 TV movie The Trial of the Incredible Hulk, lawyer Matt Murdock (Rex Smith) agrees to defend David Banner (Bill Bixby) in court. But both men have secrets: Banner is big green trouser-ripping machine the Hulk, and Murdock is vigilante Daredevil, fighting bad guys in black spandex. The TV movie was supposed to act as a pilot for a Daredevil series, but the show never happened.

In the ’90s, our hero donned an armoured black costume to take on superpowered villains — Matt Murdock is, after all, highly skilled but only human. Scott McDaniel had his work cut out coming up with a look that would please everybody.

Frank Miller and John Romita Jr. returned to Daredevil’s roots in this prequel miniseries exploring the character’s origin, kitting out the young Matt Murdock in street-tough black hoodie and comfy sweatpants, a black mask and stylin’ white retro kicks. He only adopted the red costume on the final page.

Waking in a French hospital, artist Laurent Levasseur is puzzled to discover he can see. Only later does he realise he is actually Matt Murdock, his brain rewired for a secret mission for intelligence agency SHIELD. Hence this costume echoes the classic Daredevil colours combined with a SHIELD uniform in this story by Scott Lobdell, Cully Hamner and Jason Martin told in Daredevil #376-379.

Ben Affleck donned a red leather suit for the disappointing 2003 movie. The creative process was not without headaches: designer James Acheson recalls a conference call with executives involving “a 40-minute conversation about the colour red”.

In this story written by Andy Diggle and others, Matt Murdock assumes leadership of mystical ninja cult The Hand, and attempts to steer them towards being a bit nicer. However, he’s possessed by the demon The Beast of the Hand, leading to a showdown with other New York-based heroes including Spider-Man, the Punisher, Luke Cage and Iron Fist.

Charlie Cox donned a black outfit and mask to fight crime in the Daredevil TV series on Netflix. Costume designer Stephanie Maslansky evolved the outfit over time, leading to a big reveal as Murdock became the red-clad Daredevil we know and love. After the Netflix series was cancelled, Cox’s Daredevil had a hiatus before coming full circle to the yellow outfit seen in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law.