Marvel Comics has never been afraid of redefining its icons, but every now and then, the company throws a curve so crazy, so bonkers, that fans all stop and ask themselves: Did they really just do that?
In this instance, the answer is yes. Marvel has officially presented a Daredevil who isn’t just unlike Matt Murdock, he is not even a human being. The Ultimate Universe’s newest Man Without Fear is a Beyonder, one of the cosmic, reality-warping entities that occupy such a high place in the Marvel hierarchy that they hardly recognize the presence of mortals.
A Cosmic Being In A Daredevil Suit: The Beyonder Without Fear
In Ultimate Universe: Two Years In #1, a Beyonder comes forward with the horns, the name, and Daredevil’s mission. And in the process, he comes with some of the most bizarre, humorous, and imaginative powers that a Marvel hero has ever possessed. It is not a new Daredevil. It is a fresh meaning of what Daredevil can be. The debut of this new Daredevil is wrapped in both absurdity and ambition.
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It’s a combination Marvel rarely pulls off this well. The Guardians of the Galaxy, which has become a multiversal task force, are confronted by a sole Beyonder who has just completed a selfless, reality-changing act. He sacrificed most of his godlike powers to rescue a “stellar nursery”. He’s still nearly omnipotent, just less omnipotent than before.
After his sacrifice, the Beyonder is left with what he refers to as thirteen senses, an obvious allusion to the super-sensory powers of Matt Murdock, but on a cosmic level. And because life has a sense of humor, even on the universal plane, this Beyonder is now blind in the old sense of the word. However, here’s the twist: Being blind hardly restrains him. His vision of the universe is so cosmic that he perceives reality in a way we just do not know how to describe.
His “sight” is not sight and his “hearing” is not hearing. He sees the story itself. Quite literally. This Daredevil is able to leave the comic panels in one of the most creative meta gags that Marvel has ever done. In the comics, it is humorously referred to as 4D karate. He even possesses a power called reader-sense, which allows him to rewrite the script of the comic.
It is the type of dimension-bending, playful storytelling that is typically used for Deadpool or She-Hulk. However, here it is packaged within the iconic stoicism of Daredevil and the cosmic seriousness. And somehow, it works. The Guardians, having realized that a creature capable of altering reality could be precisely what they require to halt the expanding empire of the Maker, recruit him. So starts the age of the Beyonder Without Fear.
Matt Murdock Is Not The Daredevil We Know In This Universe
Of course, this revelation raises a natural question for longtime Daredevil fans: Where is Matt Murdock? The dark and changing history of the Ultimate Universe is fashioned virtually entirely by the Maker, an evil Reed Richards. Rather than the masked vigilante we are used to, this universe’s Matt Murdock is a Catholic priest. He is a quiet, unassuming man with no powers, no costume, and no fate bound to fear or justice.
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This opposition renders the introduction of a cosmic Daredevil even more interesting. It’s not replacing Matt. It is filling a gap that has been deliberately made. And in a weird, poetic sense, the concept of a self-sacrificing cosmic being taking on Daredevil’s role is a commentary on the role itself. Daredevil has always been an icon of perseverance. He is a hero who is not determined by his physical power, but by his perception, toughness, and unwavering moral will.
This Beyonder, who has voluntarily relinquished power in order to rescue others, is literally more of that spirit than any human hero ever was. And yet, he remains an outsider in a costume that he does not quite comprehend at all. This gives the character an almost endearing awkwardness. He’s godlike, confused, but also trying his best. He’s Daredevil, but he’s also brand-new to being anything less than a god.
