Some seven years after the Netflix show ended, the adventures of Matt Murdock continue in Daredevil: Born Again. The new series debuts on Disney Plus next week with two brand new episodes, before switching to a weekly release – here's how you can keep track of the Daredevil: Born Again release schedule.
Charlie Cox is set to reprise his role as Matt Murdock and will once again face off against Vincent D'Onofrio's deadly and manipulative Wilson Fisk. Kingpin isn't the only returning villain from Daredevil's rogues' gallery, however. We already know that Bullseye will be back, as will Jon Bernthal's Punisher. But could there be more villains we don't know about yet? It's entirely possible, after all, we know that the new series is drawing on the comics for inspiration by introducing characters such as Matt's new girlfriend, Heather Glenn.
If the new show does feature any more villains then there certainly plenty to choose from, given Daredevil's 61 year comic book history. Join us now, then, as we run down the 10 best Daredevil villains.
10. Punisher
Punisher may be something of an anti-hero, but when it comes to Daredevil – in the comics at least – their relationship is purely adversarial. Of course, Punisher debuted as a villain trying to take down Spider-Man, but in the intervening years, Spidey and Punisher have begrudgingly worked together - while Punisher and Daredevil have clashed time and time again. Daredevil is simply unwilling to tolerate Punisher acting as judge, jury, and executioner, while Frank Castle refuses to compromise his one man war on crime for anyone.
9. Mysterio
Over the years, Daredevil has fought numerous villains who are more typically in conflict with Spider-Man. In fact, one of his very first enemies was Electro. So why is Mysterio on this list? Two words: 'Guardian Devil.' When Marvel relaunched Daredevil under the Marvel Knights imprint, Kevin Smith and Joe Quesada tapped into Matt Murdock's religious background, sending him head to head with a group of seemingly divine beings. Beings that, in the end, turned out to be machinations of Mysterio, the master of illusions. Mysterio makes this list because of that definitive story.
8. Jester
Jester is one of Daredevil's weirdest foes, from his gimmicky weapons to his bizarre career trajectory. Jester started out using his weapons, based on gags and novelties such as fake hands and exploding yo-yo's to challenge Daredevil, but eventually aligned himself with the Hand and became possessed by a demon. More recently, Jester got beaten to a bloody pulp by the Superior Spider-Man, and played a big role in the end of Mark Waid's first volume of Daredevil, working with the Sons of the Serpent.
7. Typhoid Mary
Typhoid Mary suffers from a unique form of split-personality disorder tied directly to her powers, allowing her to use a variety of psychic abilities based on which personality is dominant at a given time. Typhoid Mary has had something of a love/hate relationship with Daredevil, having been both his lover and his enemy. She's also often worked with the Kingpin in attempting to take Daredevil down.
6. Purple Man
Zebediah Killgrave's power may be terrifying – but it's his sadistic demeanor that makes him a true threat. Over the years, Purple Man has used his mind control powers against numerous heroes, but he started out fighting Daredevil when an experimental nerve gas turned his skin violet and granted him mind control powers. More recently, Purple Man was almost killed by his own illegitimate children who banded together after their abilities manifested. The creepy, obsessive Purple Man also became one of Marvel's greatest on-screen villains in Jessica Jones's first season, where he was terrifyingly portrayed by David Tennant.
5. Mr Fear
There have been several criminals known as Mr. Fear, but the two most important are the second, Starr Saxon, and the third, Larry Cranston.
Saxon took a novel approach to villainy, by humiliating and defeating Daredevil in the public eye as often and as soundly as possible, while staging events to make himself seem like a hero. He eventually plunged to his death in battle, but his loyal army of robots preserved his mind and he became the Machinesmith, arch-enemy of Captain America and Bill Clinton. Next came Larry Cranston, whose first few appearances were not very special, except that he apparently died after jumping off a building because he assumed he was wearing his jetpack (he wasn't).
Later on he came back with a whole slew of henchmen and turned Daredevil's life upside down by removing the fear of death from almost everyone in Hell's Kitchen, including Daredevil's wife, becoming the most effective Mr. Fear of the bunch.
4. The Owl
Leland Owlsley, A.K.A. the Owl, has the distinction of being Daredevil's first original foe, debuting in Daredevil #3. Until that point, Daredevil had faced enemies usually found in the rogues galleries of other heroes, but Owl was the first to specifically challenge Matt Murdock.
Owl makes up for his weird appearance and underwhelming powers (he can glide, and has super eyesight) with incredible cunning and ruthlessness. Owl has never been the most popular of Daredevil's villains, but he's experienced something of a renaissance in recent years, and also appeared (albeit in a different form), played by Bob Gunton in Netflix's Daredevil season 1.
3. The Hand
Ninjas are cool. Undead ninjas are cooler. What else needs to be said about the Hand? Over the years, this cabal of master assassins has used their talents to subvert their enemies, turning everyone from Wolverine, to Elektra, to Daredevil himself into villains. They've also aligned themselves with numerous villains over the years, including Silver Samurai, Lady Bullseye, and the Gorgon. Still, their greatest strength is their ability to throw, well, bodies at any problem, only to resurrect their fallen warriors later on.
2. Bullseye
In the Marvel Universe, there's no one deadlier than Bullseye. This cold-blooded killer never misses his mark, but his talents go beyond his infamous accuracy. Bullseye is capable of turning anything, from a paperclip to a chair, into a weapon of lethal potential. Killing without mercy, Bullseye even killed Matt Murdock's one-time flame Elektra, allowing the Hand to resurrect her.
1. Kingpin
No one, not even Daredevil, is more feared in Hell's Kitchen than Wilson Fisk, AKA the Kingpin of crime. Kingpin is arguably Marvel's biggest street-level villain, having faced everyone from Spider-Man to Luke Cage, but his rivalry with Daredevil is truly the stuff of legend. And don't let his bulk fool you – under that suit, Kingpin is all muscle, wielding unparalleled power, both physical and political.
He's also one of only a few characters on this list to have successfully made the leap to our screens, with actor Vincent D'Onofrio giving a terrific, layered performance as the character in Netflix's Daredevil show, as well as Marvel Studio's Echo, and soon, Daredevil: Born Again.
For more Daredevil, check out our guides to how to watch the Marvel movies in order, the upcoming Marvel movies and shows, and the best Daredevil comics of all time.
