In an attempt to change things up a bit from previous “4 villains [insert character name] hasn’t fought yet” lists, this article will focus on rogues who have mostly appeared in cartoons over the years, yet still weren’t pitted against the hero that is generally considered as being the biggest thorn in their sides. In this case that would be Daredevil, the Man without Fear.
Daredevil has had only a handful of appearances in cartoons, for one reason or another. He’s been kind of restricted to guest-appearances (mostly in Spider-Man shows), and his biggest foe – both literally and figuratively – Wilson Fisk, the Kingpin is the one he had to fight. In fact, Kingpin has probably appeared more often in animation than Daredevil; considering he’s also a recurring adversary for Spider-Man, and just how many Spidey cartoons there have been over the years. Readers might remember Kingpin debuted in The Amazing Spider-Man comic from 1967, so it all makes sense. As you will see below, the other villains listed have first appeared in Daredevil’s comics throughout the decades.
Daredevil has also gone up against Doctor Doom in the Fantastic Four animated series from the ’90s, but that’s not exactly one of his regular rogues, and to be fair Doom has pretty much fought countless other heroes in the Marvel Universe, anyway. But funnily enough, other rogues primarily associated with Daredevil in the comics have shown up in a couple of animated projects up to this point, but had to confront other heroes. This list will offer a few examples. As in my previous similar articles, they are listed in alphabetical order; this is not supposed to be a “Top 4” list, just a rundown of characters who didn’t get a chance to fight Daredevil in animation, as of this writing.
Created by Marv Wolfman and Bob Brown, with his first appearance being in Daredevil #131 (from March 1976). A highly skilled marksman who can use just about anything as his weapon, and isn’t shy of using deadly force when needed or just for kicks. He’s a bit psychotic but that works well with his profession of an assassin.
Bullseye has faced off against Daredevil countless times in the comics, and has made the transition to live-action projects as well, where he was portrayed by Colin Farrel (the 2003 movie), or Wilson Bethel (the 2015 Daredevil series, and the current Daredevil: Born Again). He hasn’t shown up in animation yet, the closest thing we had to him I believe was Hawkeye using the codename Bullseye in an alternate world seen in an episode of Avengers: Assemble (“Planet Doom”). Considering his status as one of Daredevil’s top adversaries it would be nice to see the actual Bullseye in animation, eventually. His skills should imply it will be a cartoon aimed at a slightly older audience but then again, he could be toned down a little and not use deadly force, and I think he could work fairly well.
On the other hand, Lady Bullseye (who is a different character altogether, so please don’t consider her an alternate gender-flipped variant), has appeared in cartoons like Hit-Monkey or Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur. With no Daredevil in sight, of course. On Hit-Monkey, the original Lady Bullseye (Maki Matsumoto, voiced by Reiko Aylesworth) was sent to kill the title character but failed. She was followed by a second version of the character, Akiko Yokohama (voiced by Olivia Munn). On Moon Girl, Lady Bullseye was voiced by Miki Yamashita and depicted as the leader of a group called the Diabolical Darts.
Created by Stan Lee and Joe Orlando, debuting in Daredevil #4 (from November 1964). Zebediah Killgrave was a sinister villain whose body produces pheromones that allow him to brainwash or verbally control the actions of others. Oh and his name implies, his skin turns purple whenever using his powers.
Purple Man showed up on X-Men: The Animated Series (“No Mutant Is An Island”) where he posed as a benefactor but in fact took in young mutant orphans who he wanted to use in his nefarious schemes. A dartboard with Daredevil’s picture on it can be seen in the background in Killgrave’s office but that barely counts as him fighting the hero. Thanks to the sequel series, X-Men ’97, Daredevil himself has also shown up in this continuity. But it remains to be seen if this will lead up to a confrontation between the two as the show progresses. Personally I think they have more than enough mutant content to focus on already.
Killgrave also appeared on The Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes (“Emperor Stark”), where he manipulated Iron Man into taking over the world. Here he was voiced by Brent Spiner who’s had many roles, both live-action and voiceovers, during his career but you might remember him as Data on various Star Trek series, beginning with The Next Generation. On a somewhat related, geeky sci-fi note, David Tennant, known for playing the tenth and fourteenth incarnations of Doctor Who, also portrayed Killgrave in live-action, during the Marvel on Netflix era of shows.
Created by Stan Lee and Wally Wood, first appearance in Daredevil #8 (from April 1965). The first villain to use this brilliant name and gimmick was Wilbur Day, who created his own battle suit complete with telescopic, hydraulic stilts that enable him to reach new heights, literally, and start a series of daring penthouse robberies.
Stilt-Man briefly showed up on the ’90s Iron Man animated series, during their version of the “Armor Wars” story from the comics. His armor there was based on stolen designs from Iron Man, so he had to be stopped. I mean, that was on top of him being a crook who had to be taught the error of his ways. Granted Stilt-Man isn’t the best character out there, so him being ignored for so long is kind of understandable, but I think he could provide a few neat, short and amusing scenes if he were to become a recurring foe in an animated series. And maybe, just maybe let it be Daredevil the one who takes him down at least once. In another fun observation, he’s the only villain included in this list that hasn’t appeared in live-action yet.
Created by Ann Nocenti and John Romita Jr., debuting in Daredevil #254 (from May 1988). She was a powerful pyrokinetic, who also had limited psionic powers… and multiple personality disorder.
Mary showed up a couple of times on Avengers Assemble (during their fourth season, sub-titled “Secret Wars”). She was voiced by Tara Strong, a voice actress I presume many readers have heard before. In fact her portrayal of Typhoid Mary does seem sort of similar to the role of Harley Quinn, a character Strong has been pretty closely associated with in the last few years. This version of Mary was locked up in the Vault prion but wouldn’t you know it, broke out and confronted Captain Marvel and Wasp. Later on the show also brought forth a pirate themed alternate variant of Typhoid Mary. Versions of Mary also showed up in live-action, like the 2005 Elektra movie, or the Iron Fist series from Netflix.
Created by Frank Miller for Daredevil #168 (January 1981). Elektra Natchois was a highly skilled Greek mercenary who has been a foe for Daredevil, as well as an ally and a lover on occasion. Similar to Bullseye before (but with the love interest angle as a bonus), she has not appeared in any cartoons by this point, yet did appear in live-action, portrayed by Jennifer Garner (the 2003 movie, and its Elektra spin-off, plus Deadpool & Wolverine from 2024), and Elodie Young (the 2015 Daredevil series, and The Defenders cross-over). Taking into account she has also been portrayed as a heroine at times, and that her skills could be toned down and murder could be avoided, and her costume could be changed to be less revealing, it is a bit strange she has never appeared in animation. Alright, a mannequin wearing a white version of her costume was on display in the background in an episode of Spider-Man and his Amazing Friends (“Spider-Man Unmasked”) and technically she did share some screen time with a Daredevil costume also on display, but that’s it, as far as I’m aware.
There might be more Daredevil foes who have shown up in cartoons (i.e., the Owl had a cameo in the ’90s Spider-Man animated series), but I think I covered the most notable ones, who fit the criteria of not fighting the Daredevil in animation, as of this writing. Leave a comment if you can think of others, or wish to comment more on some of the choices listed here.
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