10 Incredible Facts We Learned About One Of The Best Daredevil Stories Of All Time

The event features a huge number of different panels happening simultaneously, each geared towards various interests. Some are for young professionals networking, others for fans eager to learn about upcoming projects from their favorite shows or comics, and still others offer a more thoughtful space for reflection instead of just looking ahead.

The panel “Deconstructing Daredevil: Rage, Violence, and the 1980s” took place on the final afternoon of New York Comic Con, when the convention was most crowded. Although the room wasn’t huge, it was completely full, with some attendees having to stand. The panel featured Ann Nocenti, the acclaimed writer of the Daredevil comic, speaking about her work. Popverse writer Jules Chin Greene moderated the discussion, and Gerry Duggan made a surprise appearance as a guest.

Nocenti’s Early Writing Was Defined By Experimentation

She didn’t initially aim to be a comic book writer; it happened unexpectedly. She answered a vague newspaper ad and ended up at Marvel as an assistant editor. Over time, she worked her way up to editor and eventually began writing occasionally. Looking back, Nocenti realized she was truly exploring new territory as a writer, and she spent a lot of time experimenting to find her voice.

She admitted she sometimes overlooked the amount of work artists had to do when she wrote scripts. She playfully criticized herself for adding extra panels just because they looked good, without considering the effort artists like Arthur Adams would need to actually create them.

Nocenti Initially Had Very Little Interest In Superheroes

It’s often assumed that writers working on superhero comics are big fans of the genre, and sometimes that’s true. However, with writers like Ann Nocenti, that wasn’t always the case. While she was around comics growing up, they weren’t the typical Marvel or DC superhero titles. Her childhood comics covered a variety of other genres, or were simply daily newspaper strips.

Because Nocenti wasn’t very familiar with Marvel’s established stories or typical superhero conventions, she did some research, reading earlier Daredevil comics like Frank Miller’s work, to understand the character’s history. However, she wasn’t a big fan of the constant fighting and violence common in the genre. She was more interested in exploring and critiquing those tropes, and this became a central focus of her Daredevil run, as she tried to redefine what a superhero comic could be. Nocenti observed that the most successful Marvel comics of that time balanced drama and action, and she embraced that—often prioritizing the dramatic elements over the fights.

John Romita Jr. Defined The Run

Throughout the panel, Ann Nocenti enthusiastically praised the artists she collaborated with, especially John Romita Jr. While others contributed to the title as well, she emphasized that Romita Jr. was instrumental in helping her develop as a comic book writer and define her vision for Daredevil.

She acknowledged they often improvised, but always had strong ideas and a clear direction, frequently inspired by everyday life. She shared the story behind Typhoid Mary’s appearance, explaining how Romita designed her look after seeing his girlfriend getting ready to go out. She also mentioned how Romita successfully argued against drawing Mephisto in a spandex costume, and was given the creative freedom to design the demonic character as he envisioned.

The Villain Bullet And His Son Lance Were Symbolically Key To The Run

Most readers remember Typhoid Mary as the standout new character introduced during Ann Nocenti’s run on Daredevil, and for good reason—the other new characters she created were often minor villains or just background people who later writers didn’t bother with. However, Nocenti specifically highlighted one lesser antagonist she clearly valued – Bullet, and his son, Lance – even bringing him up unexpectedly during a recent panel discussion.

Honestly, for a long time, Bullet felt like just another strong guy with a temper. I heard the artist, John Romita Jr., actually based his look on some random dude he saw, which is cool. But looking back at Ann Nocenti’s run, it’s clear there was more to him than that. She was really using the whole superhero/villain thing as a metaphor for nuclear war – all these incredibly powerful people who could just lose it and destroy everything. It totally made sense when I realized Bullet’s son, Lance, was always freaking out about nuclear chaos, because his dad’s explosive anger reminded him of it. And this was all happening during the Cold War, so the fear was real.

Nocenti Had Some Gripes

The panel wasn’t entirely positive, as Ann Nocenti shared some frustrations with her time at Marvel. One major issue was the treatment of Nyla Skin, a character she created. Nyla was a politically charged, Black, homeless activist and love interest for Daredevil, and Nocenti was disappointed when editorial decided the character was too controversial and removed her from the comic, despite Nocenti’s objections.

Ann Nocenti, the comic book writer, found the MCU’s portrayal of Typhoid Mary a bit disappointing. When asked about a potential return for the character, she expressed a desire for a revised origin story that better reflected the comics. Nocenti pointed out that while understanding of mental health conditions has changed, dissociative identities typically develop in childhood. She was bothered that the MCU version showed the character’s different personalities emerging later in life and hoped future appearances would be more accurate and sensitive to the condition.

Why Did Nocenti Come On After Miller?

Frank Miller’s work on Daredevil, and superhero comics as a whole, was revolutionary, permanently changing the industry. Although Dennis O’Neil continued the series after Miller’s first period, Miller returned to create the famous “Born Again” story, once again raising expectations. This created a challenge for Marvel: how could they follow up after such a high point?

It was widely believed that Marvel struggled to find writers for Daredevil because of the pressure of following Frank Miller’s work. While that played a small part, Ann Nocenti revealed the real reason: most writers simply weren’t interested in taking on the Daredevil title. Working on popular team books like Avengers, solo series featuring major heroes like Spider-Man, or anything connected to the X-Men was much more lucrative and guaranteed better sales. Creators were happy with those projects, so Marvel had to try out several writers before finally choosing Nocenti. She was selected because she had a unique style but also understood and respected Miller’s original vision, building upon it effectively.

Nocenti Emphasized The “World Outside Your Window” Mentality

Marvel often promotes its stories as realistic portrayals of New York City, created by people familiar with the area. However, many recent comics don’t capture the city’s true feel as well as they used to. A notable exception is Ann Nocenti’s run on Daredevil, which accurately reflected late 20th-century New York. Nocenti and artist JRJR made a point of drawing inspiration from everyday life, even basing the minor villain Ammo on a man they actually saw wearing zebra-patterned pants while observing people in the city.

Ann Nocenti approached her work on Daredevil like a journalist, a style encouraged by her editor, Dennis O’Neil, who also had a journalism background. He famously advised her to incorporate her current thoughts and concerns directly into the comic, meaning whatever was on her mind – whether it was fears about nuclear war or issues of social class – often found its way into the stories.

Karen Page Was Going To Struggle With PTSD In A Rejected Pitch

Karen Page is often seen as a dull character, frequently portrayed as one-dimensional or simply as someone who constantly struggles. While this criticism held true for a while, her most compelling appearances were arguably during Ann Nocenti’s writing. Nocenti gave the character much-needed depth and complexity, which was especially welcome after the difficult experiences Karen faced in the “Born Again” storyline as she worked to overcome addiction and a past as a sex worker.

Nocenti had hoped to portray Karen dealing with the effects of PTSD, believing her past experiences and exposure to superhero battles could trigger these issues, even when she wasn’t the target. Unfortunately, Marvel rejected the idea at the time. Nocenti seemed frustrated recalling this, noting that a similar concept would likely be readily accepted and praised today.

Why Did She Like Working With Daredevil Specifically?

You don’t need to be a huge comic book fan to write about a character, but you do need a strong vision for how to tell their story and a genuine curiosity about the character. Writer Ann Nocenti was in this position when she started working on Daredevil; she wasn’t a long-time Marvel enthusiast beforehand.

When Ann Nocenti first started writing Daredevil, you could tell she was still finding her way. She actually joked that she spent a lot of time developing the villains of the week while she figured things out, and her editors gently reminded her to focus more on Matt himself! Eventually, she really hit her stride when she realized how fascinating it was that Daredevil was just full of contradictions. A lawyer who fights crime at night, a religious man who uses violence—all these sides of Matt were constantly clashing, and that’s what really grabbed her, and honestly, me as a reader too. It was like Matt Murdock was always changing and evolving, and it made the story so much more compelling.

Nocenti Spent A Good Amount Of Time Explaining Typhoid Mary

Typhoid Mary is a surprisingly complex character who doesn’t get the recognition she deserves from many comic book fans. She’s unique because she’s made up of four distinct personalities – the original host, plus the alters known as Typhoid Mary, Bloody Mary, and Mary Walker. Writer Ann Nocenti was so dedicated to the character that she continued to feature Typhoid Mary in stories even after leaving the Daredevil comic, including appearances in Marvel Comics Presents and The Spectacular Spider-Man, and even a solo miniseries called Typhoid.

Ann Nocenti created the character Typhoid Mary as a response to how women were typically portrayed in superhero comics. She observed that female characters were often stuck in stereotypical roles and rarely had agency, frequently existing only to support the stories of male characters. Nocenti aimed to create a complex, multi-faceted character like Daredevil, who would both embody and challenge these stereotypes. The character’s connection to Daredevil was fueled by his tendency to want to ‘save’ women, like Karen Page, and his fascination with strong, unconventional women, similar to Elektra. Nocenti also drew inspiration from real-life accounts of abuse and even the controversial MK Ultra program, resulting in a compelling character who quickly became a fan favorite.

2025-10-31 01:42