8 Best Black Suit Daredevil Stories, Ranked

Viewers are excited for the next season of Daredevil, which continues the story within the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Early previews show a new black suit for the character, now featuring his classic “DD” chest emblem. Traditionally, a black suit signals a more intense and dramatic storyline.

Charlie Cox’s new suit in Daredevil: Born Again isn’t the first time Daredevil has embraced a darker look. Throughout the character’s history – in comics, animated series, the Netflix show, and now the Marvel Cinematic Universe – Daredevil has often worn black, especially in some of his most memorable stories. We’ve even recently seen him sporting a darker, armored suit similar to the popular design from the 1990s, giving fans another great option for his costume.

A Daredevil Variant Wore Black in Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man

The new animated series, Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, showed fans a different version of Peter Parker. This Peter Parker lives in an alternate universe within the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s multiverse, and his first adventure as Spider-Man involved teaming up with Daredevil, who was already a known hero in his world.

They had a brief fight on the rooftop, sizing each other up and discovering they were both heroes at heart. Daredevil wore a black suit with red accents around the eyes and inside, but it didn’t have any logos. He also wore black gloves as a nod to his father, a boxer – a design choice similar to another suit of his we’ll cover shortly.

Murdock Returned to His ’90s Armor in the “Rites of Reconciliation” Story

Following a challenging battle with his arch-nemesis Bullseye, Matt Murdock was ready for a fresh start. He sought solace with an old flame, Nyla Skin, as depicted in Daredevil #20 (part of the “Rites of Reconciliation” arc). At the same time, Daredevil needed to move on from his familiar look, haunted by difficult memories.

Murdock revisited his old armored suit from the nineties, adopting a tougher mindset to deal with recent challenges. While it was enjoyable to wear the black suit again, it was a complicated time for him, offering a temporary escape but ultimately proving insufficient. After some reflection, he realized he couldn’t outrun his past and returned to his familiar red suit.

A Possessed Daredevil Led the Hand and Created a Prison in Shadowland

Daredevil’s initial black suit appeared during the ‘Shadowland’ storyline, created by Andy Diggle and Billy Tan. Following his defeat of Bullseye, Daredevil donned the new suit, which had bigger horns and a redesigned, more threatening red ‘DD’ emblem. He also took command of the Hand, changing their appearance to match his own, and used them to manage a supervillain prison located in New York City.

Spider-Man, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist teamed up to help Daredevil when they discovered he was controlled by The Beast, a powerful demon and the original leader of The Hand. Daredevil’s changed appearance reflected this demonic possession, and he immediately got rid of his black suit once he was freed. This black suit was the most similar to the new look he recently adopted, a look that hints at difficult times to come – a possible preview of his ‘Born Again’ storyline.

Daredevil First Wore His Black Armor During the Fall From Grace Storyline

In the 1990s, Daredevil experienced a dramatic storyline called “Fall From Grace,” penned by D.G. Chichester and Scott McDaniel. The story involved Daredevil battling a dangerous group connected to the Hand, all while his secret identity as Matt Murdock was threatened with exposure. To escape this, Murdock faked his own death and created a new, armored costume after his original suit was destroyed in a fight.

Okay, so Daredevil got a costume change for a bit there. He still had the red, but mostly switched to a black suit with these cool silver armor pieces all over. It didn’t last super long, but a lot of fans really liked it, and it’s popped up again in comics a few times since. Honestly, the story arc it was part of is pretty good, but seeing the new look is definitely a highlight!

Daredevil: Black Armor Explored a New Untold Tale From His Darker ’90s Era

D.G. Chichester, the writer of the original “Fall From Grace” storyline, teamed up with artist Netho Diaz (and collaborators JP Mayer, Andrew Dalhouse, and Clayton Cowles of VC) to revisit the Daredevil universe in the five-issue mini-series, Daredevil: Black Armor. The story features Daredevil wearing his famous black armor while battling dangerous enemies like Hobgoblin, Sabretooth, and Baron von Strucker.

Daredevil: Black Armor was a welcome return to a classic period of the character, brought to us by the original creator. The story effectively shows why Daredevil’s black suit from the 1990s was so popular with fans, and it opens the door for more stories set during that time. Comics like this are great for revisiting overlooked eras and could lead to even more adventures featuring Daredevil’s black armor.

Daredevil Adapted His First Black Suit For His Origin Series on Netflix

When Charlie Cox first played Matt Murdock, his Daredevil was still developing as a superhero. His initial costume was a simple, all-black suit, similar to his first appearance in the comic book Daredevil: Man Without Fear. But throughout the Netflix series, the suit changed and improved after each fight, with additions like better gloves, extra padding, and attempts to create more protective armor.

Daredevil didn’t get his iconic red suit until the very last episode of the first season, providing him with the protection he needed to fight New York’s toughest criminals. However, when that suit was stolen and damaged in the third season, Matt Murdock went back to wearing his original all-black outfit. He did update the look slightly, adding a white strip under his mask to make it more distinct.

Daredevil: Man Without Fear Introduced His Very First Vigilante Suit

Following his acclaimed work on Daredevil: Born Again, Frank Miller teamed up with artist John Romita, Jr. to create Daredevil: Man Without Fear. This five-issue series explores Matt Murdock’s beginnings as a vigilante, showing his early days fighting crime before he fully became the Daredevil we know.

Murdock’s first attempt at a vigilante outfit was basic: a black sweatsuit and a dark bandana. While it worked for a while, it didn’t offer much protection and actually made it easy to identify him, since his red hair was visible under the mask. He then switched to his well-known red and yellow costume, and eventually settled on the red suit he’s most famous for.

Murdock Reclaimed and Reworked His Darker Suit in “Back in Black”

When Murdock returned to New York City after a brief absence, he made a striking comeback with a fresh, all-black suit in the “Back in Black” storyline by Charles Soule and Ron Garney. While the suit included a new, modern “DD” logo, it moved away from the look established in Shadowland. This new design more closely reflected Daredevil’s early days, notably featuring red hand wraps reminiscent of his boxing background.

The wraps really complemented his new red boots and other red accessories, making this outfit stand out. For a brief time, Daredevil teamed up with a partner called Blindside, and his dark suit fit well with Daredevil’s updated style. Although Daredevil eventually went back to his traditional red costume, the “Back in Black” look is worth remembering and appreciating more by fans.

2025-12-09 03:11