🎙️ Entering the Ring (and Taking a Fall)

This week we’re stepping into the spotlight to ask a very classic Watchers question—what happens to a hero when the moment that “forges” them… never happens?

Ep. 176 What If Daredevil’s Dad Had Thrown the Big Fight?

from What If…? #102 (“What If? Daredevil’s Dad Had Thrown The Big Fight?”)

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We’re diving into Earth-9711, where one choice in the boxing ring changes Matt Murdock’s entire destiny. We begin by revisiting Daredevil’s remarkably consistent origin (and why he’s a fascinating “almost breakout” character) before turning to a noir-framed What If story, told through Ben Urich’s reporting and a prisonhouse confession.

Along the way we explore fate vs. free will, the meaning of “taking a fall” (literally and morally), why Kingpin remains one of Marvel’s best arch-villains, and how this alternate Matt still can’t escape the gravitational pull of the Daredevil mythos—he just gets there by a different, darker route. Then we wrap by pondering what’s next for Daredevil on screen—and what kinds of street-level MCU stories we hope the future holds.

Reading / Watch List:

• What If…? #102 — “What If? Daredevil’s Dad Had Thrown The Big Fight?” (Marvel, Nov 1997)

Mentioned / Related Episodes:

• Ep. 8 — What if Bullseye had not killed Elektra?
• Ep. 154 — Daredevil teamed up with Batman (and we finally tackled his origin in depth!)

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