Marvel Just Killed Off One Of NYC's Biggest Superheroes (For Good Reason)

Contains spoilers for "Daredevil" #12 by Marvel Comics

Marvel Comics has killed off Daredevil in his current ongoing series — but for a valid reason that has nothing to do with sidelining the iconic character. Matt Murdock's mission to take down The Hand once and for all leads him directly to Hell, with the hero punching a one-way ticket to the realm by killing himself.

In the current "Daredevil" series from Marvel Comics, Matt Murdock and Elektra Natchios – both of whom operate as Daredevil – continued their quest to shut down the ninja organization, The Hand. The pair married and became the King and Queen of The Fist while assembling their own army of heroes and villains for the task. Unfortunately, their base of operations was destroyed, and it was revealed The Hand captured the souls of Foggy Nelson and Daredevil's mentor, Stick.

Now, Murdock is heading directly into the fire by sacrificing himself to get closer to the Beast, entering its lair and bringing the fight to Hell. However, before he ends his life and begins his darkest journey yet, Murdock encounters a long-lost friend and is nearly beaten to the punch when Elektra tries to martyr herself.

In "Daredevil" #12 by Chip Zdarsky, Marco Checchetto, Matthew Wilson, and VC's Clayton Cowles, Daredevil arrives at the entrance to the cave vortex where the Beast of The Hand operates from. But, before he can enter, Matt Murdock encounters Sam Chung, aka Blindspot. The blind hero was previously mentored by Daredevil, coming into conflict with and against the Devil of Hell's Kitchen on several occasions. Blindspot assisted Daredevil in fighting the Beast in New York City before it disappeared for some time. In the new issue, Sam is seen in front of the cave of the Beast, and when Daredevil appears, he tries to stop him believing he's a creation of the demonic entity. Chung soon realizes it's Matt fighting him as the pair catch up.

Blindspot informs Daredevil of the Beast being alive in Hell. After nightmares about his connection to the Beast, Chung shares that Stick visited him and told him to go to Japan and guard the "Siege Infernal," another name for how the Beast navigates from Hell to the mortal world. While Blindspot remains devoted to killing the Beast, Daredevil tells his friend he's relieving him of his burden, telling him to return home and be with his family. Sam tries to convince Daredevil to let him continue his mission but Murdock says he deserves some happiness after everything he's been through, leading Blindspot to depart and leave him as the only one guarding the cave. However, when Daredevil prepares to kill himself so his soul is taken to Hell, Elektra locates her husband and tries to stop him from making such a sacrifice.

Matt Murdock takes the sword prophesied to kill the Beast and lunges it towards his body, but before he can impale himself, Elektra knocks the sword out his hand with her sai.

Elektra attempts to convince Daredevil he doesn't need to be a martyr and urges him to work with her in finding another solution to stop the Beast and The Hand. Despite Elektra seemingly calming Matt down, promising to find a way to bring Foggy Nelson back, and sharing a passionate kiss with her husband, Daredevil opts to continue his deadly mission. He spars with Elektra, who doesn't want to see him die. But despite a back-and-forth fight between Daredevils, Matt manages to use the rope tied around Elektra's sai to pull her closer to him and force her to stab him in the chest. As Matt lies dying, he ensures Elektra that he will get his best friend as Elektra tells him to "go fight the devil." 

The issue's prologue features Murdock waking up in a boxing ring and is met by his dad, Jack. His deceased dad tells Matt he's got a tough fight ahead of him and offers him a suit to wear while he ventures down into the Beast's realm. Daredevil has been to Mephisto's Hell before but immediately notes the Beast's version feels very different. The comic ends with Murdock taking steps down into the dark dimension as his final stand against The Hand begins.

Daredevil's death seemingly sets up a direct confrontation with the Beast of The Hand. What that battle will look like is unclear, but with Matt Murdock being the King of the Fist — even being referred to as the hand of God as he enters Hell — readers should expect an epic final battle between the two powered-up entities. Matt's quest is far from over, with the hero's sacrifice being the first in a series of last steps to take down the Beast. But with Chip Zdarsky and Marco Checchetto's iconic run on "Daredevil" ending with "Daredevil" #14, the last two issues of the series will pack quite a punch. Daredevil's visit to Hell will likely have lasting repercussions on the character and his stories.

Marvel Comics has already revealed Saladin Ahmed and Aaron Kuder will start a brand-new "Daredevil" run following the conclusion of the current one, so don't expect Daredevil's death to last. Even if there weren't a new series coming, Marvel keeping Murdock dead for any prolonged amount of time would be a questionable decision. However, that doesn't mean every character in the story will survive until the end. For fans of Foggy, Elektra, and other leading players in Daredevil's world, you might want to keep your guard up because when the dust settles, it's unlikely that everyone will make it until the end of "Daredevil" #14.

If you or anyone you know is having suicidal thoughts, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline​ by dialing 988 or by calling 1-800-273-TALK (8255)​.

Readers can pick up "Daredevil" #12 from Marvel Comics, which is available in comic book stores and online retailers now.