Between a brand-new figure in Spider-Man Infinite Legends and the upcoming Netflix series, Daredevil is getting a lot of well-deserved attention these days. But what about his villains? A hero is defined by his enemies, and ol’ Horn-head is seriously deficient when it comes to plastic foes to face off against. Here are the Ten Daredevil Villains We (Still) Need In Marvel Legends!
10. The Owl
If you said “who?” then ha-ha — I see what you did there. But the Owl is no laughing matter. One of Daredevil’s oldest foes, Leland Owlsley (ugh) uses a combination of science, psionics and a special cape to glide around town. Combined with other avian attributes like hollow bones, increased eyesight and the ability to rotate his head 180 degrees (eww) the Owl is too weird to live and too rare to die. His unique pedigree and position as super-powered crime lord places him on the front lines of any conflict, and his nutty design makes him an ideal candidate for inclusion in Marvel Legends.
9. Lady Bullseye
Lady Bullseye was one of the contenders in Hasbro’s Fan’s Choice poll back in 2010. While she lost out to Age of Apocalypse Sunfire, the figure was far enough along to be shown at Wizard World Philly, giving collectors a good idea of what they were missing. A repaint of the previously-issued two-pack Elektra, Lady Bullseye would have been an eye-catching addition to the ranks: her stark black-and-white design would really pop next to other rogues or Daredevil himself. Some might argue such a recently-created character could hardly be considered “legendary” but I have two words for you: Hope. Summers. This Lady is no tramp, but she would certainly make a nice action figure.
8. Mister Fear
As a kid, I was obsessed with this cover. I didn’t own the actual book, mind you — my copy was a postage-stamp sized ad in the back of another comic. Still, that murky image captivated me: it was that perfect combination of super-heroics and horror that rang ol’ Anthill’s bell. I had no idea who Mister Fear actually was, but he looked like Vincent Price in MADHOUSE so I was in. While the costume has changed over the years as a result of various people assuming the Mister Fear identity, I think this version is the most “toyetic.” Mister Fear would look great alongside “underworld” criminal types like the aforementioned Owl or hanging out with the Toy Biz Marvel Monster set.
7. Nuke
Frank Simpson’s troubled past made him the monster he is today. A black ops agent operating during the Vietnam war, Simpson was abducted and brainwashed by Logan aka Wolverine. Using both physical and psychological torture, Logan conditioned Simpson to kill with a word. A test subject of the Weapon Plus program, Simpson received cyborg upgrades (“Hmm… increase my killing power, eh?”) and became a deadly mercenary for hire. Appearing in the legendary “Born Again” storyline, Nuke battled Daredevil to a standstill before setting Hell’s Kitchen ablaze. This bitter personal connection to DD and his visually-arresting look makes Nuke a prime candidate for the action figure treatment. Now gimmie a Red!
6. Typhoid Mary
Daredevil is a Weird Chick magnet. Seriously, take Mary here. With three personalities, each one wackier than the last, and a handful of powers including telekinesis and pyrokinesis, ol’ Hornhead has his hands full on date night. When she’s not kissing him she’s trying to kill him, which seems to be a Murdock trait. While Typhoid Mary received a figure waaay back in 1999’s Marvel Super Villains The Vault line, she has yet to appear in Marvel Legends. And while some purists might argue for the characters original look, I have to get behind the more modern appearance. Less magenta is always a good thing.
5. Mister Hyde
When meek scientist Calvin Zabo consumes a potion of his own making, he unleashes not only incredible strength but a sadism and bloodlust unmatched by any man’s. In his guise as the animalistic Mister Hyde, Zabo wrecks havoc throughout the Marvel universe. Hyde was originally one of Thor’s heavies, but when you lose so consistently its hard to stay in that bracket. These days he fights more “street-level heroes” like Spider-Man, positioning him as a prime candidate for BaF status in the Webhead’s line. Then again, he was also a member of the Masters of Evil, which means he’d work in an Avengers line. Whatever you have to do to get us this Id-embracing jerkstore, Hasbro.
4. Ikari
I’ll admit it, these lists tend to skew “classic” — it’s my favorite era, and the one I’m most familiar with. I’m not as up-to-date when it comes to modern comics, but I’m not totally clueless, either. One of DD’s more interesting modern villains is Ikari. A dark reflection of Daredevil, Ikari mirrors his foe in fighting style and Japanese version of Daredevil’s original costume. In addition to the more obvious cues, Ikari also appears to share the hero’s enhanced senses. With his identity and motivations unknown, Ikari is one of the more compelling rogues DD has encountered recently, and his design is tailor-made for the action figure treatment. The figure could be easily re-dressed as a Hand ninja, which is badly in need of an update.
3. Gladiator
No, not the the mohawk-wearing faux-Kryptonian. I’m taking the O.G. Now, common sense tells us wearing circular saw blades on the back of your wrists is a stupid idea. We don’t need to get into the whys and wherefores, the flaws in this guy’s design are more than obvious. Now that we’ve acknowledged this logical inconsistency — how cool is Gladiator? He’s like a five-year-old’s idea of a super villain. Nobody else’s powers or abilities matter — he’s got saws on his hands! ZZZRRR! Gladiator’s design is tailor-made for an action figure. Give him a removable helmet and a set of “spinning” blades and you’d have one killer figure.
2. Elektra
Third times a charm! While the original Toy Biz Elektra was decent for the time, Hasbro’s take on the enigmatic assassin in 2007 was a definite upgrade. That said, the figure had some odd shaping and articulation issues that kept it from being the ideal representation of the character. With the debut of Hasbro’s new “buxom” female body, could an update of Elektra really be far behind? She’ll undoubtedly appear in the upcoming Netflix series, priming both first-time buyers and long-term collectors for a new action figure. The fact that she can be done with a minimum of work all but makes her a lock.
1. Stilt-Man
It’s the Fwoosh — of course Stilt-Man is #1. I made the case for Stilty here, and I won’t rest until he gets his own figure. As the recent Machine Man figure shows, anything is possible when it comes to character selection with the new Marvel Legends. As many have said before me, Stilt-Man’s extendable legs make the character an ideal candidate for the BaF treatment. Pack a set of legs with an army builder like a Doombot and it’s easy to imagine Stilt-Man towering over many future displays. Honestly, it’s so obvious it’s less a matter of if than when? All I know is I’ll be a happy camper the day I can finally re-create the above cover. C’mon, Hasbro, we’re halfway there!
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