It’s certainly a good time to be a Daredevil fan. The live-action Netflix series is finally getting a continuation in the form of Daredevil: Born Again on Disney+. Meanwhile, on the comic book side of things, Marvel is kicking off a new miniseries called Daredevil: Cold Day in Hell. Not only does this series reunite Death of Wolverine writer Charles Soule and artist Steve McNiven, it’s got a pretty sweet elevator pitch. What if Daredevil got his own version of The Dark Knight Returns?
IGN spoke with Soule via email to find out what exactly that means for poor, beleaguered Matt Murdock. First, check out an exclusive preview of Daredevil: Cold Day in Hell #1 in the slideshow gallery below, and then read on to find out more about the series and Soule’s thoughts on his past DD work being adapted in Born Again.
The Dark Knight returns really is the easiest point of comparison with this series. Rather than being set in the present-day Marvel Universe, Cold Day in Hell takes place at a time when Matt Murdock has lost his powers and is grappling with both old age and the ghosts of his tragedy-prone past. As Soule reveals, Matt is hardly the only hero to hang up his tights in this futuristic Marvel Universe, at least until something coaxes him back into action.
“Matt's older, for sure,” Soule tells IGN. “We don't get specific with it, but the idea is that he left super hero life behind many years ago. Not just him, either - in the world of Cold Day In Hell, super heroes are long gone, at least in comparison to the way they operate in the present-day Marvel Universe. The reason for Matt leaving Daredevil behind is actually pretty simple, if you're using super hero logic. As we all know, Matt got his powers by being accidentally dosed with radioactive goop. Radioactivity fades with time, and in this story, the idea is that over time Matt's powers faded away too. He's still got all his combat training, but he hasn't used it for a very long time. He is, to put it pretty plainly, an ordinary older man with an extraordinary past that he's worked quite hard to move beyond. At least, that's our status quo as we begin.”
Of course, The Dark Knight Returns is hardly the only comic to tackle the “aging superhero gets back into action” trope. That premise has fueled plenty of Marvel books as well, from the various The End titles to McNiven and Mark Millar’s Old Man Logan. As Soule explains, there’s a good reason this type of story tends to crop up so often.
“For me, the tonal switcheroo you get when you show familiar characters at unfamiliar points in their lives can be a really potent way to define them in new ways for readers,” Soule says. “It also lets you define them more clearly. What parts of Matt Murdock persist when his ability to be a super hero in the traditional sense vanishes? He's clearly not Daredevil when we begin - does he need to be? Stories like this give you the best of both worlds - they can let you strip the hero down to their bare essentials while also letting you come up with a lot of fun ideas that are outside the regular continuity in some ways.”
Soule continues, “Cold Day In Hell takes place in its own corner of the Marvel Universe where terrible things have happened in the somewhat recent past, the after-effects of which resonate through the lives of the characters and the story. So, Steve and I get to make up a bunch of cool new things that use iconic Marvel elements, while also putting our own spin on all of them. That is… what many of these stories do, and of course I think Steve and I were both inspired by other brilliant variations on this theme.”
This isn’t the first time Soule and McNiven have collaborated on a story about a Marvel hero confronting their mortality. That was also the premise behind 2014’s Death of Wolverine, a story that wound up taking the iconic X-Man out of commission for several years. We were curious whether Soule views Cold Day in Hell as a companion piece to Death of Wolverine in any way, even if the two stories are set in very different versions of the Marvel Universe.
“I think everything we do together is in some ways a companion piece to everything we've done,” Soule says. “I've been truly fortunate to work with Steve as much as I have. From the Wolverine stories, to Uncanny Inhumans, to Star Wars, and now Daredevil, I think everything we've done is an evolution of our ability to work together, and our friendship outside the comics. I have immense trust in Steve's ability to just, you know, do amazing things on the page, and I think he feels the same way about my scripts, hopefully. This book was extremely collaborative in a way that was a bit of an experiment for us, a back and forth discussion as scripts and inks and dialogue and colors came in throughout, and I think people are going to see that on the page. Steve called it ‘jazz’ at one point, and I don't think that's so far off. I'm really proud of all the work I've done with Steve, but this one really stands out.”
Half the fun with stories like Cold Day in Hell is seeing how a given hero’s various friends and enemies have fared in old age. For example, The Dark Knight Returns reveals Joker to have become all but catatonic in Batman’s absence, while Superman becomes a puppet of the US government and Green Arrow becomes a one-armed anarchist. Soule is hesitant to reveal much about what role Daredevil’s supporting cast and villains will play in the series, but he did confirm that readers can expect some major surprises on that front.
Soule teased, “Don't want to say more than that, though - that stuff is part of what I think people are going to tune in for.”
Given the timing of Daredevil: Cold Day in Hell #1’s release, it’s clear Marvel is looking to capitalize on the debut of the Born Again show. We asked Soule whether this series works as an accessible gateway into the Daredevil comics, despite being set in the future and building on decades of existing Daredevil continuity.
Soule says, “I think so! It's designed as a story people can pick up and enjoy if they know the most basic things about Daredevil and his past - blind, Catholic lawyer who had super-senses and ninja training at one time, but now he doesn't. It probably helps if you know a bit about some of the key adversaries and allies in Matt Murdock's orbit, but you don't have to.”
On the subject of Born Again, it’s become clear that the series draws at least some inspiration from Soule’s 2015-2018 run on the series. Like the comic, the show deals with Wilson Fisk becoming mayor of New York City and features the artistically inclined villain Muse. Soule confirmed that the series does draw from his run, including in other ways fans may not be expecting.
I've been fortunate enough to see the entire season of Daredevil: Born Again, and can confirm that the work I did with Ron Garney and my other amazing collaborators during my Daredevil run in the comics is all over the show,” Soule says. “Mayor Fisk and Muse, yep, but other elements too, particularly just the thematic things we were playing with back in 2015-2018. As far as how it felt? It felt amazing. The thought that these ideas will be reaching that many people, when I can still remember writing them down in my red Daredevil notebook almost a decade ago now as things that might be cool... what a wonderful thing. I think fans will really enjoy the show.”
Daredevil: Cold Day in Hell #1 will be released on April 2, 2025.
For more on what’s coming from Marvel Comics, check out what to expect from Marvel in 2025 and see our most anticipated comics of 2025.
Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on BlueSky.
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