Daredevil (2003) Revisited: Is the Ben Affleck movie as bad as we remember?

2003’s Daredevil opened with a lot of hype. The buzz leading up to the film suggested it would be a gritty take on the character that writer-director Mark Steven Johnson promised would live up to some of the more famous runs from the comic, with Joe Quesada’s take from Guardian Devil a particular influence. Yet, fans were wary, especially when Ben Affleck was cast in the lead. 

All that said, in the lead-up to the film, word began to leak out that Affleck was actually great in the part, with early reports praising his chemistry with co-star Jennifer Garner, who played Elektra, and who Affleck would later marry. Yet, when the movie came out, many fans were left scratching their heads, with Elektra doing martial arts to Evanescence and Affleck’s weird leather jumpsuit not matching the dark and edgy vision promised. 

In the end, the film was slain by critics and fans, with even Affleck himself eventually disowning it. However, it still grossed enough money to lead to an Elektra spin-off for Garner, which would ultimately be considered one of the worst superhero movies ever, and finally, put this franchise out of its misery. 

While Daredevil’s R-rated director’s cut has its fans, many agree that the definitive Daredevil remains the Charlie Cox version, who’s on his way back to screens with the Marvel Phase 6 project Daredevil: Born Again recently announced. To celebrate that news, let’s look back at the 2003 Ben Affleck version and see if it’s as bad as everyone remembers. This episode of Marvel Revisited is written, narrated and edited by Kier Gomes, and produced by Adam Walton. Do you have a soft spot for Daredevil (2003)? Let us know in the comments!