“While the rest of the species is descended from apes,
redheads are descended from cats.”- Mark Twain
I occasionally joke about how no Daredevil-related subject is too obscure for this blog. And this is certainly proof of that (long-time readers may recall that I’ve already devoted a post to Foggy’s facial hair and his tattoo!).
With Chris Samnee’s work in Daredevil #12 – where he juggled two time frames and two different hairstyles for Matt – I knew I had to do a post about Matt’s hair. When I think about it, it’s actually a little strange that I haven’t covered it already considering it’s such a trademark feature. It’s not only the character’s blindness that makes Daredevil unusual, there really are not that many red-headed heroes out there. I’ve seen more than one redheaded fan comment that this was something they appreciated growing up. My best friend is a gorgeous redhead, and I’ll be sure to read Daredevil to her strawberry blond son as soon as he’s old enough. 
So, for this post, we’re going to take a trip into the archives of Daredevil canon and check out Matt Murdock’s impressive head of hair!
Classic Colan
This is the classic, suave look I most associate with early Daredevil and Gene Colan’s long run on the book (the panel below is from Daredevil #29). Shorter on the sides and more length on top. Bright red and sexy!
70′s hip
The seventies brought a new varied line-up of artists, such as Bob Brown who supplied the art below (from Daredevil #115, written by Steve Gerber). It also brought a slightly shaggier look and, depending on the colorist, a lighter tone to Matt’s hair.
Miller magic
Miller kept Matt’s hair on the long side, with noticeable bangs combed to the side. The color throughout his run was a medium orange. The panels below are from Daredevil #182.
Nearly blond
Some color artists have given Matt a very blond look with few traces of red. Below is an image from Daredevil #249, by Ann Nocenti with pencils by Rick Leonardi. Colors by Max Scheele.
Nice and short
By the mid-nineties, someone (Cary Nord, apparently) decided that it was time for a hair-cut and switched to something a little shorter, as seen below in Daredevil #360, by Karl Kesel and Cary Nord. It stays short for the rest of volume 1 and the first issues of volume 2, before temporarily growing back out for the Parts of a Hole arc.
Goatee? Why not!
While Foggy has been able to play around with his facial hair, Matt has only had any to speak of while he’s been on hiatus as Daredevil (such as during the King of Hell’s Kitchen arc), not counting the times he’s simply forgotten to shave. So, for a while he had an honest to goodness goatee. The image below is from Daredevil #56 (volume 2), by Brian Michael Bendis and Alex Maleev.
“Hair cut? I’ve got a ninja cult to run!”
While Matt looks reasonably well-groomed in the below panel, from Daredevil #506 by Andy Diggle and Antony Johnston, with art by Marco Checchetto, there’s no denying that the longish shaggy do made its return in the Shadowland era.
Not even trying anymore
Whether you liked the “Abe Lincoln” beard of Daredevil: Reborn or not, it sure gave Matt that look of not really caring. At all. Panel below from Daredevil: Reborn #1, by Andy Diggle and Davide Gianfelice.
Volume 3 goodness
Since the relaunch, Matt has definitely settled into a more relaxed look, which I guess goes well with his new attitude. From left to right, below is art by Marcos Martín, Paolo Rivera and Chris Samnee.
Fashions may have changed, and Matt’s hair along with it, though we haven’t seen anything too extreme. Whether on the short or long side, it looks like the kind of low-maintenance swirl of coppery goodness that even a guy with no use for mirrors can trust to look half-decent no matter what. 
I’ve been taking a break from blogging for a while, but one new feature I put up in the last few days is a simple “upcoming issues” page. Don’t look if you don’t want spoilers!
8 comments
Mark D. White says:
May 28, 2012
Isn’t Cyclops red-headed? And he wears red-tinted glasses to boot. He and Matt often appear very similar when in plain clothes (other than the fact that Scott doesn’t use a cane).
Christine says:
May 28, 2012
I think Scott Summers has much darker hair, doesn’t he? Hard to tell though since he seems to spend most of his time wearing what looks like a black condom.
Eric says:
May 28, 2012
Pretty sure Cyclops has brown hair, Professor White; what does the OHOTMU say?
R.M. Hendershot says:
May 28, 2012
Yay, Matt’s hair! I’m a little ashamed to admit that I’ve actually found his changing hairstyles fascinating over the years, perhaps because I learned to draw (as much as I CAN draw) by copying Daredevil panels. I always thought Matt’s hairstyle was any given decade’s interpretation of how to avoid looking like a blind guy did the hero’s hair … even when the hero happens to be blind.
But I’ve always wondered how he avoided getting “cowl hair” … especially when his ‘do has been more fluffy or spiky. Maybe that’s a previously undiscovered superpower.
Mark D. White says:
May 28, 2012
Hmm, the Marvel wiki says Scott has brown hair–OK, I stand corrected. The red glasses still throw me, though.
Bee Clayton says:
May 29, 2012
Unless I’ve missed it here on the site Christine, you should do a review of Matt’s glasses over the years, maybe even a comparision with Scott Summer’s glasses. Both have had distinctive types of shades over the years.
Yay! Matt is a Law & Order fan as well!
themattmurdockchronicles says:
May 29, 2012
Hi, Christine – essential post!
My favourite atypical Matt hairstyle is the practically bubble perm look he sports in DD113 (volume one) – I comment on it on my blog but you should check it out – it’s scrummy!
PS Congrats on winning Eurovision the other night (I’m sure you were thrilled).
Thomas W says:
Jul 8, 2012
Scott is infamous for looking like Matt during the famous X-Men cartoon series in the early ’90s, in which he did indeed have red hair. In the comics, though, Scott is at least SUPPOSED to have brown hair, with Jean Grey and her daughter, Rachel, being the only redheaded X-Men (that I can think of). Relatedly, the visual confusion between the two of them is the main reason that I dislike Matt in red sunglasses: it’s unnecessary, draws needless attention to the color red in relation to Matt (this was more an issue when Matt had a secret identity to protect), and is already the visual trademark of a wholly unrelated character.