Warning: Contains SPOILERS for Daredevil #19! MCU fans to be concerned.

In Daredevil #19 by Saladin Ahmed and Aaron Kuder, Matt Murdock is facing the last demon he inadvertently pulled up from hell: Wrath. At the end of the previous Daredevil story arc, Daredevil sacrificed himself to hell in order to ensure the defeat of the Beast and the safety of his friends, and he was seemingly lost to the pit. However, it was revealed that Matt was ‘reborn’ following that sacrifice, but he didn’t return to Earth alone, as the demonic embodiments of the Seven Deadly Sins followed him up. Daredevil has spent this entire current story arc sending these devils back to hell, and now, he finally got rid of the last one, but at a high cost.

The final devil Daredevil had to defeat was Wrath, a wolf-like demon who made Matt choose between two people - one to save, one to kill: Foggy Nelson and Bullseye. According to the doctrine of Matt’s religion, both men were created by God in His image, meaning both had the same right to live, regardless of their personal sins (indeed, only God has the right to judge). Therefore, Bullseye’s life was just as valuable and worthy of protecting as Foggy’s, so even if Matt chose his friend over his mass-murdering arch enemy, he’d still be committing an atrocity in the eyes of his Lord - and that’s exactly what happened.

Daredevil decided to save Foggy, which meant he was actively killing Bullseye. That was the test Wrath had for Daredevil, and once Matt proved he was capable of murder, the devil willingly went back to hell. It was a bad situation to be in, no doubt about that, but that doesn’t detract from the reality of the situation: Daredevil killed Bullseye, thus breaking his ‘no kill’ rule.

Daredevil Just Killed Bullseye in Marvel Comics

Daredevil Has Been Marked By Hell as a Killer

By failing to save both men from Wrath, and actively choosing Foggy to save while allowing Bullseye to die, Daredevil effectively killed Bullseye himself. While that likely wouldn’t hold up in court (Daredevil did try to save Bullseye, after all), it certainly held up in the eyes of hell. The devil, Wrath, was satisfied enough with Daredevil’s ‘murderous’ actions that it went back to hell willingly, and without trying to drag Daredevil back down to hell with it. That could only mean one thing: Matt Murdock has been marked by hell as a killer, which may have damned his soul.

According to Catholic doctrine, one can be absolved of their sins by going to confession and completing acts of penance. So, why doesn’t Matt just do that? He’s Catholic, he’s against killing, and he has a relatively simple way of saving his soul from eternal damnation. However, in order for the Rite of Absolution to work, the sinner must be truly sorry for the sin they’ve committed, and Matt Murdock is not sorry for what he did. This comic made it clear that, if he had the chance to do things differently, Matt would do them exactly the same.

Daredevil would kill Bullseye again and again if it meant saving Foggy and defeating Wrath, meaning he cannot be absolved of his sin. And, since he apparently doesn’t get credit for trying, the effort he put into trying to save Bullseye after choosing to save Foggy doesn’t count, which is a stain on his soul that Matt can never get rid of. In other words, it seems Wrath happily went back to hell without trying to drag Matt back down with it because it was confident that Daredevil will end up in hell eventually because of this moment.

So, is that it? Is Daredevil doomed to rot in hell for all eternity because he chose to save his friend over a serial killer? At the moment, it would seem so, which could take Daredevil down a dark path in his next Marvel Comics story arc.

Daredevil May Fall to Corruption in Marvel Comics

Will He Also Fall to Corruption in the MCU?

In a previous Daredevil story arc, Matt Murdock accidentally kills someone while on a nightly patrol of Hell’s Kitchen. He feels so guilty about it that Daredevil turns himself in to the police and serves a two-year prison sentence. Matt atones for his act of manslaughter, and in the end, he is forgiven by God for showing true remorse and completing an act of penance. However, as previously explained, Daredevil doesn’t feel sorry for killing Bullseye, so he will never be forgiven. So, if Matt already knows he’s going to hell (indeed, Wrath basically told him), what’s to stop him from doing away with his ‘no kill’ rule altogether?

Again, Daredevil’s moral com is rooted in his Catholicism and the promise of heaven. But, now that he’s going to hell, it’s possible that Daredevil will eventually fall to corruption. He is a good person, so it’s not like this dark metamorphosis would be quick. However, as time goes on, Daredevil may start to be a little bit more brutal with the villains he fights, until one day, he decides to just go ahead and start killing them - he’s already going to hell, so why not?

For those who would argue that Matt would never do this because he’s a lawyer and killing is against the law, it should be reiterated that he breaks the law every time he assaults people as Daredevil, and the highest law in his eyes is God’s law, which he’s already going to serve eternal punishment for breaking. While bold, this would be an interesting direction to take the usually morally-upstanding superhero, and if Marvel Comics does take Daredevil in that direction, then it’s all-too possible he’ll also face the same level of corruption in the MCU.

Indeed, MCU fans might need to be worried about this latest Daredevil story arc, especially since Matt had already tried to kill Bullseye in Daredevil: Born Again. If he finds himself in a similar position and succeeds in killing Bullseye (or any other villain), then he may go down the dark path Marvel Comics has just opened him up to. Of course, this is all speculation, so there’s no reason to worry as of now. However, it cannot be argued that Daredevil’s latest kill marks a shocking turn for Matt Murdock, and MCU fans might need to be concerned.

Daredevil #19 by Marvel Comics is available now.