Marvel comic book fans are aware that Daredevil is known -- alongside the likes of Spider-Man -- to have one of the most punishing lives in the superhero genre. While he's certainly flawed and makes plenty of his own mistakes, the likes of Kingpin and Bullseye have wreaked havoc on his life throughout his compelling mythos in the comics medium.
However, that narrative device transcended comic books and was a major crux of the acclaimed Netflix Daredevil TV series as well. On top of the intensely high degree of physical punishment Matt Murdock has endured throughout the show's three-season run, the emotional and psychological toll dealt upon him was arguably much worse.
Being Orphaned As A Young Boy
One of the most consistent tragedies that happened to Daredevil in comics and the show was being orphaned at an early age. Losing his eyesight was also a horrific accident, but Matt Murdock managed to turn that into his greatest strength. Meanwhile, he and his father were alone in the world to fend for themselves until "Battlin' Jack Murdock" was killed by organized criminals for refusing to throw a boxing match.
It was a final noble effort, as Jack had all the money from the fight transferred to his son, but it came at the cost of an even more troubled childhood as an orphan. Struggling to control his abilities and cope with his blindness were made all the more difficult, especially since his mother abandoned him and Jack shortly after Matt's birth. This made Matt's discovery in season 3 that Sister Maggie was his mother all along even heavier on his already decaying mental state.
Nearly Killed By Nobu & Kingpin In The Same Night
Though Daredevil and Kingpin weren't aware of the rivalry that would fester from this encounter, their first face-to-face meeting was one the Man Without Fear would unfortunately never forget. Matt grew into the mantle of the Devil of Hell's Kitchen well later on in his career, but getting thrown into the whirlpool of Kingpin's organized crime empire was on another level entirely at the time. Once the proto-Daredevil thought he had Wilson Fisk's location pinned, he was only met by the Hand's leader Nobu.
Even for someone of Daredevil's physical prowess, the expert-level Nobu pushed Matt to the brink of death. He was only saved by a last-ditch effort of desperation to "kill" Nobu but was then greeted by the Kingpin of New York himself. A battered and bloodied Matt didn't even get a chance to pick up his broken pieces. What followed was a one-sided beatdown by Fisk after the fledgling superhero let his anger get the best of him.
Nobu Killing Elektra & Being Revived As A Weapon
Season 2 of Daredevil introduced Matt's complicated -- and dangerous -- love interest Elektra. Her ties to Matt's earlier life in college and the ulterior motives that drove Elektra to pursue him made their relationship volatile, but the underlying romance was always there. Once the overarching plot turned its focus on the Hand, it led the two to try and nip it and Nobu in the bud.
But despite all their efforts and Daredevil's eventual victory, Elektra was cruelly killed by the master ninja's hand. It's another heartbreaking example of the continued struggles Matt has in finding consistent happiness and peace. Things were only elevated to more tragic levels after she was revived to be the Hand's weapon known as the "Black Sky." Matt spent that entire story arc in The Defenders desperately fighting to win back one of the few loved ones he had left.
Being Crushed Under A Building With Elektra
Netflix's Daredevil took some influences from the comics for Elektra's fate in season 2, but with a twist. She was killed by Bullseye in the comics, though, was revived similarly. But by the end of The Defenders, her status was left ambiguous. In the heat of Daredevil fighting Elektra to essentially win back her soul from the Hand, the Devil of Hell's Kitchen successfully frees her mind from their clutches but has to make the sacrifice play in the process.
The foundations of the building they were in began to implode, with the two ready to accept their deaths as they embraced one more time. Of course, season 3 would reveal how Daredevil managed to survive, but Elektra's body was never found. In the world of comic book-based media, a missing body could easily mean they survived off-screen/page. Only time will tell what Marvel Studios decides to do with Elektra going forward, but for now, it remains another tragedy.
"Raised From The Dead" Only To Discover Kingpin Is Free
Father Lantom and Sister Maggie helped nurse Matt back to health after the latter practically dragged himself to end up on the church's doorstep. The "resurrection" of Daredevil was not a peaceful one as it came with Matt spiraling into a pit of rage, guilt, resentment of his faith, and a crisis of identity.
He was progressively lamenting Daredevil being taken away from him after the accident in The Defenders, and just when he starts to regain his physical prowess and the beacon of hope that came with it, Matt got the cruelest news possible. After all that he, Foggy, and Karen did to put Wilson Fisk behind bars, Matt heard the news that the Kingpin is free on the streets again. This was one of Daredevil's most demoralizing moments in the series and only helped drive the wedge further between him, his loved ones, and the faith that helped build him.
Bullseye Impersonating Daredevil & Framing Him For Murder
The show brilliantly executed its superhero crime-noir atmosphere, and a large part of it being done so well in season 3 was how it paid homage to one of the darkest Daredevil stories in comics. Writer/artist Frank Miller's Born Again was the crux for season 3's premise, and the bulk of it had to do with Kingpin framing and slandering Matt Murdock/Daredevil's reputation.
Incorporating Bullseye into the mix was another excellent touch, as having the unhinged, psychopathic marksman impersonate Daredevil made the season's stakes feel all the more genuine and daunting. Matt's realization of what was happening when he met Ben Poindexter/Bullseye in his suit was one of the show's most tense scenes. Given the fallout of the encounter, it was also another heavy burden on the hero's psyche after the trail of blood Dex left at the New York Bulletin.