University of Michigan alumnus/Eisner Award-winning writer Saladin Ahmed is excited to be chronicling the adventures of two iconic Marvel Comics characters on their milestone anniversaries: Wolverine and Daredevil.
“They’re two different guys with super senses and rage issues, but I’m taking different approaches to both of them,” said Ahmed, of Oakland County.
Wolverine, whose popularity arguably rivals Marvel’s flagship character Spider-Man and current cash cow Deadpool, is celebrating his 50th anniversary this year, whereas Daredevil is celebrating his 60th anniversary.
In fact, the eighth volume of “Wolverine” No. 1 – written by Ahmed and illustrated by Martin Coccolo – debuted Sept. 11, while “Daredevil” Vol. 8 No. 13 – written by Ahmed and illustrated by Christopher Campana – debuted Sept. 4. The latter marks Ahmed’s second year on the title. He spoke about both characters.
Daredevil
“Daredevil probably has the highest bar of Marvel characters for epic runs. He’s somebody who brings creators together to do crazy work. There’s this synergy with this character that makes that come out and makes it different than another other Marvel book,” explained Ahmed.
Created by the late Stan Lee (who co-created Spider-Man, the Hulk, the X-Men, et al) and the late Bill Everett, Daredevil debuted in his eponymous title in 1964. He is the alter-ego of Matthew Murdock, a blind attorney who was born in Hell’s Kitchen, NY. Raised by Jack, a single father who was a boxer, Matt was blinded when radioactive material struck his eyes in his teens.
Although it left him blind, it heightened his remaining senses to super-human acuity and gave him a radar sense, which is how he perceives the world. His hearing is such that he can listen to a person’s heartbeat to determine if they’re lying, which comes in handy as a lawyer. He is a skilled acrobat and martial artist armed with a specialized baton who has held his own against Spider-Man and Wolverine.
It has also been established that Daredevil is Catholic. His faith has been the focus of many memorable stories. Ahmed explores that in his run, making Daredevil a priest.
“What interests me is he’ll continue as Daredevil and as Fr. Matt, not Matthew Murdock, Esq,” said Ahmed. “For me, his faith has been what sets him apart from other characters in the Marvel Universe and to have him wrangle with that as a man of god is something I’m having a lot of fun with.”
That story is reaching its crescendo, according to Ahmed.
“How that will end and what the consequences will be set up the next story,” he said. “I’m a person who believes when you put a lot of crazy stuff out there, it shouldn’t end with ‘then they woke up.’ I want to see what happens after that and you get new stories to tell out of that. We’re definitely doing that in some really crazy ways, actually.”
In the late 1970s/early 1980s, Daredevil’s title was flirting with cancellation. However, his popularity skyrocketed when fan-favorite artist/writer Frank Miller (“Sin City”) reinvented him, exploring his dark side and giving the title a pulp noir feel, both are elements that have had a lasting impact on the character to this day. Filmmaker Kevin Smith (“Chasing Amy”) and “Back to the Future” co-writer Bob Gale have chronicled Daredevil’s adventures in the early 21st century.
Daredevil made his live-action debut in 1989’s “The Trial of the Incredible Hulk,” the second telefilm that spun out of “The Incredible Hulk” 1977-82 TV series starring the late Bill Bixby and Lou Ferrigno. Broadway veteran Rex Smith, who played the titular hero on 1985’s “Street Hawk,” played Daredevil. “Indiana Jones” veteran John Rhys-Davies played Wilson Fisk, alias the Kingpin, Daredevil’s archnemesis.
“It was exciting to be the first (Daredevil),” said Smith. “You can play Superman, but you’re the fifth iteration of him or something – I don’t know what it is now – but to be the first, it was a great opportunity,” recalled Smith. “When I went in for the final audition, I was very prepared. Back then, it was a different Hollywood; you had an answering machine, which you checked at a payphone. I remember… there was 15 messages. It was like, ‘Hello, Rex, this is Bill Bixby’ or ‘Hello, Rex, this is wardrobe.’ That’s when you feel like an Apollo astronaut and they just lifted off.”
This telefilm was supposed to be a backdoor pilot to be a “Daredevil” TV series. However, that never materialized, despite good ratings.
“John Rhys-Davies was going to my Moriarity, if you will, to my Sherlock Holmes,” said Smith. “It was an exciting prospect.”
Oscar winner Ben Affleck (“Argo”) played Daredevil in 2003’s titular movie and made a cameo in 2005’s spinoff “Elektra” (a commercial and critical failure) that got cut. While “Daredevil” grossed $178 million at the box office, it received mixed reviews. In a 2018 interview, Affleck called the movie “silly” and stated he disliked the film.
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Charlie Cox (“Boardwalk Empire”) plays Daredevil in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, most notably 2015-18’s “Daredevil” and 2017’s “The Defenders” on Netflix. In 2021, Cox made a cameo as Spider-Man’s (Tom Holland) lawyer in “Spider-Man: No Way Home.” He also appeared as Daredevil on Disney+’s “She-Hulk: Attorney at Law” in 2022 and “Echo” in 2024. In 2025, Cox will appear in “Daredevil: Born Again,” adapted from 1985-86’s classic “Daredevil” story of the same name.
“It’s such a gift, this character,” said Cox at Fan Expo Chicago in August. “It feels good to be in the MCU and for us to have opportunities to have crossovers. I’m thrilled to be in that world.”
When asked what he thought about Affleck and Cox’s respective portrayals of Daredevil, Smith admitted he hasn’t seen them.
“It’s not that I’m for or against, but I don’t sit and watch myself (perform). It’s personal to me, my experience, and it just muddies up the memory by watching other iterations…. I don’t see myself getting excited and sitting down and watching someone else do it. Like I said, I don’t sit down and watch myself,” explained Smith.
Ahmed gave his insights on what gives Daredevil his staying power after 60 years.
“With him, it’s really his underdog nature,” he said. “Matt’s had a lot of strikes against him over the years and just keeps picking himself back up… he endures a lot. With Matt, it’s seeing him get knocked all the way down and get all the way back up.”
Wolverine
WolverineWolverine debuted in 1974’s “Incredible Hulk” No. 181, the creation of the late Len Wein and the late John Romita, Sr. There has been some controversy this year that Marvel’s then-editor-in-chief Roy Thomas had a hand in creating Wolverine, which has divided creators and fans alike.
A brooding, gruff, short-tempered loner and antihero (something prevalent in American popular culture after the Vietnam War), Wolverine – whose real name is Logan – wasn’t above using lethal force, putting him at odds with his fellow superheroes. His past is shrouded in mystery. He’s part of the clandestine Department H, which produced super-soldiers. He possesses an adamantium skeleton and claws, enhanced senses, phenomenal fighting skills, a long lifespan, and a healing factor that makes him virtually unkillable. These traits have made him a very popular character.
“Who doesn’t want to write a Wolverine comic?” said Ahmed. “We have a big, new villain we’re excited about. We’re getting to roots that make people excited about Wolverine, but we’re looking at those roots from a new angle. I can’t talk too much about the plot because I don’t want to tip my hand.”
Wolverine is also a member of the X-Men, its eponymous title debuting in 1963, the creation of the aforementioned Lee and the late Jack Kirby. Hard to believe, but the title did not sell well and was cancelled in 1970 due to low sales and ran reprints until 1975 when the title was relaunched with “Giant-Size X-Men” No. 1 by Wein and the late Dave Cockrum. This was when Wolverine joined the team.
Under writer Chris Claremont (aided by many great artists, most notably John Byrne) – considered to be the definitive X-writer whose original run on the title was from 1975-91 – the X-Men became Marvel’s golden egg and most recognized franchise, spawning many spin-off titles, mini-series, specials, et al. It was the No. 1 bestselling comic book in the Western Hemisphere for more than 10 years. One of Ahmed’s favorite Wolverine stories is 1984-85’s “Kitty Pride and Wolverine” mini-series, written by Claremont and illustrated by U-M alumnus Allen Milgrom.
“Claremont towers over everybody else,” said Ahmed. “That mini-series shows Wolverine’s ferocity of protectiveness, which is the two sides of the guy’s coin that I always appreciated. Milgrom’s a genius… I loved his linework.”
Wolverine has had a monthly title since 1988 and numerous specials. He and the X-Men have been featured in other media, including video games, cartoons (Cal Dodd voiced Wolverine on 1992-97’s “X-Men: The Animated Series” and currently on Disney+’s “X-Men ‘97”), and movies, most notably this year’s “Deadpool & Wolverine,” with Hugh Jackman reprising the role of Wolverine for the 10th time (and Ryan Reynolds reprising the role of Deadpool for the fourth time). This movie has grossed $1.2 billion and still going strong at the box office. It is also 2024’s highest-grossing film to date.
This is the first time the two most popular “X-Men” characters meet on the big screen, something many thought wouldn’t happen since Jackman stated he was done playing Wolverine, his breakout role from 2000’s “X-Men.” After 2017’s “Logan,” that was supposed to be Jackman’s final time playing Wolverine. Jackman stated in interviews he returned to Wolverine because he wanted to work with Reynolds and fans wanted to see Deadpool and Wolverine together.
“Deadpool & Wolverine” movie also featured Tyler Mane reprising the role of Sabretooth (a role Liev Schrieber of “Ray Donovan” fame succeeded him in) – Wolverine’s archnemesis – for the first time since 2000’s “X-Men.”
“It was fun to get that call and to be able to put that costume on again and go for it after 24 years. Hugh’s a great guy. Working with Hugh has been fun from Day 1 way back in the day from 1999 to what we did last year on set,” said Mane.
He spoke about the rivalry between Wolverine and Sabretooth.
“They’re just larger-than-life characters,” said Mane. “Sabretooth is a big beast and Wolverine is that pit bull that never stops coming after you. They make a great match going head to head.”
When Jackman got the part of Wolverine circa 25 years ago, he didn’t know anything about the character. The only frame of reference he had was Dodd from the animated series. At Fan Expo Chicago, Dodd spoke about the first time he met Jackman.
“The filmmakers of the first ‘X-Men’ movie told Hugh, ‘You might want to listen to Cal Dodd’s voice.’ When he first met me, he said” – and Dodd put on an Australian accent – ‘Pleasure to meet you, mate, but I’m sick and tired of listening to your voice,’” recalled Dodd, laughing. “I said to him in my Wolverine voice, ‘Don’t mess this up, bub.’”
Dodd has been complimentary of Jackman’s performance. “I love him. I thought he was great, even though he’s a foot too tall (Wolverine in the comics is 5 foot 3 inches, whereas Jackman is 6 foot 2 inches). The voice, he never attempted to get there because he’s too busy trying to act, working out, and doing all the fighting scenes, etc. Hugh was fantastic,” praised Dodd.
Like Jackman, Dodd didn’t know anything about Wolverine or the X-Men.
“We didn’t know what to expect. (The producers) just showed me a picture of him. They described what he’s like: He’s 5 foot 3 inches, tough as nails, he will defend the people he loves to the death if necessary, and he’s cranky. That’s the way they described him.”
It was easy for Dodd to reprise his role as Wolverine in “X-Men ’97,” which debuted earlier this year.
“I had no problem whatsoever. (The producers) thought the voice should be lower. I said it should be like it was. People think he has this low voice – no, it’s just gravelly. It was like water off a duck’s back; it was perfect,” he explained.
Dodd laughed when asked if he minded being remembered as Wolverine.
“Do I mind? Hell no!” he said. “I’m proud and pleased as punch and lucky!”
Both Dodd and Ahmed talked about Wolverine’s staying power for five decades. Both pointed out his contradictions make him a compelling character. Despite his gruff demeanor, Wolverine has a “huge heart,” according to Dodd.
“For me, he’s this ultimate warrior and loner but he’s also this absolutely essential teammate for the X-Men. That contrast is a big part of it,” he said. “I’ve been trying to add something new to his story. He is someone who’s had so many stories told about him. I wasn’t going to do this unless I could add to it. We’ve got some exciting stuff coming up for Logan – places and situations we don’t normally associate with him. We have also the red meat stuff people love about the guy; there’s plenty of bloody action. It’s not for little kids. We’re trying to tell new stories with him at the center of them.”
