Proof that the remaining 10% is worth being beaten up by Daredevil for here.
These are recommendations made by tropers for Daredevil fanfics, all of which have to be signed to stay on the page. Feel free to add a fanfic of your own to the list, but remember to use the template found here.
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Stories focused on the family and the friendly relationships of the cast. Plot-focused stories or light day-in-the-life stories. Pretty much anything that isn't focused on romance.Bedtime Stories
by Kat_C_Lyon
- Recommended by: griffinfeather
- Status: Complete
- Synopsis: Matt has trouble getting accessible course materials. Foggy has a solution.
- Comments: A short ficlet set during Matt and Foggy's law school days. Some fluffy, heart-warming roommate bonding.
Add ReviewSunshine by MomentumDeferred
- Recommended by: horatiofrog
- Status: Dead, last updated February 2017
- Synopsis: This is how it is: the world goes down the toilet, aliens start dropping from the sky, and the oceans die all at once. Everything is poison and the poison is everywhere. What's left is nothing but echoes in the dust. But there they were—a co-dependent ex-lawyer-slash-doctor, a woman who cut out her own emotions with a knife instead of having to feel them, and a blind lobotomized ninja who couldn't put a sentence together to save his life. Family is what you make it.
- Notes: Part of the Of A Fractured Sky series.
- Comments: A well-thought out, beautifully envisioned crapsack world AU in which the aliens responsible for the "Incident" come back with a vengeance, leaving Hell's Kitchen (and much of the rest of the known world) as a post-invasion apocalyptic wasteland. Throw in a devastating virus that turns 99.9% of its victims into a walking feral creature with a four-month lifespan, and you've got the Sunshineverse. The story (and its ancillary shorts found on the author's Tumbler site) finds Foggy trying to survive and navigate the remains of New York while simultaneously patching Matt up and reteaching his best friend the most basic things, like language and emotion, because Matt has fallen victim to the aforementioned devastating virus that has rendered him mentally childlike and severely aphasic. A beautiful character study, and highly addicting.
So You Want to Be an Artist by Callistemon
- Recommended by: dmcreif
- Status: Complete
- Synopsis: In the aftermath of season 2, Nelson & Murdock has closed, Elektra is dead, and Matt's confession to Karen didn't quite go according to plan. Jobless and at a loose end, Karen decides to rope Matt into sculpting, and he's a total savant (as always). Matt, Foggy and Karen soon come to believe that the art world has as many sharks as it does lawyers.
- Comments: This fic takes picks up at the end of season 2. It tries to resolve some of the loose ends from season 2: Matt's confession to Karen, Matt rebuilding his friendships with Foggy and Karen, the aftermath of Elektra's death etc., and speculate on one way Matt could become aware of his fellow Defenders ahead of the upcoming The Defenders.
Marci Stahl Is Better Than You, by igrockspock
- Recommended by: dmcreif
- Status: Dormant series, Complete stories
- Synopsis: Wilson Fisk's indictment was good news for everyone...except the members of his legal team. When no one else will hire Marci Stahl, she's forced to take a job at Nelson & Murdock.
- Comments: Obviously retconned by season 2, but in fanfics centered around a character created just for the show, this two part work is pretty impressive. It's neat to see a Marci-centered work because there aren't many women like her being written about in any fandom, so far as I can tell. I'd imagine it's not easy to write self-centered characters sympathetically, but this work managed to pull it off in a way that makes her more human.
Seeing in Colour by BrowniePower
- recommended by: dmcreif
- Status: Dead, last updated May 2018
- Synopsis: Nelson & Murdock gets involved with helping a Muslim family just as a new surge of white supremacy makes its way to Hell’s Kitchen.
- Comments: This is basically what happens when you combine Daredevil with real-world issues like white supremacists and The War on Terror. It's set between seasons 1 and 2, and as an added bonus, it goes the extra mile to avoid stereotyping foreigners and treat them as actual human beings with their own complexities. The way Matt bonds with the family, especially as one of the younger members is blind, is also very sweet and bound to bring a tear to your eye.
still got a lot of fight left in me by QueenWithABeeThrone
- recommended by: Helpimlost
- Status: Complete
- Synopsis: JONATHAN MURDOCK, the fallen gravestone reads, in big, fancy letters, and there's a cold, cold weight in Jack's stomach when he sees it, when he runs his hand over it and smears blood across his name. A Good Man. Or one of Wanda Maximoff's energy blasts collides with a spell fired by a love-crazed sorceress in your typical Avengers-level battle, somewhere near Hell's Kitchen. the resulting wave of energy manages to resurrect several thousand people in three cemeteries. one of those newly brought back from the dead? Battlin' Jack Murdock.
- Comments: Pretty much a "what if" fic, if Jack Murdock was resurrected during Daredevil. Revolves around his interactions in a world thats moved on without him, while looking for his son.
Malicious Prosecution by Heisey
- Recommended by: dmcreif
- Status: Complete
- Synopsis: A legal drama in which Nelson & Murdock takes the case of a boxer framed for murder. To clear his name, Foggy, Matt, and Karen – and Daredevil – have to stop a serial killer. Post- season 3.
Ella by ceterisparibus
- Recommended by: dmcreif
- Status: Ongoing
- Synopsis: A six part series of stories.
- Part 1 - "I'm Not That Strong (Honestly, I'm Not)": Foggy takes on a case involving child abuse and attempts to: a) protect Matt from further trauma; b) treat Matt like a child himself; or c) hinder Matt's personal growth - depending on whom you ask. Meanwhile, Matt runs into one of Stick's old pupils.
- Part 2 - "Not Right Now": - Matt works on some serious cognitive dissonance for the sake of helping six-year-old Ella.
- Part 3 - "I'm Reaching Out": Matt violates The List and crosses a line he never wanted to.
- Part 4 - "Candles": Christmastime for the main characters. Short ficlet.
- Part 5 - "Who Needs Air": Matt finds himself on trial for murder. While trying to get his name cleared, Matt must protect his loved ones from a vengeful Dex.
- Part 6 - "Fully Known": Someone is using a fear-inducing hallucinogenic drug against the criminals of Hell's Kitchen, and Matt is doing his best to deal with various Emotions.
- Part 7 - "You Are My Strength": In the aftermath of Karen's actions in "Fully Known," Nelson, Murdock & Page scramble to play defense against whatever Fisk is planning. Recommended for anyone who wants to see Matt on trial for being Daredevil.
- Part 8 - "Redeemed": Certain that Dex could be better if he just got the right help, Matt convinces Foggy to take his case - despite pressure from the NYPD, the media, and the rest of the DA's office, and despite the fact that he has a new baby to take care of, and despite the fact that Dex's issues run a lot deeper than first suspected. At least Matt has help: from Foggy despite his reservations, from Karen who'll cause mostly the right kind of trouble (for once), and from Stick's other ex pupil who was the first to see that there's more to Dex than his crimes.
- Part 1 - "I'm Not That Strong (Honestly, I'm Not)"
- Comments: This is a seven part series, which provides some very compelling high-stakes legal drama for those who want that from a lawyer like Matt.
Take a Deep Breath - I've Got Your Back by ceterisparibus
- Recommended by: dmcreif
- Status: Complete
- Synopsis: What if the characters worked more as a team during the back half of season 3? AU fic
- Comments: This started as a Tumblr prompt asking how Nadeem's questioning of Karen after the Bulletin attack would've gone had Matt been Karen's lawyer in that scene instead of Foggy, then quickly evolved into an AU as more users chimed in with how this brought up several more opportunities to fix plot points neglected in season 3 because of time and pacingnote , different tactics by the main characters to pursue Fisknote as well as character beats.note It leads there being more character moments between Matt, Karen and Foggy that were lost.
Trust: Handle with Care by ceterisparibus
- Recommended by: dmcreif
- Status: WIP
- Synopsis: Matt and Foggy's new client is a mother whose son was sexually abused by a Catholic priest. Post-season 3 fic
- Comments: This is a pretty dark fic, given the exploration of the Catholic church sexual abuse scandals through the lens of Daredevil. It's also a slight AU in that 1) for fic purposes, Matt was abused by a priest as well. And the events of season 3 are slightly retconned to have Father Lantom survive that season, since this fic's subject would be too heavy to explore if Matt also had to deal with a new priest who doesn't quite understand him.
Better - Now by tari_roo
- Recommended by: dmcreif
- Status: Complete
- Synopsis: Instead of a pathetic apology attempt disguised as a Christmas present, Matt had given Karen something so much more profound than an apology. A hundred questions and worries answered in two words and yet, a storm of a thousand more was born in that exhalation.
- Pairing: Matt/Karen
- Comments: Among the limited number of Matt/Karen shipping fics, this one stands out a bit. The characterization of Matt is spot-on, as someone who is done apologizing for who he is; while the author uses Frank Castle's conversation in ".380" to give an idea of how Karen is reacting to the reveal. And Karen's reaction is entirely in-character: upset, but understanding.
Darkest Before the Dawn by latbfan
- Recommended by: dmcreif
- Status: Complete
- Synopsis: A missing scene filler, expanding what happened immediately after Matt rescued Karen from Fisk's assassin in Into the Ring.
- Pairing: Matt/Karen
What They Wouldn't Do by Ashevillain
- Recommended by: dmcreif
- Status: Ongoing (though slow to be updated)
- Synopsis: A young secretary at one of Fisk's old shady companies finds her life turned upside down completely when she accidentally discovers Matt's secret identity.
- Pairing: Matt/OC
- Comments: This is a slow-burn story. It deals with some more serious thematic content, especially in terms of some of Matt's more questionable personality traits, like his violence and anger issues, and how Matt's darker side affects all areas of his life, including his dating life. Both original characters and existing characters are very well rounded and detailed.
When They're not Saving the World by tryptofan
- Recommended by: dmcreif
- Status: Complete
- Synopsis: Patching their lives back together, post season 2. Matt is left virtually friendless and cut off from human contact, so he starts chatting with Frank Castle, who seems to want Matt to find him. Frank and Matt chat, and sometimes it gets heavy. Matt also strives to repair his relationships with Karen, Foggy, the greater community, and his career. Divided into five fics:
- The Red and the Black - Conversations Between Vigilantes: It's been a couple of months since Frank dealt with the Blacksmith and Matt came clean to Karen. Matt and Frank, the loneliest vigilantes, have a tacit ceasefire. They meet on rooftops periodically to talk to another breathing human, and it's turned into a ritual that means more than they'd ever admit. Some nights it gets heavy, some nights they discuss Taylor Swift.
- In the Interim: In which we find out what Matt has been up to since the dissolution of Nelson & Murdock.
- Where Do We Go From Here? Matt finds Karen being attacked in an alley and swoops in to save the day. Turns out Karen can handle herself, and Matt, too. She's ready to let him back into her life, so Matt offers to take her on their second date, which was promised back during the Frank Castle trial. They discuss both where they are in their lives, their thoughts on Frank Castle, and their thoughts on Daredevil.
- More Conversations with Vigilantes: "Conversations between Vigilantes" outtakes, post-credits scenes, deleted scenes.
- Starting Over From the Middle: When Matt and Frank try to take down a new player pushing drugs in Hell’s Kitchen, they end up getting dosed by the very product they were trying to eradicate. Cuts, bruises, cracked ribs? Not a problem. A drug trip making them relive the most intense moments of their lives? Too much. Meanwhile, Wilson Fisk has set out to wreck the life Matt is piecing back together. Trope page here.
- The Red and the Black - Conversations Between Vigilantes
- Pairing: Matt/Karen
- Comments: These fics are mostly MCU but incorporate a generous dash of comics elements or details, while striving to maintain realism. The author succeeds greatly at this, fleshing out Frank Castle's character to provide more backstory, while also providing a believable reconciliation effort between Matt, Foggy and Karen.
The Boxer's Daughter by Red Rowan
- Recommended by: dmcreif
- Pairing: Female!!Matt / Foggy
- Status: In-progress, Complete stories
- Synopsis: Battlin' Jack Murdock only wanted his daughter to make something of herself, but he didn't live long enough to see Mattie make it to Columbia University, and beyond. Instead, on her first day of undergrad, she met the boy next door, Foggy Nelson, and over the years, she became Daredevil: the Woman Without Fear. An AU series with a Gender Flipped Matt Murdock (renamed Matilda "Mattie" Murdock), currently comprised of the following works:
- The One Constant: Mattie and Foggy in law-school.
- Not Done Growing Up: More scenes from the lives of Mattie Murdock and Foggy Nelson, as they try to figure out this whole "adult" thing. A series of non-linear one-shots leading up to the start of Season 1.
- These Precious Things: It should be perfect: Mattie and Foggy have a home in their old neighborhood, an office for Nelson & Murdock, and even a wedding date. But Hell's Kitchen is falling into crime and corruption, and the fight against it is being written in blood and broken bones. There's a man at the top, and there'll be hell to pay when Mattie finds him. An AU for season 1.
- All the Days of My Life: The Nelson-Murdock wedding (and associated events), featuring appearances by burlesque dancers, strippers, the Rite of Marriage, Train, and a whole lot of saying "I love you."
- The Road to Hell: There are a lot of people Mattie could blame for her current predicament. The Hand. Stick. Elektra. Frank Castle. But Mattie knows she really has no-one to blame but herself. An AU for season 2.
- Phoenix Burning: Mattie and Foggy have just settled into a fragile peace in the wake of the Hand's attack on Hell's Kitchen, when Wilson Fisk starts to make good on his threat to dismantle their lives. As his attacks tear down everything around them, they're forced to cling tighter to each other and to the people who care about them in order to fight back. An adaptation of the comics' Born Again storyline.
- Tenderness: Mattie is less than impressed with how the miracle of pregnancy is affecting her body.
- There's No Place Like: Jessica Jones is hired to find a missing girl in upstate New York, and decides to bring Mattie along, if only so Mattie can keep her awake on the drive up.
- Ships that Pass: Mattie meets someone from her past.
- Family is Where You Find It: An earthquake shakes New York. An architect goes missing. And Mattie's ex-girlfriend comes back from the dead. An AU for The Defenders.
- The One Constant
- Comments: This author is very good at telling a story that combines the existing works with things from the comics in a way that makes sense. Precious Things, the AU retelling of season 1, is what drew me in, and is very notable, because in most stories where the author changes some massive aspect of the story, like a character's gender, that's all they change. It's like rewatching the show again only with different pronouns for that character. Not These Precious Things, though, which is what got this troper hooked in. It shows how changing a gender actually changes quite a lot about the plot: the work pretty much maintains the core of the season 1 story, but it introduces a lot of new characters, a number of characters that were killed in the actual show instead live or vice-versa, while some actions undertaken by one character instead get taken by another. These little differences end up making a huge impact on the narrative.note It even does a good job weaving in characters from the other shows (especially the Jessica Jones cast).
Could We Start Again, Please? by BecauseImClassy
- Recommended by: dmcreif
- Status: Complete
- Pairing: Matt / Karen
- Synopsis: In the days following the events of The Defenders, Karen is trying to resign herself to the fact that Matt is gone, until she receives some shocking news.
- Comments: Written by an author that, feeling bad for Karen and Foggy and the place they're in post-Defenders, felt Matt should inform them that he's alive as soon as he's recovered enough to contact them, as well as dig into Karen's feelings, and bring her and Foggy back together with Matt. It is also another fic that sees Karen coming clean about Wesley's death, as well as exploring an interpretation of what exactly Matt's feelings for Elektra. It is obviously non-compliant with the events of The Punisher.
A photograph of you by BecauseImClassy
- Recommended by: dmcreif
- Status: Complete
- Pairing: Matt / Karen
- Synopsis: After the defeat of Wilson Fisk, Karen is settling into her new life and trying to come to terms with everything that's happened. St. Patrick's Day provides a welcome excuse for her, Matt, and Foggy to go out together and relax for an evening.
- Comments: A missing scene fic, set between seasons 1 and 2. It provides backstory behind the St. Patrick's Day photograph of Matt, Karen and Foggy that Karen is shown keeping in her apartment during seasons 2 and 3 as well as during The Punisher. It also addresses when and why Karen moved apartmentsnote as well as Karen's trauma from killing Wesley, and the beginning of Matt developing romantic feelings for her.
Murdock On Defense by BeaArthurPendragon
- Recommended by: dmcreif
- Status: Complete
- Pairing: Foggy / Marci
- Synopsis: Marci confronts Matt to find out the truth about his disappearance and why Foggy is having nightmares about Matt. Post-season 3.
- Comments: A pretty beautiful fic with a very in-character depiction of Marci in a Marci vs. Matt showdown, which is well deserved when Matt and Marci haven't had any scenes together.
Can't We Trust Again by ceterisparibus
- Recommended by: dmcreif
- Pairing: Matt / Karen
- Synopsis: Matt and Karen try to figure out the balance between honesty and boundaries between a vigilante and a reporter. But neither of them is very objective because they're both totally in love.
- Comment: Beautiful fic, unrelated to the same author's Ella series.
The Sins of the Father by ayy_zajjy
- Recommended by: dmcreif
- Pairing: Matt / Elektra
- Synopsis: When the assassination of her father brings Elektra Natchios back to New York, Matt Murdock must face more than one ghost from his past. Crossing paths with the Devil of Hell's Kitchen, Elektra will stop at nothing to exact her revenge, and Matt will stop at nothing to protect her - from the killer, the cops, and herself. Season 2 AU. Trope page here.
Demons of Manhattan by bictionality
- Recommended by: tsukixkumori
- Pairing: Matt / Vladimir
- Synopsis: Matt discovers it’s not as easy as one might think to stop the criminal sleeping in one’s living room from moonlighting as another vigilante.
- Comment: A well-written, conceivable tale of what might've happened if Matt brought Vladimir out of the tunnels. Characterization is well-done, and experiencing the pair warm up to each other as the story progresses is rather sweet.
The Price of War by shuofthewind
- Recommended by: rockgecko
- Crossover with: Thor
- Status: Complete
- Synopsis: Instead of going off to Culver University (and therefore meeting Jane Foster), Darcy Lewis ran away from home and ended up with her cousin, the attorney Jen Walters, in New York City. She ended up enrolling at Columbia, decided to focus on pre-law, and met two other young students — Foggy Nelson and Matt Murdock.
- Comments: Part 1 of the The Making of Monsters fanfics. The Price of War is an astonishingly well-plotted, evocatively written amazing epic of a read. It adds enormous depth to a surprising number of the characters, while introducing or tying in quite a few others, and manages to subvert a number of the rather shallow characterizations and stereotypes that some of the supporting cast on the show fell victim to. Well worth the time to read it!
The Devil in the Devil by Captain Monochrome
- Recommended by: Helpimlost
- Crossover with: Supernatural
- Status: Complete
- Synopsis: Matt gets possessed by a demon. It doesn't go how the demon expected. Azirale thinks some human is pretty cocky parading around calling himself the Devil, so they decide to teach the punk a lesson. It does not go as planned. So now Az is stuck sharing a body with this reckless Catholic superhero, battling criminals, witches, and - oh great, now the Winchesters are here, too.
- Comments: It's an interesting dynamic between Matt and the demon where the author sticks two contrasting characters together and make them co-operate.
- Recommended by: magicblah
- Crossover with: X-Men
- Status: Complete
- Synopsis: “I would not be surprised if it was love that brought on these developments. You feel very deeply, Foggy; it is entirely possible that it has opened your power to deeper perception,” Professor X says.
- How very Hallmark. But Foggy hasn’t fallen in love with anyone new since high school. Definitely not in the last year. Definitely not in his dorm room.
- Mutant AU In which Empath!Foggy is super open about his not-so-superpowers, and Matt is not. Dumbass.
- Pairing(s): Matt/Foggy, Foggy/Marci
- Comments: This story does a great job of balancing the humor inherent in Foggy's point of view, the angst of Foggy revealing his powers when Matt did not, and the romance that develops when Foggy's burgeoning powers bring him closer to Matt. Overall, it's just a lot of fun.
- Warnings: Mild, brief NSFW content between Foggy and Marci in Chapter 1.
