ULTIMATE MARVEL RPG APPLICATION
Screen Name: Matt Murdock
Character you would like to play: Attorney Matthew Murdock, aka Ultimate Daredevil
Has this character appeared in the Ultimate comic books? If not, how will you 'Ultimatize' him or her?: This character has not appeared in the continuity cut-off points that have been established. This Matthew Murdock will be far more calculating in his methods. Unlike previous incarnations of Matthew Murdock and his alter ego, this Daredevil will not be an island. In fact, there will be more than one individual who knows his secret. Matt Murdock will not be a struggling attorney but he will, rather, be a prosperous one, who has successfully established a law firm in Manhattan, not strictly in Hell's Kitchen. In fact, Murdock and Nelson will not be the only named partners at their law offices. Offices of his law firm will be scattered about the city. Unbeknown to much of the staff, however, the top floor of Murdock's offices will all be dedicated to storing his equipment. Each will have several costumes, billy clubs, and medical kits for Murdock to use. After all, he is one of the more brutal heroes in the UMU.
As far as development goes, this Matthew Murdock will have the same feelings of animosity and distrust in the legal system as his mainstream counterpart. Instead of trying to solve the issues he sees from within the courtroom, however, he will solve them as Daredevil. He will not be afraid to kill when necessary, and he will be far more sadistic than any character I've ever written including, quite possibly, the Joker.
Ultimate Daredevil will also be far more of a public menace. While he will be appreciated and adored by the people who know how unsafe the conditions in the city are, he will be vilified by the media. Like Spider-Man and the
Daily Bugle, every media outlet will label this Daredevil as psychotic scum. Unlike the Webbed Wonder's case, however, there are people who will believe it.
There will be changes to Daredevil's supporting cast, as well. Foggy Nelson won't be a bumbling fool who fears for his life. Instead, he will be a competent, level-headed outlet for Matthew. Karen Page will play a roll, as will Bullseye. Both, however, will be altered. Bullseye will, at last, be given a complete origin story, and Karen won't be built up and torn down time after time.
Of course, I cannot leave out the explanation of how this Murdock will feel about The Church. As I note in the background information section, Matthew will, indeed, resent The Faith. He will, however, turn to it on a regular basis as Daredevil. He needs an outlet and, more importantly, validation. He will get both from his priest.
The big question - Why this character?: Daredevil has always been, for the most part, the same character in every universe. Red spandex, billy clubs, and a pair of horns on his mask. With the reboot of Ultimate Marvel, I have a chance to take the character in a completely new direction. That's something I'm itching to do.
Brief background information of the character: Matt Murdock is a native of Hell's Kitchen. The real estate agents and politicians call it Clinton, now. But, just like everything else in the world, nothing changes with a name. The essence and character of a place or person do not change when they are simply relabeled. Hell's Kitchen has long been the underbelly of the city, where the filthy and corrupt have long prospered. This depraved borough is where Matt Murdock was reared.
The early years of Matt Murdock's life were relatively normal and pleasant. Until he was six years old, Murdock's father was a prosperous prize-fighter in the heart of the city, gaining title after title. Having a child, though, took a toll on the man, and, despite his young age, the stress of trying to, literally, fight to put food on the table and take care of a wife and son forced Jack Murdock to look for ways of self-medicating. He found peace in drinking. After that, everything began to go downhill. His fighting career began to decline, and, with it, his marriage. His wife left him, seeking to find stability once again. In doing so, she turned to the church and found a life in the Faith.
By the time he was 15, Murdock had grown to resent his mother and the church that had, in his eyes, taken her from him. He refused to go to mass, and dedicated all of his time to trying to save his father, who had only grown more habitual in his drinking. Jack Murdock did his best to provide for his son, imparting to him all of the values and characteristics he found himself to be lacking. Honor, courage, and curiosity were just a few of the traits Jack hoped to impart to young Matt. He worked tirelessly to find decent fights, but there were few promoters and agents in the city who would back a broken man. He found a way to earn money, though. One by one, Murdock threw fights. Day after day, he made his son watch as he traded his pride for dollar signs. The pair were powerless to break out of the life they found themselves in.
Everybody in his school knew just what Matthew's father was doing, despite how much he tried to deny it. He was ridiculed and bullied relentlessly. He fought back, of course, earning himself the nickname "Daredevil." It stuck.
On his way home from school one day, Matthew saw an elderly man struggling in the street. His walker had wedged itself in a crack in the pavement, and he was having difficulty setting himself free. Reacting as quickly as he could, he sprinted forward, and shoulder-charged the only man, sending him out of the path of an oncoming truck. The truck swerved, slamming on its brakes. The radioactive chemicals stored in the back of the truck leaked, splashing against Matthew's face and neck. His eyes were severely burned, blinding him. His remaining four senses, however, functioned with superhuman sharpness. His brain processed the sensory information it was receiving from his ears to create an image in the world around him. The radioactive material had granted Murdock the ability to use echolocation.
Inspired by his son's bravery, Jack Murdock made a resolution to stop throwing fights and, after several years of not doing so, try and make a comeback. And, for a while, he succeeded. Matthew and his father, both fighters on the comeback trail, seemed to doing well for themselves. One night, though, Jack was approached by his manager, who told him to throw a fight. Finding conviction with the morals he shared with his son, Jack refused. That night, he was beaten to death. The only witness was his son, Matt, who, despite what anyone though, saw it at all. Nobody, however, believed him.
With no material witnesses, and little physical evidence, the killer of Matthew's father was acquitted, and Murdock swear not to let the same happen again. The only person who did so much as console Murdock was his priest, who, despite the boy's former angst towards the church, knew that young Matthew needed someone in his life he could count upon.
Years passed, Murdock attended Columbia law school, and established a prominent law office in the city, earning the respect of several other notable attorneys. Soon, he and his roommate, Franklin Nelson, started a practice and grew into one of the most effective law firms in the city.
Now, Murdock moonlights as the vigilante, Daredevil, seeking to put right as many injustices as he can find.
Powers, abilities, and noteworthy equipment:
- Enhanced taste, touch, smell, and hearing
- Radar Sense
- Acute balance
- Superhuman strength
- Considerable combat training
- High-powered multi-use billy club that can serve as a grappling hook, staff, and nunchucks.
What can you bring to this game?: Someone who has shown unwavering dedication to the Ultimate Marvel game for close to two years. I've been a consistently reliable poster who does his best to write fun and engaging stories.
What color and font would your character use? (Please fully type the font out): Dark red, Trebuchet MS, bold.
"Like this."
How many times per week do you plan on posting?: It depends, really. This reboot is designed to get the action going again. For me, Daredevil has always been the character with whom I take my time. I don't want to rush his stories and, now, with this brand new direction I'm taking him in, I want to make sure I do it right, and don't rush anything. If there's interaction, I'll do my best not to keep anyone waiting, but, if there isn't, I'll just take my time. I might get two or three posts in per week, in that case.
Do you know how to post pictures on the Hype! boards: Yes.
Provide a small sample post for your character, about 4 paragraphs with at least one line of dialog:
I used to believe in this city.
On the west side of Hell's Kitchen, there is an alleyway located between the Law Offices of Nelson, Weisman, and Murdock and O'Toule's Bar and Grill. It's one of those uninteresting corners of New York. It's not especially seedy these days. After Giuliani's hard-line on crime, the city had grown much safer. Lightning cracked angrily in the sky as rain poured, illuminating a stoic figure who stood on the damp pavement. His frame was rigid and muscular, his shoulders broad. A twinge of crimson reflected from the full-body suit he was wearing. The eyepieces on the mask that covered half of his face seemed to glow in the darkness. Rain slid down his face, over his mouth, bursting forward as he exhaled.
He threw himself up into the air, wrapping his hands around the bottom of a fire escape attached to the law office. With a grunt he heaved himself up onto the bottom level of the rusted frame.
He ascended the stairs quickly, tromping against the metal as if he was furious. As lightning flashed again, bullet holes in the chest and thigh portion of his costume. He sighed and breathed heavily as he awkwardly heaved himself up.
Tonight, though. Tonight something changed. Something was different. Tonight I was shot at by people with badges, not with dimebags.
After several stories of climbing, he reached the top of the fire escape and reached a sealed-up window. On the surface, it appeared to be little more than a smashed window, boarded up with several planks. He reached forward with his left hand, though, and pressed on one of the bricks next to the window. A loud tone echoed through the alleyway.
"Unlock and open." He said, in his brooding voice. It was the first time he had spoken in close to an hour and a half.
The crooked panels boarding the window up slid straight, and pulled back into the sides of the window frame. A steel plate behind the planks lifted upwards slowly, and Daredevil stepped into the upper level of his offices. The room, a corridor for the most part, had several rooms branching off of it, each with differing interiors. One was a furnished weightroom, complete with a punching bag and dozens of barbells. Other rooms held alternate suits, some made of vibranium and spandex, others made out of mesh and steel plates for protection.
Daredevil groaned, and flicked a switch on the wall, staggering through the hallway.
Panels on the walls slid open, revealing several large subwoofers built into the very walls themselves. They all began to emit the same, low, pulsating tone. As the soundwaves bounced off of the walls and ceiling, they illuminated the entire room for Daredevil, who made his way the area in the room where he stored his costumes.
The suit he was wearing was bulky. A vibranium under-suit, clinging close to his frame, was covered by a 1/4 inch thick suit of plastic, rubber, and kevlar. The lower portion of the suit, including the legs, were all made of a vibranium and rubber composite, allowing for maximum motion with maximum protection.
The Kingpin owns this town, now... even the police are his thugs. And that cannot stand.
Daredevil ran a hand around the back of his neck, clutching a zipper that held his mask to the main body of his suit. He pulled the headpiece off, easing the lenses over his forehead. Beneath the protective piece of headwear, his eyes were scarred. Burn marks lined his upper and lower eyelids, and had led to severe discoloration of his cornea, sclera, and iris. Taking his time, he wrapped the mask on a mannequin head mounted on the wall. Several others were mounted next to it. One was bright yellow, and severely battered. Next to it were two red masks, both made of spandex. Next to those, a leather headpiece that showed few signs of use. Two black headpieces lay beneath them, each with armored pieces around the neck.
Daredevil stepped a few feet down the room, to where several pieces of equipment were stored. on the shelves in this portion of the room lay swords, staffs, billy clubs, and unique weaponry which Murdock himself had designed. One such item was the unique pair of nunchucks he held in his hand, having slid them out of the holster on his thigh. Meant to serve as a multi-functional tool, the nunchucks he held were lined with over 50 feet of high-strength airline towing cable. Mounted on the end of one of the clubs was a grappling hook. Once deployed and fired, the cord could be fired and retracted. The cable also served as a useful way to improve the effectiveness of his nunchucks, lengthening the distance they could be hurled, or ways they could be used.
It's true that the city has seen a sharp decline in sporadic violent crime. Rapists aren't as common, and the muggings seem to have slowed.
He pulled off his gloves and tossed them onto a table beneath his shelves of equipment. The pair he had worn were heavily padded and layered with insulation and foam.
He moved on to an area with costumes had been stored on thick, metal hangers. Each matched up with a mask to the left. He ran a hand over the gash one of the bullets that had been fired at him left. It had only left him with a small bruise, but the impact was never something he'd get used to. Reaching down, Murdock pressed and held a button mounted just over the area where the torso of his costume met the legs. A sound of pressure being vented could be heard, and a seam along both sides of the suit's main body expanded. The arms of the suit loosened, allowing him to slide his arms out of the apparatus and pull the thick, rigid torso off his own. Scars lined his chest and upper arms. Just below his neck lay chemical burns, a scar and remnant of his accident. His eyes, staring forward, didn't moved as he wrapped the torso of his suit around a headless and armless mannequin. He pressed the button again, and the suit sealed itself, another night of crimefighting finished.
He pulled his pants off and put them on a hanger next to the mannequin, and wandered into the adjacent room.
Now in the bathroom, Murdock turned on the shower and flicked another lightswitch. The subwoofers in the other part of the room disengaged and slid back into the wall. He pulled himself into the glass shower and winced as the steaming water ran over new and old wounds alike. After half an hour, Murdock turned the water off and stepped out, wrapping himself in a freshly cleaned bathrobe that was draped on the granite countertop, waiting for him when he arrived.
That's left a power-vacuum, though. One which white collar crooks and mobsters are more than happy to fill. In this economy, I can't say I even blame people for turning to crime. It's a difficult world in which we live. But, with judges and attorneys on the take, someone has to stand up for what is right. Someone has to have moral convictions, despite lacking criminal ones.
Next to the bathrobe were a pair of crimson sunglasses, which Murdock slid on out of habit. He sighed as his exhaustion began to catch up with him.
That makes me judge, jury...
He stepped across the hallway, snapping every few seconds so as to illuminate his path, into a makeshift kitchen. There, he found a kettle already boiling. Next to it, a mug with a ginseng teabag. He poured the water into the mug and sipped from it as he made his way to the end of the hallway.
And executioner.
Murdock stepped through the door at the end of the hall and found himself looking down a flight of stairs. One by one, he made his way down, leaving Daredevil behind for yet another night.
