How often have Daredevil and She-Hulk teamed up in the comics?
What kind of relationship do She-Hulk and Daredevil have in the comics?
Ever since we learned that Charlie Cox would be reprising his role as Matt Murdock on She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, people have eagerly been checking in each week anxious to see if Daredevil has shown up yet. The clip released during the D23 Expo has only raised our excitement. It’s going to be fun to see Marvel’s two lawyer superheroes onscreen together.
This got me thinking – how often have Daredevil and She-Hulk teamed up in the comics, and what is their relationship like? Some of you might think it’s impossible and time-consuming to go through decades of comics to find every instance of two characters interacting. Only the craziest of geeks would attempt something like that. So naturally that’s exactly what I did. That’s right, I went through decades of comics to track every time She-Hulk and Daredevil have met. Here at Popverse, we’re bigtime nerds and we live for niche investigations like this.
How I got the results
Before I tell you my results, I’ll tell you how I did it. First I looked through multiple appearance lists for each character across multiple indexes, building them into a comprehensive appearance list. I started with November 1979 (the month Savage She-Hulk #1 was published) and ended with September 2022. To make this a feasible project I kept this list focused on mainstream continuity appearances. This meant no What-If stories, random alternate realities, or cartoon episodes. This list focuses on the 616 versions of Matt Murdock and Jennifer Walters.
Once I made the list of all their appearances, I cross-referenced each entry, putting the matches onto a third list which was titled ‘Matt and Jen.’ As you can imagine that took a long time, since Daredevil and She-Hulk have been quite busy, but it was a labor of love. After days of doing this, I now had a full list of every comic book that featured She-Hulk and Daredevil together. Then I looked through every single issue to catalogue what kind of interactions they had.
The results
From November 1979 though September 2022, Jennifer Walters and Matt Murdock have appeared in the same comic 105 times. That number might seem big, but things got weirder once I broke the numbers down further. Of the 105 comics that they appeared together in, 47 issues never have them sharing a scene. For example, though Daredevil shows up in Fantastic Four #281 (1985) during a time when She-Hulk was on the team, the book has Daredevil fighting alongside the other members of the team while Jen is occupied elsewhere.
Of the remaining 58 issues, 49 of those comics feature She-Hulk and Daredevil in the same room without interacting. Marvel Team-Up #107 (1981) is the first comic to feature both characters, but they never exchange dialogue. Matt Murdock and Jennifer Walters are at the same courthouse, but they’re each doing different things. Matt Murdock discusses one of Jen’s clients with his law partner Foggy Nelson, but leaves before the superhero action starts.
Most of She-Hulk and Daredevil's appearances together happened during big superhero gatherings like The Infinity War (1992). Contest of Champions (1982) was the first time Daredevil and She-Hulk both participated in one of those giant superhero brawls, so we could assume that this is when they first met, unless they knew each other in legal circles. However, the meeting would’ve occurred off-panel since neither character is shown interacting during Contest of Champions. It’s funny how often these two characters were thrown together without having a conversation. Another example would be Fantastic Four #569, where they are sitting next to each other during Ben Grimm’s wedding to Debbie Green. Once again, the two of them don’t interact.
This leaves us with 9 comics. That’s right, despite being two superhero lawyers that both operate in New York City, She-Hulk and Daredevil have only been seen directly interacting in 9 comics. Trust me, I checked. Let’s break down each of these interactions, and what they reveal about their relationship.
House of M #5 (2005)
House of M was published in 2005, meaning that it took until 2005 for Matt Murdock and Jennifer Walters to say a word to each other on panel. In this comic, Matt and Jen are seen walking out of a courthouse together, and Jen teases Matt, reminding him that he promised to buy her a drink if she won her case. Matt playfully challenges her to prove that in court. Are they flirting, or is this just friendly banter? Either way, it shows us that their relationship is fun.
She-Hulk #4 (2014)
After interacting in a single panel in 2005, it would be 9 years before Matt and Jen would talk in a comic again. This time, they meet up when She-Hulk travels to San Francisco to get some advice from Daredevil about how to handle the fallout from a recent case involving Doctor Doom. The two lawyers chat on top of the Golden Gate Bridge, and it’s clear from their rapport that they have a deep mutual respect for one another. That night the two patrol the streets together, enjoying each other’s company as they’re fighting criminals.
Before Jen returns to New York, Matt asks her if she finds it odd that they’ve never gone up against one another in court. Jennifer disagrees, reminding Matt that there are a lot of lawyers in the legal system. “Still, you’d think even once. Oh well, maybe someday,” Matt says. This conversation almost seems to be a piece of meta-commentary on the lack of team-up stories between the two. It’s worth noting that this issue was written by Charles Soule, who was once a practicing attorney himself. Like a good lawyer, he clearly did his homework regarding Matt and Jen’s lack of history together.
She-Hulk #8-10 (2014)
Remember when Matt mused that someday he and Jennifer would face one another in court? That day arrives only a few issues later in She-Hulk, and it results in the most in-depth interaction Daredevil and She-Hulk have ever had. Captain America (who has temporarily been aged to a senior citizen) approaches Jen to defend him in a wrongful death lawsuit, but the hearing is in California, and Jen isn’t licensed to practice law there.
At the time Matt Murdock was practicing in California, so Jen called him to ask if she could use his practice as the firm of record, allowing her to argue as an outside attorney. This is a cool touch, and it implies that Matt and Jen have done professional favors for each other like this before. When Matt learns who Jen’s client is, he tells her that he is unable to help her this time. Jen finds another solution to the problem, and when the trial begins she’s shocked to discover that Matt Murdock is her opposing attorney.
After their first day in court, Daredevil shows up to Jen’s hotel room and convinces her to chase him across the rooftops. After the workout is complete, he tells her that he knew they both needed this after the rough day in court. Daredevil then reveals that Captain America had personally asked him to be the opposing counsel in this case, making him promise to give it his all.
Jen wins the trial, and Steve is acquitted. The three heroes go for a walk, where Steve reveals that he asked Matt to be the opposing counsel because he didn’t want the public to think he was being handled with kid gloves. Afterwards the three heroes storm the villainous Dr. Faustus’ lair, quickly taking him out.
Throughout the story Jen notes that Matt is a brilliant opponent, displaying a deep sense of professional respect. Their rooftop chase also demonstrated that Matt knew what Jen needed in the moment, showing that the two lawyer heroes understood one another in a way nobody else does. Although they were opponents in the courtroom, it’s clear that their friendship remained strong.
Daredevil #23 (2017)
Once again, Charles Soule revisits Matt and Jen’s friendship. Since their last encounter, Daredevil has used a machine from the Purple Man to cause the world to forget his secret identity. As a result Jen Walters believe Matt Murdock the attorney and Daredevil the vigilante to be two separate people. This changes the dynamic of their relationship somewhat. Matt visits Jen at a bar, asking her opinion on a legal brief he’s writing. He notes that hasn’t seen her since the Captain America trial (Fact Check: true!).
The mobster Tombstone interrupts their meeting to attack Matt. Jen turns into She-Hulk to defend her friend, but she lets her rage get the best of her. She-Hulk almost kills Tombstone, but the mobster gets away thanks to a brief distraction from Matt. She-Hulk transforms back into Jen Walters, who confides to Matt that she’s been having trouble controlling herself in her She-Hulk form.
Marvel Knights 20th #1 (2018)
Reality has been rewritten and the world has forgotten that superheroes exist, including the heroes themselves. Matt regains his memories and goes to his law office to see Foggy. He’s shocked to learn that Foggy doesn’t recognize him, and their law office is now called Walters and Nelson. Jennifer Walters accuses Matt of breaking into her office and they get into a brief physical tussle. Matt leaves before things escalate further. Reality is returned to normal by the end of the limited series.
Avengers #20 (2019)
This issue takes place in the midst of the War of the Realms crossover, which makes this one of She-Hulk and Daredevil's odder interactions. At this time, Daredevil is wielding Hofund, sword of the Asgardian god Heimdall. The sword has given Daredevil All-Sight, which he is using to monitor the various skirmishes happening throughout the realms. She-Hulk approaches Daredevil, who cryptically warns her about upcoming trials she will face. It’s worth noting that Hofund has Daredevil speaking in elaborate riddles, almost making him seem like a different person. Jennifer shrugs off Matt’s warnings, telling him she’s always at war.
Devil’s Reign #3 (2022)
She-Hulk and Daredevil are both part of a gathering of heroes discussing how to take down Mayor Wilson Fisk. Jen plays devil’s advocate for Fisk’s agenda, alarming Matt who begins to argue with her. Jessica Jones realizes that they’re all being subtly influenced by the Purple Man, a villain who has the power to control others. This causes Matt and Jen to snap out of it. The heroes are later seen outside of City Hall, making a plan to capture the mayor. Daredevil and She-Hulk briefly interact during this scene, discussing the best way to take care of New York’s Wilson Fisk problem.
So what kind of relationship do Matt and Jen have?
And there you have it, this is every time Daredevil and She-Hulk have ever interacted. It’s worth noting that their most in-depth interactions occurred in books written by Charles Soule, who wrote 5 out of the 9 comics. Of the remainder, two involved reality being rewritten, one involved Daredevil being influenced by an Asgardian sword, and one consisted of two brief exchanges.
In other words, there isn’t much to Matt and Jen’s relationship. At first glance it seems odd that two superhero attorneys who live in the same city and run in the same circles don’t interact more often. Then again, if you’ve ever met any attorneys in real life then you’d know how busy they can be. Matt and Jen have a lot in common, and they probably wish they could hang out more, but there is usually a trial or a superhero affair keeping them busy.
After going through these books, that’s how I imagine Matt and Jen’s relationship. They respect one another as lawyers, superheroes, and friends, and wish they could hang out more. They just never have the time. The fact that Jennifer no longer knows Daredevil’s secret identity has also complicated their relationship.
Thanks to She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, Matt and Jen's friendship will be front and center. Perhaps this will inspire more writers to pair these two up in the courtroom and on the rooftops. Their time together might be brief, but it’s a beautiful thing and I can’t wait to see more of it.
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