This post contains SPOILERS for Daredevil #3 and Batman #127

Recent issues of Marvel Comics' Daredevil and DC's Batman are sharing a common theme (and it's no coincidence). With both series coming from Chip Zdarksy, it seems as though the groundbreaking writer is looking to examine the same struggle for both Bruce Wayne and Matt Murdock, exploring what happens when both heroes abandon their secret identities, becoming their alter egos full-time in their respective universes.

In recent issues of Marvel's Daredevil, Matt Murdock has been declared dead (though Daredevil is very much still alive). As seen in Devil's Reign, Matt's brother Mike was murdered by the Kingpin while impersonating Matt. As such, the public believes the blind lawyer is no more, a belief Daredevil has chosen to maintain in his desire to have fewer responsibilities and more time as the Man Without Fear. Similarly, Bruce Wayne has dived even deeper into his work as the Dark Knight. Ever since he lost his fortune thanks to the Joker, the need for Bruce Wayne to attend various galas and parties has been significantly lessened.

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That being said, the cost of "losing" Matt Murdock and Bruce Wayne is very similar in both series. Daredevil #3 from Zdarksy and artist Rafael de Latorre has Matt confirming that Daredevil is now all he has, resulting in the hero becoming darker and questioning his own morals as a vigilante. Likewise, the Bat-Family has become very concerned with Batman's growing darkness, having spent multiple days and nights without ever removing his cape and cowl. As such, this has culminated in Batman's aggressive alternate personality taking over in Batman #127 from Zdarsky and artist Jorge Jimenez. Known as the Batman of Zur-En-Arrh, this Dark Knight is most easily described as the "Batman Without Bruce Wayne".

Without their secret identities to counter their darker tendencies, both Daredevil and Batman have become unbalanced as heroes. Daredevil is preparing to join Elektra to finally destroy the Hand, a crusade that will undoubtedly test his spirit and send him on an even darker path than he's currently on. Similarly, Bruce has been fighting against his darker personality that sees him as a weakness, believing that the mission is the only thing that matters (even more than his family).

By having Batman and Daredevil ignore and/or abandon their secret identities, Zdarsky is able to bring both heroes into new spaces with some exciting levels of new character depth. Matt Murdock and Bruce Wayne are not simple personas they respectively take on while they're not serving justice. They're the parts of themselves that keep them grounded as heroes, making them better and keeping them from falling too far as similarly dark vigilantes. As such, it will be exciting to see how Zdarksy's Daredevil and Batman series continue to compare (as well as where they might start to differ).