Daredevil is known for using his superhuman senses in fights. Thanks to the radioactive accident that blinded him, Matt Murdock’s remaining senses have all been heightened, allowing him to anticipate his opponents’ moves and counter them with superhuman accuracy. Matt also uses his senses in the courtroom, often by listening to the heartbeats of those he questions to tell if they’re lying.
However, Matt’s gifts do more than make him an expert fighter and lawyer. Thanks to his creativity, Matt can use his senses in more imaginative ways, allowing them to help him excel in tasks that are more… domestic in nature.
While Daredevil’s radar sense and superhuman hearing usually get most of the attention in his stories, it’s worth noting that Matt Murdock is skilled in using all of his heightened senses. This includes his superhuman sense of taste, which Daredevil has often bragged is so good he can tell how many grains of salt are on a pretzel just by laying it on his tongue.
Daredevil’s Superhuman Taste Buds
In the battlefield, Daredevil’s superhuman taste buds can be employed to detect minute traces of poisons or other toxins. At home, however, Matt uses his taste-based powers more often than one might think. Thanks to his ability to identify every ingredient in the foods he eats (as well as the exact amounts of each ingredient and how long they were cooked), Matt is a master chef with the ability to perfectly replicate any dish he samples.
It actually makes sense to assume that Matt would cook many of his own meals. Superhuman senses are a great gift, but they inevitably make Matt very sensitive about the clothes he wears, the odors he smells, and the foods he eats. The Netflix Daredevil series established that Matt sleeps in silk sheets since other fabrics are rough on his skin (the Ben Affleck live-action movie takes this a step farther by having Daredevil sleep in a sensory-deprivation tank). The novelization of the Daredevil movie also shows Matt regularly deep-cleans his apartment since he can’t stand the smell of rotting food.
In addition, Daredevil is one of those heroes who have to regularly watch what he eats. Unlike Wolverine or Captain America, Matt’s body is still vulnerable to disease and poor nutrition, meaning Matt has to eat healthy on a regular basis to stay in shape. Cooking healthy meals that sustain his body must be a regular part of Daredevil’s daily routine.
Daredevil’s OTHER Career
Daredevil’s expert cooking skills actually helped him establish a new career at the end of his most popular comic book storyline “Born Again.” The story showed the Kingpin systematically tearing apart Matt Murdock’s business, superhero life, and sanity before Matt rose up and took down the Kingpin. In the aftermath, Matt decided to not go back to being a lawyer, but establish a simple life as a short-order cook in Hell’s Kitchen.
Not surprisingly, everyone loved Matt’s cooking! While the establishment he worked in wasn’t known for great food, once Matt took over, the place was packed. Matt relished the idea of using his senses in a constructive, non-violent way – employing them to know exactly how long each dish needed to be cooked in order to be perfect.
Of course, eventually, the status quo was restored and Matt went back to being a lawyer. Still, it’s nice to know that outside of his violent life as Daredevil, Matt Murdock knows how to use his senses for more peaceful, healthy activities. Although the comics don’t usually show this, it’s a sure bet that the Defenders and Spider-Man all go to Matt’s house for dinner.