Warning: contains spoilers for Daredevil #1!
Marvel's Daredevil is one of the few characters in comics who is openly a believer in God and even ascribes to a particular religion - and now his faith has been rewarded. Matt Murdock's Christian values are quite important to him as both as a superhero and as a lawyer; he often struggles to balance his violent vigilante activities with his belief in God. Now in Daredevil #1, a new character emerges to guide Murdock through the next tumultuous chapter in his life - though he may not be what he appears.
Daredevil's recent history has seen the character experience one life-altering cataclysm after another. When the entire world learned his identity, he used the mind-altering power of the Purple Man's children to force everyone to forget who he truly was - but the Kingpin eventually discovered the man behind the mask once again. During the Devil's Reign event, his identical twin brother Mike Murdock was killed by Kingpin in a hit gone wrong (Kingpin believed he had killed Matt instead). Although "Matt Murdock" was dead, Daredevil still operated, and Matt took over his deceased brother's identity.
In Daredevil #1, written by Marvel writer Chip Zdarsky with art by Marco Checchetto, Matt Murdock misses a subway train on his way to say goodbye to Kristen. He stops a shooter but is unable to save the victim, and Kristin's train pulls away from the station just as Daredevil arrives. He encounters the familiar face of Robert Goldman; the two attended law school together. "Matt, I've waited years for this. To tell you...I know I have to be more direct now. I'm your guardian angel, Matt," Goldman says - just before Kristen's train suddenly explodes in the distance. "But I'm not hers."
Goldman's dialogue and the golden light is a familiar sight to those who read Spider-Man books - namely The Sensational Spider-Man #40, in which Spider-Man meets the One Above All. While Goldman doesn't profess to be the Marvel equivalent of God, he does exhibit unusual powers; Daredevil can see him entirely, for one. Unfortunately, Goldman might not be as angelic as he appears: a similar being convinced the villain Bullseye to embark on a killing spree earlier this year - advice no true guardian angel would ever give.
Daredevil's faith appears to be testing him if nothing else; the famous Man Without Fear surprisingly comes across supernatural beings quite often. This is only the first issue in Daredevil's relaunch, and Robert Goldman will almost certainly be seen again. Exactly who (or what) he is remains to be seen, but Daredevil is clearly being sought out for a (potentially higher) purpose.