Kevin Smith made comic book history when he took over writing Daredevil during the Marvel Knights initiative, but the revolutionary story almost didn’t happen. “Guardian Devil” was the story that brought DD back into the spotlight, but according to co-editor Jimmy Palmiotti, Smith was ready to quit the book before it even began…

Appearing at the Dragon Con 2024 “Daredevil: 60-Year Anniversary,” Marvel Knights co-founder Jimmy Palmiotti revealed the behind-the-scenes drama surrounding the “Guardian Devil” story. There was much fanfare when it was announced that Smith was going to write the relaunch of Daredevil in 1998, before a wrench was thrown into the creative team’s plans.

“(Kevin’s) original idea was to have Daredevil regaining his sight,” Palmiotti explains, before the team ran into a problem: “Before we launched the book (with Marvel Knights), Scott Lobdell did that story first.” That story would be “Flying Blind,” which appeared in Daredevil #376-379 – only months before the Marvel Knights relaunch.

Kevin Smith’s “Guardian Devil” Story Almost Didn’t Happen

Written by Scott Lobdell and featuring art by Cully Hamner, “Flying Blind” sees Matt Murdock brainwashed by S.H.I.E.L.D. while on a deep undercover assignment in . Part of his brainwashing convinces the unknowing Murdock that he can still see, before his memories return by the story’s end and everything goes back to normal. While the exact details of Smith’s original story aren’t known, it’s understandable that the filmmaker got cold feet upon discovering that the story directly leading into his also featured Matt Murdock regaining his sight. Although having his name attached was a big selling point for Joe Quesada and Jimmy Palmiotti’s new Marvel Knights line, Kevin Smith pulled out of the project.

It’s wild to think that “Guardian Devil” almost didn’t happen, but Palmiotti’s story of how Smith almost quit the book is a good reminder of how the creative process works.

Even though Smith initially quit, an “expletive-laden phone call” from Palmiotti eventually convinced the filmmaker to come back and find a new story. That story wound up being Joe Quesada becoming Editor-in-Chief at Marvel and turning the company’s fortunes around for the new millennium.

“Flying Blind”: A Brainwashed Matt Murdock Briefly Regains His Sight

It’s wild to think that “Guardian Devil” almost didn’t happen, but Palmiotti’s story of how Smith almost quit the book is a good reminder of how the creative process works. If one story doesn’t work out, that doesn’t mean that another isn’t waiting around the corner; all that matters is sitting down and doing the work, and the rest will follow. If Smith had quit the book before it began, the “Guardian Devil” storyline would have never seen the light of day, and Marvel Comics could be in a very different position today. Fortunately, Kevin Smith got to tell his Daredevil story after all, and comic book history was made.

Source: Jimmy Palmiotti, “Daredevil: 60-Year Anniversary,” Dragon Con 2024