ClaireDevil

"Well, maybe I just like hearing the sound of your voice."

- Matt to Claire.

ClaireDevil is the het ship between Claire Temple and Matt Murdock from the Daredevil fandom.

Season 1
Claire Temple, on her night off work, had been taking care of her friend's cat when she was informed by Santino of a bloodied masked man in their dumpster. Upon seeing Matt once coming outside and investigating, Claire immediately recognized his identity as the masked man who had been fighting criminals and saving innocents. Without any hesitation, she decided to take him into her apartment for treatment without calling the ambulance.

After bringing Matt inside, she told Santino to go home and not tell anyone, including his mother. She then started to work on Matt's injuries and discovered multiple fractured bones and possible stab wounds in his side. The most alarming thing about his injuries, however, were that his eyes did not react to light. Claire concluded that he had been blinded and prepared to get him taken to a hospital, however before she could even call, Matt stopped and warned her that if she did, the men who did this would kill everyone in the hospital to ensure they got to him. When Matt attempted to leave Claire's apartment, due to his injuries he passed out on the floor.

Claire continued to heal Matt's wounds while he had been sleeping until he awoke on her sofa. Confused and disoriented, Matt asked what happened and where he was. Claire explained what happened and as Matt felt his face and noticed his mask missing, much to his horror, he realized that someone had seen his face. Claire told him that his "costume" sucked and questioned him about his blindness and name, both of those which he refused to answer. Claire decided upon on calling him "Mike" because of an old ex-boyfriend she had who, similarly like Matt, was good at keeping secrets. Before falling asleep, Matt thanked Claire for her help.

Later that night, Claire saved Matt's life by relieving the pressure from his lungs with a syringe after he had no longer been able to breath from his collapsing lung caused by trapped air. Afterwards, Claire eventually persuaded Matt to tell her about himself and how this happened. Matt revealed that he was trying to save a boy who was kidnapped by the Ranskahov brothers and used as bait to get him killed. Saying that he barely escaped without finding the boy. Claire asked how a blind man could cause so much trouble for the Russian Mob, to which Matt replied that there were other ways to see.

Claire later assisted Matt into capturing a Russian thug who had been involved in the young boy's kidnapping. Before the thug woke up, Claire demanded answers on Matt's strange abilities and asked why she should trust him, to which Matt in return asked why she helped him. Claire explained that she heard many stories of a masked vigilante going around Hell's Kitchen saving innocent people from villains. She said that she wanted to believe in what he was doing and that they wouldn't let the villains succeed.

After the thug had woken up, Claire assisted Matt into torturing him for information about the boy. When the thug became sadistic and refused to answer, taunting them that the boy would be sold, Claire offered advice on how to stab the thug in the trigeminal nerve, which caused him to scream in agony. The Russian eventually talked and revealed the location of the boy and Matt threatened to throw him from the roof; Matt ultimately did, but he landed in the dumpster. Matt then told Claire to relocate for the Russians to not find her and thanked her for everything she did. Claire told Matt her new location in case he needed someone to patch him up again, and before he could leave, she called out to him saying that she didn't believe how he said he enjoyed hurting people while torturing the thug.

Days after, Matt came back to Claire after he had gotten into a fight with the Russian Mob again. Concerned for his lack of self-preservation, Claire told him that he should get himself some body armor, but he insisted that it would slow him down too much and that she should not need to worry about him. Matt gave Claire a cellphone so he could call her whenever he needed treatment and revealed the information he learned from the Mob about Wilson Fisk. Matt and Claire discussed Fisk, who they thought could be running the entire criminal organization.

Unbeknownst of the Mob having found out about her, Claire continued to look after her friend's cat before getting attacked by Vladimir Ranskahov's men. Struggling against her attackers she managed to find a way to call Matt, who immediately raced to her apartment as soon as he heard the sounds of her struggling on the phone. When Matt got there however, Claire was already abducted and taken to Vales Taxi.

In Vales Taxi's repair shop, the leader of the thugs, Sergei, threatened Claire with an aluminum bat about the masked man's real name; she repeatedly told them that she did not know it; and when Sergei tried to kill her, one of the other men reminded him that it was Vladimir's orders to keep her alive until she revealed the information. Suddenly, all the lights in the repair shop went out and Claire laughed loudly, saying that if they wanted the masked man's real name, they should ask him themselves. Hiding as the Russians shot their guns seeking the masked man, Claire freed herself but got caught by Sergei who took her captive. Matt's voice rang through the building as he told Sergei to put the gun down; or else he wouldn't have his hand anymore. Matt freed Claire from Sergei's grasp and held him down on the ground, Claire then took his aluminum bat and hit him in the face, knocking him out. In horror of what just happened to her, Claire broke down in tears as Matt held and comforted her. Whispering that she was okay and that he had her, and was there for her.

Matt later took Claire back to his apartment and treated her wounds just as she had previously treated his. He apologized that she had been put in danger because of him as he never never intended to get anyone hurt in the first place. Claire assured him that pulling him out of the dumpster was her choice and she believed he was making a difference in Hell's Kitchen. Matt explained that he did not have an end-goal, but simply just wanted to make his city a better place. Claire allowed Matt to feel her heart and she told him that while she was more scared than she'd ever been in her life, she believed he could help her and everyone else in the city. Feeling like he could be his true self around her, Matt revealed his real name.

Claire stayed the night in Matt's apartment and had a shower next morning. When she came out and noticed he was making breakfast for them, she teased him by asking if he cooked for every girl he brought home; to which he said that he only did for those who saved his life. As he restitched an open wound on her back, Claire asked how he viewed the world through his eyes. She took his glasses off and let him look at her, to which he described that he saw a world on fire. She joked saying that if she saw a world on fire she'd probably want to hit people too. After a moment of silence, Matt told Claire that the Russians knew who she was now and he'd like for her to stay with him for her own safety before kissing her, which she returned. They later discussed how he planned to stop the Mob and he told her he would aim for Wilson Fisk, Claire informed him of Vladimir Ranskahov, noting the Russians were clearly scared of him.

Claire later read to Matt text messages that were in a cell phone he got from a police detective who worked for Wilson Fisk; the text were different addresses of the warehouses that the Russians used. Matt told Claire that he was going after Vladimir Ranskahov and he would do whatever it took to stop him. Claire questioned his plans and they debated if he was doing what needed to be done for the city but losing his own humanity at the same time. Claire sadly told him that she could not allow herself to fall in love with someone so close to becoming what he hates and so willing to put his own life at risk. With a painful expression, Matt agrees that she shouldn't before leaving the apartment.

Claire left Matt's apartment and aided the patients in the hospital who had gotten hurt in a series of explosions (caused by the Russians) across Hell's Kitchen. She later received a phone call from Matt who assured her he was not responsible for the explosions but he believed she didn't have to worry about the Russians anymore. Matt told her that he needed help to save Vladimir who had been shot by corrupt police; and although she was very reluctant of saving the man who had her kidnapped, she instructed Matt on how to keep him alive. Once Vladimir was stable, Matt hung up the phone due to one of the police officers finding his location.

Later when Matt passes out from his injuries inflicted on him by Nobu, Foggy figures out his identity as the masked man and calls Claire to help him. She later comes over after Foggy and Matt's argument and helps stitch some of his wounds. The two talk for a while before Matt apologizes for pulling her back into all of this again. Claire kisses his forehead and jokes that at least she got to see him with his shirt off again so it wasn't all bad. Before Claire leaves, she tells him that she'll always be there when Matt really needs her.

Behind The Scenes
"Yeah, I very much like Daredevil. I like the street-level characters. I like that idea of someone who goes out there and pushes themselves to greatness. That’s the world that we live in right now. We have police officers and firemen, so we tend to be like, “I’m not going to run into that burning building. I’m not even going to call 911. Someone else will.” We have that thing of passing it on. So, I’ve always been particularly fascinated with the Daredevil-type characters who go, “No, I can do something to help. It’s not always going to be comfortable, it’s going to put me at risk, and I’m going to make my whole world vulnerable for it, but I can do something here. I can’t not. I can’t un-know something that I already know.” Batman puts on a Batsuit and fights petty crime when he’s a billionaire. A person who has everything that we all are supposed to aspire to, says, “No, what I really want do is this. Vigilante justice is this space that I know I can really make a difference.” To me, that is just so compelling. And the fact that we get to explore those characters in depth, all throughout these different series that Marvel is doing with Netflix, is very exciting. I think it puts a different onus on the viewer to not just look at it like entertainment, but maybe be a little bit compelled and persuaded and inspired to step up their game a little bit and be the hero that they can be."

- Rosario Dawson about Matt Murdock and DareDevil. "He’s also forced to have to. This is a situation where he wasn’t his full self. When the heat is on, your true self is going to show up. What’s really interesting is that, meeting under any or other normal circumstances, they would have behaved very differently, but the circumstances dictated that they would actually be their inner selves, which showed them each other’s values. At the end of the day, despite Claire’s own risk, she’s going to care for someone else and put that first. She’s going to be really present, and she knows that this choice could equal something really potentially dangerous, down the line. But in this moment, what’s most important is that, if she doesn’t step in right now, someone is going to die, and she can actually do something about it. The fact that there are those types of people who rise to that type of occasion, automatically, it puts them at a different level of taking each other in than normal folks. They automatically get to leap frog into a relationship that should have taken a much longer time to develop, and I think they’re both very pleasantly surprised at the character that the other shows. Their instinct told them that it was okay. And as you see them develop with each other, you see them get more and more comfortable with going, “Okay, I can actually truly be myself, and you can truly be yourself. That’s actually special because there is no one else, I can be this way with.” So, it was necessary, but it becomes very special."

- Rosario Dawson's answer on Matt and Claire trusting each other easily. "However, one of the first romantic relationships in the Defenders universe was between the Devil of Hell's Kitchen and the "lucky girl who pulled him out of the garbage." That's right, Claire met Matt when he fell into a dumpster. Tale as old as freakin' time. She was one of the first and only people to learn of Matt's true identity. They flirted a whole bunch while she patched him up. There is an ease within their relationship that Matt has not been able to find since. The Defenders did hint at a possible reunion between Jessica Jones and Luke Cage, so maybe there is still hope out there for fans of this pairing too. Matt Murdock has chemistry with everyone, and Claire Temple can't shake superheroes out of her life. While they've both had many romantic relationships in the Marvel Netflix universe, they started off together and it would be lovely if they ultimately ended up together as well."

- Bustle about ClaireDevil on their page. "She's the first person ever to know about him, the first person in his whole life that he can be himself with. When he's with Claire, Matt doesn't have to pretend anything. It's the first time ever he's been really vulnerable with another human being. He's completely exposed. That's massive. She help gets him patched up, and he begins to rely on her emotionally. He craves the opportunity to talk about who he truly is in front of someone, and she's someone he can talk about it with. He can gauge her opinion on what he's doing, which is important to him. It encourages him. Similarly, Claire is also kind of a bit of a lost soul, a loner who doesn't really fit into this world she's in. She's found many of the same comforts from being his friend as he does from her. It's not surprising that there's the inkling of a romantic relationship because when two people identify so much with one another, a romantic relationship is often formed."

- Charlie Cox about Matt and Claire. "I think [the relationship between Matt and Claire] is very confronting. These are two people who have a lot of the same values in wanting to help people. They’re at each other and confronted by each other and moved by each other. I think they recognize that they are, lucky that they found each other, especially during this moment in each other’s journey."

- Rosario Dawson. "They need each other more than they realize they do. I think they are very similar souls. They become very important to each other in ways they could have never have anticipated. The emotions that flow within their dynamic are very confused and conflicted. I think it’s a very interesting dynamic and also sexy at times."

- Charlie Cox about Matt and Claire. "I think we can all agree that there was some serious chemistry between Matt and Claire, but that’s what happens when you get two amazing actors like Rosario and Charlie. There is going to be sparks!"

- Comic book artist, writer, editor, and television producer, Joe Quesada on Matt and Claire. "One of the things I love about what they’ve done with these shows, and I mean the Daredevil show, and Jessica Jones, and what we’ve got coming with Luke Cage and Iron Fist is… I love in particular Rosario Dawson's character Claire Temple. She's a Hollywood icon and she's wonderful in the role. And the way they pepper her throughout all of the shows, she's almost like the through-line that connects all of our shows."

- Charlie Cox. "I think she's definitely moved by who he [Matt] is as a person."

- Rosario Dawson about Claire. "In the comics, Claire Temple and Matthew Murdock have never been a thing. In the critically acclaimed Netflix show, however, the two of them shared pretty intense romantic feelings for one another. This was especially evidenced when the two shared their first kiss, a passionate demonstration of their pent up romantic tension."

- CBR on Claire and Matt. "She’s got such an amazing presence and she’s such a wonderful person and actor. But I think also Claire Temple was written beautifully. I think a lot of people, in the same way that Matt—he could open up to her in a way he hasn’t to anyone else. I think she probably made the audience feel the same way as well."

- Charlie Cox on Claire's effect on Matt and the audience.

Quotes
"It's okay. I'm here. I have you."

- Matt to Claire after he saves her. "I’ll always be there when you really need me... to patch you up."

- Claire to Matt. "At least I got to see you with your shirt off again. So hey, It's not all bad."

- Claire to Matt. "You told me you were the man this city needed. I think that's only half true. I think you're also the man this city created."

- Claire to Matt. "Thank you, Claire."

- Matt when he first met Claire. "You know what it was... What it could have been."

- Claire to Matt about their relationship. "I'm sorry you got pulled back into all of this."

- Matt to Claire. "You may feel like you are a ship lost at sea, but if you isolate like this, then you really will be. You’re cutting off your own anchor. And every minute that you spend standing, hiding in this suit of armor, the more separate you become from the very things that you wanna protect."

- Claire to Matt. "Are you guys getting serious, should I dust off the tux I’ll need to rent?"

- Foggy to Matt about his relationship with Claire. "I'm not Matt."

- Luke to Claire.

Fanon
ClaireDevil is is a fan favorite ship amongst the Daredevil fans. It's rivals are KareDevil, MattLektra and DareJones. Despite the couple having broken up in the later seasons, fans still point out the chemistry and longing between the characters and deeply love the ship to this day, continuing to support it. It is one of the most popular ships in the Daredevil fandom and is very popularly shipped alongside another fan favorite in the Daredevil universe, Kastle.

On AO3 ClaireDevil has 282 romantic works and 32 platonic works. It is the most written romantic ship for Claire and the fifth most written romantic ship for Matt.

Fandom
FAN FICTION
 * Matt M/Claire T tag on FanFiction.Net
 * Matt M/Claire T tag on FanFiction.Net
 * Matt M/Claire T tag on FanFiction.Net

TUMBLR

TWITTER

8TRACKS

ClaireDevil on 8TRACKS.COM

SPOTIFY

ClaireDevil Playlist on Spotify

Trivia

 * Claire was the first person to ever see Matt without his mask.
 * ClaireDevil is included in the "Couples" forum on the Fan Forum for the best Marvel couples.
 * Almost every reporter, magazine and paparazzi have commented on Rosario and Charlie having impeccable chemistry on the show as Claire and Matt. During a brief chat with reporters, Marvel TV Head Jeph Leob admitted that fans loved the chemistry between Rosario and Charlie in Season 1 and hence, they knew they had to bring Claire back for more.
 * Charlie Cox and Rosario Dawson are both ClaireDevil fans.
 * The official Daredevil twitter replied with "Anything for Claire" when a fan said Matt saving Claire was badass.
 * There is a Fan Forum for ClaireDevil made by Daredevil fans that feature an appreciation thread of the couple.
 * Claire's actor, Rosario Dawson is a big fan of Daredevil and the character Matt Murdock.