When it comes to relatable characters, Daredevil immediately comes to mind. The Man Without Fear inhabits a world where everyday people struggle to get by. One of the most interesting characters to come out of the Daredevil mythos is Blindspot. Considered to be Daredevil’s apprentice, Samuel Chung shares a lot of similarities with his mentor. He also represents the plight of illegal immigrants who are forgotten by society. I’m taking a look into his history to show why you need to know more about him.
Refusing to be forgotten
Sam was born in China and took acrobatic classes from a young age. His mother, Lu Wei, made a deal with a smuggler to illegally enter America. The family settled in New York’s Chinatown. A few years later, Wei had a daughter named Hannah. Sam’s sister was a legal citizen and he found himself looking after her as he grew into adulthood.
“Chinatown. My town. Full of my people. We’re all the same. Smack in the middle of society’s blind spot. Invisible. But I can help. Just like Luke Cage. Just like Spider-Man. I know it. I just don’t know how. I’m already illegal, and now I want to go all vigilante? Last time I checked, that’s illegal too.”
In order to pay the bills, Sam worked long shifts as a janitor at Columbia University. He took on a menial job so he could support his family, which is an example of what many immigrants have to go through. Eventually, Sam got tired of seeing the corruption in his neighbourhood and made an invisibility suit. Calling himself Blindspot, Sam vowed to protect his home. The name has resonance because Sam felt the Chinese community was being ignored by society. He wanted to make a difference in the lives of the people he grew up around.
Similarities to Daredevil
Soon enough, Blindspot encountered Daredevil and Murdock’s powers allowed him to detect the young hero. Daredevil decided to take Blindspot under his wing and train him to fight.
There are many parallels between Matt and Sam. Both are devoted to family and have struggled with their legacies. Matt has been haunted by the death of his father, ‘Battlin’ Jack and the neglect of his mother, Maggie. Sam has struggled to support his sister while having to come to terms with the criminal activities of his mother.
Blindspot and Daredevil dedicated themselves to protecting their respective neighbourhoods, choosing to fight the battles of regular people. Sam also has experience with blindness, as the psychotic Muse gouged out his eyes. Sam and Matt have come from dark places, but it hasn’t stopped them from wanting to save innocent lives. A perfect example of Blindspot’s bravery was when he stood up to his mother to protect a group from The Church of The Sheltering Hands.
Blindspot’s complicated relationship with his mum echoes the one that Daredevil shares with his own. Wei genuinely loves her son and went so far as to sell her soul to The Hand in exchange for restoring Sam’s sight. When Blindspot broke free of The Hand’s influence, Wei sacrificed herself to defend him.
Blindspot’s identity as a Chinese superhero is important because he represents a part of society that isn’t touched on enough. People are forced to leave their country for a lot of reasons. Many immigrants are treated as second class citizens. Blindspot acts as their voice, proving no one deserves to be forgotten.
To find out more about Blindspot’s journey, I’d recommend reading Daredevil: Back In Black: Chinatown.
The Comic Vault 
This is a great post. I don’t keep up with comics unfortunately, but this is a downright enthralling idea. The idea behind his name, his powers, his motivation, this guy seems like a greatly crafted character. He walks the line between a vigilante and true hero wonderfully. I really gotta gives props to his creator and props to you for sharing this character.
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