Is Matt basically grown up Peter Parker?
I’m not sure how to answer since I don’t know your background or context.
At the risk of sounding rude, I can clarify that Matt Murdock and Peter Parker are two different people, and they exist tangentially in the MCU official timeline. (The 2012 Avengers battle for New York is canon in the Daredevil tv show, but the earlier seasons came out long before Spider-Man made his Marvel debut in Civil War), but don’t exist in each other’s specific ‘verses/spinoffs. Daredevil is associated with the Defenders, and Peter Parker with the Avengers. I’m very sorry if that came across as preachy or nit picky, but, again, just trying to give a thorough answer.
While there are some similarities in Matt’s and Peter’s backgrounds (broken homes, male non-parent mentors, excelling at school, morally driven to right wrongs (especially in their specific boroughs), I don’t think Peter would grow up to be like Matt.
I can see one possible (and quite canon divergent) manner in which Peter could turn into a dark vigilante type, and that is pure speculation regarding Peter’s status post-No Way Home. After experiencing so much loss in such violent circumstances, he may choose to turn grief and rage into a major force against criminals.
I think that’s unlikely, though. Peter is soft-hearted, and my personal guess for him post-No Way Home is that he’ll hang up the mask for a while. But not forever. As Tony’s “heir,” I think he’ll return as perhaps an angrier neighborhood Spider-Man.
Matt, on the other hand, was raised kind of brusquely with little acknowledgement or care. I think he grew up building walls to suppress trauma, and he was constantly given the example that violence solves problems (be it in the boxing ring or with use of a long stick). As a lawyer, Matt shows extreme motivation to put things right without physical fighting, but there’s only so long one can be satisfied with spending days of editing technicalities on a piece of paperwork and making little to no progress toward the goal of defending the victim and convicting the offender. Though Matt isn’t so much a practicing Catholic, he shows a lot of consideration for good and evil and whether it’s ok to do evil as a power of good. That’s pretty clear when he speaks in confession.
Now, Peter Parker also goes through a stage of uncertainty directly after Ben’s death where he “gets used to,” for lack of a better term, using violence against other people. Peter’s been taught by Ben and May that violent retaliation isn’t a great idea, and he carries that with him through school bullying, etc. until he gets the “great power requires great responsibility” line. Even then, he avoids the cops and generally picks up the little stuff or supernatural stuff that the police aren’t equipped to deal with. Though he often saves the day acting against police advice and/or at a danger to himself, things always seem to smooth out after the dust falls following the final battle.
While Peter treats his patrol as an after-school activity, Matt seems to treat his vigilantism as a calling of sorts. He was much older than Peter when he started doing his Daredevil antics, and he went in knowing the gravity of his actions, the depth of his powers, and that what he did would have grave consequences. Even though he also avoids law enforcement, Matt’s knowledge of the legal system gives insight into what stuff the cops might bite on and what they may cover up. He’s rarely concerned about getting caught or getting in trouble. Matt’s ability to compartmentalize, likely strengthened due to childhood trauma, allows him to largely separate Daredevil mode from social and lawyer modes.
Obviously, as Peter Parker ages, his feelings, emotions, and outlook on life will change dramatically. Depending on your preferred canon or headcanon, anything can happen. I do think, MCU-wise, Peter will forever feel that connection to Tony (and Ben and May, for that matter) and continue doing what he does because it’s important to him. (And, if you prefer the Spiderverse backstory, Peter might grow up to be a divorced bachelor with a thing for pizza.) :)
I say again, this is my opinion from my information and perspective, and it’s not meant to shut down ideas or prove any points.
I appreciate the interest and stimulating conversation. It makes me think. My brain likes that.
