SOURCE: Munns, Jessica. “Daredevil in Thomas Otway's The Atheist: A New Identification.” Restoration 11, no. 1 (spring 1987): 31-8.

In the following essay, Munns speculates on who Daredevil is supposed to represent in The Atheist, concluding that is most likely Otway's early patron, the Earl of Rochester.

The role of Daredevil in Thomas Otway's last play, The Atheist (Dorset Garden, July 1683), presents problems. Although he is a minor character with no direct plot significance, he is the atheist of the title and he figures prominently in a number of scenes. Daredevil accompanies the hero, Beaugard, on most of his adventures, and in the final act he has some major scenes to himself. In these he languishes on his death-bed and pours out a penitent confession of his sins to Beaugard's old father, who is disguised as a parson. When it is proved to him that he is not dying, he repents...