Daredevil/Spider-Man #2
The Sting
Wilson Fisk, aka the Kingpin of Crime, has survived an attack on his office tower by the Gang of Four who blew up the upper floors of the building using a helicopter gunship. Recovering in the hospital, FIsk holds a press conference and denies the existence of the unmarked helicopter, saying that the explosion in his office tower was actually caused by a gas leak. When one of the reporters asks what he has to say to the people who assumed he would have died in the blast. With a smile, Fisk responds by telling them to get used to disappointments. When another reporter brings up Fisk’s ties to organized crime, he once again denies having any. He tells them all that he has suffered these accusations for years but has resigned to them as his cross to bear. He then warns those that seek to financially gain from this tragedy that he has retained the services of the city’s most formidable legal team.[1] Watching this interview on TV is the leader of the Gang of Four who angrily smashes the television.
Elsewhere in the city, Daredevil is swinging across the city to meet up with Spider-Man on a nearby rooftop. Along the way, he thinks about the accident that gave him his powers and how naive he was when he first became Daredevil.[2] Back in those days, he made a lot of ridiculous promises to defend the city. As he has grown older, he’s learned that the city would rather kill itself than be saved. As the pair swing across the city together, they compare notes. Even with the brazen attack on the Kingpin’s headquarters, they have yet to find any criminals that are willing to talk.[3] That’s when Daredevil tells Spider-Man about his meeting with Jack Abbot in his capacity of lawyer Matt Murdock. Abbot gave him a secret message, “7 M.O.” and when he asks Spider-Man what it can mean, the web-slinger has no idea. They then talk about how lucky Wilson Fisk was to have the foresight to install ten-inch thick plexiglass around the upper floors of his office building, as it allowed him to survive the blast. That’s when Spider-Man asks Daredevil what he’s going to do with all the money he’s going to be getting as a lawyer. The Man Without Fear, however, doesn’t know what the web-head is talking about. Spider-Man is surprised that Murdock hadn’t heart the news.
After hearing what Spider-Man has to say, Matt Murdock pays a visit to Wilson Fisk. At first, he is barred from entering the hospital room, but Wilson tells the nurse to let his lawyer in. Matt has come to tell FIsk that he cannot represent him due to a conflict of interest, saying that his firm is representing someone who used to work for Fisk. The Kingpin then asks his men to leave him to speak privately with Matt. Once they are alone, Murdock asks Wilson what he is up to, telling the crime boss that he refuses to work for him. However, Fisk says that his recent blindness has given him new insight and just as well as Murdock knows he is really the Kingpin, he knows that Matt Murdock is really Daredevil and he knows that Matt’s alter-ego will not sit by and do nothing with a new player in organized crime trying to topple him due to the innocent people who could be injured in a gang war.[4] Realizing he has no choice, Matt listens to what the Kingpin has to say. Wilson tells him how Stilt-Man and the Gladiator have recently broken out of federal mental institution they had been incarcerated.[5] He also notes that one of their allies has a habit of leaving pennies on the eyes of those he kills, the modus operandi of Copperhead, whom the Kingpin thought had previously died in a battle with Daredevil.[6] The Kingping then offers his resources so Daredevil can stop whoever is responsible for these attacks while also serving Fisk’s legal means to eliminate any responsibility in the explosion. Realizing he has no choice, Murdock agrees and then asks Wilson what “7 M.O.” could mean. Fisk is amused that Murdock couldn’t solve this riddle himself. He then writes 7MO down on a sheet of paper and turns it upside down to show that it spells out the word “Owl.” As he leaves, Murdock reminds Wilson that he is not doing any of this to please him. The Kingpin is aware of this, but is amused nonetheless as he’s always wanted to play the role of the super-hero.
Later, Matt meets with Foggy Nelson, his partner, and tells him that they will be taking the Wilson Fisk case. He then sends him off to Wisconsin to meet with Fisk’s accountants to investigate the claims of a gas main explosion. To keep Foggy safe, he sends Natasha Romanov, aka the Black Widow, with him and tells Foggy that he can tell her everything.[7]
That evening, Daredevil convinces Spider-Man to help him search the sewers after remembering something Jack Abbott said about the new mob existing under their feet. As they search the tunnels, Daredevil’s enhanced sense warn them of an upcoming trap before Spider-Man’s spider-sense and he pushes the wall-crawler to the side when the tunnel is flooded with blinding light. They narrowly avoid getting shot and when Daredevil smells nitroglycerine he once again pulls Spider-Man out of harm’s way before an explosion rocks the tunnel. However, Daredevil is knocked out in the blast and as Spider-Man checks on his friend, they are surrounded by the Gang of Four. When Stilt-Man asks the Owl what they should do to the two heroes, the Owl suggests that they eat.
Recurring Characters
Daredevil, Spider-Man, Kingpin, Gang of Four (Owl, Copperhead, Stilt-Man, Gladiator), Foggy Nelson, Black Widow
Continuity Notes
It should be pointed out that Wilson Fisk is wearing sunglasses throughout this issue. This is not because his eyes were injured in the attack that happened last issue. Actually, he was blinded previously in Daredevil (vol. 2) #15. His vision will be restored in issue #46 of that same series.
Daredevil recounts the accident that blinded him and enhanced his other senses and how he later became Daredevil to fight crime. This was all originally detailed in Daredevil #1. Per the Sliding Timescale, Matt Murdock has been Daredevil for about a decade at the time of this story.
Spider-Man and Daredevil talk to each other using their real names here. That’s because Spider-Man and Daredevil have known each other’s secret identities since Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man #107-110.
Wilson Fisk has known that Matt Murdock is Daredevil since Karen Page sold Matt’s identity for a drug fix in Daredevil #227.
Fisk states that both Gladiator and Stilt-Man have been incarcerated in a mental institution for years. Both men were last seen in Daredevil #367 and Daredevil #377 respectively. Per the Sliding Timescale of Earth-616, Gladiator was incarcerated for about a year and Stilt-Man a little less than that time. Fisk’s statement here, then can be considered a topical reference since he denotes the passage of time between publications.
The Kingpin is not wrong. Copperhead battled Daredevil in Daredevil #124-125, a battle that ended when Copperhead was killed by a bolt of lightning. It’s later revealed in issue #4 of this series that Copperhead was resurrected by demonic forces that sought to claim Spider-Man’s soul.
Matt asks Foggy if he remembers Natasha. Foggy Nelson first encountered the Black Widow way back when his was District Attorney for New York and was being blackmailed into persecuting her for the alleged murder of the Scorpion that happened in Daredevil #81-84. Just in case you’re wondering, the Widow’s name was cleared because the rumors of the Scorpion’s death were greatly exaggerated by a time-traveler that was… you know what, it’s all very complicated.
Topical References
Real-life pop-culture: CNN
Obsolete technology: CTR televisions and computer monitors, pocket tape recorders