History of the MC2: Daredevil

I was inspired recently to make a timeline of events covering the history of the MC2, spanning the nebulous 15 year stretch of time after the Main Marvel Universe (or Universe-616) split off and became the MC2 (or Universe-982) and before the next-generation of heroes began to debut starting with J2 #1, A-Next #1 and What If #105.

Given that Daredevil Season 3 is coming to Netflix, for the third installment of this series I've chosen to examine The Man Without Fear himself; Daredevil. We first learn that Matt Murdock aka Daredevil was killed in What If #105. However, a reoccurring mystery in the pages of Spider-Girl revolves around the identity of the vigilante known as Darkdevil and his connection to the man called Kaine. This is most prominently addressed in Spider-Girl #17 where we learn Wilson Fisk aka The Kingpin of Crime was responsible for Daredevil's death. The full story would finally be brought to light in the phenomenal Darkdevil mini series.

While we don't know the exact point at which the history of the Main Marvel Universe's Daredevil stops reflecting that of the MC2's Daredevil, we can make a very educated guess based on the evidence. In Daredevil (vol. 1) #354, Franklin 'Foggy' Nelson - lawyer and close friend of Matthew Murdock - began dating the widowed Liz Osborn. The couple are later split up through the machinations of Mysterio in Daredevil (vol. 2) #8. As we learn in the MC2 that Foggy and Liz eventually married and remained so until Liz's death, we can assume the point where the two Universe's stop sharing a common history is sometime prior to Daredevil (vol. 2) #8.

Spider-Girl #63

Beyond this, we don't know a huge amount about the intervening years before Matt Murock's death.  Phil Urich aka the good Green Goblin tells us in Spider-Girl #42  that at some point Daredevil was ultimately responsible for the capture of the mentally unstable villain Angel Face.

Several years later the District Attorney had collected enough evidence to finally put Wilson Fisk aka The Kingpin away for life. Confronting him, Daredevil finds himself in battle with Fisk's enforcer Kaine. With nothing to lose, Fisk orders his men to open fire on Daredevil despite Kaine being in their way. In a heroic final act, Daredevil dies shielding Kaine from the barrage of bullets with his own body (Darkdevil #2).

Deeply moved by Daredevil's selfless sacrifice, Kaine vowed to save the hero through any means necessary. Bringing the slain Murdock's remains to a hidden lab, Kaine endeavoured to revive the dead hero through scientific means. When this proved fruitless, Kaine turned to the arcane methods he himself had used to stave off the effects of clone degeneration.

Unfortunately, Kaine's well meaning actions would have unintended consequences. Nearly a year earlier, Kaine had found his 'brother' Ben Reilly and Elizabeth Tyne's son (later known as Reilly Tyne) dying as a result of Ben's clone nature. Having placed him in a Resuscitation Tube to save his life, the boy lay in stasis when Kaine summoned the demonic Zarathos. The Spirit of Vengence ignored Kaine's offer of his own life in exchange for Daredevil's. Instead Zarathos possessed the teenage boy, altering his body into a demonic adult form with the intent of walking the earth once more.

Suddenly confronted by the soul of Daredevil in spirit form, Zarathos and the hero battled for the body and soul of the innocent. The conflict raged until finally Daredevil succeeded in banishing the demon, with Zarathos leaving his marks upon the boy and swearing vengeance. 

 The boy eventually mastered the residual abilities Zarathos had given him, though he now appeared to be a man in his twenties. Driven by the spirit of Matt Murdock, he enrolled in college and eventually joined Foggy Nelson's law firm under the name Reilly Tyne while fighting crime as the vigilante Darkdevil.

Though Matt Murdock died years ago, Daredevil lives on within the soul of another hero dedicated to justice. 

Based on various comments throughout various MC2 titles, we can piece together the order of events surrounding Daredevil's death and afterlife. However, unlike previous entries in this series, we have far less definitive references to determine placement in the pre-history of the MC2. We know Murdock died 'quite a few years ago' thanks to a line in Spider-Girl #17 but that's not much to work from. 

That said, here's what we do know:

• Foggy Nelson and Liz Allan Osborn continue dating and eventually marry, raising Liz's son Normie Osborn together.
• Many years later, the 13 year old son of Ben Reilly and Elizabeth Tyne is found near-death by Kaine, who places him in a Resuscitation Tube to stave off his clone degeneration.
• Nearly a year later, the District Attorney has collected enough evidence to send Wilson Fisk aka The Kingpin to jail for life
•  Daredevil is killed saving Kaine from Fisk's gunmen.
• Kaine attempts to revive Daredevil using science but fails, and so resorts to the arcane.
• Kaine summons Zarathos and pleads with the demon to restore Daredevil to life in exchange for his own.
• Zarathos instead possesses and alters the body of Reilly and Tyne's son. 
• Daredevil's spirit battles Zarathos for the boy's soul and body, eventually driving the demon out.
• The boy eventually masters his demonic abilities and studies law, gaining a job at Foggy Nelson's law firm under the name Reilly Tyne while also operating as the masked hero Darkdevil in Murdock's honour.
• Daredevil's soul continues to guide Reilly Tyne.

*Theoretically, we could use 'Reilly Tyne's' age of 13 years (+1 year in stasis) to estimate how long ago Daredevil was murdered and Kingpin went to jail but that requires knowing when Tyne was conceived. While that might sound easy, we actually have at least two potential answers. But that's a topic for another day.*

The Darkdevil mini series represents a truly mind-boggling collection of concepts and ideas that somehow work really well together. I think it's a fitting end for the Man Without Fear to fight vengeance with justice. 

Until I go blind reading MC2 comics, I remain

frogoat

Previous entries in the History of the MC2 series to-date:

History of the MC2: The Avengers

History of the MC2: The Fantastic Four

Cottonmouth in the MC2

*Before I start, I'd just like to announce I have my laptop back and in working order! So look forward to more wholesome content in the near future!*

Late to the game as ever, I decided to persist in my attempts to shamelessly tie-in to the now less-than-relevant Netflix series Luke Cage. Worse still, I'm not even connecting this post to the latest season of the show. Instead, I'll be talking about an antagonist from the first season: Cottonmouth! (why do I do these things?)

Cornell Cottonmouth was first mentioned in Power Man #18 and made his first appearance the following issue in Power Man #19 (both published in 1974) as a drug lord leader of a criminal organisation. One of Cottonmouth's rival's was 'Boss' Morgan, who I've previously discussed here.

But of course, as this is a blog about the MC2 Universe, let's look at Cornell's appearances in Amazing Spider-Girl #17-#18. When the self-styled 'Crimelord' calls a meeting of the leaders of various criminal organisations, Cottonmouth attends in hopes of winning the auction. The prize? The extensive files of Wilson Fisk aka The Kingpin of Crime.

Naturally, the auction is interrupted but the Hobgoblin, who attempts to claim the Fisk Files in exchange for Spider-Girl, who he has captured. When things go awry several times over, Cottonmouth is among the various mob bosses who gets caught in the mix. Eventually, the police arrive and Cottonmouth is arrested, though Detective Drasco cynically states that many of the people arrested at the auction will be out on bail before the paperwork is completed.

It's nice to see a fairly obscure villain like Cornell Cottonmouth getting some panel-time in the pages of the MC2. Until Luke Cage himself makes an actual appearance in the MC2, I remain

frogoat

Building a Rogues Gallery

One of the biggest challenges of any superhero comic is building up the rogues gallery. If Spidey didn't have such an impressive array of villains to trounce every story, he wouldn't be nearly as interesting. Yes, the character of Peter Parker is fascinating,  but think: without the dynamics of his and Norman Osborn's relationship wouldn't he be a little less? Without the Green Goblin to torment Spider-Man, life just wouldn't be as flavorful. Doctor Otto Gunther Octavius', with all his plans and arms, and Electro with his electricity, Venom with his dark-Spidey-analog schtick. Cruel old Vulture, cold-blooded and cold-hearted Lizard, stinging Scorpion, Cunning Hobgoblin, tricky Mysterio. The list goes on and on. I may not be knowledgeable about DC Comics, but honestly, Batman's rogues gallery are notoriously notable. The Fantastic Four, The X-Men, so many long-running titles and characters have developed many varied and fascinating villains through the years.

But what are all these new heroes supposed to do? Sometimes, borrowing from other characters works wonders. Daredevil doesn't have many truly great bad guys, but Kingpin fits so well amongst DD's assorted rogues, it's like he was made for the part. Spider-Girl utilised a few of daddy dearest's villains in her adventures. Notable amongst them are the Hobgoblin and Carnage. In fact, I'd go so far as to say ol' Kingsley worked better against Mayday, the cunning older man against the youthful hero. A new twist on an old villain then, is that the answer?

A mix of new villains unique to the character has to be included, surely. Otherwise, isn't it just wholesale theft? Okay, so Spider-Girl has some nice villains too: Dragon King and Mr Nobody are personal favorites of mine. They have a nice visual and both pose a genuine threat when written appropriately. Any villain can become iconic. By tossing a loved one off a bridge, for example. But a good villain shouldn't have to resort to killing cast members. That's cheap. In the case of the Green Goblin, his and Peter's war was personal. The death of Gwen Stacy was a direct result of it, but I don't believe it's the crux of what makes Norman Osborn infinitely re-usable. Osborn himself is interesting: A ruthless businessman with a lot of personality before he ever put on a garish green mask.

I love this art by John Romita Jr

Maybe that's the answer then: A mix of the old and new, the borrowed and true-blue with a lot of character depth and a great visual thrown in for good measure. What do you think?

Until Hypno Hustler gets his own series, I remain

frogoat

The problem with recurring villains

I've been hanging around tv tropes lately and, aside from loosing several hours I'll never get back, I've learned a few things. Case in point: Villain Decay. It goes a little something like this; the hero defeats the villain once, twice, thrice...why take the baddie seriously after it becomes clear they no longer pose a threat?

Electro is a good example: He robs a bank, Spidey defeats him using 'shock-proof gloves' (rubber gloves...I'm not making this up), Electro teams with the Sinister Six, Spidey stops him again. Eventually, Electro becomes something of a one-trick pony, he get's a power boost or upgrade, suddenly he might be a credible threat again....and then Spidey takes him down once again. *sigh*

There are bunch of ways to avoid falling into this trap, as I see it, but here are a couple to consider: The villain wins. Not all the time, just occasionally. This works best with your major crime bosses and villains who normally sit back and pull strings, the behind-the-scenes players, like the Kingpin, even Doctor Doom. It lets the reader suspend their disbelief, instills faith and credibility in the villain, and  adds to the drama stakes if the hero has to lick their wounds and come back and try again, or escape the life-or-death predicament in front of them.


The second option means cleaning house, in some respects, because *gasp* the villain has had a change of heart and decides to reform. Yes, this can become just as much of a cliched and hackneyed plot as the constant re-matches OR can lead to all sorts of story telling opportunities. Ever hear of the Thunderbolts, Marvel's team of villains-posing-as-heroes-becoming-genuine-heroes? Yeah, that. Not to mention all the fertile character exploration reforming can mean. MC2's Normie Osborn only became such an enjoyable, fleshed out character after the classic Spider-Girl #27 in which both May, our hero, powerless and tied to a chair talks Normie out of his planned suicide-by-way-of-hero. Now, he's a supporting character, fully fleshed-out with a long storied history of rehabilitation, reform, atonement, romance and marriage. By choosing the reformation option, the series gained both a great supporting character in Normie, and a defining direction for the series star, Mayday, who often attempts to talk her villains out of the crooked life.



I'd love to here your thoughts on this, especially if you'd like to see the other options.

Until one-trick pony stops making me giggle, I remain

frogoat