Daredevil: Guardian Devil
Encyclopedia
"Guardian Devil" is an eight-issue Daredevil
story arc
originally published by Marvel Comics
in Daredevil (vol. 2) #1-#8. It features the hero suddenly caring for an infant that may be either the Messiah
or the Antichrist
. The issues were written by filmmaker Kevin Smith
and illustrated by Joe Quesada
. The graphic novel combining the eight issues into one collection features an introduction by Ben Affleck
, who portrayed Daredevil in a feature film adaptation
(in which Kevin Smith had a supporting role).
, has just left him forever, claiming that she needs to determine who she is without him in case their feelings were just based on surviving everything thrown at them so far. The Man without Fear is angry and vulnerable. The only thing left for him to believe in is his Catholic
faith, something he has not fallen back on for years.
A 15-year-old girl (who knows of his secret identity) leaves her baby with Daredevil, claiming that the baby was born without her having ever had sex. As he tries to discover more about the child's origins, he is contacted by a man called Nicholas Macabes, who claims that the child is actually the Antichrist
, leaving Daredevil a small cross as a 'calling card'.
Matt is visited by Karen, who reveals that she apparently has HIV
from her time as a porn star, just as his partner Foggy Nelson
is accused of murdering a wealthy divorcee he was having an affair with after she seemingly turned into a demon. Rosalynd Sharpe who is their boss and Foggy's mother fires Foggy to avoid having his arrest affect the financial future of their law firm and her cold-hearted devotion to her career causes Matt to quit the firm out of disgust. Daredevil asks for assistance from the Black Widow, but then attacks her, apparently convinced of Macabes's tale. Although he contemplates throwing the baby off a roof, he stops himself from killing the child.
After a meeting with his mother, Sister Maggie- who left him and his father to work in a nunnery- and a brief talk with Karen- who has been contacted by Macabes, who claims that the child is responsible for her HIV-, Daredevil goes to ask Doctor Strange
about the possible coming, during which it is revealed that the cross Macabes gave Murdock 'infected' Daredevil with an associative-responsive drug (which Daredevil couldn't detect due to the drug being devoid of taste and smell) which made him hostile whenever someone suggested that the child was innocent, accounting for his attack on the Black Widow; Strange is able to purge the drug from his system. Summoning Mephisto
for information, Daredevil and Strange learn that Christ hasn't come back- indeed, the Saviour is meant to return as a man rather than as an infant to pass judgement on humanity rather than working to reform them as before-, but Mephisto also reveals that the church where Murdock left the baby is under attack. Daredevil arrives back just in time to confront Bullseye
, who has murdered several nuns and injured Maggie, but is unable to stop his old enemy from killing Karen and stealing the baby.
Although he briefly contemplated suicide
, Matt's memories of Karen give him the strength to go on, and he tracks Macabes to his headquarters, fighting his way through various hired fighters to the final stronghold, where Macbres reveals his real identity; Mysterio
. About a year ago, Mysterio was diagnosed with lung cancer
and an inoperable brain tumour from the gases he used in his crimes, but his resolve to go out on his greatest scheme against his greatest foe was cut short as the current Spider-Man
was only a clone
(Ben Reilly
), so Mysterio instead turned his attention to Daredevil, whom he'd once fought after the apparent death of the Avengers
. His reasoning was that, as he put it, who better to face a second-rate villain than a second-rate hero? After purchasing information about Daredevil from the Kingpin
, Mysterio created the whole elaborate scheme, using artificial insemination
to impregnate the girl, drugging Nelson and feeding the 'divorcee'- really an actress with a drug habit- bad drugs to make it appear that she'd been killed, posing as Karen's doctor to fake the HIV diagnosis ("Maybe she was, maybe she wasn't, you'd think she'd at least have gotten a second opinion"), and subsequently hiring Bullseye to lure Daredevil here for the final round.
After this denouncement, Beck believed that Daredevil would kill him upon discovery, which in his eyes, was a "grand way to end his final show". However, Daredevil denied him this and instead verbally abused Mysterio's plot and very existence, dismissing Mysterio's scheme as a basic 'B-Movie' plot and calling Mysterio a 'human xerox', incapable of having an original thought in his life; not only are all his plans essentially variations on the ideas of others, but even in his most recent scheme, the Kingpin had already attempted to drive Daredevil insane once
, and he had used the 'supernatural intruding on our world' idea in a previous attack on J. Jonah Jameson
. Despondent, Mysterio frees the baby, and then- noting that his last move is stolen from Kraven
- shoots himself
.
After Karen's funeral, a conversation with Spider-Man
leads Daredevil to realize that the infant he'd saved represented something positive that has come of the whole affair, even amid all the other lives lost in his clash with Mysterio. His faith renewed, he gives the baby up for adoption to a couple in New Jersey
. Before he leaves, Matt named the baby after Karen, and hopes that her new parents would allow the occasional visit from her 'Uncle Matt'. Matt also visits Black Widow, and though angry for his actions from earlier, once learning the truth, Nastasha suggests that other than just the drug, Matt's own inner turmoil was also part of the reason for his earlier disruptive behavior. After Foggy is released from jail, he and Matt visit the site of their old office, and Matt suggests that he use Karen's money—left to him in her will—to re-open their own practice.
Daredevil (Marvel Comics)
Daredevil is a fictional character, a superhero in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Bill Everett, with an unspecified amount of input from Jack Kirby, and first appeared in Daredevil #1 .Living in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood...
story arc
Story arc
A story arc is an extended or continuing storyline in episodic storytelling media such as television, comic books, comic strips, boardgames, video games, and in some cases, films. On a television program, for example, the story would unfold over many episodes. In television, the use of the story...
originally published by Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
in Daredevil (vol. 2) #1-#8. It features the hero suddenly caring for an infant that may be either the Messiah
Messiah
A messiah is a redeemer figure expected or foretold in one form or another by a religion. Slightly more widely, a messiah is any redeemer figure. Messianic beliefs or theories generally relate to eschatological improvement of the state of humanity or the world, in other words the World to...
or the Antichrist
Antichrist
The term or title antichrist, in Christian theology, refers to a leader who fulfills Biblical prophecies concerning an adversary of Christ, while resembling him in a deceptive manner...
. The issues were written by filmmaker Kevin Smith
Kevin Smith
Kevin Patrick Smith is an American screenwriter, actor, film producer, and director, as well as a popular comic book writer, author, comedian/raconteur, and internet radio personality best recognized by viewers as Silent Bob...
and illustrated by Joe Quesada
Joe Quesada
Joseph "Joe" Quesada is an American comic book editor, writer and artist. He became known in the 1990s for his work on various Valiant Comics books, such as Ninjak and Solar, Man of the Atom...
. The graphic novel combining the eight issues into one collection features an introduction by Ben Affleck
Ben Affleck
Benjamin Géza Affleck-Boldt , better known as Ben Affleck, is an American actor, film director, writer, and producer. He became known with his performances in Kevin Smith's films such as Mallrats and Chasing Amy...
, who portrayed Daredevil in a feature film adaptation
Daredevil (film)
Daredevil is a 2003 American superhero film written and directed by Mark Steven Johnson. Based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name, the film stars Ben Affleck as Matt Murdock, a blind lawyer who fights for justice in the courtroom and out of the courtroom as the masked vigilante Daredevil...
(in which Kevin Smith had a supporting role).
Synopsis
The love of Matt Murdock's life, Karen PageKaren Page
Karen Page is a fictional character in Marvel Comics' Daredevil series created by writer Stan Lee and artist Bill Everett. She first appeared in Daredevil #1 .-Character overview:...
, has just left him forever, claiming that she needs to determine who she is without him in case their feelings were just based on surviving everything thrown at them so far. The Man without Fear is angry and vulnerable. The only thing left for him to believe in is his Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
faith, something he has not fallen back on for years.
A 15-year-old girl (who knows of his secret identity) leaves her baby with Daredevil, claiming that the baby was born without her having ever had sex. As he tries to discover more about the child's origins, he is contacted by a man called Nicholas Macabes, who claims that the child is actually the Antichrist
Antichrist
The term or title antichrist, in Christian theology, refers to a leader who fulfills Biblical prophecies concerning an adversary of Christ, while resembling him in a deceptive manner...
, leaving Daredevil a small cross as a 'calling card'.
Matt is visited by Karen, who reveals that she apparently has HIV
HIV
Human immunodeficiency virus is a lentivirus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome , a condition in humans in which progressive failure of the immune system allows life-threatening opportunistic infections and cancers to thrive...
from her time as a porn star, just as his partner Foggy Nelson
Foggy Nelson
Franklin P. "Foggy" Nelson is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics universe, part of the supporting cast of Daredevil ; Foggy is Matt's best friend. The character was created by Stan Lee and Bill Everett....
is accused of murdering a wealthy divorcee he was having an affair with after she seemingly turned into a demon. Rosalynd Sharpe who is their boss and Foggy's mother fires Foggy to avoid having his arrest affect the financial future of their law firm and her cold-hearted devotion to her career causes Matt to quit the firm out of disgust. Daredevil asks for assistance from the Black Widow, but then attacks her, apparently convinced of Macabes's tale. Although he contemplates throwing the baby off a roof, he stops himself from killing the child.
After a meeting with his mother, Sister Maggie- who left him and his father to work in a nunnery- and a brief talk with Karen- who has been contacted by Macabes, who claims that the child is responsible for her HIV-, Daredevil goes to ask Doctor Strange
Doctor Strange
Doctor Stephen Strange is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was co-created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, and first appeared in Strange Tales #110 ....
about the possible coming, during which it is revealed that the cross Macabes gave Murdock 'infected' Daredevil with an associative-responsive drug (which Daredevil couldn't detect due to the drug being devoid of taste and smell) which made him hostile whenever someone suggested that the child was innocent, accounting for his attack on the Black Widow; Strange is able to purge the drug from his system. Summoning Mephisto
Mephisto (comics)
Mephisto is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appears in Silver Surfer #3 and was created by Stan Lee and John Buscema, loosely modeled on Mephistopheles - a character from the Faust legend.Debuting in the Silver Age of comic books,...
for information, Daredevil and Strange learn that Christ hasn't come back- indeed, the Saviour is meant to return as a man rather than as an infant to pass judgement on humanity rather than working to reform them as before-, but Mephisto also reveals that the church where Murdock left the baby is under attack. Daredevil arrives back just in time to confront Bullseye
Bullseye (comics)
Bullseye is a fictional character, a supervillain in the Marvel Comics universe.A psychopathic assassin, Bullseye uses the opportunities afforded by his line of work to exercise his homicidal tendencies and to work out his own personal vendetta against Daredevil.Although he possesses no...
, who has murdered several nuns and injured Maggie, but is unable to stop his old enemy from killing Karen and stealing the baby.
Although he briefly contemplated suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
, Matt's memories of Karen give him the strength to go on, and he tracks Macabes to his headquarters, fighting his way through various hired fighters to the final stronghold, where Macbres reveals his real identity; Mysterio
Mysterio
Mysterio is the name of three fictional characters, all of which are supervillains and enemies of Spider-Man in the . The original Mysterio was created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko and first appears in Amazing Spider-Man #13, although it was later retconned that the aliens seen in Amazing...
. About a year ago, Mysterio was diagnosed with lung cancer
Lung cancer
Lung cancer is a disease characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. If left untreated, this growth can spread beyond the lung in a process called metastasis into nearby tissue and, eventually, into other parts of the body. Most cancers that start in lung, known as primary...
and an inoperable brain tumour from the gases he used in his crimes, but his resolve to go out on his greatest scheme against his greatest foe was cut short as the current Spider-Man
Spider-Man
Spider-Man is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero. The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and writer-artist Steve Ditko. He first appeared in Amazing Fantasy #15...
was only a clone
Cloning
Cloning in biology is the process of producing similar populations of genetically identical individuals that occurs in nature when organisms such as bacteria, insects or plants reproduce asexually. Cloning in biotechnology refers to processes used to create copies of DNA fragments , cells , or...
(Ben Reilly
Ben Reilly
Benjamin "Ben" Reilly is a fictional character in the . He is a clone of Peter Parker , and is prominent in the "Clone Saga" story arc...
), so Mysterio instead turned his attention to Daredevil, whom he'd once fought after the apparent death of the Avengers
Avengers (comics)
The Avengers is a fictional team of superheroes, appearing in magazines published by Marvel Comics. The team made its debut in The Avengers #1 The Avengers is a fictional team of superheroes, appearing in magazines published by Marvel Comics. The team made its debut in The Avengers #1 The Avengers...
. His reasoning was that, as he put it, who better to face a second-rate villain than a second-rate hero? After purchasing information about Daredevil from the Kingpin
Kingpin (comics)
The Kingpin is a fictional character, a supervillain in the . Kingpin is one of the most feared and powerful crime lords in the Marvel Universe. The character is a major adversary of Daredevil, the Punisher, and Spider-Man...
, Mysterio created the whole elaborate scheme, using artificial insemination
Artificial insemination
Artificial insemination, or AI, is the process by which sperm is placed into the reproductive tract of a female for the purpose of impregnating the female by using means other than sexual intercourse or natural insemination...
to impregnate the girl, drugging Nelson and feeding the 'divorcee'- really an actress with a drug habit- bad drugs to make it appear that she'd been killed, posing as Karen's doctor to fake the HIV diagnosis ("Maybe she was, maybe she wasn't, you'd think she'd at least have gotten a second opinion"), and subsequently hiring Bullseye to lure Daredevil here for the final round.
After this denouncement, Beck believed that Daredevil would kill him upon discovery, which in his eyes, was a "grand way to end his final show". However, Daredevil denied him this and instead verbally abused Mysterio's plot and very existence, dismissing Mysterio's scheme as a basic 'B-Movie' plot and calling Mysterio a 'human xerox', incapable of having an original thought in his life; not only are all his plans essentially variations on the ideas of others, but even in his most recent scheme, the Kingpin had already attempted to drive Daredevil insane once
Daredevil: Born Again
"Born Again" is a Daredevil story arc written by Frank Miller, drawn by David Mazzucchelli and published by Marvel Comics. The story arc originally appears in Daredevil #227-#233....
, and he had used the 'supernatural intruding on our world' idea in a previous attack on J. Jonah Jameson
J. Jonah Jameson
John Jonah Jameson Junior is a supporting character of Spider-Man in the .Jameson is usually the publisher or editor-in-chief of the Daily Bugle, a fictional New York newspaper and now serves as the mayor of New York City...
. Despondent, Mysterio frees the baby, and then- noting that his last move is stolen from Kraven
Kraven the Hunter
Kraven the Hunter is a fictional character, a supervillain and enemy of Spider-Man appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Kraven's name is Sergei Kravinoff. He also appears as Xraven, with white-grey skin and red eyes, possessing the powers of X-Men. He is the half-brother of Dmitri...
- shoots himself
Kraven's Last Hunt
"Kraven's Last Hunt" is a comic book storyline by J.M. DeMatteis and Mike Zeck published in 1987, featuring the final battle between Marvel Comics characters Kraven the Hunter and Spider-Man...
.
After Karen's funeral, a conversation with Spider-Man
Spider-Man
Spider-Man is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero. The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and writer-artist Steve Ditko. He first appeared in Amazing Fantasy #15...
leads Daredevil to realize that the infant he'd saved represented something positive that has come of the whole affair, even amid all the other lives lost in his clash with Mysterio. His faith renewed, he gives the baby up for adoption to a couple in New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
. Before he leaves, Matt named the baby after Karen, and hopes that her new parents would allow the occasional visit from her 'Uncle Matt'. Matt also visits Black Widow, and though angry for his actions from earlier, once learning the truth, Nastasha suggests that other than just the drug, Matt's own inner turmoil was also part of the reason for his earlier disruptive behavior. After Foggy is released from jail, he and Matt visit the site of their old office, and Matt suggests that he use Karen's money—left to him in her will—to re-open their own practice.