BIOGRAPHY -- Page 30
Navigating Rose’s plans for Foggy proved complicated. Foggy tried to make amends with Matt for their recent arguments by getting him a “seeing-eye dog.” Rosalind had been complaining about Matt’s tardiness, and Foggy thought Deuce the Devil-Dog could placate her while also helping Daredevil fight crime! Matt immediately turned it around on Foggy, telling Rose that Deuce was Daredevil’s dog he gave to his “best pal” Foggy. In order to keep “Daredevil” happy while milking the firm’s relationship with him, Rosalind agreed to let Foggy keep the dog at the office. More 
attempts on Rose’s life gave Matt some insight into her past. “Razor” Sharpe started out as a mob lawyer in order to prove herself as a self-sufficient attorney. She negotiated her own “retirement” from the life, thanks to mobster Billy Grippo, but some of his boys still came for her against his wishes from time to time. Matt started respecting Rosalind more, once he understood her efforts to put her past behind her. [Daredevil (1st series) #361-362]
Corruption at WFSK was unveiled as Karen learned the station manager was a super-villain named Insomnia. She was beaming out low-frequency waves with Paige Angel’s broadcasts that interfered with the sleep pattern of listeners. Daredevil first crossed paths with Insomnia as she tried to hijack an industrial chemical delivery. He raced to WFSK once he learned of her connection to the station and found Insomnia already threatening “Paige Angel.” Matt managed to save Karen’s life, but Insomnia got away clean, having stolen his billy club to boot. [Daredevil (1st series) #363-364]
At the board meeting for Osborn Chemicals, Matt discovered the truth behind the recent chemical robberies. Grey Gargoyle and Insomnia both worked for Mister Fear, who was using the chemicals to improve upon his fear gas. He used his fear gas to agitate Molten Man’s fears and paranoia, sending the meeting into chaos and letting Fear make off with more chemicals from Osborn’s factory. Matt ducked out in order to return as Daredevil, aerating the board room to cleanse it of the fear gas fumes. The fear gas was smuggled into the board meeting by Raxton’s 
assistant Vincent Grazia. Vinnie was a two-time felon whom Mark was trying to give a second chance, like he received. However, the new subtleties of Mister Fear’s gas enabled him to intimidate Vincent into taking a fall, claiming he voluntarily worked for Fear in exchange for money. [Daredevil (1st series) #365]
Matt’s hyper-sensitive hearing knew Vinnie was lying, and he agreed to defend Vinnie against his 
new charges to prevent Mister Fear from ruining the kid’s life. Mister Fear anticipated this and incorporated Murdock into his plans for Riker’s Island. He had Matt’s billy club delivered to him in the interview room with Billy moments before fear gas triggered a massive riot at the prison. Mister Fear sent his new Gladiator to fight with Murdock, while the hallucinogenic fear gas forced Matt to confront his hypocrisy for constantly breaking his promise to Jack Murdock “not to fight” by claiming “Daredevil did it.” Matt managed to work through his inner turmoil and beat Gladiator, and Vinnie was finally convinced to come forward about Mister Fear’s manipulation of his emotions. Mister Fear escaped again, but the real reasons for his visit to Riker’s Island remained obscured for some time. [Daredevil (1st series) #366-367]
Daredevil had an encounter with the mercenary Deadpool when he learned Typhoid Mary was back in town. Typhoid had seemingly eliminated Mary and her other personalities, leaving only a vicious killer looking for revenge. Deadpool had freed Typhoid from the sanitarium on a job, and now was caught up in her manipulations as she sought out Daredevil for locking her away. As it turned out, Typhoid had unlocked some deeper memories through some unconventional shock therapy. Teenaged Mary Walker ran away from home and became “Lyla,” the girl at the brothel whom Matthew accidentally pushed out the window in the earliest days of his career. Typhoid 
unfairly blamed Matt for breaking her psyche and every bad act she committed after that. However, Daredevil was thrilled to learn that girl hadn’t died, and he wasn’t the killer he thought he was. After refusing to accept blame for every bad decision Typhoid ever made, Daredevil allowed Deadpool to take her away, and perhaps help Typhoid face her own demons in time. [Deadpool / Daredevil Annual ‘97]
Matthew Murdock’s difficult history with the women in his life felt the spotlight in the weeks to come. Elektra had settled in New York again, living as an honorable mercenary and even aiding the police in different cases. She lived the closest thing to a normal life since college, with friends, even a casual lover in the former fighter Mac Stewart. Matt and Elektra awkwardly crossed paths, the distance between them palpable at first. During the hunt for a killer called the American Samurai, however, they grew closer as they shared in the chase. They gave in to their passions for a kiss, and even planned to run away together, regardless of how it would affect Karen and Mac.
Unfortunately, their differences reared up again as the Samurai was defeated. A Japanese immigrant and traditionalist, he loved the idea of the American Dream but saw it had become corrupted, and tried to kill those criminals and lowlifes he thought tainted the country. Realizing his quest was quixotic, the American Samurai wished to commit seppuku and die an honorable death 
at his own hands. Daredevil refused to consider it, trusting in the justice system to treat the Samurai appropriately. Elektra saw the warrior’s pain, though, and considered it her duty to aid him in this passage. Matt refused to fight Elektra over this foolishness, but whatever love had grown between them again was pruned here, and they did not meet again. [Elektra (1st series) #10-13]
Matt dodged another unpleasant romantic situation when he reconnected with Shanna the She-Devil. Doctor O’Hara had married Daredevil’s other old ally Ka-Zar since they last saw each other and moved to the Savage Land. Ka-Zar and Shanna were in New York investigating why Ka-Zar’s brother the Plunderer recently targeted them again. Matt met with Ka-Zar and Shanna at a society party and offered to look into Parnival Plunder’s claims that there was more to their inheritance. He mercifully left the couple before Ka-Zar questioned whether Shanna named their son Matthew Plunder after “some old flame” of hers. [Ka-Zar (3rd series) #5] While handling the medallion Ka-Zar and Daredevil used all those years ago to unlock the Anti-Metal trove, Matt alerted the Plunders that his sensitive touch detected what appeared to be a maze inscribed on the object, guiding them on their quest. [Ka-Zar (3rd series) #8]
Matters with Natasha also raced to a conclusion around this time. Sharpe, Nelson & Murdock courted a new client named William Gatz, who had run afoul of the Russian mob. They sent Omega Red to silence him, and Daredevil stepped into the fray. He was surprised when a heavily-armed and hard-boiled Black Widow appeared, ready to kill Omega Red to ensure the villain 
never threatened anyone again. Matthew refused to let Natasha become a cold-blooded murderer and fought her back on the open streets. Matt argued that this was the wrong way to honor the Avengers’ sacrifice. The Black Widow told Daredevil to move out of the way and even trained her gun on him, but Matt would not move. So Natasha shot him.
Gatz and Omega Red scattered in the aftermath, and Natasha got the bleeding Daredevil back to 
Karen for treatment. She left him with a warning: do not follow, do not interfere, do not expect mercy a second time. Black Widow was an excellent shot, striking soft tissue only as the round went straight out the other side. It was still a bullet wound, though, and Karen did her best to patch Matthew up afterwards. Despite his weakened condition, Matt feared Natasha was getting in over her head and wanted to pursue her. Karen put her foot down for once, objecting to Daredevil chasing after somebody as capable as the Black Widow when he obviously needed to heal and recover. Even though Karen was totally correct, Matt couldn’t let the matter lie. He took off after Natasha, despite Karen’s protests.
Daredevil tracked Black Widow down to Brighton Beach, but his injuries led to Matt being captured by a Russian mobster called the Snow Wolf. Natasha was given the chance to speak to him, and she used the tapping of her fingers to explain her real mission using Morse Code. Natasha’s “Avenging Avenger” persona was a cover story orchestrated by her and S.H.I.E.L.D. as a long con. It was deliberately engineered to look like a fall from grace for the Widow so that the Snow Wolf would welcome a more ruthless Black Widow into his fold. Omega Red had been paid off to play dead and reinforce Natasha’s new image – when Matthew stepped in the way, she was forced to improvise. Despite her good intentions, Natasha was still on the edge, as even mentioning the Avengers sent her into a genuine rage as she shut Matthew up.
The Snow Wolf had also manipulated the Russian mutants Ursa Major and Vanguard into serving him, in exchange for his support searching for their teammate Darkstar. Daredevil got free and revealed that Darkstar was the Wolf’s captive all along, gaining the support of the other heroes in bringing down Snow Wolf’s operation. Black Widow pursued the Wolf personally and Daredevil 
caught up with her as she considered what to do with him. The Wolf tortured Natasha to test her loyalties, and she wondered if bringing him into custody would be as expedient as simply eliminating him once and for all. Ultimately, though, Natasha’s better angels convinced her to follow the law, and she gave her “angel” a deep, lingering kiss as a thank you. [Daredevil (1st series) #368-370]
In the days that followed, Natasha’s choice was rewarded, as the Avengers returned from the dead. Her faith restored in the world, the Black Widow delighted herself with some meaningful flirting and apologies with Matthew. On the other hand, Matt was not on the best of terms with Karen. Running out on her was a very poor decision and she gave him a stern lecture as they reconnected. Karen reminded Matt that they were partners in life, and he needed to respect her opinions better in the future. A chagrined Daredevil agreed as they made up. [Daredevil (1st series) #371]