BIOGRAPHY -- Page 35
The events which brought an end to Matt Murdock’s world were subtle, but inevitable. An underboss named Sammy Silke came from Chicago to join the Kingpin’s organization. Fisk owed Sammy’s father a debt and opened his doors to letting Silke hide out in New York from heat he was facing back home. Naturally, he was also willing to do the senior Silke a favor, eliminating a crusading lawyer who was making trouble for one of the corporations owned by the Silkes. When he heard the name Murdock, however, the Kingpin immediately changed course. He rejected Sammy Silke and his father’s request, declaring that Murdock would not be harmed.
Behind Kingpin’s back, Silke continued griping about this disrespect until Richard Fisk called him over for a drink. Although rarely on Daredevil’s radar, the Kingpin’s son Richard had long been a thorn in his father’s side, attacking his business as the Rose, the Schemer and even collaborating 
with Hydra. By this point, however, Richard had accepted he would never beat his father, and languished in a small, token role in the organization. Because Richard and Sammy grew up together, he explained the simple truth of why Kingpin wouldn’t act against Murdock: the lawyer was Daredevil. Richard knew Murdock was Daredevil. The entire organization knew Murdock was Daredevil, despite Kingpin’s self-important belief in his own perfectly-preserved secrecy. People talk, word got around and everybody knew the details of Fisk and Murdock’s blood feud and status as venerated arch-enemies. They were all just too scared to let the Kingpin know that they knew.
As an outsider, Sammy Silke thought this was absurd. You know who a hero vigilante is, you whack the guy and his family, bing bang boom. Silke started to give voice to the doubts and grumblings the Kingpin’s organization had had for years. Fisk’s heavy-handed tactics made him hated, his blindness made him weak and maybe, just maybe, it was time for the younger Fisk and Silke to claim New York as their own territory. In order to demonstrate that the Kingpin’s day was 
done, Richard and Sammy did what no one else would have dared without his permission: they took out a hit on Matt Murdock. As the corporate case against the Silkes’ company ended with a resounding Guilty verdict and massive payout, Murdock found himself targeted by various assassins. As Daredevil, he fought to protect his civilian identity from the likes of Nitro, Shotgun, Boomerang and others. A furious Daredevil confronted the Kingpin over the contract on Matt Murdock, but Kingpin didn’t know what he was talking about. In that same moment, Murdock and Fisk both recognized what that meant, and the Kingpin’s days were numbered.
Sammy Silke led the Kingpin’s lieutenants in an ambush where they all stabbed him to the point of death like Julius Caesar. However, he grossly underestimated the repercussions of that act. Vanessa Fisk returned from Europe after hearing reports of her husband’s death. While Daredevil raced around the city trying to stop the contract on Matt Murdock’s life, Vanessa met with Wilson’s doctor and concierge in secret. The Kingpin was still alive but needed to be moved to safety and 
seclusion. Vanessa ordered a massive response where all of the traitorous lieutenants were taken out in a single night, leaving only Sammy Silke alive and on the run. She even murdered her own son, Richard, for betraying his father. Sammy had no allies in New York and his father washed his hands of his presumptuous offspring. Seeing no other choice, Sammy turned himself in to the FBI to seek protective custody. He used the one real bargaining chip he had left other than betraying his father, too… Matt Murdock’s identity as Daredevil. [Daredevil (2nd series) #26-31]
The FBI’s organized crime task force reported to their national director over what to do about the information. A slight background check uncovered additional facts which led credence to Silke’s claim: Murdock’s college girlfriend was the international assassin Elektra Natchios (known associate of Daredevil), his medical records as a child reported complaints of “enhanced sound and smell” shortly after being blinded by a “radioactive isotope,” the legal wreckage of his life when Kingpin first tested the information, etc. The kicker was the discovery that Murdock’s government file was classified by S.H.I.E.L.D. Director Davis figured Murdock probably was Daredevil, but it didn’t matter for their investigation. He told the team of Dobbs and Driver to focus on Silke. Henry Dobbs had a struggling marriage and income, though, and after a day’s consideration he decided to sell the information to the tabloids. Soon, the front page of the Daily Globe declared that “blind lawyer is guardian of Hell’s Kitchen!”
Matt and Foggy went into damage control mode. Matthew considered being honest now that the cat was out of the bag, but Foggy brought him back to reality. He was an officer of the court, but also a vigilante operating outside the law. He had used vigilantism to gather information for the 
benefit of his cases. He had SUED himself recently, perpetrating such an elaborate mockery of the law that it had never been contemplated. If Matt admitted the truth, he would be disbarred and he would go to jail. Matt Murdock made a public statement denouncing the tabloid’s lies and began a $400,000,000 lawsuit for defamation and libel. Reactions were mixed. Ben Urich and Peter Parker stood by Matt, actively lying to J. Jonah Jameson that they knew Daredevil’s REAL secret identity and the Globe story was false. Spider-Man also swung by to help defeat Mister Hyde when the super-villain attacked Murdock’s brownstone. Matt hired the services of Luke Cage and Jessica Jones as super-powered bodyguards in case more of “Daredevil’s” enemies tried to come after the poor blind lawyer. Still, some people like Natasha and Elektra suggested the time had come for Daredevil to step out of the shadows. [Daredevil (2nd series) #32-36]
Matt Murdock had more support than he may have expected. Captain America reached out to Matt after the tabloids hit the stands. Steve Rogers had gone public himself recently, letting the people see his face and connect with The Living Legend of World War II on a more personal level. He offered Daredevil membership in the Avengers and any assistance their association could provide. Matt was touched, but he believed associating with the Avengers would drag them down at the moment rather than the other way around. He chose to go it alone. Nick Fury also covertly 
made him an offer. He thought Murdock had all the makings of an excellent S.H.I.E.L.D. agent. Fury gave Matthew the chance to live an entirely new life as a covert operative, maybe team up with Natasha again for S.H.I.E.L.D. Again, Matt was grateful, but he wasn’t willing to abandon the life he knew just yet. [Daredevil (2nd series) #65]
As Matt prepped his legal defense and fought off reporters, he received some unlikely support from Vanessa Fisk. Vanessa wanted to be done with New York and sold off her husband’s territory to other criminal enterprises. However, she also acquired the name of Henry Dobbs as the man who sold out Matt Murdock to the tabloids. Nelson & Murdock met with the counsel for Uri 
Rosenthal, owner of the Daily Globe, who initially laughed in their faces. Rosenthal was a tough-as-nails veteran who never backed down and was ready to go the distance against their lawsuit. And so, Daredevil used Vanessa’s information to hunt down Dobbs, appearing outside his window. He never entered the residence illegally, he never spoke or threatened the man, he just stood there intimidating Dobbs. The next day, Dobbs recanted his statements to the Daily Globe and disappeared.
Without Dobbs, the Daily Globe’s defense against the lawsuit crumbled. Murdock and Uri Rosenthal’s NEW lawyer came together to negotiate a settlement. With his enhanced senses, Matt pushed Rosenthal exactly as far as he was willing to take the negotiation -- $75,000,000 with a printed retraction and apology, though not on the front page. Murdock negotiated half the payout would go to the Hell’s Kitchen Restoration Society and the other to the National Endowment for the Blind. Rosenthal would guarantee in writing that there would be no layoffs at the Globe for two years, to avoid claims that Murdock’s lawsuit “bankrupted” him. Once the deal with reached, Rosenthal asked to speak with Murdock alone. He expressed his own belief that the story was true, but “somehow” their source was suddenly missing, so his lawyers insisted he settle. Matt 
quietly smirked at one of the richest men in the country before tapping his blind man’s cane as he made his way to the door. With that, Uri Rosenthal called off the deal. Murdock pushed him too far, and now Rosenthal didn’t care how much time and money he lost to the lawsuit. His story was right, the truth was the truth and Murdock didn’t deserve to walk away with his lies intact. [Daredevil (2nd series) #36-37]