Marvel Brings Back ’90s Daredevil Villains

Daredevil: Black Armor has Matt Murdock up against the ropes. The four-issue limited series from writer D.G. Chichester and artist Netho Diaz takes place during Chichester’s original ’90s run on Daredevil, when Murdock was believed dead in the aftermath of the “Fall From Grace” storyline. Assuming the identity “Jack Batlin” after his boxer father, Battlin’ Jack Murdock, Daredevil donned an armored costume and again took to the streets to protect Hell’s Kitchen as the “new” Daredevil. But old villains have resurfaced to battle the new Man Without Fear, including some of Daredevil’s lesser-known foes from the 1990s. [Below: spoilers for this week’s Daredevil: Black Armor #3.]

The armored Daredevil has uncovered a conspiracy by Hydra’s Baron von Strucker, who has been disappearing Hell’s Kitchen’s “wertlos” — German for “worthless”— with the help of the supervillains Sabretooth and Hobgoblin. Strucker then seized the subterranean domain of the Mole Man and took control of his Moloids to turn Hell’s Kitchen’s underground into an arena for blood sport: Strucker’s prisoners are forced to fight to the death in cage matches for the amusement of the “one percent of the one percent.”

The costumed assassins Batroc the Leaper, the Tarantula, and Lady Deathstrike are among Strucker’s champions, brutalizing New York’s most vulnerable in Strucker’s underground fight club. It’s there that Daredevil is reunited with Calvin Zabo, the mad scientist whose serum transforms him into the hulking Mr. Hyde. As their “prize fighter,” Daredevil uses Zabo’s scientific acumen to help him determine the strengths and weaknesses of Strucker’s fighters. “They wanted Hell’s Kitchen,” Daredevil says, “let’s give them hell.”

Hell’s Kitchen is the latest target of Strucker’s plot: targeting and decimating distressed neighborhoods. Once their blood lust is satiated, the cavern will collapse and create a sinkhole of catastrophe for Hell’s Kitchen. The profiteers will then bring in shell companies to fix the problems they created, allowing them to get richer from their “great remove of the far less worthy.”

In the ring, Daredevil and the “wertlos” battle Strucker’s fighters: Batroc, Tarantula, Lady Deathstrike, the metal-limbed Technospike, and the ninja assassin Tekagi of the Snakeroot cult. Zabo’s tips help Team Daredevil put up a fight against the assassins, but Strucker sicks all five of his fighters on Battlin’ Murdock… who goes down in the ring. Daredevil breaks away into the caverns and finds Bitmap — who once served Strucker’s strike team, System Crash, back in 1994’s Daredevil #326 — attempting to ooze his liquid form into Daredevil’s armor.

Strucker, wielding the Satan Claw gauntlet and his body surging with superhuman strength and speed from the Deathspore Virus coursing through his veins, goes toe-to-toe with the armored Daredevil in the ring. Meanwhile, Zabo reclaims his serum and transforms into Mr. Hyde, overpowering Strucker and holding him at bay so Daredevil can escape. Strucker orders his fighters and the Moloids to “get the Devil,” who smirks: “That’s the plan.”

Daredevil: Black Armor #3 is on sale now from Marvel Comics. Issue #4 goes on sale February 14.