How Devil’s Reign Sets Up Marvel’s New Daredevil Series

WARNING: Spoilers for Devil’s Reign #6 follow. The Daredevil event series Devil’s Reign comes to an end with its sixth issue, setting up new status quos for several Marvel characters. For example, there is a new Kingpin in the Marvel Universe, with Wilson Fisk and Typhoid Mary retiring for a peaceful existence out of the public eye. The Man Without Fear has been put through the wringer throughout the course of the six-issue miniseries, with someone close to him beaten to death at the hands of the New York Mayor. To find out what else happened in the conclusion, keep on reading!

Devil’s Reign #6 by Chip Zdarsky, Marco Checchetto, Marcio Menyz, and VC’s Clayton Cowles begins with an all-out war between Daredevil and his allies against mind-controlled villains under the influence of the Purple Man. Once Daredevil learns his twin brother Mike was killed by Wilson Fisk, who actually thought he was murdering Daredevil’s alter ego of Matt Murdock, the defender of Hell’s Kitchen leaves the battlefield for a showdown with his arch-enemy. Luckily, Elektra gets to Fisk and Typhoid Mary first, slowing them down long enough for a two-on-two showdown.

While this is taking place, Luke Cage and Joe, one of Purple Man’s kids, try to shut him down. Luke Cage hands Joe an inhibitor to repel Purple Man’s influence, which leaves himself open to be taken control of. It’s a tug of war between father and son, as Purple Man attempts to force Luke Cage to kill young Joe. The son winds up victorious over his father, using enough of his power to win the day.

As for Wilson Fisk and Daredevil, the latter gets the upper hand and is on the verge of finally killing the former Kingpin. After using the Purple Man’s powers to force Fisk into thinking about all of the lives he’s destroyed, Fisk casually shrugs it off. “He’s evil,” Daredevil declares to himself. He picks up one of Elektra’s sai blades to deliver the final blow, but is talked down by his lover. Daredevil has to choose what type of symbol he wants to be, and he decides he doesn’t want to be someone who murders an evil man in front of hundreds of innocent bystanders.

Wilson Fisk is officially arrested, and Luke Cage is set up to be the next Mayor of New York. Before you think Fisk is just going to be sent to jail, we find out his son Butch has engineered his breakout. Butch is the new Kingpin of Crime and has cut a deal with the Stromwyns to set up his father as a future Presidential candidate. While it appears Kingpin could be the next President of the Marvel Universe, he turns on the Stromwyns instead. He has a better proposition for Butch: let the world know he’s the one who killed his father, thereby setting Butch up to inherit Fisk’s criminal kingdom.

Sometime later, Daredevil tells Elektra that he’s going to allow the world to believe Matt Murdock is dead. Together, they will form The Fist to take down The Hand. The time of street fights and Wilson Fisk problems are no more. Plus, Daredevil is thinking on a larger scale, about how to best save the world. If The Fist is setting its sights on The Hand, that means we could be in for a war between Daredevil and The Punisher. Frank Castle is currently working with The Hand, and seems fairly entrenched inside the organization. It wouldn’t be surprising to see another event or crossover take place in the future between the two titles.

Chip Zdarsky and Marco Checchetto are relaunching Daredevil with a new first issue in June. Marvel promises that the new series will continue telling Matt Murdock and Elektra Natchios’ stories. They each reckon with everything that taking up the Daredevil mantle has cost them.  

“Getting to write Daredevil and work with Marco is a career highlight. I’m just genuinely excited that we get to continue our epic story with this new issue one!” Zdarsky said in a press release. “Matt and Elektra have confronted their past mistakes with Devil’s Reign and Woman Without Fear, but can they atone for them together?”

“It’s the first time that I’ve to draw the first issue of the same series twice. I could tell you it’s an issue like everyone else, now, but it’s not,” Checcetto says. “Each time I’ve to draw a new script of Daredevil it’s a new experience. Chip keeps throwing at me new challenges and I’m not the type of artist to refuse them. How much more can we mess up with Matt Murdock’s life? Let’s see with this new Daredevil #1.”

“This is the start of our fourth year on the title! And the plan for it is about as big a swing as we could possibly take,” Zdarsky added. “I’m super excited for readers to see where we’re taking our Daredevils!”

What did you think of Devil’s Reign? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!