Ever since Frank Miller first incorporated Wilson Fisk into the Daredevil universe, he and the Man Without Fear engaged in a cyclical game of cat and mouse that would always end with Kingpin on top as the boss of New York Citys criminal underworld. This cycle came to an abrupt halt during the Brian Michael Bendis/Alex Maleex run on the title, as Daredevil decided once and for all to cross a line he previously never crossed in order to assert his dominance over Fisk. In Hardcore, Fisk returns from a brief hiatus looking to aggressively take back his crown as the Kingpin. Fisk destroys his underworld rivals without mercy, and sics some classic villains on Matt Murdock, such as Bullseye and Typhoid Mary, all in an effort to let the world know that the king is back. But, rather than try and outsmart him, Daredevil shows up at the Kingpins home base and beats him within an inch of his life, claiming Hells Kitchen as the his own turf. The scene that depicts Daredevil standing defiantly over a battered and bloody Kingpin in Daredevil #50, is still shocking to read years later. Yet, with all the history these two characters have, Matts aggression is unquestionably justified.
Mark is a professional writer living in Brooklyn and is the founder of the Chasing Amazing Blog, which documents his quest to collect every issue of Amazing Spider-Man, and the Superior Spider-Talk podcast. He also pens the "Gimmick or Good?" column at Comics Should Be Good blog.
