2. Karen Page
Karen Page just might be the finest female in comic books. Her relationship with Matt takes so many turns, is so off-and-on, and even puts her in a different country that it's one of the most epic and entrancing tales ever published. She starts out as their secretary, ends up dating Matt, learns that he's Daredevil, learns that he's been disloyal to their relationship, runs away to find stardom, becomes a crack addict, sells Daredevil's identity to drug lords who give it to the Kingpin, makes her way back home thinking she'll save Matt, and restarts their relationship. And that's not even the end of the story. These two have gone through so much as a couple and as people that their end just had to end with what Kevin Smith had planned. There was never any way these two were going to end up together because of Matt's lifestyle, and what Smith does in
Guardian Devil forever changed the Daredevil mythos. Bullseye kills Karen. Suddenly, Daredevil is lost. He loses the greatest woman he's ever known. Ever loved. And he lives with that to the point of near suicide. I can't say enough about Karen Page. She's such a strong, fantastically interesting, genuine character that I've never seen another in the comic world like her. She's thoughtful, forgiving, and kind, but never compromises her own integrity (aside from the run that leads into Born Again). And, ultimately, it's her loss that leads us to the number one reason why Daredevil is the greatest superhero of all time...