Type: Divergent Earth
Environment: Earth-like
Usual means of access: Presumably vibrational attunement
Dominant Life Form: Humans
Significant Inhabitants: Agent 5 of Hydra, Doctor Frost, Nick Fury, Battlin' Jack Murdock, Matt Murdock, Tony Stark
Significant Locations: Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan
First Appearance: What If? I#28 (August, 1981)
History: (What If? I#28/2) - When Matt Murdock was struck across the eyes by a radioactive isotope that had fallen from a truck, Tony Stark, the employer of the truck, put the injured boy into his car. The car then took off into the air and boarded the newly-completed S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier. While Matt regained consciousness, Tony Stark spoke with S.H.I.E.L.D. Colonel Nick Fury, who informed him that Matt's senses had become superhumanly acute. Back at the Hell's Kitchen apartment of Battlin' Jack Murdock, "Matt" attacked his father and then revealed itself as a Matt Murdock Life Model Decoy that reported to Hydra, a subversive organization that rivaled S.H.I.E.L.D. Once Matt had fully recovered from the isotope incident, S.H.I.E.L.D. Doctor Frost removed the bandages from his eyes. Much to Matt's surprise, he had been rendered blind by the isotope. Nick Fury offered to help Matt deal with the blindness and eventually Matt took up S.H.I.E.L.D. training. While Matt trained, Nick Fury spoke with Doctor Frost about how Matt would make a great S.H.I.E.L.D. field agent, but that he didn't want Matt to get hurt.
As Matt continued to train, Fury spoke with him directly, but when Matt asked about his father, Fury responded that he couldn't contact his father because it would violate security. Matt Murdock's superhuman hearing picked up the changes in Fury's heartbeat and instantly knew he was lying. He confronted Fury about it and Nick admitted that Matt's dad had been kidnapped by Hydra. Angered that S.H.I.E.L.D. had hid the truth from him, Matt exclaimed to Fury that S.H.I.E.L.D. just lost themselves an agent. While speaking with Doctor Frost, Matt confided that he didn't know what to do. Frost explained that she could take Matt to his father, but he had to be alone. She then revealed that she had contacts in both S.H.I.E.L.D. and Hydra.
Later that night, Matt and Frost obtained transportation off of the Helicarrier, but before they could get far, S.H.I.E.L.D. recaptured the ship in an aerial net. Matt attempted to dive from the captured ship, but S.H.I.E.L.D. managed to ensnare his leg and pull him back aboard the Helicarrier. Back inside, Fury yelled at Matt for putting himself into danger. Fury then revealed that S.H.I.E.L.D. had discovered the location of his father and that they were going to break him free that night. Matt decided to make a deal with Fury and told him that he would join S.H.I.E.L.D. as long as they let him go in to save his father. Fury agreed, and replied that Matt should've been a lawyer. Later, Matt broke into the Hydra facility housing his father and took out several agents before finding Jack Murdock. Soon, Hydra agents surrounded Matt and Jack, but Matt informed them that their base was surrounded by S.H.I.E.L.D., who began their attack on the Hydra base. S.H.I.E.L.D. then gassed the room housing Matt and Jack, as Matt handed his father a gas mask. The last conscious Hydra agent demanded Jack's mask, but Jack knocked out the agent and the two were picked up by S.H.I.E.L.D. Following the defeat of the Hydra branch, Fury announced that Matt was now set for life and that he had himself a good field agent. Battlin' Jack remarked that now he didn't have to sign up with the Fixer, but asked Matt about the promise he had made to his mother about him becoming someone important. Matt responded that he would be important and that no one would know that Matt Murdock was a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, they would only know him by the nickname he had as a kid...Daredevil.
Comments: Created by Mike W. Barr, Frank Miller, and Klaus Janson.
This Earth diverged from the events in Daredevil I#1.
I also thought I might mention that Doctor Frost was blonde and somewhat resembled Emma Frost. It may be possible that she could be Emma's counterpart in this reality. Just an idea... -Proto-Man
A problem with this Earth was admitted a few issues later in the letters page of the issue with Dazzler as herald; namely, Nick Fury did not join SHIELD (in the modern era) until long after Matt Murdock's boyhood, which was about X-20 years from the modern era's beginning. Also, Tony Stark's age is probably off as well.
--John McDonagh
Which would make it an alternate Earth, rather than a divergent one, I suppose.
--Snodd
Clarifications:
No known connection to
AGENT 5
Agent 5 was a member of Hydra who informed them when Tony Stark picked up the injured Matt Murdock.
-- What If? I#28/2
DOCTOR
FROST
Doctor Frost was the doctor working for S. H. I. E. L. D who cared for Matt Murdock after his injury. She informed Nick Fury that Matt's senses had been altered to superhuman levels. Once Matt discovered that he father was kidnapped by Hydra, Frost admitted that she was a double-agent for Hydra that could take Matt to save his father. She managed to gain the two transport off of the S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier, but was recaptured by them shortly after.
-- What If? I#28/2
COLONEL
NICK FURY
Nick Fury was pretty much the same as his Earth-616 counterpart: gruff and easily annoyed. He helped Matt recover from the injury and offered him membership into S.H.I.E.L.D. as a field agent.
-- What If? I#28/2
"BATTLIN'"
JACK MURDOCK
"Battlin'" Jack Murdock was Matt's father. Shortly after Matt's injury, Jack was kidnapped by Hydra. He was eventually saved by Matt and S.H.I.E.L.D. In this reality, Jack never became a lackey of the Fixer.
-- What If? I#28/2
MATT MURDOCK:
AGENT OF S.H.I.E.L.D.
Following his injury, Matt gained superhuman senses despite being blind, just like his Earth-616 counterpart. Instead of becoming a costumed vigilante, Matt trained with S.H.I.E.L.D. and eventually became a field agent when his father was kidnapped by Hydra. After saving his father, he mentioned that as a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, he would use his old nickname of Daredevil.
-- What If? I#28/2
TONY STARK
Tony Stark was a representative of S.H.I.E.L.D. When he followed his company's truck which caused Matt's injury, he grabbed Matt and transformed his car into a S.H.I.E.L.D. Flying Car and flew Matt inside the S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier. Once inside, Nick Fury told Tony that Matt's senses had been superhumanly altered.
-- What If? I#28/2
images:
What If? I#28, front cover (Matt fighting Hydra members)
p23, pan3 (Tony Stark)
p23, pan6 (Agent 5)
p25, pan1 (Battlin' Jack Murdock)
p27, pan5 (Nick Fury)
p27, pan9 (Doctor Frost)
p28, pan7 (Matt Murdock)
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
Last Updated: 06/18/05
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