JEREMIAH JENK

Real Name: Jeremiah Jenk

Identity/Class: Human

Occupation: Counterfeiter

Group Membership: Congregation of Righteousness

Affiliations: Daredevil (Matt Murdock), Kingpin, Marvin the Tooth, Max, Franklin "Foggy" Nelson, Wilson

Enemies: None

Known Relatives: Father (name unrevealed, deceased), Elder Nahum Jenk (brother), Matthew Jenk, John Jenk (sons)

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: Upper New York State

First Appearance: Daredevil I#194 (May, 1983)

Powers/Abilities: Jeremiah Jenk is a renowned counterfeit money maker.

History:

(Daredevil I#194 (fb)) - A member of the strict religious sect, the Congregation of Righteousness, young Jeremiah Jenk was frequently beat by his father for drawing images contrary to their beliefs. When Jeremiah's brother, Nahum, pointed out another drawing, Jeremiah's father ordered Jeremiah to submit to a beating, but Jeremiah refused and hit his father with a stick.

(Daredevil I#194 (fb) - BTS) - The Congregation of Righteousness ordered Jeremiah to be put to death for his crimes. He fled from them, spending the next seventy years evading this death sentence as Nahum became one of the elders of the sect. Jeremiah went on to become a world-renowned counterfeiter, developing professional criminal relationships with men like the Kingpin. Jeremiah fathered two sons, Matthew and John, who he raised to be true to his faith. Jeremiah moved into an expansive home in upstate New York that was isolated from the rest of the world and difficult to access. When he sensed his death approaching, he wrote to the Congregation and asked for religious supplies, hoping to eventually achieve atonement with them before his death. They sent him candles that he could burn for religious rites, and he did not realize that they had an arsenic base that was slowly killing him. Jenk felt that he had truly repented and followed his religious tenets, at least recently, except for being unwilling to give up his glasses.

(Daredevil I#194) - Jeremiah sought to hire attorney Matt Murdock, who he assumed could help him to reconcile with the Congregation as Murdock had successfully defended men beyond hope and redemption before. He sent his sons to recruit the man and they gave him fifty one thousand dollar bills to retain him, having taken a horse and buggy to his home. Murdock who later sent Daredevil to investigate Jenk's wishes, and the hero chartered a helicopter to access the mansion and killed a deadly Doberman on his way in. Jenk explained his situation to the hero, who promised to look into things on his own. Jenk, feeling hopeless and vulnerable because Daredevil had breached his defenses, had his boys bury the dog and then go to the Kingpin for help. Kingpin assigned his man Wilson to get men to act as security for Jenk's estate. Against Jenk's authorization, Kingpin also sent men, including Max, to kill Nahum, but Daredevil stopped them. Realizing that Jenk was being poisoned,  Daredevil rushed back to Jenk's estate and defeated Marvin the Tooth  and both Jenk boys before reaching Jeremiah, who was nearly dead from the candles. Daredevil revived Jeremiah, who determined to go back to the Congregation and try and make amends, come what may. He turned his glasses over to Daredevil and rode off with his boys.

Comments: Created by Denny O'Neil and Klaus Janson.

Profile by Chadman.

CLARIFICATIONS:
Jeremiah Jenk has no known connections to

• Jenks, Herbert Walpole butler @ Savage Action#1/2
• Mrs. Jenks, Cage ally @ Hero for Hire I#10
• Jeremiah, Valkyrie foe @ Marvel Team-Up I#33
• or any other "Jeremiah" or "Jenk" characters

Congregation of Righteousness

(Daredevil I#194 (fb) - BTS) - An Amish-like sect in upstate New York, the Congregation of Righteousness prided themselves on forsaking modern society and all technology and living a lifestyle free from crime, sin, and divorce. Any of their members who went against their laws were put to death.

(Daredevil I#194 (fb)) - A member of the strict religious sect, young Jeremiah Jenk was frequently beat by his father for drawing images contrary to their beliefs. When Jeremiah's brother, Nahum, pointed out another drawing, Jeremiah's father ordered Jeremiah to submit to a beating, but Jeremiah refused and hit his father with a stick.

(Daredevil I#194 (fb) - BTS) - The Congregation of Righteousness ordered Jeremiah to be put to death for his crimes. He fled from them, spending the next seventy years evading this death sentence as Nahum became one of the elders of the sect. Jeremiah went on to become a world-renowned counterfeiter, developing professional criminal relationships with men like the Kingpin.

(Daredevil I#194) - Kingpin sent men, including Max, to kill Nahum, but Daredevil stopped them, though Nahum's home was burnt down. Later, Jeremiah turned himself over to the Congregation for forgiveness.

--Daredevil I#194 (Daredevil I#194 (fb) - BTS, 194 (fb), 194 (fb) - BTS, 194

Elder Nahum Jenk

(Daredevil I#194 (fb)) - A member of the strict religious sect, the Congregation of Righteousness, young Jeremiah Jenk was frequently beat by his father for drawing images contrary to their beliefs. When Jeremiah's brother, Nahum, pointed out another drawing, Jeremiah's father ordered Jeremiah to submit to a beating, but Jeremiah refused and hit his father with a stick.

(Daredevil I#194 (fb) - BTS) - Jeremiah was ordered killed, but he fled instead. Over the following seventy years, Nahum became an elder of the Congregation and sought Jeremiah's death from afar. However, Jeremiah became a notorious criminal and too well-protected. Decades later, Nahum agreed to send Jeremiah religious candles, but he laced them with arsenic so that the poison would slowly kill him.

(Daredevil I#194) - Matt Murdock and Franklin "Foggy" Nelson traveled to the headquarters of the Congregation of Righteousness to discuss with Nahum the readmittance of Jeremiah into the Congregation. Nahum impatiently discussed their tenets and how Jeremiah was no longer welcome. Just then, Max and other allies of the Kingpin attacked and the hero Daredevil battled them off while Nahum's house was set ablaze. Nahum ordered the outsiders to remove themselves from their community. Later, Jeremiah turned himself over to the Congregation for forgiveness.

--Daredevil I#194 (Daredevil I#194 (fb), 194 (fb) - BTS, 194

Matthew and John Jenk

(Daredevil I#194 (fb) - BTS) - Matthew and John Jenk were the children of famous counterfeiter Jeremiah Jenk, but they were raised to follow the strict tenets of the Congregation of Righteousness, a religion from which Jeremiah had been ostracized.

(Daredevil I#194) - When Jeremiah took ill, he sent his boys to recruit attorney Matt Murdock, so that he could plead for reentry into the Congregation. Later, after Daredevil visited Jenk (and killed his dog), the boys were sent to garner help from the Kingpin. Daredevil later attacked the house, but ended up saving Jeremiah's life after fighting off Matthew and John. Jeremiah ordered his sons to take him back to the Congregation, so that he could plead for forgiveness.

--Daredevil I#194 (194 (fb) - BTS, 194

Wilson

(Daredevil I#194) - Wilson was ordered by the Kingpin to provide protection for Jeremiah Jenk, when Jenk's boys Matthew and John asked for it. Wilson recruited Max and others to kill Nahum Jenk, and sent Marvin the Tooth and others to guard Jeremiah.

--Daredevil I#194

Max

(Daredevil I#194) - One of the Kingpin's employees, Max and others were sent to kill Nahum Jenk, but Daredevil stopped them as the house burned down around them.

--Daredevil I#194

Marvin the Tooth

(Daredevil I#194) - One of the Kingpin's employees, Marvin the Tooth and others were sent to guard the home of Jeremiah Jenk, but Daredevil beat them down when he arrived.

--Daredevil I#194

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Daredevil I#194, p7, pan4 (main)