MASTER IZO
Real Name: Izo
Identity/Class: Human magic user (presumably 16th century to modern era);
citizen of Japan
Occupation: Sensei, gambler
Group Membership: None; formerly the Chaste (Stick, others), the Hand (Naguchi, others)
Affiliations: Black Tarantula (Carlos LaMuerto), Luke Cage, Daredevil (Matt Murdock), Milla Donovan, Elektra, Iron Fist (Daniel Rand), Misty Knight, Dakota North, Punisher (Frank Castle), Shang-Chi, Spider-Man (Peter Parker), White Tiger (Angela Del Toro), Colleen Wing
Enemies: Turk Barrett, Beast of the Hand, Lady Bullseye, the Hand (Lord Hirochi, others), Kingpin (Wilson Fisk), Owl (Leland Owlsley)
Known Relatives: None
Aliases: None
Base of Operations: Unrevealed;
formerly New York City, New York;
formerly Japan
First Appearance: (Referenced) Daredevil II#111 (November, 2008); (seen, name revealed) Daredevil II#112 (December, 2008)
Powers/Abilities: Master Izo is a talented ninja warrior who has been alive for hundreds of years through mystical means. Proficient in using canes, staffs, and swords in combat, Izo is incredibly agile, and capable of defeating several Hand ninjas in solo combat. He has a keen mind and is capable of manipulating others in long-term cons and plots. Izo trained Stick and other members of the Chaste, and they went on to train Daredevil and Elektra. Izo is blind and, while no known superhuman powers have been listed in association with this, it can be presumed that he has similar abilities to Stick, including a mystic sense of sight and the ability to channel life energy into new forms. Izo has shown the ability to slow his own heartbeat to a few beats per minute, causing others to believe he is dead. Izo has a high tolerance for alcohol, though he is very likely an alcoholic; he is also a shrewd gambler.
Height: 5'5" (by approximation)
Weight: 120 lbs. (by approximation)
Eyes: Blue
Hair: White
History:
(Daredevil I#500 (fb) - BTS) - Hundreds of years ago, Izo joined the Hand for idealistic reasons, finding honor in one mentor, but he watched the Hand slowly sink into dishonor over a period of years.
(Daredevil I#500 (fb) ) - Izo let the sun blind him in order to avoid seeing the Hand fall farther into disgrace. Naguchi, a fellow ninja, was disgusted with Izo's actions. Saying that he could now see clearer than the rest of the Hand, Izo went off on his own, with Naguchi warning him that the Hand would hunt him down.
(Daredevil I#500 (fb) - BTS) - Izo helped form the Chaste, as a counter-balance to the Hand, and he trained young initiates.
(Daredevil II#113 (fb) - BTS) - Izo was mentioned in the Book of the Iron Fist at some point.
(Daredevil II#114 (fb) - BTS) - Master Izo trained a young Stick as a ninja.
(Daredevil I#500 (fb) - BTS) - Izo made frequent trips to the mortal world to drink and gamble.
(Daredevil I#500 (fb) ) - 55 years ago, Stick informed Izo that he was being ousted as the leader of the Chaste due to his frequent trips to the mortal world. Izo left willingly.
(Daredevil II#500 (fb) ) - 18 years ago, after Matt Murdock was blinded and received super-powers, Izo visited the boy in the hospital, then called Stick to inform him about Matt.
(Daredevil I#501 (fb) - BTS) - Izo warned Stick that only one of two souls would be capable of taking down the Hand once and for all, and one of them was Matt Murdock. (The other was Elektra).
(Daredevil I#500 (fb) - BTS) - Izo found a young woman who'd escaped from the Yakuza as a human-trafficking victim and he began to train her, as she took the name Lady Bullseye. He involved her in a long-term plot against the Hand, promising that she would lead them some day.
(Daredevil I#500 (fb) ) - Successfully predicting some upcoming moves from the Hand, Izo visited Black Tarantula, telling him that the Hand would kill and resurrect White Tiger in their service and then come after him. He instructed Tarantula to let himself be killed, then be resurrected in service of the Hand; he promised that Tarantula's healing powers would restore his own control, then he would be Izo's mole within the Hand.
(Daredevil II#112 (fb) - BTS) - Lord Hirochi got word that Master Izo was living in America.
(Daredevil II#111 (fb) - BTS) - Lord Hirochi sent Lady Bullseye to America to track down Master Izo, but she found no leads.
(Daredevil II#112 - BTS) - Master Izo showed up at the home of Matt Murdock and discovered the Black Tarantula there, so Izo knocked him out and tied him up.
(Daredevil II#112) - When Murdock returned home with Dakota North, Izo introduced himself and told Matt he was going to help him destroy the Hand, but only after Izo had a beer.
(Daredevil II#113) - Izo warned of the Hand's plots as he kept hitting Matt and the others (Black Tarantula and Dakota North) with his cane. Iron Fist entered and stated that Izo had been mentioned in the Book of the Iron Fists a few hundred years before. Later, when Lady Bullseye and Hand ninjas attacked, Master Izo intervened in the fight, using his cane to send the ninjas away. Izo warned Daredevil not to play into the Hand's plans for him. Later, with Black Tarantula, Izo fought off ninjas that were stalking him, then they found photos that showed some of the Hand's plans, including going after White Tiger.
(Daredevil II#114 (fb) - BTS) - Izo sent Black Tarantula after the White Tiger, who had gone missing. Izo then recruited Iron Fist for a mission.
(Daredevil II#114) - Izo took Iron Fist to an underground gambling den and ordered drinks, with Izo wanting to draw attention to himself. Rand wondered about Izo's history and intentions. As the night passed, Izo realized that the ninjas watching him had disappeared, and he realized that Hirochi was acting uncharacteristically, escalating the time table of his plans.
(Daredevil II#115) - Master Izo and Iron Fist rushed to the home of Matt Murdock, where they found the Hand had killed and resurrected Black Tarantula and White Tiger in their service and were now attacking Matt directly. As they battled the ninjas, Lady Bullseye attacked, and Master Izo rushed from the fight, realizing that Lord Hirochi, her superior, had been left unguarded. Izo attacked Hirochi, doing battle until Izo severed Hirochi's hand, then he returned to Daredevil's side. Daredevil realized that the Hand wanted him as their new leader, and Izo said he'd known this from the beginning.
(Daredevil II#115 - BTS) - Izo assured Matt that the Hand were leaving for now, but that he had an inside source with them.
(Daredevil II#117 (fb) - BTS) - Days later, Izo got word the Hand was returning to the city. He warned Daredevil.
(Daredevil II#117) - After killing two ninjas, Izo warned Daredevil that he needed to get his head in the game.
(Daredevil II#118) - While emphasizing how disappointed he was in Daredevil for making a deal with the Kingpin, Master Izo helped him find one of the Hand's safehouses in New York. As Daredevil rushed away, ignoring Izo's warnings, Izo took a drink and commented that Daredevil was the whiniest superhero he'd ever seen.
(Daredevil II#119) - Master Izo found Daredevil beating up thugs, seeking intel, and then he told Daredevil to follow him.
(Daredevil I#500 (fb) - BTS) - Izo, using his enhanced sense of smell, tracked down Milla Donavan, in a hospital room.
(Daredevil I#500) - Izo left Daredevil with Milla to sort out his feelings, and Matt realized he needed to let Milla go. Izo and Matt questioned Turk Barrett about the capture of Dakota North at the hands of the Owl, who was working with the Kingpin and the Hand. They tracked down the Owl, who held his claws to Dakota's neck, but, after getting authorization from Matt, Izo tossed a sword into Owl's shoulder, helping defeat the villain. Izo revealed that the Black Tarantula was working for him from within the Hand. Revealing that the Hand was seeking new leadership, Izo convinced Daredevil to do the job, as the Kingpin would take over if he didn't. Izo and Daredevil found the Hand, where Kingpin, with Lady Bullseye at his side, had just killed Lord Hirochi to claim leadership of the clan. While Daredevil took down Lady Bullseye, Izo attacked the Kingpin. Daredevil agreed to become leader of the Hand if they promised to never do business with the Kingpin again, and cast Lady Bullseye out, and they agreed. Lady Bullseye found Izo later and said he'd lied to her, then she vowed to find him one day and kill him.
(Daredevil I#502 (fb) - BTS) - Knowing Matt would have to make a sacrifice to the Hand to gain leadership, Izo offered himself. He proposed that Matt pretend to kill Izo, who could then willfully slow his heart to a few beats per minute, allowing the Hand to think he was dead.
(Daredevil I#501) - After Bullseye blew up a building, killing 107 people, Daredevil felt responsible, and Izo went to counsel him. Izo explained that innocent lives were sometimes lost, but that didn't make it Matt's fault, and he counseled Matt to avoid relying on the Hand too much. Daredevil then shocked Izo by sending the Hand against him, revealing that he had to make a sacrifice to assure his leadership and he had chosen Izo's life as that sacrifice. Izo fought back but was ultimately overwhelmed. Daredevil seemingly killed him with a blow to the chest.
(Daredevil I#502) - Izo was revived from his self-induced coma by Black Tarantula and he immediately asked for a drink. Izo then pressured Matt to begin focusing on shutting down the Hand once and for all.
(Daredevil I#503) - Baffled by Daredevil's indecision and choice of action, Izo reminded the hero how easy to manipulate he was, and told him again to shut downt he Hand from within.
(Daredevil I#508 (fb) - BTS) - Master Izo summoned Elektra to meet him at the Chaste's headquarters in the mountains.
(Daredevil I#508) - Elektra met Izo and they discussed Daredevil, who Izo believed was not in control of himself.
(Shadowland: Elektra#1) - Izo mentally influenced Elektra, helping her realize she had what it took to help restore Daredevil to control of himself.
(Daredevil I#509) - Master Izo went to the Hand stronghold in Japan with Elektra, where they snuck into the castle, killing assassins along the way. There, Izo discovered the truth that the Snakeroot was manipulating things behind the scenes. As they rushed to escape, Izo covered for Elektra to get out while cutting down a bridge that sent many of the Hand, and Izo himself, into the chasms below.
(Shadowland#3) - Master Izo returned to New York City and found a group of heroes, including Misty Knight, Colleen Wing, Iron Fist, Punisher, Luke Cage, Spider-Man, and Shang-Chi. He revealed that he'd set plans to take down the Hand in motion, but he'd failed to realize that the Snakeroot had a counter-plan, that of controlling Daredevil through the Beast.
(Daredevil I#510) - Master Izo shared the plan with Luke Cage, Iron Fist, Foggy Nelson, and Dakota North, proposing that they kill Daredevil to free him, then the Kingpin entered, allying with the group.
(Shadowland#5) - In the final battle with Daredevil at Shadowland, Master Izo knocked White Tiger out, allowing Foggy Nelson to break through to Matt, then Iron Fist delivered a blast of healing energy that helped Daredevil start to regain control of his own form, though the Beast continued trying to assert control through Matt's insecurities. Elektra then convinced Daredevil to commit seppuku, nearly killing the hero but allowing him to shake the Beast's influence off. As the riots died down outside, Izo suggested the heroes get a drink, then they realized Matt's body had gone missing.
Comments: Created by Ed Brubaker (writer), Michael Lark (penciler) & and Stefano Gaudiano (inker).
Master Izo hadn't shown up, but he was given a deep cut into the origins of the Hand and the Chaste. As the trainer of Stick, and a man involved in the creation of the Chaste and Daredevil himself, Izo has been alive for centuries, and clearly has a lot more story to be told.
Profile by Chadman.
CLARIFICATIONS:
Master Izo should not be confused with:
|
(Daredevil I#500 (fb) ) - Izo let the sun blind him in order to avoid seeing the Hand fall farther into disgrace. Naguchi, his fellow ninja, was disgusted with Izo's actions. Saying that he could now see clearer than the rest of the Hand, Izo went off on his own, with Naguchi warning him that the Hand would hunt him down. --Daredevil I#500 (fb) |
images: (without ads)
Daredevil II#115, p1, pan2 (main)
Daredevil I#500, p1, pan3 (young, red blindfold)
Daredevil I#500, p1, pan4 (Naguchi)
Appearances:
Daredevil II#111 (November, 2008) - Ed Brubaker (writer), Clay Mann (penciler), Stefano Gaudiano (inker), Warren Simons (editor)
Daredevil II#112-114 (December, 2008-February, 2009) - Ed Brubaker (writer), Michael Lark (penciler), Stefano Gaudiano (inker), Warren Simons (editor)
Daredevil II#115 (March, 2009) - Ed Brubaker (writer), Michael Lark, Tonci Zonjic, Stefano Gaudiano (artists), Warren Simons (editor)
Daredevil II#117-119 (May-August, 2009) - Ed Brubaker (writer), Michael Lark (penciler), Stefano Gaudiano (inker), Warren Simons (editor)
Daredevil I#500 (October, 2009) - Ed Brubaker (writer), Michael Lark, Stefano Gaudiano (pencilers), Klaus Janson, Chris Samnee, Paul Azaceta (inkers), Warren Simons
Daredevil I#501-502 (December, 2009-January, 2010) - Andy Diggle (writer), Roberto de la Torre (artist), Warren Simons (editor)
Daredevil I#503 (February, 2010) - Andy Diggle (writer), Roberto de la Torre, Marco Checchetto (artists), Stephen Wacker (editor)
Daredevil I#508 (September, 2010) - Andy Diggle, Antony Johnston (writers), Roberto de la Torre (artist), Stephen Wacker (editor)
Daredevil I#509 (October, 2010) - Andy Diggle (writer), Roberto de la Torre (artist), Stephen Wacker (editor)
Daredevil I#510 (November, 2010) - Andy Diggle (writer), Marco Checchetto (artist), Stephen Wacker (editor)
Shadowland: Elektra#1 (November, 2010) - Zeb Wells (writer), Emma Rios (artist), Stephen Wacker (editor)
Shadowland#3-5 (November, 2010-January, 2011) - Andy Diggle (writer), Billy Tan (penciler), Victor Olazaba (inker), Stephen Wacker (editor)
First Posted: 11/13/2019
Last updated: 11/13/2019
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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