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As a new Kingpin climbs to power in the Marvel Universe, one classic Spider-Man finds themselves horrifically humiliated in Daredevil.
WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Daredevil #32, on sale now from Marvel.
With Wilson Fisk becoming the Mayor of New York City, there has been an ongoing power vacuum in the city’s criminal underworld, with numerous sinister figures attempting to seize power for themselves as the new Kingpin of Crime in the Marvel Universe. One of the surprise figures to surface during the violent power struggle is an angry young man named Butch Pharris, who learns he is the illegitimate son of Fisk and proves the point by inheriting his father’s ruthless cunning and brute strength.
And as Butch continues his bloody rise to power, he makes an example of the longtime Spider-Man villain Hammerhead as he progresses to the top of the organized crime food chain in Daredevil #32 by Chip Zdarsky, Mike Hawthorne, Adriano di Benedetto, Marcio Menyz and VC’s Clayton Cowles.
As Fisk focused his attention towards running New York City from its visible public office, he entrusted the mobster Isabelle Libris with his criminal empire, with Butch becoming Isabelle’s personal bodyguard and enforcer. Despite Fisk’s personal endorsement, however, Isabelle’s ascension was a major point of contention among New York’s organized crime community, who saw the leadership change as an opportunity to seize power for themselves leading to a full-on gang war across the street. Amidst the chaos, Butch saw his own chance to rise above unassuming muscle to follow in his father’s footsteps, advised by Daredevil’s twin brother Mike Murdock.
After being brought into existence by Daredevil’s use of the Norn Stones, Mike Murdock has proven to be more of a conniving opportunist than his brother. Mike decided to advise Butch so he would become a Kingpin of Crime that he could easily control and manipulate himself, unchecked by the incarcerated Matt Murdock, who remains imprisoned after pleading guilty to manslaughter. As Mike observes Butch confronting Hammerhead in the streets to firmly bring back under Isabelle’s leadership, the unscrupulous Murdock twin realizes that he may have been grooming an uncontrollable monster all along as the confrontation proceedings more savagely than he anticipated.
After goading Hammerhead into a fight and easily avoiding his headbutts and charges, Butch proves just how formidable he is a hand-to-hand combatant and brings the supervillain to his knees with a well-placed blow. Rather than simply taunt the defeated Hammerhead and leave him with a warning not to cross Isabelle in the future, Butch decides to go one step further by blinding the helpless Hammerhead in his right eye – potentially permanently. As Hammerhead screams in agony, Mike is horrified at the ferocity of Butch’s attack, not just in easily felling the supervillain, but the extent he went with his violence in maiming his opponent after he was already beaten and humiliated just to get his point across.
While Butch hasn’t fully proceeded with his own aspirations to become the Marvel Universe’s next Kingpin of Crime, he is already well on his way towards commanding the loyalty and respect of New York City’s criminal element by showing one prominent mobster supervillain the consequences of betrayal. Hammerhead has been one of Spider-Man’s most persistent enemies for years and a feared figure in the criminal underworld. In a matter of moments, Butch toppled Hammerhead singlehandedly without enduring so much as a scratch from his hard-headed enemy. And while Mike is still working with Butch for now, it appears he may have inadvertently made a deal with the devil in his own bid for power.
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