Detective Sergeant Brett Mahoney is a former officer with the New York City Police Department, who aided Nelson and Murdock with legal cases, leading to an investigation of Wilson Fisk. Attempting to remain an honest officer in Hell's Kitchen, Mahoney built an uneasy alliance with Daredevil, who despite his vigilantism, wished New York City to be safe. Mahoney's contributions in the downfall of Fisk's criminal empire, and arrest of the Punisher, soon resulted with him being promoted to Detective Sergeant. Mahoney took on the case of the Hand's activities in New York City, as he was later assisted by Daredevil to defeat Nobu Yoshioka and rescue dozens of innocent hostages from the Hand.
However, as Wilson Fisk was freed from Ryker's Island, Mahoney was again assisted by Foggy Nelson to find a way expose Fisk's ongoing conspiracies and send him back to jail. Having struggled to navigate the conspiracy, while being challenged by the FBI and Felix Manning attempts to protect Fisk, Mahoney used Ray Nadeem's posthumous confession to arrest both Fisk and Vanessa Marianna. Following Fisk's arrest, Mahoney then focused on bringing Billy Russo to justice, while attempting to prevent the Punisher from causing an all-out war in the city. Despite Dinah Madani's attempts to slow Mahoney down, he had eventually closed their case once Russo had been found dead.
Brett Mahoney was born and raised in New York City to his mother, Bess Mahoney. From the age of four, Mahoney met and developed a close friendship with Foggy Nelson, although this would also form into a rivalry, with the pair referring to themselves as enemies, despite continuing their friendship.[1]
Becoming a Police Officer[]
"Ever tell you what Clemons used to say? Gotta treat witnesses like mushrooms, feed 'em shit and keep them in the dark."
When he grew up, Mahoney became an officer of the New York City Police Department, and he would be stationed at the 15th Precinct Police Station, either patrolling the streets or working desk duty, while Mahoney worked his way up the ranks. During this time, Mahoney had continued his friendship and rivalry with Foggy Nelson, who had started up his own law firm, Nelson and Murdock, alongside Matt Murdock, who Mahoney got to know and respect. Nelson would turn to Mahoney for tip-offs regarding new cases which he could get involved with.[1]
During this time, Mahoney would work closely with Detective Oscar Clemons, who would give Mahoney advice on how to interrogate witnesses in order to get the most reliable information out of them, which often meant giving them no information about their own circumstances to confuse them.[2] Mahoney would also became aware of a case that the NYPD were attempting to build against Armand Tully, although it soon became clear that Tully was too knowledgable about the law for Mahoney or anyone else on the force to prosecute him for any crimes.[3]
Relationship with Aviva[]
"You know, Madani, I had this girlfriend once, Aviva. I was so in love with her. It ended badly. She didn't shoot me, but she may as well have."
Following his breakup with his girlfriend Aviva, Mahoney saw her in his favorite breakfast restaurant and reacted badly, getting drunk, finding out where she lived, and passing out by her front door, a series of actions Mahoney greatly regretted.[4]
"Homicide, female suspect found at the scene, definitely qualifies as interesting." "She hasn't been charged yet?" "Assistant D.A. hasn't made the call yet."
While on duty in New York City, Mahoney stepped out of the subway, only to then be greeted by Foggy Nelson, who had since become a lawyer and recently started Nelson and Murdock. Upon seeing him, Mahoney noted that police officers and defense attorneys should be mortal enemies, although Nelson replied that they had been enemies since childhood, as he claimed to not be a good defense attorney so Mahoney helping him would be like helping himself, which Mahoney scoffed at.
Nelson had then handed Mahoney a package of cigars for Bess to be a gift, which annoyed Mahoney, as he did not want his mother smoking them. However, Mahoney still accepted the cigars, as Nelson just noted that his mother would outlive them. Nelson requested that if Mahoney ever got word that the New York City Police Department arrested anyone who had seemed like it would be potentially interesting, he give Nelson and Murdock a call. Mahoney reluctantly agreed it was not their careers making them enemies before walking away, as Nelson thanked him.
Later that evening, Mahoney quietly stepped out from the 15th Precinct Police Station and called up Nelson to inform him about a new homicide case involving Karen Page, who had seemingly just brutally murdered a co-worker with a knife in her apartment, and insisted she was innocent. Nelson questioned if Page had been charged yet, to which Mahoney had explained that the Assistant D.A. had not decided on what to do. Nelson and Matt Murdock then took on the case and proved Page to be innocent; afterwards, they hired Page as an assistant at Nelson and Murdock.[1]
"Guy's a real scumbag. But he stays just this side of ordinance, so there's nothing we can do." "Can you pull some copies of those complaints? Maybe get me a minute or two with the officers who took them?" "You really think you and Foggy can help?"
While Mahoney was serving as the desk sergeant in the 15th Precinct Police Station, he was visited by Matt Murdock. As Mahoney greeted Murdock, he was asked how his mother was, as Mahoney had then noted that she smelled like the cigars Foggy Nelson had given her, commenting that even if Nelson did not give those to her, then she would still sneak them in regardless. Murdock then told Mahoney that they are working on a case for a friend of Mahoney's mother.
Mahoney was surprised that Nelson and Murdock were attempting to target Armand Tully, who was attempting to evict residents from their homes, as he commented that Tully had kept his activities just legal enough, meaning that there was little that their New York City Police Department could actually do to stop him from abusing these tenants and evicting them without cause. Promising that their law firm could help, Murdock had requested a chance to read the complaints made against Tully and speak with all those officers who took them, which Mahoney agreed to help with, as he collected those documents.[3]
"Hey, you've got to sign in, and I've got to check the bag. Mmm, meatball?" "From Marchioni's, he loves that place. I don't know, I thought it might trigger something." "Yeah. Well, come on in."
Mahoney was tasked with monitoring Christian Blake's visitors while he was in Metro-General Hospital, following Blake being shot during a raid, with the shot seemingly done by a Masked Vigilante. With Blake still deep in a coma, he was visited by Carl Hoffman, who came to see his partner and friend. Before allowing Hoffman to enter their room, Mahoney asked him to sign in, before also checking what was in the bag and found nothing but his meatball sandwich.
A few minutes later, however, Mahoney heard a noise coming from a heart monitor inside of Blake's room and he called out to Hoffman to see if something was wrong. When Hoffman would not answer their calls, Mahoney, together with a few other agents, attempted to open the door, which was blocked by the chair from the inside. When they were finally able to force the door open, they found Blake lying dead on his bed, having seemingly been murdered by a masked man and Hoffman was currently laying onto the floor, unconscious, having also been attacked and knocked unconscious by a masked vigilante.[5]
"Multiple stab wounds. The ambulance got there quick, but... My mom says all the family she knew about's passed on. I knew you were looking into her tenancy cases. I thought you might be able to point us toward the next of kin." "No, she didn't have anyone. Just us."
As Mahoney was informed that Elena Cardenas had been murdered outside her home by a junkie who had stolen her purse, he personally took charge of their case and called the Nelson and Murdock Law Office to inform them about her death, as she did not have any other family who could identify the body. Foggy Nelson, Karen Page and Matt Murdock quickly arrived to identify the body, while Page began to weep and Nelson had confirmed that it was indeed Cardenas.
Murdock questioned how Cardenas had died, as Mahoney explained what had happened to her, noting that a neighbor had seen a junkie escape with Cardenas' purse, before explaining to Page that despite the ambulance arriving quickly, she died of her stab wounds. Noting how he had already asked his mother about this, Mahoney had then asked if they knew of any of Cardenas' family who were still alive, to which they explained she did not have any and promised to take care of all the funeral arrangements. Both Nelson and Page cried over the death of their close friend, while Murdock had remained silent.[6]
"Hey, you're the guy, the one that killed Blake and shot those cops!" "I did not kill Detective Blake, or shoot those cops. Blake and Hoffman were dirty, working for Wilson Fisk, along with a lot of others from your precinct. I'm not the bad guy."
Mahoney was one for the first officers of the New York City Police Department who arrived on his own at the scene of a massive fire which had suddenly broken out inside a Warehouse, which was discovered to actually be the front for an illegal drug den that was being run by Madame Gao, where all the Steel Serpent was being made. As he explored the facility, Mahoney had then encountered the Man in the Mask, as he was attempting to quietly leave the scene.
Mahoney raised his gun and attempted to arrest the man, noting that it was believed he was responsible for murdering Christian Blake and causing the Bombing of Hell's Kitchen. Before Mahoney could arrest the man, however, he was quickly disarmed and knocked to the floor where the man told him that Blake and Carl Hoffman were dirty cops and were both working for Wilson Fisk. Having been pinned down to the ground, Mahoney was unable to do anything as the man claimed he was not the bad guy, before escaping and leaving Mahoney to be the found by other police officers as they pulled up at the scene.[7]
"The way things are going around here, I'm thinking about taking an early pension. Move my mom somewhere warm." "Be a shame. You're the only cop on the force we know for sure is honest."
Mahoney was approached by Foggy Nelson and Matt Murdock, who had requested any possible information that Mahoney could give to them about the activities that were currently going on within the 15th Precinct Police Station. Although he complained that he should not be talking with lawyers and bemoaned Nelson for buying more cigars for his mother, Mahoney reluctantly agreed to tell them what he knew, explaining how he had gone to Madame Gao's warehouse when it had burned down.
Mahoney explained that he had encountered the Masked Man at the warehouse fire and had begun to rethink the situation following this encounter. When Murdock had noted that the Masked Man had been working with Ben Urich, Mahoney had expressed his own surprise at them knowing this, before Nelson then admitted that they were also working with Urich before his demise. Murdock questioned how the investigation was going, although Mahoney just refused to tell them, before they noted that Urich had been looking into Wilson Fisk, with Mahoney noting that the Masked Man had also mentioned Fisk.
As Mahoney noting that the Masked Man had told him that Fisk had corrupted other officers with the 15th Precinct Police Station, Nelson had noted that Urich had uncovered some of Fisk's secrets from his mother and they suspected that Fisk murdered Urich as a result, with Mahoney admitting that he could not prove otherwise, since Urich's entire Apartment had been wiped clean, as Nelson noted that Fisk's mother had also recently disappeared and there was no record of her ever being at the Retirement Home where Urich had spoken with her, meaning they could not get her on the record with her statements.
Mahoney expresses his desire to retire early
The group were then interrupted as Corbin walked past with another officer, as he told Mahoney there were people looking for him. Telling Corbin that he would be back inside soon, Mahoney told Nelson and Murdock how he had planned to retire early and moving somewhere outside of New York City where they would be warmer, so his mother would be safe, with Murdock noting Mahoney was the only cop they could trust, only for Mahoney to make his comparison with Serpico, noting that honest cops like him were often the ones who would get shot in the face, before walking back inside of the police station.[8]
"Turn yourself in to Brett Mahoney, you can trust him and he has a couple of lawyers that can't be bought. They can help you." "Yeah. Thanks for the tip." "I'll be following you to make sure you get to the precinct alive."
While he was working the reception desk within the 15th Precinct Police Station, Mahoney was shocked to see Carl Hoffman, who arrived covered in blood and had appeared to currently be in a state of shock following an attempt on his life. With Hoffman having been missing, ever since he had been linked to the death of Christian Blake, Mahoney simply remained completely stunned as Hoffman told him that he wished to make an official statement, finally confessing to all of his crimes.
Putting him into their protective custody, Mahoney recruited Nelson and Murdock to become Hoffman's lawyers while Hoffman then made his official statement. With Mahoney in their room along with FBI agents, as well as Matt Murdock and Foggy Nelson, Hoffman confessed that he had become secretly recruited for several years by Wilson Fisk to ensure that the police never could discover all of his criminal activity, then explained that he had gone into hiding following Blake's death and he was rescued by the Man in the Mask and convinced to expose all of Fisk's crimes.
Through Hoffman's confession, the FBI were then able to arrest several of Fisk's closest allies in the criminal underworld, including Turk Barrett, Parish Landman, and even Randolph Cherryh and anybody else who had been connected to Fisk's criminal empire. When several corrupt police officers were pulled from the station and arrested, which had included Corbin, who screamed and cursed as he was getting taken away, while Mahoney watched on as they were being arrested with a smile, knowing the NYPD had just become less corrupt without Fisk's influence.[8]
Despite being taken into custody by the FBI, and driven towards jail under armed guards, Wilson Fisk soon escaped with the aid from his soldiers and went onto the run in New York City. While assisting with the manhunt across all the city, Mahoney eventually discovered Fisk lying unconscious on the ground in the wake of a fight with Daredevil, now wearing a red suit, standing over him. Although Mahoney had initially held up his gun, he soon acknowledged Daredevil was not actually the bad guy.
Mahoney informed the New York City Police Department that he had located Fisk and was bringing him into custody. While he handcuffed Fisk, Mahoney spoke with Daredevil and questioned what he should be called in their police reports from now on, with his brand-new red costume, before allowing Daredevil to go free. While Fisk was taken into Ryker's Island to begin his sentence for his many crimes against New York, including the Bombing of Hell's Kitchen, Mahoney told his story to their press, who had then used the name of Daredevil for the first time in the New York Bulletin's story all about Fisk's arrest.[8]
While Mahoney was working at the 15th Precinct Police Station, he learned that Jessica Jones had just arrived inside the police station, while carrying the severed head of her neighbor, as she insisted she had murdered him by ripping his head off with her bare hands. While Jones was still being questioned by Oscar Clemons, Mahoney and every other officer inside of their station had fallen victim to Kilgrave's mind control, as Kilgrave arrived to attempt to save Jones before she could be sent to prison. Mahoney was then sent to inform Jones that she was free to go, despite her and Clemons' objections.
Once inside the main office, Jones and Clemons had discovered that everyone in the station had frozen in their place, with all their officers now aiming guns at each other or themselves. While Clemons tried to make them some, Mahoney himself had then drawn his own gun and aimed it at Clemons' head, ordering him to freeze, while Kilgrave had revealed himself to Jones. Mahoney then continued to be a slave to Kilgrave's demands and remained frozen in place, with his gun aimed at Clemons' head, while Kilgrave spoke to Jones and had attempted to declare his true love for her, much to the utter disgust of Jones.
As Kilgrave's attempts at seducing Jones went unrequited, Mahoney had continued to obey Kilgrave's every instruction, laughing whenever Kilgrave demanded it. Once Kilgrave said his peace and had all their security camera erased, he ordered Mahoney and everybody else to find the entire situation hilarious before forgetting everything they had witnessed, which they obeyed without any question.[9] In the wake of the incident, Mahoney and all of their officers could not explain it, as Clemons convinced them that it had been a confusing prank and had covered it up to stop them being fired for mental health concerns.[10]
"If you're here to chase ambulances, you might notice there are none." "Any leads on what happened?" "Oh, you wanna know what went down? Read about it in the papers like everybody else."
In the wake of a shootout in which multiple of the key members of the Kitchen Irish was gunned down, Mahoney was called upon to keep the crowds under control, being questioned by members of the public about what had occurred. Mahoney was approached by Foggy Nelson who asked him about what had happened inside of there, although Mahoney just claimed he could not provide answers in regard to an active crime scene and asked Nelson to step aside.
When Nelson noted that Nelson and Murdock had acquired one new client who may have been witness to the massacre, which Mahoney claimed was grounds for the New York City Police Department to go arrest Nelson for withholding a witness from the police investigation, however, he acknowledged they could be helpful for the NYPD with such a witness ready to help them. When Matt Murdock questioned why Nesbitt, who was among the dead, was wearing his Bulletproof Vest on such a hot night, to which Mahoney then told another officer to tell all those inside the Burren Club to keep their voices quiet.
Taking them aside while noting that nothing they discussed must be leaked into the New York Bulletin, Mahoney explained to Nelson and Murdock that Samantha Reyes was trying to find who was acting out these attacks, explaining that they had believed that all of the recent killings were not just gang on gang crimes but a targeted assault by some kind of military-trained professionals. As they discussed who this killer was targeting, Mahoney recommended that they turn over their witness and walk away as New York City was about to explode with even more gang violence as the situation got even worse.[11]
"The whole force is split. Some cops want him off the street, others think he's making our jobs a whole lot easier. But if you ask me, it's only a matter of time before the wrong person gets caught in the crossfire."
When Grotto became targeted by the Punisher, leading to him getting ambushed while recovering inside of Metro-General Hospital, Grotto was then taken to the police station where Nelson and Murdock had interviewed him to gain a better understanding of his situation. Mahoney came in their interrogation room to offer Grotto some prison clothes for him to change out from his hospital gown, informing the group that they were still looking at the footage gained from the hospital attack to try and get some leads on who the Punisher was.
Mahoney explained that Samantha Reyes, the District Attorney, was now currently sending her own people to discuss witness protection options for Grotto in the wake of their attack from the Punisher, with Mahoney telling them all to take whatever deal was offered to them. Mahoney quoted Oscar Clemons about dealing with their witnesses before Foggy Nelson demanded to know more about who they were dealing with and who the attacker was now being paid by, Mahoney would only tell him that the shooter was clearly independent and not working with any other criminal organization during these attacks.
Claiming that the shooter was clearly the vigilante type but claimed it was not like Daredevil since he also noted that when Daredevil saved somebody from being mugged, then all of New York City celebrated, while now people only got hurt. When asked about his own personal viewpoint about the Punisher's actions, Mahoney noted that the New York City Police Department were split over their views as some were celebrating him while some others wanted him off their streets. When Nelson and Karen Page noted people may copy Daredevil, Mahoney noted the Punisher was just the latest and the most dangerous.[2]
Advising Daredevil[]
Mahoney investigating the possible intruder
"Hey, stay out of it. You hear me?" "I just wanna help, Sergeant." "No, you can't help. You're the problem! Because of you, the uniform means dick. Cops are no longer preventing crime, we're just chasing it. Mopping up the mess that you people leave."
While picking up pieces from the Burren Club, Mahoney told another officer that they were almost done with the pickup from the Kitchen Irish Massacre as he took off his gloves and prepared to finish the investigation for the night. However, once he was alone, Mahoney overheard a crash in one of the rooms of the club. Suspicious of what it may be, Mahoney drew his gun as he began making his way towards the source of the noise somewhere within the next room.
Mahoney entered a backroom to find Daredevil was already in there waiting to find him, saying that he needed to know exactly what had happened to the Kitchen Irish there. Mahoney at first refused, noting that although Daredevil had helped capture Wilson Fisk that did not make them allies, however, he soon admitted that the Irish had put a hit onto the Punisher and people across New York City were getting hurt as a result. As Daredevil prepared to leave, Mahoney told him to keep out of the investigation, noting that his actions had started this entire mess, although Daredevil had then simply ignored Mahoney.
However, Mahoney was later called to Saint Michael's Cemetery and there he held Daredevil at gunpoint before realizing that he was with the Punisher. Attempting to put Daredevil in handcuffs, Daredevil had then told Mahoney to take Castle into custody himself for his killings including the attack on Grotto and the Kitchen Irish and then take all of the credit from him in order to finally give the New York City Police Department their credibility which they desperately needed. Despite believing that Daredevil needed to face justice, Mahoney let him walk and took credit for bringing the Punisher into custody, while Mahoney claimed that whatever Daredevil was, he was not the Punisher.[12]
Detective Promotion[]
Mahoney is complimented on his promotion
"Look, none of this is my problem. But all I know is, you go up against this DA and lose, the only funeral to attend will be your firm's. You're talkin' career suicide." "If we walk away, we're letting him die."
In the wake of the Punisher's arrest, Mahoney was then promoted to Detective and stayed by the Punisher's side while he was treated at Metro-General Hospital. During this time Nelson and Murdock arrived at the hospital where Mahoney had greeted them. Once they had all discussed Mahoney's promotion from Sergeant to Detective Sergeant, they then noted that their firm wanted to represent Castle, despite him already being represented by Christopher Roth. Although Mahoney had noted that most of the other law firms wanted nothing to do with Castle and his case, they still expressed their interest.
Mahoney then took the group aside and noted that if they decided to go against Samantha Reyes and lost, then it would be career suicide, but Matt Murdock had noted that if they did not try then Castle would undoubtedly be sent to the electric chair which they felt was unjust. Agreeing to allow them to speak with Castle, Mahoney had his men search Murdock, Foggy Nelson and Karen Page regardless and gave them strict instructions about how to address Castle while they were alone in the room with him, joking that if they did not do as instructed then he would finally be able to arrest Nelson as a result of this.
While Nelson and Murdock were speaking with Castle, Reyes arrived at Metro-General and demanded they be removed, which Mahoney had no choice but to obey. While Reyes was speaking with Murdock about if they had violated their legal rights considering their work with Grotto, who Castle had reportedly killed during his multiple attacks against the Kitchen Irish, Mahoney reappeared and informed them that Castle had now decided to allow Nelson and Murdock to be his lawyers from now onward, much to Reyes' great annoyance, although she was still forced to accept the situation regardless.[13]
Having been called into the Farm, Mahoney had soon discovered, to his utter horror, a group of young children held in cages and almost completely drained of their blood, with Stan Gibson cradling his own son Daniel Gibson, and begging Mahoney for help. Sending Detective Sergeant Thompson to look after all of the children, Mahoney continued looking around the Farm, until he discovered several pipes leading into boxes filled with the blood of the children, which caused Mahoney to gag in utter horror at their latest gruesome discovery.
Stepping outside and organizing help for the children, Mahoney was found by Daredevil who had been the one who had found all of these victims. Daredevil told Mahoney that their priority had to be finding all those responsible, claiming he had seen nobody down there but also noting they should start by investigating the Yakuza who he believed were involved. Daredevil had then told Mahoney to get all the victims somewhere safe, recommending Metro-General Hospital since there was someone there who Mahoney could trust, with Mahoney joking about Daredevil, while also telling him how to do his job for him.
Taking Daredevil for his word, Mahoney and Thompson arranged for all of the victims they had discovered to be taken to Metro-General to be quietly treated for their suffering. Just arriving into Metro-General, Mahoney personally thanked Claire Temple for her work with looking after all their victims of the blood draining as they found solutions for keeping everyone brought there alive. While both Temple and Louisa Delgado were working on keeping all their victims temperature under control, Mahoney noted for Temple that he knew that they both had some kind of a relationship with the Daredevil and asked they keep it quiet, while Temple had simply denied any knowledge of knowing the Daredevil, which Mahoney accepted, with no further questions.[14]
"Besides making sure Castle's face is plastered across every TV channel and newspaper? The DA and the medical examiner are dead, the same asshole takes a shot at you, and so far, nobody in this entire city's seen a damn thing. I'm sorry. That wasn't very professional." "Mmm. Like you said, it's been a long night."
Mahoney brought Karen Page to 15th Precinct Police Station in order to take a statement from her about the shooting that had occurred at her apartment, with Mahoney questioning if she had encountered the Punisher at any time during that shooting. Page insisted that she had not seen anything, claiming to have hidden just as soon as the shooter had attacked, so Mahoney had sent Officer Powell outside to end the investigation so he could send Page back to her home.
When Page then asked how Mahoney was doing during their current situation, he had vowed to finally bring Frank Castle to justice, noting how Samantha Reyes and Gregory Tepper had both been killed by a shooter during this investigation. Mahoney apologized for not being professional by complaining about these aspects of his investigation before telling Page that she would be taken to a safe-house by some other NYPD officers in order to ensure she was being protected from a future attack, reminding Page before she left to call if she had just remembered anything at all about the shooting at her apartment.
Mahoney was called by Page who informed him she spent some time with Castle where he had killed Chaney and Speed, and he had now intended to do something at the pier docks, so Mahoney arrived to find a series of corpses of some of the Blacksmith's men and one of those ships on fire in the wake of the Destruction of the Blacksmith's Ship. Looking all around, Mahoney had acknowledged this would be the largest siege of heroin their police department had taken in years, while Page looked at the wreckage of the ships, believing Caste was dead and his corpse was somewhere still on board the ship.[15]
By the next morning the police department was still clearing out all of the wreckage from the recent shootout and the explosions left by the Punisher, so Mahoney had then approached Page, who was currently watching Gosnell's dead body getting wrapped up and taken away by some officers. Mahoney told Page she could go home, noting that their guards she had been given had been demoted for doing a poor job. They then discussed if Castle could have survived the explosion, which Mahoney denied, telling Thompson to take her back home and promising Page these nightmares she had been living were over.[16]
"It might surprise you to know that we do keep track of two things real well. Records of people you put away and incident reports. Records on everyone else." "Everyone else?" "That's what they were after."
Mahoney was assaulted by the Hand, whose members beat him up and broke his arm while they demanded all the files about Daredevil's activities, including who he had rescued and was therefore close to, which included Karen Page, Jerry and Turk Barrett among many others. Seeking some legal counselor, Mahoney contacted Foggy Nelson, hoping he could learn what the Hand had wanted with information about Daredevil, which Nelson promised to assist him with.
While working in his office that evening, Mahoney heard a noise and soon found Daredevil waiting for him. They then discussed what had happened, with Mahoney explaining that the Hand had threatened his own mother. Mahoney admitted that due to the threats made by Nobu Yoshioka who was clearly in charge of the thugs, he had been forced to hand over all of the incident reports taken by the New York City Police Department of people Daredevil had saved and those he had put in prison. With all that information, Daredevil quickly turned around and left to confront all of those who were responsible.
Arriving at a warehouse, Mahoney had found the police in a standoff against the Hand, who had taken hostages inside. Having been told there were archers on the roof, Mahoney told his people to hold their fire, even when the door burst open. Mahoney witnessed all of those hostages running for safety, including Page who ran to Mahoney for aid. While Foggy Nelson had then arrived, Page told Mahoney that the Hand wanted Daredevil and Elektra, so Mahoney had the roof lit up to help Daredevil in his fight against Yoshioka, which he won with the aid of the Punisher who shot some of the attacking ninjas.[17]
"Hold your fire! Stand down. Everybody, stand down. Let her go, Castle. There's no way out of this. Got the building surrounded. God damn it! I need a man on every floor! Move! Move! Move!"
Mahoney was called into the scene of the seeming terrorist attack, in which Stan Ori was almost murdered while multiple bombs had been set off amid a shootout with the terrorists. Mahoney and members of the New York City Police Department had arrived on the scene where multiple Anvil agents had been killed while their bomber, Lewis Wilson had taken Karen Page as his hostage, as he used his own explosive vest which had seemingly been detonated inside the hotel kitchen, killing Wilson.
While Mahoney and his armed unit stood outside the kitchen to block the exit, Page's voice called out for them to not fire as she stepped out with Frank Castle hiding behind her, holding his handgun under her chin. Mahoney ordered his men not to fire as he demanded that Castle let Page go and surrender himself, however, Castle ignored what was being said and moved towards the elevator. With his men unable to stop him, Castle pulled Page inside the elevator and then got away, before seemingly vanishing from the building as Page was allowed to go free, much to Mahoney's considerable frustration.[18]
"When is the last time you talked with Frank Castle?" "The last time? Couple years now. Up until yesterday, I thought he was dead." "This looks like the work of a dead man to you?"
Following the incident, Mahoney returned onto the crime scene and interrogated Billy Russo, first asking him directly about Lewis Wilson, who Russo had offered a job at Anvil to, although Russo insisted that he had refused to give Wilson a job in contract work, fearing he was not mentally stable enough, noting it was done as a favor for his friend. Mahoney also noted that Wilson was able to breach Russo's security, explaining that Isaac Lange's body had been found, leading them to believe Wilson had taken his gear to get past Anvil.
Insulted by these accusations, Russo noted that Stan Ori was alive and Anvil had lost four agents, questioning if Mahoney was suggesting negligence on their part. Mahoney and Russo then debated over the role of an organization like Anvil, with Russo mockingly claiming that the New York City Police Department were often blameless and had rarely got anything wrong. Russo asked Mahoney if he ever served in the United States Army, as Mahoney claimed that he served through the police department, as Russo noted that all his men expected to lose their people and had spotted the surprise attack against them.
Mahoney noted there was a large coincidence with Russo knowing Wilson while also having served with Frank Castle for several years, leading to Russo getting to his feet and insisted that either Mahoney arrest him for something or just allow him to leave. As he prepared to walk away, Russo insisted that Mahoney speak with Ori about what happened before Mahoney questioned when was the last time Russo had spoken with Castle, since Russo insisted he had believed Castle was dead until a few hours ago, with Mahoney pointing to the crime scene and then asking if it looked like the work of a dead man.[18]
"Come on. Help me see it. You want me to see this big picture here, then paint it for me." "I don't think you believe Castle's a terrorist any more than I do. Question is, Detective Mahoney, is anyone willing to give him the chance to prove that before they shoot him down?"
Mahoney brought Dinah Madani inside of the room next, with Madani noting that she believed that if Frank Castle had entered in that room with the intention of killing Stan Ori, then he would most certainly have succeeded. While Madani claimed that solving this was the reason she was in there, Mahoney asked why she was on leave from Homeland Security, to which Madani explained that somebody had killed her partner Sam Stein, so Mahoney apologized for asking.
Once Mahoney had expressed his sympathies about Stein's death, he asked why Madani had come to the scene of the terrorist attack on her first day back. Madani questioned what Mahoney thought had happened, to which he claimed the evidence suggested that Castle and Lewis Wilson had come in together to kill Ori, as Madani noted his previous experience in dealing with the Punisher should show the issue in this concept. Madani explained to Mahoney that she came to speak with Billy Russo in regard to his Anvil agents being involved in the attack that had killed Stein, suspecting his involvement.
Mahoney demanding answers from Madani
Madani explained how she had almost captured Castle before Russo had intervened, leading to a standoff between her and Russo until the New York City Police Department arrived and arrested them, and allowed Castle to escape. Mahoney questioned her over this, noting that Castle had killed Russo's people, to which Madani argued that there was no actual evidence that this was the case, believing that Castle had not actually killed anyone that day. Mahoney insisted that Madani help him see her view, as she claimed that Mahoney did not believe Castle was a terrorist, asking to give him one chance.[18]
"It's funny how you and Castle keep bumping up together. Okay. All right, in your opinion, why was he even here?" "I think he was looking out for me. Frank Castle's not a terrorist."
Mahoney brought Stan Ori back into the crime scene, noting that being in the room could often help the witnesses figure out the details of the crime easier. Mahoney watched as the clearly shaken Ori noted how the Anvil agents had died while protecting him, claiming he had never even held a gun before that day. Ori then questioned if Mahoney had ever been shot at, which he confirmed he had been, as Ori noted it had happened incredibly fast and it was replaying in slow motion.
Mahoney asks Ori about what happened
Ori gave his version of events in which he claimed that Lewis Wilson had blown open the door before he had Frank Castle then came in together and tried to kill him, with Ori telling Mahoney that he had taken a gun and fired back at Wilson and Castle before running to get help as the pair captured Karen Page during all of the ensuing chaos. However, when Mahoney interviewed Page next, she laughed at this claim, telling him that Ori was lying. Mahoney invited Page to tell her side, while she had noted her wish to return to the New York Bulletin to write up her story about what had happened there.
While Mahoney noted that all the evidence suggested that Wilson and Castle had attacked the room at the same time, Page insisted that Mahoney should know from his previous work on the Punisher's case that Castle would never have been involved with the Bombings of New York City. Mahoney asked what Page's opinion on Castle being there was, with Page claiming that he had been looking out for her, insisting again that Castle was not a terrorist, despite Mahoney noting that even the Bulletin believed that he was. Page insisted that if it was not for the actions of Castle then Ori would be dead.
Despite Mahoney still noting that Castle was crazy which made his actions unpredictable, Page simply told her version of events as she claimed that Castle had saved her life by jumping in front of Wilson's bullet, being saved by his Bulletproof Vest, before Ori had pushed her into Wilson's arms, forcing Castle to risk his life to save her, resulting in Wilson killing himself while Castle got Page to safety. Mahoney noted that Page should be arrested for helping Castle to escape, but acknowledged she was likely telling the truth. When Mahoney asked where Castle was now, Page confessed that she had no idea.[18]
"Hey, people, look, Nelson's all right. He helped the city put Fisk behind bars. Give him a minute. One minute." "Officers, I don't mean to disappoint. But I'm not here to talk only about Wilson Fisk. With his name on everyone's lips, he's getting far more publicity than any cop killer deserves."
While he attended the private function for the New York City Police Department, Mahoney was met by Foggy Nelson, as Mahoney had questioned what Nelson was doing at their union-only event, to which Nelson just jokingly noted how they had always skipped being polite whenever they were reunited. As Mahoney had threatened to have Nelson removed, Nelson explained he was there because of something extremely important and needed a favor from Mahoney.
Getting to the point, Nelson noted how Wilson Fisk had just recently made a deal with the FBI to be housed in the Presidential Hotel for the rest of his sentence, noting how this was an insult to these police officers who got him arrested. Nelson requested the chance to say a few words to the officers and then asked Mahoney to introduce him, although Mahoney noted that it had been a bad week for the officers and hearing Nelson speak could make that even worse. Ending their conversation, Mahoney ordered Nelson to leave either on his own or in handcuffs, which Nelson seemingly accepted as he went to go.
However, much to Mahoney's horror, Nelson chose not to leave the party and instead got onto the stage to give his speech regardless, although he immediately found the trouble as officers had convicts freed by Nelson in a courtroom. Seeing Nelson struggling, Mahoney then stepped up and told their officers to give Nelson his minute to speak, noting how Nelson and Murdock had helped send Fisk into Ryker's Island. Mahoney then listened as Nelson talked about Fisk, claiming that his name deserved to be buried following all his many crimes including the deaths of several of their fellow police officers.
To Mahoney's surprise, Nelson had then gone on to talk about Blake Tower, claiming that Tower was doing nothing to stop the treatment that Fisk was getting from the FBI. Nelson announced to their room that he was running against Tower for their District Attorney in order to send Fisk back to prison, which Mahoney had also approved of as Nelson requested the endorsement from the officers in the room and their union. Mahoney had then watched as several of those officers who had mocked Nelson, stood up in support of his campaign to run against Tower and send Fisk into prison where he had belonged.[19]
"Karen Page, you are under arrest. Cuff her." "What the hell are you doing? She's ours, Detective." "Like hell." "She's a federal suspect." "She's a suspected accomplice to murder. That's state law."
Mahoney was called to Clinton Church to investigate the aftermath of the attack which was seemingly committed by Daredevil. Arriving at the scene, Mahoney had first introduced himself to Ray Nadeem, who promised that FBI would share whatever evidence they had with Mahoney as soon as possible. Mahoney, however, questioned what happened, noting how witnesses claimed Daredevil had attempted to kill Karen Page, which Mahoney doubted could be true.
As Mahoney also noted that the FBI had been trying to brand Page as the killer's accomplice which did not match up with the witness statements, Nadeem would only tell Mahoney that there was more to the story than Mahoney was aware of. While Mahoney still tried to understand what Nadeem was referring to, Nadeem thanked him for bringing this all to his attention but had insisted that this was still the FBI's crime scene, making it clear that if they needed his help, they would ask for it. With this suspicion in his mind, Mahoney then went into the Church to look at the crime scene aftermath himself.
Once Foggy Nelson arrived at the scene, he revealed that Page was indeed still in the Church as Nelson informed agent Nadeem that he would now be surrendering Page over to the New York City Police Department, as Mahoney led his own team of police officers to arrest Page who had willingly surrendered to them. While Page was being handcuffed, Benjamin Poindexter had then furiously stormed forward and insisted that she was the FBI's to arrest, which Mahoney denied as he claimed that being a suspected accomplice to murder put that case under state law and now would be handled by the police.
While Nelson tried to explain the situation legally, both Nadeem and Mahoney ordered him to be quiet while Mahoney noted how the FBI knew that the police were the only ones who could legally take Page into custody. Enraged, Poindexter refused to allow Mahoney to take Page, although he insisted that Poindexter had no authority to stop him. While the tensions had still continued to rise between the police department and the FBI, Nadeem then noted that they should still be working on the same side to finish their investigation and then asked Mahoney for a quiet word in order to get away from Poindexter.
Stepping away from Poindexter and everybody else watching them, Mahoney insisted that Nadeem needing to get his people to stand down. However, Nadeem instead quietly informed Mahoney that if the FBI took Page, then she would be killed long before she could be taken back to their FBI Headquarters, indicating that several FBI agents were under the influence of Wilson Fisk. Nadeem requested that Mahoney do whatever he could in order to keep Page away from the FBI so she could be safe from danger, which he agreed to do as he left with Page and Nelson, much to Poindexter's anger.[20]
Offering Protection[]
Mahoney taking Page and Nelson to safety
"You guys aren't alone in this, you understand? Fisk put a lot of my brothers and sisters in the ground, and none of us have forgotten that. If you can find a way to bring down that son of a bitch, every cop in the city is gonna have your back."
Having gotten Karen Page away from the FBI, Mahoney then drove her as far away from the danger as possible and let her out of the car alongside Foggy Nelson. While Mahoney was freeing her from her handcuffs, she noted how the FBI would go mad when they saw he had let them go, but Mahoney was still not concerned, noting how he was still amazed that Wilson Fisk had successfully managed to take over the FBI, as Page and Nelson noted that there were still good men like Ray Nadeem who were not supporting Fisk fully.
Mahoney complimented Nelson on his attack on Blake Tower, noting how he had shared it on his Facebook page, teasing him over failing to complete the takedown when Nelson had run out of the room, as Page noted that Nelson had gone to help her. As Mahoney then left, telling Nelson and Page that if they took down Fisk, then all the New York City Police Department would fully support them.[20] Mahoney was later called upon by Nelson, Page and Matt Murdock to protect Nadeem with his wife and son who were being targeted by Fisk, as they took them to Bess Mahoney's home in order to hide out.
Mahoney had personally brought Nadeem and Seema Nadeem some fresh towels and bedsheets for their stay, seeing that Seema was still highly uncomfortable around her husband for putting them into such mortal danger from Fisk, while Mahoney promised that nobody knew that they were there and so they would be safe. Mahoney then stood guard outside his mother's home, ensuring that nobody sent by Fisk was coming to attack, while Nelson and Murdock had agreed to help Nadeem by convincing him to testify against Fisk in the court of law, and help them to expose all of his continued crimes to the world.
The next day, Mahoney was recruited by Nelson and Murdock to pull over Blake Tower, who became annoyed at the inconvenience as he jokingly threatened to force Mahoney to retire for this. Mahoney then revealed that he had only pulled Tower over so that Nelson could join him in the car for a private talk about Nadeem's testimony. Mahoney recruited a man to transport Nadeem to court to testify, only for Fisk to kill the man on the way there and threaten the jury, forcing them to disregard Nadeem's statement, resulting in Nadeem allowing himself to be murdered by Benjamin Poindexter under Fisk's orders.[21]
"Stick your obligation up your ass, Nelson. If Fisk disappears, all his bullshit goes with him." "And the FBI agents on his payroll fold back into the mix, including the one who shotRay. Don't think of it as protecting Fisk. Think of it as protecting the case we can build against the shitbags who helped him. Once we get them, they'll turn faster than old milk."
Mahoney was called to find Felix Manning hanging off the side of a building with a rope tied around his leg, as they pulled him to safety and took him away to be treated before being arrested. As Manning was being taken away, Mahoney questioned how he ended up in such a position, to which Manning would only claim that he had tripped, to which Mahoney told the paramedics to remove him.
While Mahoney looked around the scene, Foggy Nelson joined him as Mahoney then questioned if he was now an ambulance chaser, to which Nelson claimed this was not Mahoney's best insult. Mahoney then expressed his frustration at them failing to get Wilson Fisk sent back to Ryker's Island, noting how instead of getting Fisk sent away he had been forced to tell Seema Nadeem of Ray Nadeem's death, while he questioned how that happened. Nelson, however, informed Mahoney that some information had come to light and, as an officer of the law, he was now forced to report this news to Mahoney.
Mahoney claimed that somebody was planning on murdering Fisk, although Mahoney had suggested that he would enjoy watching this happen rather than preventing it. The pair argued about what to do, as Nelson noted that if Fisk died, then the FBI agents working with him would get away scot-free, including whoever had killed Nadeem, but if they arrested the agents then they could force them to testify against Fisk. Mahoney reluctantly agreed to do at least some work at protecting Fisk, while Nelson had promised that he would do what he could to stop the would-be killer from trying to take Fisk's life.[22]
Mahoney was later alerted to a video made by Ray Nadeem in which he testified against Wilson Fisk and exposed all of his crimes before his death, with this video leaking online. With the evidence that they needed, Mahoney took a team of NYPD officers and stormed inside of Fisk's suite at the Presidential Hotel, finding Fisk bloody following being brutally beaten by Daredevil who was still watching the situation from the balcony above while Mahoney and his team had arrived at the brutal scene.
Looking around the room, Mahoney informed Fisk that he was now under arrest along with Vanessa Marianna for all their many crimes. While the police officers took control of the situation, they also found another man wearing the Daredevil Suit lying paralyzed on the floor following having his spine crushed during the fight. They removed his helmet to reveal Benjamin Poindexter, as Mahoney simply noted that Poindexter was not the real Daredevil, much to the confusion of the other officers as Mahoney pointed up to the real Daredevil, just as he was making his exit from the scene while Fisk was arrested.
Alongside Fisk and Marianna, Mahoney's team also arrested Tammy Hattley and several other FBI agents who had all been employed by Fisk, leading them outside where the public could watch them being arrested. As Mahoney personally led Fisk to the police car, Fisk then begged for a moment to say goodbye to his new wife before he was taken to Ryker's Island; however, Mahoney refused to allow this as he questioned if Nadeem was given a chance to say goodbye to his wife before being murdered, as Mahoney then put the desperate Fisk into the car to be taken away to prison, ignoring all Fisk's cries.
Following Fisk's arrest, Mahoney went into Clinton Church to attend the funeral of Paul Lantom, who had recently been murdered by Poindexter. Mahoney watched while Matt Murdock gave a speech paying tribute to Lantom's life, noting how he had died in the church while he was standing up against Poindexter and Fisk, commenting on Lantom's own legacy of fighting against that fear. Following the funeral, Mahoney joined Foggy Nelson and Karen Page outside the Cathedral to talk casually all about Lantom's life and his impact over their community before and after Lantom's untimely death.[22]
"The jurisdictions are clear. Russo is NYPD territory. Your agency agreed to that. Right around the time when they handed us their paperwork on a crime scene they trampled all over like they were doing us a favor, throwing us a bone. But here's why I think they did that. Because of your personal connection to Mr. Russo."
When Mahoney had been informed that Billy Russo made managed to subdue his guards and escaped from Sacred Saints Hospital, he went over to personally investigate what had happened. Upon arriving, Mahoney had then discovered that Dinah Madani had already arrived and was currently speaking with Krista Dumont who had been forced into assisting with Russo's escape, while Mahoney noted how he had already attempted to keep Madani from visiting Russo.
Although Madani had tried to argue that she had been doing her job, Mahoney claimed that the investigation into Russo was now being conducted by the New York City Police Department without any help from Homeland Security, while complaining about how Homeland had handed the case over to them following the arrest of Russo. As he continued, Mahoney theorized that Homeland had handed their case over to them due to Madani's previous personal connection to Russo, whom she had previously had a sexual relationship with, as this could become an embarrassment for all those involved.
Having made his point clear to Madani, Mahoney had then turned his attention over to Dumont and introduced himself, noting how he was here to take her statement about how exactly Russo had been able to escape. However, just as she was leaving, Madani turned back to Mahoney and told him how Dumont had viewed Russo as a lost soul, cast adrift in the world, which had clearly annoyed her as she noted that perhaps Dumont and Russo deserved each other. Once Madani had left the room, Mahoney then smiled and invited Dumont to take a seat as he began to take her statement on those events.[23]
"Look, if it were me after what went down, I'd be using every resource at my disposal to kill him." "Tell me, what exactly is it you think went down?" "You tell me. You've been lying to me since Russo and Frank Castle went at it at that hotel."
When it was discovered that Billy Russo's journal had unexpectedly vanished from the Sacred Saints Hospital, Mahoney soon suspected that Dinah Madani was likely the one who had taken it. Wanting to know for himself if she took it, Mahoney had personally met Madani at her apartment, although when she opened the door Madani was clearly trying to get by Mahoney and avoiding a conversation. When Mahoney asked if she took Russo's journal, Madani denied it.
Seemingly changing the subject, Mahoney went on to tell Madani all about his relationship with Aviva and how it had ended quite badly, explaining how he once got extremely drunk after seeing her at a breakfast restaurant he enjoyed and ended up stalking her out at her apartment. Mahoney acknowledged that this had been his terrible decision to make, and told Madani that his point was that he did not want Madani to seek out Russo's doorstep and making it clear that it would make her look like a psycho, as Mahoney had done. However, Madani only seemed to be annoyed by these suggestions.
Madani had then questioned what Mahoney believed had happened between her and Russo, to which Mahoney noted how she had been lying to him ever since Frank Castle and Russo fought each other at the Royal Hospitality while hunting down Lewis Wilson, although she noted how she told Mahoney that Russo was guilty back then. As he looked into the apartment, Mahoney made a comment about there being two breakfast bowls, to which Madani said that he must be the pride of the New York City Police Department, but Mahoney ignored the sarcastic comment before Madani then walked past him.[4]
"If I forgive you for shooting me, will you please tell me what the hell is going on here? I'll have you up for obstruction!" "I'm the Special Agent in Charge for New York. And you, you're an NYPD dick who can't catch his breath. Go ahead. Tell everyone I shot you. Bet the guys at the precinct will love that."
Mahoney soon learned that Billy Russo would likely be going over to see Arthur Walsh, his former abuser to get revenge, as Mahoney had arrived to find Dinah Madani was already there. Once Madani heard Mahoney's footsteps, she spun around and shot at him, with Mahoney's Bulletproof Vest saving his life. As Mahoney got his breath back, Madani cursed at him for not identifying himself before helping him back onto his feet as Mahoney complained about the pain.
While Mahoney told Madani that he could take away her Homeland Security badge for this action, Madani claimed that as he had snuck up on her at a crime scene, the incident was his own fault. Mahoney noted that Madani clearly knew that Russo would have been going there, although she denied that Russo had anything to do with her being there. Taking a moment to look at Walsh's corpse, who had just been brutally stabbed with a wooden stick by Russo, Mahoney requested that if he forgave her for shooting her, would she finally tell him what was going on with Russo and her own investigation. Despite what he said, Madani chose to ignore Mahoney as she then prepared to storm outside.
This caused Mahoney to threaten to arrest for obstruction of justice, making Madani stop briefly. She reminded him that she was the Special Agent in Charge for New York City, while Mahoney was just the detective with the New York City Police Department and so she vastly outranked him. Madani went on to mock Mahoney for being shot and had claimed that even if he tried to have her done for obstruction, he would still not get very far. With that said, Madani told Mahoney to focus on Walsh's murder being she left the scene.[4]
"I was just wondering how Billy Russo managed to shoot you in the head after you'd messed him up so bad he almost choked to death on his own blood." "Well, it's all in my statement." "I don't think you're capable of something like that."
Thinking something was amiss, Mahoney met Carl and Hayley and asked what happened when Billy Russo kidnapped them and tricked them into admitting to the Punisher's involvement. Mahoney then returned to Dinah Madani's apartment with coffee, as Mahoney jokingly noted his happiness that this time Madani had not shot him. As Madani had questioned what he wanted, Mahoney claimed he wanted her help with some things as nobody knew the case better than her.
As Madani tried to dismiss the question, Mahoney questioned who else was present at the clash in Central Park, which clearly surprised Madani. While Madani attempted to plead ignorance and asked what exactly he meant, Mahoney explained how it seemed impossible that Russo had been able to shoot him in the head after Madani had so badly disfigured him during their fight, while claiming that he did not believe that Madani could be capable of something like that as he insisted that while it was not about her strength, but that she did not actually seem cruel enough to inflict so much agony onto Russo.
Mahoney, however, had noted that they both knew Castle could have been capable of something like that. Mahoney then noted that Madani had seemed nervous and suggested that she tell the truth, before explaining how he had spoken with Carl and Hayley who had told him how they were saved by a man wearing a Skull Vest. Since Madani still pointed only to her statement, Mahoney expressed his sadness that Madani still did not trust him with the truth, noting that while he was a pain in the ass, he was still an honest cop, suggesting that she once was too before getting involved with Castle.[24]
"I don't know why you're so overprotective of this guy." "If we can't find the best in others, how can we hope to find it in ourselves?" "And people say I'm idealistic."
Once he managed to get his subpoena, Mahoney went to visit Krista Dumont in her Apartment and gave it to her, while explaining that the subpoena gave him and his officers the permission to take any other documents which had related to Billy Russo, including all other medical records or personal details Dumont had documented. Asking if Mahoney had always wanted to join the New York City Police Department, she told him how she had once seen an astrologer, to which Mahoney then commented that it was not very scientific.
Dumont, however, explained how this astrologer had told her how the natal charts of criminals and the police were almost identical, noting how these two groups both needed to have a sense of control over actions, consequences, their lives and the lives of others. Mahoney then simply joked that if people could control themselves then they would be out of a job. While giving her a receipt for the paperwork, Mahoney questioned why she was so overprotective over Russo, to which Dumont claimed that she still had faith in his redemption, as Mahoney noted that this seemed optimistic before leaving.[24]
When a situation went in New York City, Mahoney was given a heads up by Dinah Madani to go and investigate. Upon arriving, Mahoney discovered that Billy Russo, now known as Jigsaw, was involved with his shootout in their middle of the streets, as he furiously began firing at Mahoney and the other officers. Getting out of the car during all of the chaos, Mahoney took cover and began firing back at Jigsaw until he was saved by the rest of Jigsaw's Crew and managed to make his escape, while still shooting at Mahoney and the others.
However, during the chaos Mahoney had noticed the Punisher was attempting to make his own escape, having also been the one who Jigsaw was shooting at. With Jigsaw now gone, Mahoney took his opportunity to capture the dangerous vigilante as he charged after the Punisher who was desperately pushing his way through crowds of people to get away. Despite briefly losing sight of him, Mahoney had eventually caught up with the Punisher and cornered him in an alleyway, as Mahoney held the Punisher at gunpoint and ordered him to lay down his weapon and finally surrender himself over to him.
Mahoney demanded that the Punisher kick the gun away from him and get down on his knees, ensuring that he had continued to aim his weapon at the Punisher throughout this standoff. As the Punisher appeared to obey his orders, Mahoney commented that it had been a while since their last encounter, following the Punisher's arrest in the wake of being tortured by Finn Cooley. However, before Mahoney could place the Punisher back in handcuffs and put him into custody, a shot was fired inches from his head, as Mahoney turned around to find Curtis Hoyle was currently aiming a rifle directly at his head.
Since he was currently unable to defend himself, Mahoney was then forced to obey Hoyle's polite order to drop his gun, as the Punisher got back to his feet and faced Mahoney head-on. As the Punisher insisted that he had been targeting the wrong person, Mahoney had simply noted that New York did not need to endure any more of the Punisher's brand of justice. The Punisher questioned if Mahoney had planned on following him and, when Mahoney insisted that he would, he responded by striking Mahoney with the butt of his gun. Mahoney then came to just in time to see the Punisher and Hoyle escape.
Following the shootout, Mahoney was called to a warehouse where they had discovered more corpses, including Anton Reed who had been a hostage during the recent robbery and had seemingly been executed by Jigsaw. While he continued looking at the crime scene, Mahoney made a comment about Bobby, who had also been killed, noting that considering how cold-hearted Jigsaw was, then Bobby could have been a member of Jigsaw's Crew or just a passer-by who Jigsaw had chosen to kill. Mahoney had then ordered his team to go bring him more information about the crime scene and Reed.[25]
"Mostly, you have hidden stuff, lied and shot me, so give me some respect? I know he was at that carousel. Russo escapes, Castle is back, you three, 'round and 'round you go." "Let's just say I used to be just like you. You know, I thought all we had to do was follow the rules, tell the truth, and justice would be served. I learned different."
Frustrated by everything that had gone down, Mahoney decided to go visit Dinah Madani at her Apartment to find out more about what she was hiding from him, questioning if she had seen the news reports about their Robbery of the ReadyQuick Check Cashing, which Madani confirmed she had and noted how she had also heard that some hostages had been killed as well, to which Mahoney noted that it had been discovered that Anton Reed and Bobby had actually both been in on the robbery before they were killed.
Mahoney explaining what happened to him
Noting how these two men had been killed by Billy Russo who had been attempting to cover his tracks following the robbery, Mahoney noted how he had expected Madani to throw her weight around with him back at Homeland Security; however, the fact that he was there had seemingly meant that Madani did not actually want Mahoney to go on the record about Russo and Frank Castle. Madani then noted that Mahoney also had not called her into the police station, and so theorized it was because he did not actually want to officially target her as well, to which Mahoney claimed that he did not, yet.
Mahoney then told Madani that he simply had two questions for her, and asked why she had told him about the robbery going down and did she know about the Punisher being back in New York City. Taking a moment, Madani informed Mahoney that Castle was the one who had first informed her that the robbery was going down, and when Madani noted that Castle did not listen to her advice to stay away, Mahoney noted his lack of surprise that Castle did not listen as he complained about how Castle had hit him on the head and stole his gun, while Madani noted how he also did the same thing to her.
As Mahoney noted that he should be glad that Castle did not kill him, Madani noted that Castle would never shoot a New York City Police Department officer, saying that this was against his code, which Mahoney simply scoffed at. Becoming annoyed, Mahoney noted how Castle was a murderer and despite everything that had happened to him he should be in jail, noting that Madani could be arrested simply for talking to Castle. However, Madani made it clear that if Mahoney continued to dig into what Castle had really been involved with, then he would likely be demoted, which greatly frustrated Mahoney.
Mahoney then made it clear that he and Madani were not friends or even colleagues out to support one another, commenting on how Madani had hidden information, lied and even shot him. Mahoney went on to comment on how he knew Castle had been involved with the duel at the Central Park Carousel, and that now that Russo was free again, Castle had returned to kill him. Madani commented that she used to share Mahoney's idealism but had seen the way justice really worked, while commenting that in the real world, perhaps the Punisher's brutal and fatal methods were the only true justice.
Scoffing at this suggestion, Mahoney made it clear he did not care about whatever potentially criminal actions that Madani had gotten involved with before he asked about Curtis Hoyle, only for Madani to deny that she knew anything about him. Getting back to the point, Mahoney told Madani that he still intended to bring both Castle and Russo to justice for their crimes, suggesting that Madani could help him find them, although Madani claimed that she did not know where either of them currently were, although Mahoney was unconvinced and threatened to have her arrested if she did not comply.[25]
"It looks like they knew he was coming and they didn't kill him. We found rock salt, rubber bullets. Castle is beat half to death." "Russo wanted Castle to suffer." "I don't give a damn what any of them wanted. I've got three dead women who had nothing to with any of this shit."
Mahoney was alerted to the Punisher's location once he had been discovered following a massive shootout against Jigsaw's Crew at their Valhalla hideout where the Punisher had surrendered himself having been discovered with the corpses of three innocent women who he had shot in the crossfire.[26] Mahoney personally oversaw the Punisher's arrest, going with him in the ambulance as the Punisher was taken to the hospital due to life-threatening wounds which he had sustained during the shootout, with the Punisher still having to be held down during their drive.
Once they arrived into Sacred Saints Hospital, Mahoney oversaw the treatment of the Punisher, as his Skull Vest was removed while their doctors got to work on all his injuries. When Doctor Mason had then requested that they remove the Punisher's handcuffs to aid with their treatment, Mahoney had refused and demanded that the handcuffs remain on to ensure that he could not escape, as Mahoney had still believed that the Punisher had slaughtered all of the people they had found back at Valhalla, including those three innocent women, simply because he was a crazed murderer looking to cause destruction.
Returning to the scene of the violent shootout, Mahoney personally greeted Dinah Madani once she had arrived, noting that he wanted to see the result of having the Punisher on their streets, claiming that Madani's deceptions had led to this violence. Explaining the situation to her, Mahoney showed the masks which many of the victims had been wearing, with Madani noting that Billy Russo had also worn a similar mask during all his treatment. Although they agreed that the Punisher had gone there looking for Russo, Mahoney noted that the crew seemed to know he was coming and still did not kill him.
Mahoney showing Madani their crime scene
Mahoney explained how they had found rock salt and rubber bullets which had been used by Jigsaw's Crew, to which Madani noted that Jigsaw had instead wanted the Punisher to suffer as he had done at their Duel at Central Park. However, Mahoney claimed that he did not care about what either of them wanted, noting how they had found three dead women who seemingly had been innocent to the entire situation. Bringing Madani upstairs, Mahoney showed her where the three dead women had been found, claiming that the Punisher had charged through the room and simply brutally shot them dead.
Despite this evidence that Jigsaw had used those women as human shields and the Punisher shot through them, Madani had remained skeptical and claimed that this was not how he would ever act in this situation. Madani had asked what the Punisher was saying, although Mahoney confirmed that he was still not speaking and asked how Madani was feeling. Madani requested to speak to Castle, believing she could learn where Russo was, noting Homeland Security would give Russo to the New York City Police Department as soon as they found and arrested him, which Mahoney reluctantly agreed to.[27]
While Mahoney had remained stationed at Sacred Saints Hospital to ensure that Frank Castle remained under constant guard, he became alerted as all of their fire alarms were suddenly set off throughout the hospital, leading to an evacuation. Immediately suspicious, Mahoney got on the radios to those New York City Police Department officers and questioned exactly what was going on, with Smith then confirming that he could see Castle being taken out of his room by his team of doctors.
However, as soon as Mahoney caught up with Smith and Castle, he then discovered to his horror that O'Rourke was in Castle's place in his hospital bed and they had no idea where the actual Castle had escaped to. Not noticing Amy Bendix walking beside him, Mahoney continued to question Smith about how this could have happened as he got on his radio and explained Castle's escape, demanding their shutdown of the entire building in order to ensure that nobody was able to leave without being checked, believing that Castle would now likely be wearing O'Rourke's police uniform in order to get away.
Determined to ensure that Castle was not able to escape from their custody, Mahoney made his way through the hospital searching for him. Mahoney encountered Karen Page, who he stopped as he saw Page was not wearing shoes. Immediately suspicious due to Page's close relationship with Castle through Nelson and Murdock and her rescue from Lewis Wilson, Mahoney challenged her about what had happened to her shoes, to which Page claimed that she had given them away to a worthy cause, which Mahoney knew meant that she had assisted with Castle's escape and continued his search.
Charging outside, Mahoney managed to locate Castle just as he was making his escape with the help of Dinah Madani, as Mahoney drew his weapon and demanded that they disarm and surrender. Mahoney then put his handcuff onto Castle, ignoring Madani who demanded that he listen to them about what the situation really was as Mahoney put Castle into the back of a nearby ambulance and had secured the other end of the handcuff to the railing of the vehicle, promising that he would get Madani fired from Homeland Security as a result of her assisting with the Punisher's escape before then driving away.[27]
Charging through the New York City highway back towards the 15th Precinct Police Station, Mahoney got on the radio and informed his fellow officers of their situation, telling them to be prepared to bring Castle into custody upon their arrival, although all his fellow officers seemed to be interested in was why he was inside an ambulance. As they were driving, Mahoney complained to Castle about how stealing an ambulance was not the way he usually conducted police work, to which Castle mockingly reassured him that he was doing great, with Mahoney questioning why Castle was so calm in their situation.
Mahoney expresses his great frustrations
While they continued making their way down the road, Mahoney still continued to complain about how he was just a simple man trying to do the right thing, noting that he did not care about whatever deals Castle made with Madani and Homeland Security during his quest to kill Billy Russo. He was then interrupted by a phone call from Madani who had begged Mahoney to stop the ambulance and reconsider the situation, furiously noting that Madani could explain her reasons for aiding Castle when Mahoney arrested her. Hanging up, Mahoney had noticed a police car was now coming alongside their ambulance.
Although Mahoney was initially relieved to be seeing another officer alongside them, his relief soon turned to panic when the driver was revealed to be John Pilgrim who then immediately began shooting at them in an attempt to kill Castle. While Mahoney attempted to ram Pilgrim off the road, Castle called out for the keys to his handcuffs in order to get on the ground to avoid the bullets, which Mahoney still refused to give him. Mahoney drove as fast as he could down the road, all the while with Pilgrim shooting at them both while crashing his car into their side, attempting to drive them off the road.
Mahoney and Castle are pushed off a bridge
Despite everything Mahoney did to try and break away from Pilgrim, once they came to a bridge, Pilgrim was able to take advantage and simply rammed them off the side. Before Mahoney could adjust, their ambulance smashed through the side off the bridge and fell several floors to the ground below, which completely crushed the front of the vehicle and seriously injuring both Mahoney and Castle. While they began to recover from the crash, they were saved from Pilgrim by the sudden arrival of Madani, who eventually managed to force Pilgrim to escape the scene when she had crashed her own car into him.
Mahoney and Castle both survived the crash, although Mahoney was too injured to move, allowing Castle to get the keys to his handcuffs and free himself. Although initially Castle planned to make his escape and leave Mahoney to be rescued by the police, he then changed his mind when he realized that the crashed ambulance was now leaking fuel near a fire. As a result, Castle went back into the ambulance and freed the dazed Mahoney, before dragging him out, with Mahoney barely able to stand. With moments to spare, Castle got Mahoney to safety before the ambulance was engulfed in a massive fireball.
The injured Mahoney was then dragged out of sight by Castle who placed him under a bridge before attempting to walk away. Coming back to his senses, Mahoney then told Castle that he would not be allowed to leave, something which Castle completely ignored as he walked away, forcing Mahoney to draw his gun and threaten Castle. With his gun trained on Castle, Mahoney looked at his target in the eyes, as Castle simply told Mahoney to do whatever he needed to do. With that Castle walked away, as Mahoney then decided that he could not shoot Castle in the back and laid down his weapon.[28]
"I'd be barbecue right now if it wasn't for Castle. Came back and pulled me out. Then I pulled my gun on him, and he just walked away. He could have just let me burn." "No, Mahoney, no, he couldn't, in the same way, that you couldn't shoot him in the back."
Following the ambulance crash, Mahoney was soon found by police officers and paramedics who looked over the scene and treated his injuries. Mahoney was met by Dinah Madani who asked how he was doing and noted that it was amazing that nobody had been killed. Mahoney, however, noted that if it was not for Frank Castle he would have died as their ambulance exploded, telling Madani how Castle walked away when Mahoney threatened him with his gun.
While Madani made the comment that Castle could not have allowed Mahoney to burn to death for the same reason that Mahoney could not bring himself to shoot him in the back, Mahoney questioned why Madani had been helping him back at Sacred Saints Hospital despite it putting her career at Homeland Security at risk. Madani once again told Mahoney that despite all the evidence, she firmly believed that Castle was not a criminal or a hero, but just his own kind of vigilante, telling Mahoney that she could not advise how he should handle that information, but that was simply how it was before walking away.[28]
"All this for a guy who's not even your case anymore. Taking out that guy on the bridge, and now this. You trying to get back in my good graces, Agent Madani?" "Is it working?" "Let's just say this whole risking-your-life act makes it harder to come after you."
Mahoney was later called to Krista Dumont's Apartment when he had been informed that a brutal fight had broken out there which involved Dumont and Dinah Madani, which had resulted in Dumont then being thrown out of her window and crippled upon landing. As it turned out, Dumont had been hiding Billy Russo in her apartment the entire time, and when he discovered Dumont being crippled, he furiously attacked Madani, resulting in them both almost killing each other before Russo had escaped.
Eventually, the unconscious Madani then awoke with a start, having almost been strangled to death by Russo, as Mahoney rushed to her side to assure her that everything was alright. Mahoney expressed his frustration over learning that Russo had been at this apartment the entire time and had confirmed that Dumont had survived her fall. Madani informed Mahoney that Russo had witnessed Dumont's fall and attacked her, during which Madani had shot him three times but Russo had continued attacking her despite all of his brutal injuries, as Madani had then desperately questioned how she was still alive.
In an attempt to calm her down, Mahoney explained how they had arrived and found Madani lying in this pool of Russo's blood, noting that they found blood down the hallway where Russo had escaped and theorized that Madani had killed Russo with her gunshots, but he just did not know it yet. Smiling, Mahoney joked about how Madani had done all this for a man who was not even her case, noting how her taking out John Pilgrim might be putting her back into Mahoney's good graces, promising that despite her work with Frank Castle and his frustration over this, he would not be targeting her anymore.
Mahoney offers Madani her badge and gun
Having relaxed, Madani begged Mahoney to inform her as soon as they found Russo dead or alive, which Mahoney promised that he would. Mahoney then picked up Madani's Homeland Security badge and gun and offered them back to her, telling her that he thought that she would likely need them back; however, to Mahoney's surprise, Madani told him that she now believed that she was done with her career at Homeland. With that, Madani then left to get treatment for her injuries at Sacred Saints Hospital which Mahoney had continued looking over the crime scene while also still looking for Russo.[29]
"The last few days, I've learned nothing is easy or simple where Castle is concerned. I checked you out, Hoyle. Everyone says you're a good guy. So long as you never point a gun at another cop again you get a pass. This time."
Mahoney later received a tipoff requesting him to go to a racetrack for unknown reasons. Upon arriving, Mahoney was greeted by Curtis Hoyle, as Mahoney reminded Hoyle of how the last time they had seen each other during their chase in the Robbery of the ReadyQuick Check Cashing, Hoyle aimed his rifle at Mahoney's head. While Hoyle had apologized, Mahoney insisted that he should be sorry about it and questioned where Frank Castle was, although Hoyle claimed that he did not know, expressing his simple desire for the violence Castle was causing to end.
Hoyle then revealed that he was there with David Schultz, who had recently been kidnapped by Castle in order to blackmail Schultz's parents, Anderson and Eliza. Mahoney immediately questioned if Schultz was alright, to which he claimed that considering the serious circumstances he felt that he had actually been treated quite well, with Mahoney noting how Hoyle had managed to solve a crime that nobody knew about once Hoyle explained their situation. Mahoney questioned what Schultz had to do with Billy Russo, although Hoyle insisted that there was not any connection between the two.
While Mahoney continued to question what Hoyle's motives were, he simply stated that he just wanted to give Schultz back for his own protection, with Schultz turning down Mahoney's offer to have Hoyle arrested while he claimed that Hoyle was just trying to fix somebody else's situation. Mahoney commented on how nothing was simple when Castle was involved before noting how, having read his file, he had determined that Hoyle was indeed a good man and decided to give him a pass under the condition that he never threatened another officer again, before Mahoney then walked away with Schultz.[29]
"I guess I'm still not used to blurring the lines as much as you. Was this you? Madani, did you finish the job?" "I'm flattered, really. But you know what? Yeah, maybe I did. Maybe I put five bullets in him instead of three. And then that's the end of the story. Case closed."
Mahoney's search for Billy Russo ended when he was called to St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Church where the body of Russo had been discovered, with an additional two bullets inside his chest which killed him. Mahoney arrived with Dinah Madani and Curtis Hoyle, as Hoyle took a moment to close Russo's eyes. As Mahoney first expressed his doubt on the situation, Hoyle explained how Russo called him to the location before Hoyle then called Mahoney there, with Mahoney also noting that Hoyle was done with Castle.
Noting how uncomfortable he was with this moral grey area, Mahoney had then asked Madani if she had finished Russo off, which she claimed that she could have possibly fired all five bullets but refused to make a clear statement one way or the other, instead she claimed that the case was now closed either way. As Mahoney asked about Frank Castle and whether or not he was the one who shot and killed Russo, Madani, and Hoyle instead mockingly denied even knowing of Castle, to Mahoney's considerable frustration, as he then walked out of the Church.[29]
Personality[]
"Look, I know I'm a pain in the ass, but I'm an honest cop."
Mahoney is a dedicated and honest police officer, unlike corrupt cops such as Christian Blake, Carl Hoffman or Corbin. He believes in the law, and is even willing to cooperate with vigilantes such as Daredevil or the Punisher as a last resort, having let both of them go on separate occasions because he understood that they were trying to help.[12][28]
Abilities[]
"Between you and me, there's something off about all of this." "What's that?" "Well, a number of witnesses claim Daredevil was trying to kill Karen Page. And your people are making her out to be his accomplice."
Master Investigator: Mahoney was promoted to detective when the Punisher was arrested. He is very perceptive of clues and mistakes, as he realized that several witnesses claimed Daredevil tried to kill Karen Page while the FBI made the latter out to be his cohort. Although Daredevil sometimes helped him like capturing Punisher and Wilson Fisk, Mahoney was still an incredible detective. He was able to figrue out that Dinah Madani had ulterior motives with Castle.
Interrogator: As part of his job, Mahoney was also a formidable interrogator as he talked to Karen Page about the events centered around an Attack on Stan Ori. He also questioned Billy Russo in hopes of finding Punisher.
Expert Marksman: Mahoney carried various types of guns on him as a part of his duty as a detective. He used these weapons to mostly threaten people like Daredevil, Punisher and Wilson Fisk.
Equipment[]
Weapons[]
Glock 19: The Glock 19 is one of the standard weapons of the New York City Police Department, and Mahoney carried it as his service weapon. He resorted to using it to threaten Daredevil when he ran into him while responding to a duty call in a Warehouse that was suffering a major fire, and also when he encountered Daredevil right after he defeated Wilson Fisk in an alley. This time, believing that he was not a criminal, Mahoney put the gun down and proceeded to arrest Fisk.
Mahoney traded his Glock 19 for a SIG-Sauer P229R following Fisk's imprisonment. Under Kilgrave's control, he held Oscar Clemons at gunpoint. Mahoney used another P229R when he and a squad of NYPD officers engaged in a shootout against Billy Russo, where Mahoney used his sidearm against him. Seeing Punisher flee the scene, Mahoney pursued him and tried to arrest him at gunpoint, but he was prevented from doing it by Curtis Hoyle's intervention. Punisher then took the gun from him, hitting him in the head to prevent Mahoney from following him again.
SIG-Sauer P226R: Mahoney had eventually traded his SIG-Sauer P229R for a SIG-Sauer P226R as he investigated the war between Frank Castle and local gangs, and the efforts of the members of the Kitchen Irish to locate Castle. He had his weapon on him when he came across Daredevil while investigating a shop owner who had been tortured, and when he arrested Castle.
SIG-Sauer P229 E2: Mahoney used his new serviced handgun to point at Frank Castle at the exit of the Sacred Saints Hospital as Castle was trying to escape, forcing him to go into an ambulance at gunpoint. He later pulled his gun when he tried to stop Castle from escaping following the accident caused by John Pilgrim, but he was unable to shoot, as Castle had just saved his life.
Other Equipment[]
Bulletproof Vest: During the Attack on Stan Ori, Mahoney and his team of officers arrived on the scene wearing Bulletproof Vests. Following the death of Lewis Wilson, Mahoney and the officers then got into a standoff with Frank Castle who was seemingly holding Karen Page hostage, with Mahoney attempting to talk Castle into surrendering.
Vehicles[]
"You said you were in an ambulance?" "Yeah, I'm in an ambulance, but that wasn't the important part, I got Frank Castle."
Ambulance: Having managed to prevent Frank Castle from escaping Sacred Saints Hospital, Mahoney had then attempted to take him into custody by stealing an ambulance, which he drove towards the 15th Precinct Police Station. However, during the journey, Mahoney was attacked by John Pilgrim, who began shooting at the ambulance, eventually managing to drive them off the side of a bridge. Following the crash, Castle managed to free Mahoney and dragged him to safety, moments before the ambulance exploded.
Upon joining the New York City Police Department, Mahoney had been stationed at the police precinct inside of the Hell's Kitchen. While working as the desk sergeant, Mahoney was often approached by Foggy Nelson as well as Matt Murdock to assist them in the legal cases. At one point, Kilgrave had enthralled every officer inside their precinct, ordering all of them to hold either each other or themselves at gunpoint, as Mahoney aimed a gun at Oscar Clemons. Kilgrave ordered the officers to free Jessica Jones, before erasing all of the CCTV footage and forcing them to forget the incident. Later, Mahoney was assaulted by the Hand members in his own office who forced him to hand them all the files about Daredevil. He later contacted the precinct and told them that he would be bringing Frank Castle there, but got interrupted.
Metro-General Hospital: Mahoney was tasked with monitoring Christian Blake's visitors in Metro-General Hospital. He found out that Blake had been murdered in the hospital. Mahoney was later tasked with guarding Frank Castle in Metro-General. He allowed Matt Murdock and Foggy Nelson to talk to Castle in the hospital, upsetting his boss.
Bess Mahoney's Apartment: Mahoney was contacted by Matt Murdock and Foggy Nelson who needed to find Ray Nadeem and his wife a place to hide from Kingpin. Mahoney brought them to his mother's apartment who agreed to let Nadeem and his wife to cover, while Nelson and Murdock were working on the legal case against Fisk.
Dinah Madani's Apartment: Mahoney went to Dinah Madani's apartment to question her about Billy Russo's journal being missing, but Madani did not allow him inside. He later returned with coffee and asked him about an incident in Central Park, but Madani refused to answer. He later returned once he had confirmation that Frank Castle was alive, and he and Madani discussed Castle's involvement in recent events and her relationship with Castle.
