Karen Page is the former office manager for Nelson and Murdock and, along with Foggy Nelson, Matt Murdock and Ben Urich, was instrumental in the effort to bring Wilson Fisk to justice. While working for Nelson and Murdock, Page came into contact with Frank Castle, who she helped defend in court. When Nelson and Murdock fell apart, Page joined the New York Bulletin with the intention of writing Castle's true story; however, during her investigation, she was kidnapped by Ray Schoonover and saved by Castle. Later, the Hand also kidnapped Page and she was rescued by Daredevil before Murdock revealed to her that he was Daredevil.
Refusing to believe that Matt Murdock died, Page continued to investigate the incident, but to her horror, Wilson Fisk was released from Ryker's Island by the FBI. Page started to search for information that could return Fisk behind the bars. Eventually, she was reunited with Murdock who joined forces with her, but she was targeted by Benjamin Poindexter. With Ray Nadeem's help, Page, Murdock, and Foggy Nelson managed to take down Fisk and return him into jail, although Nadeem was killed. Nelson and Murdock decided to start a new law firm, together with Page.
Karen Page was born in Fagan Corners, Vermont,[6] as the daughter of Paxton and Penelope Page and the older sister of Kevin Page. In her youth, she was taught by her grandmother how to cook, including a special casserole dish "filled with virtue" which the woman made Page promise to only serve to her future husband.[7] She also often hid ginger snaps in a broom closet to save for later.[8] She had a neighbor named Mr. Larssen, who would always support his neighbors. When Larssen's wife died, Page attended her funeral, noting Larssen's behavior during the sermon. When Larssen resumed work on his farm immediately afterward, Page thought that she would try to get him to talk about what happened, and Larssen asked what for.[9] During high school, Page joined the basketball team, being one of its best three-point shooters.[10]
Addict[]
Troubles with Family[]
Page sells drugs
At age nineteen, following the loss of her mother, Page started going out to a lot of parties and even got a boyfriend named Todd Neiman, who was a bad influence. At one particular party, a drunk Page poured alcohol down a wine spout and then shared food with another girl while kissing her. She then looked at a friend who pointed her into a room. There, she snorted cocaine and gave some to him. When a man came in, she offered him the cocaine for one hundred dollars. The kid asked for a student discount, but she did not roll that way. The kid proceeded to hit her and take the drug, but Neiman walked in, pinning him to the door. He then forced the kid to apologize to Page before shoving him to the ground.
In Neiman's trailer, the two counted their money as they kissed. They fell onto the mattress and had sex. The next morning, Karen woke up to a call from Kevin Page saying she was late for work. She quickly left and made her way to Penny's Place while wiping her nose. Karen finally made it to the diner and used eye drops to hide her red eyes while wiping her nose some more. She then rushed inside to find Kevin, who covered for her. When her father came in mad, she claimed she was getting pastries. She heard a knock on the door and opened it to find Bernie Cohen who was mad that she opened a minute late.
Kevin pointed out that the delivery was there and Karen rushed out to ask her father why he would buy a new grill when they did not have the money. She told Jake to send it back, but Paxton told him not to, saying they would figure something out. As she walked back inside, Kevin gave her a dish to give to Cohen, who was being rude. He asked for new eggs. Confused, Karen looked down to see that her nose was bleeding into the eggs from the cocaine. She brought the eggs back to Kevin who called her out for not being sober. She then rushed out of the diner.[4]
"What's the matter with you? I was gonna fix it! I was gonna fix it! You ruined it! Why? Why would you do that? Huh?" "Because I already lost Mom... Watch out!"
Later, she brought out the trash along with Kevin. They argued about her addiction until Kevin gave her a note from a college. She claimed to defer, but Kevin Page told her he re-enrolled her, which angered Karen. She went back to Todd Neiman's trailer at night. They shot at some pottery with his gun as she complained about her brother, despite knowing he wanted what was best for her. Neiman claimed she should let the diner go under, but Karen said it was the only thing left from her mother. Neiman told her to stay away from the guilt. They kissed until she got a call from Paxton Page who wanted her back at the diner. She rushed home only to find Paxton over exaggerated and just wanted dinner. He celebrated her getting into college and said she needed to get out. Karen took offense, thinking he wanted her out.
Page breaks up the fight
Paxton and her argued about Neiman and his bad influence on her. She claimed that the diner would go bankrupt without her despite Kevin wanting everyone to stop arguing. Karen snapped saying that Penelope hated the place and felt like she was dying even before getting cancer. Paxton told her to take it back, but Karen angrily left the diner. Karen took Penelope's saved lottery ticket and smashed it. She started scratching the ticket despite Paxton pleading for her not to ruin the one thing left by Penelope. Karen only found dismay that there was no money won. She left the place and cried by her car while drinking. Neiman picked her up and they left. On the way out, Kevin tried to get her, but Neiman scolded Kevin who threatened to tell Chief Bernie Cohen that Neiman was a seller. This caused a fight that was immediately broken up by Karen. The couple then left as Kevin watched them.
Page shoots her gun
At their trailer, Karen took more drugs to drown her misery. Even Neiman got concerned, telling her to take it easy. Suddenly, the trailer caught on fire and they found Kevin outside. He told Neiman to get away from his sister, but Neiman angrily punched him. Neiman took a crowbar and started ruthlessly beating Kevin. Karen tried to get him to stop, but Nieman slapped her. Karen grabbed a gun and shot into the air, warning Neiman to stop. When he did not, she shot him in the chest and ran off with Kevin. She yelled at Kevin on the way out. Kevin told her he already lost their mom and could not lose her too. Karen looked at Kevin, causing her to veer off the road. When she looked up, she hit a guardrail causing then to flip.
Karen woke up only to find Kevin dead. Cohen and Paxton arrived on the scene. Paxton tried to get to Kevin and started wailing in tears. Karen held her head as she cried. The next day, the diner was closed until further notice. Karen and her father sat at the table. Paxton told her that Cohen will say it was just Kevin and Karen was not involved. Cohen said that they suffered enough and cannot have it blow back on Karen, who would go to prison. Paxton thanked God that her mother was not alive for it. Karen cried as she brought up Kevin's arrangements saying she would take care of it. Paxton told her not to as he wanted her gone. Paxton had lost everything and wanted his own daughter to leave. With that, Karen packed her things and left for New York City.[4]
Page worked as the secretary to the chief accountant of Union Allied Construction. One day, she was emailed a file meant for her boss, which contained damning evidence of Union Allied's money laundering schemes. Seeking to tell someone about what she had discovered, Page initially went to McClintock, but he claimed the file was for a company finance model. Not trusting this story, she copied the file on a drive and asked Daniel Fisher, one of her co-workers from the legal department, to join her for drinks at a nearby bar, believing him to be an overall good and nice man whom she could trust.
The two shared a couple of drinks but before long, Page became dizzy and lost sense of where she was during the night. The next thing she knew, Page awakened to find herself in her apartment covered in Fisher's blood, staring at his corpse in front of her as she held a bloody knife in her hand. The police kicked in her apartment door and arrested her as she pleaded that she did not commit the crime.[7]
"I am telling you we met at the bar, we had a few drinks, and I don't know what happened after that. It wasn't me, please, please you have to believe me. I didn't kill him." "I believe you, Miss Page."
Page was taken to prison where she was greeted by Foggy Nelson and Matt Murdock, who had been informed of her case by Brett Mahoney. They introduced themselves and explained their intentions to assist her; Page became suspicious of their experience and they admitted that they had only officially been operating as their own law firm for seven hours and she would be their first client. When she confessed that she had no money to pay them, Nelson attempted to leave the case, but Murdock convinced him to stay. Page told them her side of the story and Murdock told her that he believed her so they agreed to take on her case.
Later that day, Page slept in her cell as Clyde Farnum snuck up behind her and attempted to murder her by wrapping a bedsheet around her throat, apologizing to her as he strangled her. Refusing to die, Page was able to free herself by scratching Farnum's eye and knocking him back; she then used her only chance to scream at the top of her voice until help arrived. In a direct response to the assassination attempt and the lack of an official accusation against her, Nelson and Murdock were able to get Page released from prison on bail for her own safety.
Page tells her story to Nelson and Murdock
Page was released into the custody of Nelson and Murdock and taken back to their office. Once there and convinced that she was safe with them, Page told the lawyers how she had obtained Union Allied's financial records and her confrontation with her boss, but confessed that she didn't truly consider the consequences of her actions at the time. Page broke down crying as she began speaking about the death of Daniel Fisher, feeling personally responsible for the murder of such a kind man. Fearing for her life, Page requested to return to her apartment, although Nelson warned her that it was a bad idea. Murdock offered his apartment for Page to spend the night, since she didn't have anywhere else to go.
At Murdock's apartment, Page was given a change of clothes, as hers had gotten wet in a rain storm, and some water. They began discussing Murdock's blindness and Page learned that he had been blind since he was nine and missed his sight. Continuing their earlier questions, Murdock asked Page why she was not killed in her apartment, as the people going after her would have no reason to keep her alive unless she had something of value; in an attempt to keep Nelson and Murdock safe from harm, Page lied, saying that she did not have a copy of the financial report. Murdock seemingly accepted this and they went to bed shortly afterwards.[7]
"Who? What the hell?" "I'll get this into the right hands." "No... You can't, you can't take it to the police. You can't trust anyone!" "Then we tell everything."
Believing that Matt Murdock was asleep, Page left to return to her own residence. Inside a vent in her bathroom, Page grabbed the flash drive holding the copy of the report, but she was ambushed by a thug who rammed her into a wall. After procuring the flash drive, he approached the unconscious Page to kill her with his knife when a masked man began a fight with him. Page watched as the fight became so intense that the two fell from her window to the street. Ultimately, the masked man won the fight and collected the flash drive, promising to take it to the proper hands; Page told him not to trust anyone, so the masked man said that he would release the information to everyone. The next morning, there was a story in the New York Bulletin.[7]
With the truth exposed and Page cleared of all charges against her, she joined Matt Murdock and Foggy Nelson to celebrate their victory. Page cooked them both a meal she learned from her grandmother to thank them for their assistance, stating that it was Murdock believing in her story that gave her the strength to keep fighting. Noting that she was out of a job since Union Allied Construction had now been taken down because of their criminal activities, Page requested work at Nelson and Murdock, promising them that she would work for free. She was unsurprisingly hired without any questions.[7]
Days later, Page stayed late at Nelson and Murdock unpacking when she heard Foggy Nelson singing horribly. She let him know that she was there so he stopped. When Page refused to answer why she wasn't home, they decided to go out for drinks. Arriving at Josie's Bar and having a drink, Page was convinced to discuss why she did not want to go her apartment; for days, she couldn't get Daniel Fisher's blood out her carpet nor ignore the dent in her wall from her head being knocked against it. Page admitted that lately, all she can see are the threats and dangers around her. Nelson showed her that though the patrons in Josie's Bar looked tough, at heart, they were good people trying to relax.
As the night wore on, Nelson told Page about his past as an awkward teenager before they drunkenly went to Matt Murdock's Apartment to get him to accompany them in their fun, waking up one of Murdock's neighbors. The pair left when they realized that Murdock was not home. As they continued to explore the city throughout the night, Nelson joked that Page had made him terrified of the city and he never wished to return home. Page thanked Nelson for all he had done for her, including cheering her up, noting that she really needed a night like they had shared after everything she had experienced.[11]
"I exposed criminal activity." "And had you taken that information to any law enforcement agency your rights may have been protected but instead you went to the New York Bulletin, a privately-owned news organization."
The next morning, Page was in the office and received a letter from Union Allied Construction, which she quickly hid upon the arrival of Foggy Nelson, still reeling from a hangover caused by the night before. As they discussed the night before and how Page wished to go back on her word about working for free, they were interrupted by the arrival of Matt Murdock, who entered with scars on his face. Page asked Murdock how he received the scars and he claimed he had a minor accident.
A knock on the door was heard; Page was so surprised that Murdock had to remind her that it was her job to answer it. She welcomed a well suited man who would not give his name. He revealed that he worked for a conglomerate that wanted to hire the lawyers to represent their client, John Healy, who had been accused of murder. Murdock was suspicious of the man and told him that they wanted a certain type of clientele; the suited man asked if all his clients worked for them after escaping murder charges. Knowing he was referring to her, Page felt embarrassed; she was asked to leave the meeting so the men could talk more candidly.
Page being offered money for her silence
Page left the office and met with a lawyer representing Union Allied Construction. He insisted on having her sign a non-disclosure agreement and accept six months of pay as well as a large sum on top not to discuss what happened with Daniel Fisher and her experiences at Union Allied. Page insisted that Union Allied's crimes were too great to be ignored and the story must be told, but the man refused to listen to her; Page felt insulted by the proposal and refused to sign. When she returned to the law office, Murdock asked her to research the background of the suited man; she learned that it was a dummy company.
Later, Page went to the house of Jennifer Fisher to give her condolences on the death of her husband. Although Page attempted to convince her to help her expose the criminal activities of Union Allied Construction in honor of Daniel, Fisher only wished to be left alone to raise her children in peace and wanted no part in any conspiracy that her late husband may have been involved with. Page learned that Fisher signed the non-disclosure agreement because she needed the money and she felt her children had to be her priority now. However, both women agreed that there was something wrong with Union Allied Construction.
With no support, Page traveled to the office of Ben Urich in the New York Bulletin newspaper, who had written the newspaper article exposing the Union Allied Construction scandal. Page told him that she had read his article and he initially believed she was referring to a piece he had recently written about the Hell's Kitchen Subway line. Once she explained that she was in fact referring to his Union Allied piece as well as his many articles about crime rings in Hell's Kitchen, Page solicited his help in researching the company.[12]
"I read every big story with your byline. The VA kickbacks, toxic runoff, the Teachers Union scandal. Hell, you pretty much brought down the Italian mob back when I was in diapers. Whatever happened to that reporter, Mr. Urich?" "He got old. And a hell of a lot less stupid."
A few days later, Page and Ben Urich met in a cafe; she bought him a cup of coffee as they discussed Union Allied Construction. Urich was not impressed with the story, stating it was one he had heard before. Urich told her that because of her past, he was skeptical about accepting her story. Page told him that she grew up admiring the newspaper articles he wrote which brought down organized crime and wanted to know if he was that same man; he told her he was not.
In an attempt to continue her research alone, Page went to an auction that was selling off the equipment from Union Allied Construction; she started to sketch profiles of those who participated, hoping to gain a lead. Ben Urich, having found her there, sat behind Page and told her not to acknowledge him. Urich warned her that what she was doing was a bad idea and told her to stop, noting that many of the people there were also not bidding and were likely looking for people like her to wanted to expose their organization. He suggested that she bid on something at the auction so to not draw unwanted attention to herself. When she asked how he knew she would be there, Urich told her it was because it was exactly what he would have done as a young reporter.
Once Page had purchased some office equipment from the early nineties which she paid for by using Nelson and Murdock's account, she met Urich in the diner he had told her about. He told her that he would help her but, describing to her people who were killed after helping him expose criminal empires in the past, she must be discrete in their meetings, telling her to no longer meet him in his office and not to tell anyone else about their investigation, to assure that nobody else was harmed. He then told her to sign the non-disclosure agreement, as although it prevented her from talking about the scandal, Urich himself had no plans on signing it; she decided to use that money to pay for the office supplies she bought at the auction.
Feeling guilty, Page phoned Foggy Nelson and asked him to come into the office to look at the bundle of supplies she had purchased. Nelson teased her, noting that the tax machine was likely from the 90s and she told him there was even more on the way. She nervously informed him that she had paid for all the equipment using the company's bank details although she insisted that she had a plan to pay for the equipment. However, much to Page's surprise, rather than getting annoyed and firing her as she had expected, Nelson simply smiled and told her the tale of his mother wishing him to be a butcher when he was a young man.[13]
Elena Cardenas came to the office one morning as Page and Foggy Nelson attempted to get the office equipment Page had bought to work. Cardenas spoke a mixture of Spanish and broken English; Page helped Nelson to understand Cardenas' dilemma. She was being forced from her rent-controlled apartment building by her landlord Armand Tully who was being represented by the law firm of Landman and Zack.
Page and Nelson went to the Landman and Zack Law Office and met with Marci Stahl, the lawyer representing Tully and Nelson's ex-girlfriend. Page witnessed as the two lawyers debated about the case, with Stahl insisting that the workers had left the building site because they feared for their safety due to the drugs and crime in the building, but Nelson argued back that this was irrelevant as the workers had breached their contract. Nelson won the debate by being confident in his own skills as a lawyer; Page witnessed as Stahl complimented Nelson, wishing that they remained together as both co-workers and lovers; however, Nelson informed her that he might have done if she hadn't started working for Landman and Zack and kept her soul.
Page then accompanied Nelson to the Elena Cardenas' Apartment. They saw the results of Tully's men who had destroyed the place, calling it renovation, in hopes of making Cardenas leave. Page and Nelson decided to do home repairs. After fixing the water, Cardenas asked Nelson and Page to stay for dinner; Cardenas quickly left the two alone and Page laughed as she realized that Cardenas was playing matchmaker. As the two ate dinner, Nelson and Page discussed his past with Matt Murdock in college and his relationship with Stahl. When the conversation turned to how Murdoch perceived Page, Page asked Nelson to close his eyes, feel her face, and describe the feeling.[14]
Hell's Kitchen Burns[]
Page and Nelson take Cardenas to hospital
"Hey Karen, hell of a first date huh." "I've actually had worse."
Suddenly, an explosion rocked the apartment, blasting the two to the floor. Page was left in the apartment with Cardenas, who had received a bad cut to her forehead, as Nelson went to see if others needed assistance before they took Cardenas to the hospital. Once at the hospital, Page ensured that Mrs. Cardenas received medical attention from Claire Temple before Nelson got his phone to call Matt Murdock to ensure he was alright. Before he could make the call, Page noticed the blood coming from his side from a shard of glass which had embedded itself in his stomach.
While Foggy Nelson received treatment for his wound in a hospital bed, Page continued to try and contact Matt Murdock, who failed to answer his phone. Nelson attempted to leave to look for him but Page convinced him to stay. They later watched the news as reports came in that the Man in the Mask had seemingly shot several police officers after causing the explosions and fighting police officers. Page told Nelson that it was the same man who had rescued her days before, although Page became confused and unsure about the man's intentions, Nelson seemingly made up his mind that the man in the black mask was not to be trusted.[15]
Taking Risks[]
"Anything happens to you, it's going to be on me, I don't want to be responsible for that, I can't." "I'll be okay, they're not going to win."
Returning to the Nelson and Murdock office, Page listened as Foggy Nelson continued to push his view that the Masked Man was nothing more than a coward and a vigilante. Page argued against his views, noting that it was all speculation and no one knew if he was a terrorist or a hero, but Nelson remained unmoved on his views. Page called on Matt Murdock to back her up but he only gave her professional legal answers, noting that he would be willing to defend him in court. In an attempt to lighten the mood, Nelson suggested they start a softball team, but Page decided to leave early instead without telling them where she was going.
Page instead met with Ben Urich in a quiet spot to discuss the Union Allied Construction case while drinking coffee, she explained that the company had destroyed the paper-trail making it nearly impossible to trace. Urich suggested that she let the case go but Page continued to refuse. Urich explained that he believed that the Japanese Mafia and the Bombing of Hell's Kitchen might be connected to the case, they discussed whether or not the Masked Man had shot Detective Christian Blake and Urich advised her to keep away from him. When Page showed over enthusiasm, Urich reminded her that this was not a game and told her he would take responsibility for anything that happened to her.
Page then visited Elena Cardenas in her home where she restocked her fridge and checked on her condition after her head wound during the Bombing of Hell's Kitchen. Instead of asking for payment for the food, Page asked for information on her case in an attempt to connection it to Union Allied Construction. After briefly commenting on how Foggy Nelson was clearly in love with Page and how Armand Tully was a shit for going on vacation, Cardenas explained that she had not paperwork for the construction work but did describe the look of the men who had been sent to do the work and had destroyed her apartment, which Page noted down. As she left, Page assured Cardenas that she should not be worried.
Once outside, Page was followed by Joseph Pike and Stewart Schmidt, who matched the description Cardenas had given of the men who had wrecked her home. The men attacked Page and stopped her using her mace to defend herself, threatening to tear her eyes out to stop her snooping around where she was not meant to. Although she attempted to free herself, Pike knocked Page to the floor before Foggy Nelson appeared and knocked him out with his baseball bat, Page maced Schmidt into submission while confronting Nelson as to why he was following her before they both escaped and left her attackers lying in pain.
Page and Nelson went straight to the office of Ben Urich at the New York Bulletin, where Urich immediately reminded her that she should not have told anyone about their investigation, Page defended her decision noting that Nelson was the best lawyer they could have on their side and that he could be trusted. Urich relented and showed Nelson their information board which detailed everything they knew about the crime rings in Hell's Kitchen, noting that they all led to a mysterious Kingpin who controlled everything. They explained how they believed that the Masked Man was most likely working against the Kingpin.[10]
"I have already been hurt by those bastards. You know I don't care what I signed or how much money they paid me to forget, I don't, and I'm not going to just stick my head in the sand and let it happen to somebody else because I am scared. Which I am, a lot."
In the Nelson and Murdock Law Office, Page and Nelson discussed why they must not inform Matt Murdock of their investigation, as Page noted that Murdock would call them foolish. Before they could continue their talk, Murdock walked into the office. Murdock demanded to know what they weren't telling him and Page immediately confessed they were looking into the Union Allied Construction case and explained how they would use Ben Urich to publish the story for them. Murdock insisted that they stop but Page refused to be defeated so Murdock agreed to help as long as they approached the case from a legal position.
They spent the night going through Union Allied Construction's legal papers looking for clues, Murdock found a connection between the men who attacked Page and Westmeyer-Holt Contracting who were still employed by Union Allied, as they continued to work Foggy Nelson tried to give Page the nick-name of Kay, which she did not accept. Page then saw that Detective Christian Blake had woken up from his coma and they commented on how he would be one of the only people to know what really happened on the night of the Bombing of Hell's Kitchen.
The next morning, while working in the Nelson and Murdock Law Office, Page saw a WHiH World News Report which showed Wilson Fisk stepping forward to condemn the actions of the Man in the Mask who he called a terrorist who had mercilessly attacked Leland Owlsley. Fisk told the people of New York not to bow down to fear and stand together to make Hell's Kitchen a better place. Page watched the report closely but did not fully believe in Fisk, deeming him to be a threat to Hell's Kitchen and keeping her faith in the Masked Man.[1]
"The Mask came to Ben for help, I don't care how rich Fisk is, no one can totally erase their past. Somewhere out there there has to be a piece of paper, a witness, the truth."
Ben Urich was invited to the Nelson and Murdock Law Office to discuss what should be done next, despite Page and Foggy Nelson insisted nothing had changed, Urich insisted Fisk was now in the best position possible as the people's viewed him as nothing but good. Matt Murdock then arrived as Urich explained that he had met the Man in the Mask who was also hunting Fisk and had given him documents that could expose Fisk with the right evidence to back them up. Page insisted that they keep digging to find something to bring Fisk down and they use the Masked Man's help to do it.
To continue the investigation, Foggy Nelson contacted Marci Stahl and explained that Armand Tully was indeed on an island where he could not be contacted and Wilson Fisk had just become the owner of the properties he had owned. Page began to lose faith before they were interrupted by the arrival of Elena Cardenas, who explained the offer to evict the tenants had been doubled, but Page and Nelson insisted she keep fighting. Once she left Matt Murdock claimed it to be dangerous to keep a hold of the property when Fisk wanted it so much, but Page refused to stop. Murdock relented and told them to keep digging while he went to speak to Fisk's girlfriend Vanessa Marianna. That night they successfully identified their attackers from the night before as Joseph Pike and Stewart Schmidt.
The next morning Page was working in the Nelson and Murdock Law Office when Matt Murdock arrived, having not gotten what he wanted from Vanessa Marianna. She explained how they had identified Pike and Schmidt although this still did not give them a solid lead. To lighten the mood however, Page and Nelson presented Murdock with a sign for Nelson and Murdock that they had had made. Their good times were stopped when Page answered the phone to the police, who asked them to come to the morgue as Elena Cardenas had been murdered.[16]
They arrived at the morgue where Brett Mahoney presented Elena Cardenas' body, which they identified to be her. Mahoney explained that she had been robbed and stabbed by a Junkie outside her front door. Although Matt Murdock advised Page to wait outside, she insisted upon staying beside her friend, explaining to Mahoney that she did not have any family left so Foggy Nelson agreed to see to the arrangements of her funeral. Nelson then comforted Page as she cried into his shoulder.
The three went to Josie's Bar to drown their sorrows as Josie gave them free drinks out of sympathy. Foggy Nelson told Matt Murdock about how Marci Stahl had warned them of the criminal activity in Cardenas' building but they had put it aside as nothing more than a fear tactic and Page concurred. As Murdock began to explain how Wilson Fisk could be responsible, Fisk appeared on the television making a statement about the incident where he claimed to be in mourning for her death and defending his own involvement in the case. Once Nelson left to answer his phone, Page put forward her desire for the Masked Man to kill Fisk, leading to Murdock asking her about religion, explaining himself to be Catholic, although he noted it didn't help him in mourning. Murdock then left the bar.
As the night wore on, Page and Foggy Nelson continued drinking until Nelson could barely stand. Nelson could no longer hold back his emotions was he openly wept over Elena Cardenas' death, expressing his regret at not advising her to take the money that was offered. Although Page tried to comfort him, he went on to explain how the Hell's Kitchen he grew up in was unpleasant but at least had a heart, she told him that she did not believe it was doomed. Nelson asked Page how they should fight Wilson Fisk, and she claimed that they had to make him pay.[16]
"I'm sorry Ben, there's nothing worse, feeling choices are made for us, there's nothing you can do but swim in shit and hope you don't get too much in your mouth." "Shit like you?"
Page attempted to call Matt Murdock but found that his phone went to voice mail; seeking answers, she then tried calling Foggy Nelson who answered. When she asked if everything was alright, he informed her that Murdock had been in a car accident; when she tried to come and see for herself, Nelson insisted that she stay at the Nelson and Murdock Law Office as he would take charge of looking after Murdock.
Having stepped out the office for a few minutes, Page returned and continued to try to call Nelson. She noticed a strange box on her desk and was greeted by Ben Urich. Urich briefly pressed Page about being more careful before he told her to open the box he had left her. Page opened it and found all over Urich's research into Union Allied Construction and Wilson Fisk for their story. Urich explained he was quitting to take care of his wife who was being kicked out of Metro-General Hospital. Page decided to reaffirm Urich's interest in the case by showing him her latest discovery but claimed to be showing him a nursing home.
As Page and Urich drove to Saint Bénézet Retirement Care, they discussed why Urich had not told her the seriousness of his wife's condition. He told her that he felt that saying it made it true and explained how she could have her good days and bad days, telling her how smart she was and how he felt he did not deserve her. Page attempted to comfort Urich by saying that there was nothing worse than having choices made for you and that everyone had to deal with shit, to which Urich joked that he had to deal with shits like her. She told him that everyone has secrets that they hold onto and he told her that the truth always comes out in the end.[17]
Meeting Fisk's Mother[]
"It wasn't his fault, his father he was... Wilson just wanted him to stop. It wasn't his fault what he did." "Mrs. Vistain, what did your son do?"
Before long, Page and Ben Urich arrived at the Saint Bénézet Retirement Care, where Urich insisted that he could not afford it. Page continued to keep the truth from him and suggested they have a look around. As they walked an old man told Page that she was very pretty, which Urich joked about. They discussed how all the people here must have so many stories to tell. Page suggested that they talk to one of the residents and learn what it is really like to stay in the hospice; although Urich was reluctant, Page pushed forward.
Page led Urich into the room of Marlene Vistain, the woman she had come to see. Although Vistain was clearly confused by her new visitors, Page and Urich convinced her to discuss the hospice which pleased her as she asked if they were married. Page asked if Vistain had been married before and she explain her late husband had been her third, telling them of each husband. Vistain told them of her first husband who drank; she told them that her son's name was Wilson Fisk which peaked Urich's interest. Vistain went on to explain that the young Fisk had murdered his father in cold blood to protect his mother.[17]
Questions and Apologies[]
"There are no winners and losers in something like this." "Well, Elena Cardenas might disagree with you if she still could."
The next day Page went to Matt Murdock's Apartment with a balloon to try and make him feel better after his car accident while also questioning why she could not get ahold of Foggy Nelson. Murdock opened the door with a bruised and beaten face, Page questioned if Wilson Fisk had Murdock beaten up. Page told Murdock about meeting Marlene Vistain and learning of Fisk killing his father and suggested that it could help discredit Fisk. Murdock told her to go back to the office and tell Nelson what she had learned, as she left Page gave Murdock the balloon.
Page met with Ben Urich to discuss what they had learned from Marlene Vistain, Urich made it clear that he was furious at having been lied to and tricked. Page told him that she had lied because she still needed his help as she viewed the case as more important than a story as people's lives were at risk. Urich claimed that Vistain's claims were not enough as Wilson Fisk could spin the story to turn it to his favor, noting that no one could come out a winner or loser in this case, but Page noted that Elena Cardenas had lost. Urich informed her that there had been an assassination attempt of Fisk the night before at the Van Lunt Building.
Page found Foggy Nelson that night drinking alone at Josie's Bar, when Page tried to get his feedback on Marlene Vistain's story, the drunk Nelson rudely claimed it would not be nearly enough to bring down Wilson Fisk despite it proving that he had been lying. Page tried to ask what had happened to Matt Murdock, demanding that Nelson not tell her that he had been in a car accident as this was clearly a lie, Nelson told her to ask him, claiming that he and Murdock were going through a very rough patch in their friendship and told her it was too personal to discuss. Page informed Nelson that Elena Cardenas' apartment block was being torn down and they needed to continue to fight against Fisk while they still could.
Leaving Josie's Bar, Page called Matt Murdock again to update him but could only leave a message on his voicemail where she told him to repair his relationship with Nelson. She then called Ben Urich at his office, she told Urich how Nelson and Murdock was falling apart and she did not know why. When Urich insisted that this meant their story was getting interesting, Page asked how he could keep doing this job day after day. Page thanked Urich, despite him insisted that he wasn't going to write the story, but she said she wanted to thank him for being there and caring about her and they agreed to talk the next day.[18]
"Do you really think I would put a loaded gun on the table where you could reach it?" "I don't know, do you really think this is the first time I've shot someone?"
As Page neared her home, Page commented on how the light outside her blinding was flickering. When she went to get her keys from her bag, James Wesley appeared behind her and attacked her, using chloroform to knock her unconscious before taking her to an empty warehouse where he waited for her to awake. When Page did finally awake she found herself sat on when end of a table, too dizzy to move. Wesley greeted her kindly and checked on her condition before sitting on the other end of the table.
Wesley told her that after the events with Union Allied Construction he had considered having her killed but it was decided that she could do no more harm, and so they had given her the money to keep her quiet, but she had made a choice which had led her to her current situation. He then pulled out a gun and placed it on the table. He began talking about Wilson Fisk's love for the city, despite his own distaste for it, before explaining that it was Fisk's mother who had informed him of Page's involvement. He explained that Fisk would be highly disturbed to learn they had spoken to her so he wished to resolve the situation. When Page told him to kill her already, he explained he wanted to offer her a job.
Wesley explained he wanted Page to use her powers of persuasion to convince Ben Urich and everyone she had been speaking to that everything was okay and they should leave the story and Wilson Fisk alone. When Page told him she would rather die, he explained he would kill Urich, Foggy Nelson, Matt Murdock, her friends and her family before they killed her. The second Wesley's phone went off, Page used the momentary distraction to steal his gun. Wesley attempted to bluff his way out of the situation by claiming the gun was not loaded, but when he attempted to stand, Page shot him. She fired a further six more shots into Wesley's chest, killing him before wiping the table of any fingerprints and fled.[18]
Trauma[]
Page suffers a melt down after her experience
"I'm starting to think I made a mistake coming to work here." "Do you want to leave." "No, this is my home, you and Foggy are the only good things in my life right now."
Horrified by what she had just experienced, Page went to the dock side with James Wesley's gun. She overlooked the water as she considered her next move before throwing the gun into the water, disappearing forever. With the evidence gone, Page returned to her apartment where she drank whiskey from the bottle and cried in the shower, scrubbing her body but still feeling unclean. As Page tried to sleep, she dreamed of finding Wilson Fisk in her apartment. Fisk spoke to her of the pain and struggle of killing a man, assuring her that it gets easier before attempting to crush her skull. This caused Page to awake with a start and cry.
Unable to return to sleep, Page went to the Nelson and Murdock Law Office where she found Foggy Nelson, who questioned if she had been drinking. Nelson attempted to apologies for his fall out with Matt Murdock affecting her as they joked about drinking and taking drugs. As Nelson went to collect more of his belongings, he refused to answer Page's questions about what exactly had happened between him and Murdock, although he vowed to continue going after Wilson Fisk as he claimed no one can kill people and call themselves a human being and asked for the documents Ben Urich had given her from the Masked Man, with Nelson admitting he no longer viewed the man as a terrorist and promised to always be there for her.
As Nelson went to leave he found Murdock standing in the doorway, Murdock let him go past without a word. Murdock asked Page what she was doing there so late before she made him a coffee. Page told Murdock that Nelson believed himself to be responsible for the death of Elena Cardenas, although Page tried to convince Murdock to repair the relationship, Murdock insisted it was Nelson's choice. Page told him that although she regretted working at Nelson and Murdock, she viewed it as her home since she said the world had fallen apart.[18]
Pushing Ben Urich[]
"You have to trust me on this, Ben, we need that story out there before it's too late."
Page waited outside Ben Urich's Apartment to ask why he had not published the story about Fisk killing his father yet, when Urich ignored the issue Page told him that Fisk's people knew what had happened. Urich invited her inside and told her that he was trying to prove that Fisk's father had connections to a mobster named Don Rigoletto so they could prove that Marlene Vistain was telling the truth. Urich suggested that Page publish the story online but she insisted it had to be the New York Bulletin so it wouldn't be questioned, Urich relented and agreed.
While waiting at the Nelson and Murdock Law Office, Page received a call from Ben Urich who told her his editor Mitchell Ellison was busy attending his kid's show at school so he had been unable to show him the story yet. They were interrupted when Matt Murdock called and informed her that he had had a rough morning and needed to take the day off so he could work on something at home. He asked Page to pass on the message to Foggy Nelson as well before promising her that everything would work out fine in the end.
Urich called a little while later and informed her that he had been fired and noted that Mitchell Ellison might be working for Fisk. Urich told her that he would put the story online. Page opened the locked door to allow Matt Murdock to enter, Page asked if the three of them would ever start speaking to each other again. Murdock told her that a friend had told him he would have to push people away to be effective, he told her that he had had a shitty night where he'd seen the bottom of humanity and could no longer do it alone. Page hugged him and told him he was not alone and never had been.[18]
Ben Urich's Murder[]
"Mrs. Urich, I, I think it's my fault what happened to Ben, I pushed him into a story that he didn't want..." "Ben Urich never got pushed into doing anything he didn't want to do. He was a reporter, that's what he lived for, and he passed doing what he loved, what he had to do."
As it turned out, Page's over-eagerness for Ben Urich to bring the story out had tragic consequences, as Urich was found dead in his home having been strangled by an unknown attacker. Page attended his funeral alongside Matt Murdock as Foggy Nelson had said he could not attend. As Urich's coffin was being brought out to the grave, Page noticed that his former editor Mitchell Ellison was also attending.
Page took a moment to speak Urich's widow Doris while Murdock spoke to Father Paul Lantom. Page introduced herself to Mrs. Urich and was surprised to learn that Urich had spoken of her fondly quite often, even being told that Urich viewed her as the daughter he'd never had. Although Page tried to tell her that she blamed herself for Urich's death, Mrs. Urich assured her that he would never have followed the story if he did not feel it needed to be told. Page tried to see if there was anything she could do to support Mrs. Urich but learned that Ben Urich had taken out life insurance years earlier. Page collected Murdock and they left.
Returning to the Nelson and Murdock Law Office, Page and Murdock discussed Mitchell Ellison's possible involvement in Urich's death and Foggy Nelson's failure to attend the funeral. Murdock told her that what was happening with Nelson was his fault and recommended that she go home and rest, but Page told him that she was being haunted by dreams of Wilson Fisk as she was terrified of Fisk learning that she was with Urich when talking to his mother. Murdock vowed to keep her safe and bring down Fisk's empire.
Murdock and Foggy Nelson repaired their friendship and agreed to work together once again, Page joined them at the office as they went through the documents Marci Stahl had given them to try and find a clue to Carl Hoffman's location, as he had been put in hiding by Leland Owlsley and could expose Fisk. Nelson joked about his chances at becoming a butcher while Page commented on how happy she was to have them all back together again. Eventually Page found a building on the records which seemed to have been secretly removed.[19]
Wilson Fisk's Downfall[]
"Now everybody knows what kind of asshole Fisk really is." "And we are the ones who made it happen."
As they watched the news report of Fisk's arrest, Nelson, Murdock and Page shared drinks in their office to celebrate. Nelson made acknowledgments to Marci Stahl's involvement in their win while Murdock commented that having Nelson and Murdock back together was greatly important to him as it meant the people closest to him were safe and they had gotten closure for the ones they had lost. They raised their glasses in respect to Elena Cardenas, Ben Urich and everyone else Fisk had hurt or killed.
To their horror however, the van carrying Fisk came under fire as Fisk was seemingly rescued while the FBI agents were murdered in the streets. Page furiously commented on how they had been foolish to think Fisk would go down so easily while they got in a taxi to go home. Murdock insisted he get his own taxi and despite Page and Nelson's protests he promised to make his own way home without them while Nelson took her back.[19]
"I cannot believe this is the same guy that stopped that Union Alliednut from stabbing me in my apartment. That is a serious upgrade." "I don't know, I think the horns are a little much."
Page, Nelson and Murdock and Page gathered outside Nelson and Murdock the next day to discuss Wilson Fisk's arrest while Nelson put up the sign outside their building. Page and Nelson joked about Daredevil's costume and name. Just before Nelson then left to help Marci Stahl get herself a new job and they commented on how they were the ones to have put Fisk away and noted their next step would be to find clients.
Just before they went inside, Matt Murdock spoke to Page, noted that there was a fear in her voice that still had not gone away since Fisk had been arrested. Page told him it was because despite Fisk being put away, Elena Cardenas and Ben Urich still were not going to come back as a result. Murdock told her that while they could change what had happened or what they had done, they could still try and move forward regardless. He then took her hand as they went into the office together.[19]
Financial Trouble[]
Clients without Cash[]
While Page was already there, Matt Murdock and Foggy Nelson arrived at the office one morning to find Page along with a crowd of new clients who wished Nelson and Murdock to represent them. Page introduced their new list of clients which included Jacinto, Marino and Maxwell among many others. Page then pulled Nelson and Murdock aside and explained that the firm was broke, although she joked that they had plenty of fruit and baked goods. Murdock reassured her that somehow, the firm would find a way to survive.[2]
At Josie's Bar, Page, Foggy Nelson and Matt Murdock played pool together before they discovered that a man who called himself Grotto was looking for them. Grotto explained how he was the sole survivor of a deadly shootout at the Burren Club, in which most of the Kitchen Irish were killed. Terrified that the shooter would find him, he begged Nelson and Murdock to represent him and help him get into the witness protection program. Just as the lawyers agreed to look into Grotto's situation, Grotto fell unconscious to the floor. Page rushed to his aid and realized that he was bleeding profusely.
Later, Grotto awoke in a bed at Metro-General Hospital to find Page there, to tried to calm him while calling him "Steve". When he finally asked who Steve was, she explained that he was registered at the hospital as Steve Schaffer, and that she told the staff she was his wife Isabelle. Despite this, Grotto was still terrified that the shooter would return for him.
Later, Page was startled by noises in the corridor. She peeked out the door and saw an armed man walking purposefully down the hall. She grabbed Grotto and the two raced through the hallway, dodging bullets as they tried to get away. She led Grotto through an emergency exit and outside. She fumbled with her keys as she told Grotto they were making their getaway in a car that once belonged to her friend, who died.[2]
Page took Grotto to the 15th Precinct Police Station, where they were met by Foggy Nelson, who was relieved to find Page safe. He told them that Matt Murdock was ill and wouldn't be coming. Officer Brett Mahoney arrived and gave Grotto a prison uniform to change into, since he was still wearing his hospital gown. He told them the police were examining the security footage from the hospital before suggesting Page and Nelson leave Grotto to change.
Mahoney then told Nelson and Page that someone from the District Attorney's Office would be there soon to talk to them about getting Grotto into witness protection. He then confided to them that the shooter was just the latest vigilante to crop up after Daredevil took out Wilson Fisk. He admitted that the police force was split in their opinions about the new vigilante, saying that some thought he was dangerous and had to be stopped, while others thought he was making their jobs easier.
Soon, District Attorney Samantha Reyes herself arrived, along with Blake Tower, the assistant DA. Reyes coolly dismissed Nelson and Page and tried to take control of Grotto's witness protection agreement herself. Nelson, however, refused to be steamrolled and pointed out that the District Attorney's office had no legal right to handle the case themselves. Fuming, Reyes allowed Nelson and Murdock to take the case, but made it clear that they were now on her bad side. Page complimented Nelson on how well he took charge of the situation, but he warily told her that this was just the beginning.
Back in the interrogation room with Grotto, Page and Nelson listened as Reyes and Tower laid out what they wanted from Grotto before they put him in witness protection. They wanted him to wear a wire while he met with Edgar Brass, a drug dealer. Grotto flatly refused, saying that he was as good as dead if he did. Page and Nelson took him aside and convinced him to listen to the DA's offer. Grotto was still unconvinced, until Reyes and Tower showed him multiple morgue reports of the mysterious shooter's victims. Page was horrified as they looked at the reports. Reyes' phone rang, and she left the room to take the call. Tower told Page, Nelson and Grotto that the DA's office was working on a profile for the killer and have given him a codename: The Punisher.
Later, at the Nelson and Murdock Law Office, Page handed Nelson a stack of bills, many of which were overdue. Nelson tried to joke about their troubles, but Page continued to study the morgue reports of the Punisher's victims. She mused aloud if she brought bad luck to herself and those around her, and wondered if the Punisher was after her. Nelson assured her that she had done nothing that deserved punishment, and offered to take her out for a cup of coffee.
Afterwards, Page visited Matt Murdock in his apartment to see how he was doing. When he met her at the door, he asked how she was doing. At first she said she was fine, then admitted that she was badly shaken after the events of the previous night. He comforted her and invited her in. She noticed a broken glass on the floor an wondered if he had been drinking. He assured her that he was fine, but she refused to back down, asking him how many times he could use walking into a door or falling as an excuse for his injuries.
When he reminded her that he was blind, she told him she wasn't an idiot. She agreed to let it go and then filled him on Nelson's meeting with Grotto and the DA. Murdock asked what Page thought of the Punisher, and she wondered if the city created him by cheering on Daredevil every time he took out a criminal. Murdock argued that there was no connection since Daredevil never killed anyone, but Page pointed out that no one knew if Daredevil ever did. Page told Murdock that she and Nelson both cared about him, and then left to help Foggy Nelson prepare his case.[20]
Losing Grotto[]
Page and Foggy Nelson accompanied Grotto to a warehouse, where Reyes and Tower had set up a sting operation to catch Edgar Brass. As Grotto complained about his wire and being relocated to Florida, Page reassured him that the operation would be fine. Nelson prepped Grotto on how to get Brass to incriminate himself. Grotto asked Page for a kiss for luck, and she responded by flipping him off. Grotto joked that he'd take what he could get.
Page asked Nelson if Murdock had contacted him, and Nelson responded that Matt Murdock was feeling better and was going to bed early. Grotto left to make contact with Brass as the others listened in. A technician reported that they had lost Grotto's signal, which Samantha Reyes blamed on his entering a metal shipping container. Page, sensing something was not right, was able to get the signal back, and as she listened, she realized that Grotto was being used as bait to lure out the Punisher.
They watched as heavily armed officers shot at a Dogs of Hell truck that barreled into the area. In the confusion, Grotto made a run for it. Page, seeing this on the monitor, tried to go after him, but Nelson stopped her, saying it was too dangerous. On the monitors, they watched as the Punisher was spotted on a rooftop, and was attacked by Daredevil. Reyes ordered the officers to shoot the Punisher, but they reported that they didn't have a clean shot. However, she repeated the order, which upset Nelson visibly. When the fight was over, Grotto, the Punisher, and Daredevil had all disappeared.
Page angrily confronted Reyes, accusing her of deliberately putting their client in harm's way in order to draw out the Punisher. She threatened to go public with the story, but Reyes coolly responded that if the story got out, she would make sure Nelson and Murdock were blamed for the botched sting operation. Reyes and Blake Tower left, and Page was furious at Nelson for not backing her up. Nelson calmly told her that there was nothing, legally, that they could do. Nelson told her he would call Murdock, and Page left for the office, thinking that Grotto might try to contact them there.
Grotto did indeed call the office, and Page took the call. She tried to convince him to come into the office, and that Nelson and Murdock would try to get the DA to honor the witness protection agreement. But Grotto told her that he was leaving the city for good. He told her to go to hell before hanging up.[20]
Meeting with Blake Tower[]
Later that night, Page visited Blake Tower in his office, and revealed that she had been researching Samantha Reyes' career. She pointed out that many of Reyes' assistant district attorneys had been forced out of their jobs because of work related scandals, but that, someone, Reyes was never implicated in any of the scandals. She asked Tower for any information he had on the Punisher. Tower loudly told her to leave and never come back, but he handed her a file folder.
Back at the office, page spread out the contents of the folder, which were the Punisher files. She made notes as she examined each item, and stopped, startled, when she came across an X-ray of a skull with a bullet hole.[21]
Page met Matt Murdock at his apartment so that they could attend Grotto's funeral together. She helped him with his tie. He joked that although he could not verify it, she seemed good at it. She responded that she often helped her brother. He was surprised to learn that she had a brother. He thanked her for helping him, and they left for the church. Foggy Nelson, Murdock and Page were the only three mourners at Grotto's funeral. Afterwards, she spoke to Father Paul Lantom, telling him that she hated to think of anyone dying alone. Murdock told Nelson and Page he would meet them back at the office, as he wanted to stay at the church awhile longer.[22]
Learning of Frank Castle[]
When Matt Murdock rejoined them at the office, Page shared with them the files Blake Tower had given her, and explained that in the middle of the morgue reports, she found an X-ray of a skull with a bullet wound. She explained that there might be more to the Punisher story than the DA's office is letting them know. Foggy Nelson insisted that they should not continue to look into it, worried about what the DA could do to their practice and what the Punisher might do to them personally. When Nelson left to answer the phone, Page asked Murdock what he thought about it all. He was distracted and admitted that he was thinking about Father Paul Lantom's eulogy. Then he told her that she was compassionate. When she joked that she was no saint, he told her he was very glad to hear it. Nelson called Murdock into his office to discuss a case with him. When Murdock left the room, Page took the Punisher files and left the office.
Page visited a janitor named George Bach at his place of employment. He was startled and upset when he saw her, but she told him she wanted to help him to get his job back, as a nurse at Metro-General Hospital. She offered to buy him a cup of coffee.
Outside, over coffee, Bach explained to Page that he was a nurse at Metro-General Hospital, and had been assigned to a John Doe who had been shot in the head. He was comatose and had no family or any visitors, besides people in black suits. Page, wearing a black suit herself, realized this was why he reacted so badly when she appeared. Bach further explained that there was a Do Not Resuscitate order filed for the patient, and that Bach was present when the doctor shut off his life support system. After flatlining for a full minute, the patient revived. The patient then grabbed Bach and told him to take him home. Bach did, although he knew it would probably get him fired. Page asked for the man's address.
Page took a taxi to the address Bach gave her and broke into the house. She found mail piled up near the front door's mail slot and dead flowers. There were toys on the floor. She picked up a toy flashlight to examine the house. She found a photo of a soldier receiving a medal, and a photo of a man, a woman, and two children on a carrousel at Central Park. She took the photo of the carrousel. She noticed a van pull up outside the house and left quickly.[22]
Rainy Night with Murdock[]
Foggy Nelson, Matt Murdock and Page met at Josie's Bar and watched a news report of Frank Castle's arrest. The newscaster reported that Officer Brett Mahoney had arrested him. The three drank a toast to Brett and to a safe Hell's Kitchen. Nelson approached the bar to buy them a round of shots, and Murdock and Page talked about how precious life was. Murdock asked her about her brother, and she told him he was sweet.
After the shots, Murdock and Nelson went outside, where it was raining heavily, while Page settled their tab. When she joined them outside, Nelson said he was going home, joking that someone had the terrible idea to do shots. After he left, Page asked Murdock if he minded the rain. When he answered that he didn't, she took his hand and walked him home.
They walked in the rain in silence, and when they reached his apartment building, they kissed. He asked her if he could take her to dinner the following night. She accepted immediately. They then said goodnight, and she hailed a cab, glancing back at him before getting in the taxi.[22]
Defending the Punisher[]
Researching Frank Castle[]
The following morning, Page arrived at the law office with three cups of coffee and newspapers. Foggy Nelson wanted to being working on cases, but Page asked if they could discuss the Punisher first. She complained that in all the newspaper stories, there was no mention of his family. When the two lawyers looked confused, she confessed that she had broken into Castle's home. They immediately and strongly voiced their displeasure, pointing out that it was dangerous and illegal, but she told them to stop lecturing her or she'd take their coffee back.
Nelson, exasperated, told her that they should let it go, and went into his office. Matt Murdock told Page that he wanted to make sure she was safe. She then mentioned how great the previous night had been and Murdock, joking, pretended to have no memory of it. He then admitted that it was great, and that he hoped that evening would be better. Suddenly, Nelson yells from his office, and comes back into the front room, telling them a large deposit had been made to their bank account.
Murdock explained that it was from a potential client, and warned them not to spend it, as he wasn't sure if it would work out. He then excused himself and left the office. Some time later, Blake Tower arrived at the office and asked to speak to Nelson privately. Page was annoyed that she was excluded from their conversation.
Frustrated that her concerns about Castle were not being taken seriously, Page visited Mitchell Ellison at the New York Bulletin office. He recognized her from Ben Urich's funeral, and she began to apologize to him about her suspicions that he had been Wilson Fisk's mole at the Bulletin, but he brushed it off. She then told him that she found the Bulletin's article on Frank Castle to be incomplete, citing the omission of any mention of his family and military record which was clearly impressive.
She asked permission to dig through the Bulletin's back issues to find any mention of the murder of the Castle family. Ellison agreed, providing that the Bulletin would have an exclusive to any story she dug up. He showed her to a storage office full of hard copies of papers, explaining that decades of electronic files were lost in "The Incident." As Page went to work, he chuckled, commenting that Urich was surely smiling down on them.
Page reading about a potential link in the story
Page was totally immersed in her research when Ellison returned, three hours later. Ellison helped her to narrow down the date range when the Castle family would have been killed, and together, they found a brief article that described a bloody shoot out between the Mexican Cartel, the Dogs of Hell, and the Kitchen Irish, at the Central Park Carousel. Page realized this was when the Castle family was killed. Ellison told her to confirm the facts. She took the newspaper and left to get ready for her dinner with Murdock.
Murdock and Page met at a restaurant, and they awkwardly discussed what they should drink and asked about each other's day. She excused herself, asking him to order something fantastic. When she returned, she found that Murdock had left their table, saying that he didn't like the restaurant. She hesitantly asked if it was the restaurant or her, and he assured her that she was not the problem. She told him she knew another place, and they left.
They continued their date at a much more casual Indian restaurant, where they were both more at ease. They joked about appreciating cheap stuff, and talked about her move from Vermont to New York City. Afterwards, he walked her back to her apartment, where they sat on the front stoop. They began kissing, and Page invited him up to her apartment. He gently turned her down, explaining that he had an ability to bring disaster to the best things in his life, and he wanted this evening to remain perfect. After agreeing to go on another date with him the following night, she went inside.[23]
The next morning, Page went to work at the Nelson and Murdock Law Office, where she and Nelson were met by Christopher Roth, the public defender assigned to Frank Castle's case. In Foggy Nelson's office, Roth asked Page to sign a witness statement describing the night Castle attacked Grotto at Metro-General Hospital. As she read the statement, she commented that it was full of inconsistencies.
Murdock arrived just as Roth was explaining that Samantha Reyes wanted to extradite Castle to Delaware, the site of a brutal attack by Castle on the Dogs of Hell. Delaware had the death penalty, and Reyes wanted Castle dead. Page then refused to sign the witness statement, saying it was too inaccurate. When Roth left, Page suggested that the firm defend Castle themselves. Murdock agreed, arguing that Reyes was trying to subvert justice and deny Castle a fair trial. Nelson was adamant that they stay away from the case, pointing out that because of Reyes, they had no more clients. Murdock asked Page if he could speak to Nelson alone, and she left Nelson's office.
Minutes later, Nelson opened the door of his office and asked her to grab her stuff, as they were all going to the hospital to speak to Castle. Once they arrived, they were shocked by how tight security was. On the floor where Castle was being held, they were met by Brett Mahoney, who revealed to them that he had been promoted. They explained that they wished to offer their legal services to Castle. Mahoney tried to dissuade them, but eventually took them through a second security check before letting them in to Castle's room. He warned them not to take anything from, or give anything to, Castle. He also told them that he would arrest them if they walked past a line that was taped around Castle's bed.
Page took Murdock's hand as they entered Castle's room. She was shocked to see how badly injured he was. The three tried to convince Castle to let them represent him, but he was reluctant, citing their defending Grotto. They explained to him that the D.A. had issued a do not resuscitate order on him when he was first shot, and also a shoot to kill order, and now was aggressively seeking the death penalty. He was still not convinced. Ignoring Mahoney's warning, Page rushed at Castle, holding the photo she had removed from his home. She angrily told him that someone was trying to cover up his family's murder, and that the three of them were the only ones who cared. He was surprised that she had been in his home. Murdock managed to pull Page away from Castle moments before Reyes arrived and angrily ordered them out of the room.
Reyes accused Nelson and Murdock of violating legal ethics by visiting Castle without permission from his attorney. Murdock argued that they had a right to pursue Castle as a potential client. When Reyes suggested this was a conflict of interest since the firm also represented Grotto, Nelson pointed out that all records of that case had disappeared from public record.
At this moment, Mahoney arrived, informing them that Castle had asked for Nelson and Murdock to be his lawyers from now on. The three excused themselves to an empty room when they discussed how to go forward with the case. There was a knock on the door, and a limousine driver informed them that his employer had sent a car service for Murdock. Murdock stammered, explaining that he had forgotten he had scheduled a meeting with the same wealthy potential client who deposited a large sum in their bank account. Before leaving, he kissed Page, prompting Nelson to ask if they were officially dating. Page responded that they weren't labeling it, and walked Murdock to the elevator bank.
They reminisced about their date the previous evening, and since she and Nelson had to go over Castle's files, and Murdock had to meet with the potential client, she suggested they postpone that evening's date to the following evening. Murdock left. Page returned to Nelson, where they reviewed the Punisher files. They were overwhelmed by the sheer number of charges against him. Although Nelson was very uncomfortable about meeting with a killer, they returned to Castle's room.[8]
Bonding with Castle[]
At first, Frank Castle was quiet and didn't answer Foggy Nelson's questions. Eventually, he declared that he was guilty, and would only speak with Page alone. Nelson was adamantly against this, but Page agreed. Once they were alone, she shared with him the Samantha Reyes' version of the events leading to his family's deaths, which he said was a lie. He then told her his version of the story, which was that they were enjoying a family outing at the carousel at Central Park when bullets began flying. He had figured out later that the three groups involved were the Mexican Cartel, the Dogs of Hell, and the Kitchen Irish. He expressed remorse that his job was to keep his family safe and he failed. Sensing how upset he was, Page offered to leave, but he asked her to stay.
He assured her that during his attack on Grotto at Metro-General Hospital, she was never in any danger, as he never hurt innocents. He explained to her that he was a scout sniper and that his training included avoiding any collateral damage. He then asked her about his visit to her house. To her surprise, he wasn't angry, but rather asked her to describe what she saw, because he hadn't been back since the murders. He described the way his children used to play, and Page shared with him that as a child, she played the same way. He thanked her for helping him remember them, and then told her she was free to ask him any questions she wanted.
Later, Nelson joined them, and explained that he got the best deal he could: no extradition to Delaware, and a life sentence with the possibility of parole after 25 years. He was unable to get the D.A. to agree to protective custody. Page was upset about this, saying that the criminals in the general population were out for The Punisher's blood, but Castle assured her that he could take care of himself. Nelson informed Castle that all he had to do was plead guilty, and that he'd never see anyone from Nelson and Murdock again.
However, when the arraignment was held in Castle's hospital room with Reyes and Judge Cynthia Batzer in attendance, he shocked them all by loudly and angrily declaring that he was not guilty. The D.A. was furious, and both Page and Nelson were stunned, not knowing what had gone wrong. Leaving the room, Nelson, still shocked, said he had to get a hold of Matt Murdock to let him know that the case was going to trial.[8]
First Legal Defense[]
At the New York State Supreme Court Building, Page along with Matt Murdock and Foggy Nelson agreed on a jury panel with Samantha Reyes and Blake Tower, to the obvious relief of Judge Cynthia Batzer. Back at the Nelson and Murdock Law Office, Page lamented on how badly organized the case files were. Murdock and Nelson agreed that the best defense they could give Frank Castle would be to prove that Castle was suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and was thus not responsible for his actions. Since Murdock would be busy working on an opening statement, Page offered to go the prison to meet with Castle to float the idea past him. Murdock warned her to be careful, telling her that he would say the same thing to Nelson or a Navy SEAL. Page promised to be careful and left for the prison.
After being screened by security, Page met with Castle. She asked him if he could provide a name for a character witness, someone preferably from his time in the United States Armed Forces, who could speak about what he had been through. Castle realized that they were going to pursue a PTSD defense and would not allow it, saying it was an insult to the veterans who actually did suffer from it. However, he did provide a character witness: Colonel Ray Schoonover, his former commanding officer. He and Page then began to look through the files about his family's murder to see if they could find anything that had previously missed.
Page returned to the law offices, to find Nelson working on Castle's defense. She told him that Castle would not allow a PTSD defense. She also told him that she and Castle looked at the autopsy report on Castle's family filed by the medical examiner, Doctor Gregory Tepper. According to Castle, the report was a fabrication. Nelson suggested that they cross examine Dr. Tepper and try to get him to admit that he falsified the autopsy report.[24]
Troubled First Day[]
The next morning, Page and Foggy Nelson are already at the courthouse, waiting for Matt Murdock, who had called to say he would be late. Page, exasperated by Murdock's recent behavior, asked Nelson what was going on with him. At that point the judge arrived and Reyes made her opening statement. Murdock still had no arrived, so Page encouraged Nelson to make the statement himself, which he did. Murdock arrived, clearly out of breath, as Nelson finished his statement.
In the hallway outside the courtroom, Page and Nelson angrily questioned Murdock about why he was so late. He apologized but gave no reason, instead complimenting Nelson on his opening statement. Page filled him in on Castle's assertion that Tepper had falsified the autopsy report, and Murdock suggested that they cross examine him after he took the stand the following day. Murdock also suggested that Page catch him up to speed that evening. Nelson reluctantly agreed, still clearly upset that Murdock had let him down. After Nelson returned to the law offices, Murdock told Page that he would make it up to both of them.
That evening, Murdock and Page enjoyed Thai food and wine while they made a plan for Tepper's cross examination. Murdock suggested that Page consider law school, but she said it was not a good fit. They reminisced about the night they first met, and Page mused aloud how both Murdock and the stranger in black had saved her that night.
She then asked Murdock if he believed in what Daredevil did. He replied that he believed in the law. They then discussed Castle's actions. Murdock believed that Castle clearly broke the law but that he needed help, not punishment. Page said that she wasn't sure if she agreed with what Castle did, but that it was clearly effective. This gave Murdock pause, and he asked her if she really believed that. At first she denied it, and then admitted that maybe she did. After an uncomfortable silence, Murdock suggested that they were both tired and should call it a night, promising a real date soon. Page left.[24]
Gregory Tepper's Confession[]
The following morning, at the courthouse, Blake Tower called Gregory Tepper to the stand to go over the autopsy reports of the fifteen members of the Kitchen Irish that Frank Castle had shot. Matt Murdock cross examined him, asking him how many death certificates he had signed. To everyone's surprise, Tepper asked the judge if he could make a statement.
Judge Cynthia Batzer cleared the courtroom, leaving only the prosecution, the defense, the judge, and the witness in attendance. Pepper admitted that he altered the autopsy reports of the Castle family, because men came to his office and threatened his family if he didn't. They also demanded he change the records of a John Doe who was killed during the same attack. He then admitted he was telling the truth now, because the night before, a woman with a foreign accent who had her face covered came to his home and demanded that he tell the truth or she would kill him.
Both the prosecution and the defense accused each other of sending people to threaten the medical examiner. Over Nelson and Murdock's objections, the judge ordered all of Tepper's testimony be stricken from the record. Once court was adjourned, Nelson stormed to the men's room, with Murdock following. Page could hear their raised voices yelling from the hallway. Nelson emerged, enraged, and when she asked what was going on, he told her to ask Murdock. After Murdock entered the hallway, she demanded answers, and was angry when he said it was between him and Nelson. He headed towards the elevator and she left separately, very angry.[24]
Ray Schoonover's Statement[]
The next morning, at the courthouse, only Foggy Nelson and Page are present for the defense. When Page asked Nelson why Matt Murdock was not there, he admits that he told him to stay home, adding that he didn't think he'd really do it. Page encouraged Nelson, telling him that he was a great lawyer and could handle questioning Ray Schoonover himself.
Nelson called Schoonover to the stand. Schoonover described Frank Castle as a hero, telling a story of how Castle saved his entire unit, including his commanding officer, against what seemed to be impossible odds. When Samantha Reyes cross examined him, she suggested that since the file was heavily redacted, perhaps not all the story was true. Schoonover surprised her by telling the courtroom that he knew it was true because he was the commanding officer that Castle saved. Page complimented Nelson, assuring him that Murdock could not have handled the cross examination better.[25]
Reassuring Castle[]
Nelson next called Dr. Andrew Lee, an expert on brain trauma, to describe the damage done to Castle's brain when he was shot in Central Park years ago. Castle muttered to Page that it sounded a lot like PTSD, but Page assured him it wasn't. Nelson continued to question Dr. Lee, who suggested that Castle suffered from Extreme Emotional Disturbance. Just then, a young man rose from his seat, loudly yelling that Castle had killed his father. The judge had the man removed and ordered the jury to disregard the outburst.
Later, Page visited Castle at prison and asked him to take the stand the next day. He agreed. Outside the courthouse, Page informed Nelson that Castle would testify. Nelson insisted that Murdock be the one to question him. Page disagreed, but Nelson convinced her to find Murdock and ask him to do it.
Page went to Murdock's apartment, where the door was opened by an old man. The man slid open the door to Murdock's bedroom, and Page was shocked to find a woman in Murdock's bed. He suggested they go someplace to talk, but she pulled away, informing him that Castle would take the stand the following day and that Nelson wanted Murdock to question him. She rushed off as the old man called out that it was nice to meet her.[25]
Punisher's Breakdown[]
In the courtroom the next day, the gallery was packed. Page and Foggy Nelson soberly wondered if Matt Murdock would show up. When he did, he tried to speak to Page, but she brushed him off and told him that Nelson wanted to speak with him.
Murdock called Frank Castle to the stand. As officers escorted Castle to the stand, Page frowned and told Nelson and Murdock that something wasn't right. Murdock tried to question Castle, but he was unresponsive, so Murdock asked permission to treat him as a hostile witness. After Murdock made an impassioned plea that the jury remember that Castle was a hero, Castle asked the judge if he could say something.
To everyone's surprise, Castle announced that he was glad he killed all those people are vehemently said he would do it again. Page was shocked. He repeatedly yelled that he was guilty. Castle was dragged off, screaming the entire time that he was The Punisher, winning Samantha Reyes the case and ensuring that he would be sent to Ryker's Island as a result of the outburst.
Outside the courthouse, Page expressed her shock to Nelson and Murdock, assuring them that Castle had acted completely differently the day before. Nelson angrily accused Murdock of provoking Castle by bringing up his vigilantism, but Murdock said he believed someone had gotten to Castle. Nelson angrily told them that he was glad they lost the case and stormed off. Murdock asked to speak to Page but she was furious. After saying that she wanted no excuses for what happened in court, she changed the subject by telling that she didn't care anymore what he was hiding, or if he was an alcoholic like she suspected, and that she was done with him, something I had planned before all that because he didn't want trouble. She told him that the city did need heroes, but he wasn't one of them.[25]
The Punisher's Escape[]
Disbanding of Nelson and Murdock[]
Page arrived late to the office and was surprised to find Nelson packing up. She showed him photographs from the Central Park massacre, which showed: in one shot, a body on the ground, and in the next, the body missing. Page said that there is no death certificate for the man. She suggested that looking into this could help rebuild Nelson and Murdock, but Nelson told her that Nelson and Murdock are no more. She notified Nelson that when she went to Murdock's apartment to speak to him about the Castle case, she found a woman in his bed. She told him that she is tired of being lied to, and suggested that finding out the truth about the Castle case could help her. Nelson recommended that she start thinking of a life outside of Nelson and Murdock.
Page and Ellison learning of Tepper's secrets
At the New York Bulletin office, Mitchell Ellison greeted Karen and wanted to know all about the Castle trial, since she was there. She showed him the photos of the Central Park massacre and had to explain about Dr. Gregory Tepper's testimony since it was stricken from the record. Ellison suggested that the both of them pay Tepper a visit. Page and Ellison visited Dr. Tepper, who admitted that he made all records of the John Doe from the massacre disappear on orders from men who were threatening him. Because of a series of numbers inside the man's shoe, he recognized him as an undercover cop.
Back at the New York Bulletin, Ellison offered Page Ben Urich's old office, and told her to start working on the story. On Urich's desk was a file on Page, which included a newspaper article about a teenager killed in a car accident. Page began crying when she saw it, but Ellison says Urich didn't care about the file and neither did he.[6]
Blacksmith Assassinations[]
Page and Murdock taking cover
Page, Foggy and Murdock arrive at he courthouse, getting summoned by District Attorney Samantha Reyes. They are taken through security individually by Agent Gallagher and then shown in to Reyes' office. Tower would ask for Page, Nelson and Murdock's help in finding the Punisher. Murdock hears a gun being cocked and screams for everyone to get down, knocking Page over and covering her with his own body. Bullets shoot into the room, wounding Nelson on the arm and killing Reyes.
Page and Tower would visit Nelson in the hospital, where they talked about the Punisher which Blake tells them that he leaving town and suggests that they do the same. Page offers to accompany Nelson to the hospital but he assures her that he will be fine.
Page would arrive at the New York Bulletin, to find that Mitchell Ellison is thrilled to find out she was there, and then concerned about how shaken up she is. She asserts that Castle did not do the shooting, but Ellison is not convinced. They both realize that Gregory Tepper is in danger and leave to find him.
Page and Ellison arrive at Tepper's apartment to find that they are too late, Tepper has been murdered. Page, seeing the chaotic scene, assures Ellison that this is not Castle's style, but Ellison accuses her of being too personally involved in the story to be objective. Ellison feels it's their responsibility to warn the New York City Police Department of any other people who might be in danger. When Page offers to go to her apartment to retrieve her files, Ellison insists she has police protection. When she complains that he never would have treated Ben Urich this way, he soberly tells her that he'll never make that mistake again.[26]
Page would return to her apartment, where she would find two police officers stand guard outside as she looks for her files on The Punisher. She hears something and when she calls out to the officers, there is no response. She pulls a .380 from her dresser drawer right before Castle appears. Although he repeatedly tells her that he didn't shoot Reyes, she holds the gun on him, threatening to shoot if he doesn't raise his hands. Suddenly, gunfire erupts, and Castle knocks Page to the ground, shielding her with his own body. He sarcastically asks her if she believes him now before the two escape.[26]
Page would give a statement to Brett Mahoney, She agrees to police protection, and leaves with two officers. She is met by Murdock, who was worried about her. Outside of earshot of the police, she admits that Frank Castle saved her when she was attacked. She tells him that she believes the Blacksmith is targeting her since she and Ellison began digging into the Massacre at Central Park. When she is ready to leave, Murdock wants to go with her, but she tells him that she is not his to protect.
Page checks into a hotel room after it is searched and declared safe by the police. Once the police leave to station themselves outside, she leaves for the parking garage. She finds Castle in her car, listening to an old cassette tape that Ben Urich left her with the car. Although she is worried about lying to the police, she leaves with Castle.
Page would meet Castle in a diner, and as he drinks black coffee, they discuss how they might find The Blacksmith. Changing the subject, he compliments her on her choice of gun, and says he's surprised she didn't shoot him. Castle then asks her about Murdock, guessing correctly that she is in love with him. When she argues that Murdock hurts people, Castle tells her that he would give anything to have his wife hurt him again. He then tells her to get the waitress and cook, and for them to hide under the biggest piece of steel they can find. He points out that a Buick that had been circling the diner had just parked.
Karen and Castle would get attacked by men, but he brutally fights them off. He interrogates one of them, viciously beating him until he reveals The Blacksmith's location. Castle kills the men and tells Page to leave and get protective custody. Page, badly shaken and disgusted by the violence, calls the police.[27]
The next morning, Page is approached by Mahoney, who tells her that she should go home while the police collect evidence from Frank Castle's assault on the ship. She is told that there is no way Castle could have survived the blaze. She is horrified to see the burnt bodies being bagged and tagged, including Gosnell who had some clearly noticeable facial scars.
Page would return to New York Bulletin to meet with Ellison, who is relieved that she's all right. She claims she no longer has a story to research, considering Castle is dead. Page is asked leading questions until she reveals her frustration that no one knows about the real Castle, not the vigilante, but the father, husband, and war hero. Ellison tells her to write that story instead.
In order to research her story, Page visits the home of Ray Schoonover. She asks him about what Castle was like as a man, and he reminisces happily about the time they spent together in the service, telling her about Castle's impressions and how he would sing kids' songs. As she looks at the photos on the wall, she recognizes a soldier starting with Schoonover and Castle as one of the bodies from the attack at the pier. Schoonover would explain that the man's name is Gosnell, and was loyal to him even after his military service. Page then realized that Schoonover is involved somehow, she tells him she has everything she needs for the story and attempts to leave. Schoonover pulls a gun on her and calmly tells her that Castle murdered Gosnell.
Page is forced into a car by Schoonover. When she turns it on, an old cassette of Ben Urich's is playing. Page realizes it is a message from Castle. Schoonover directs her to drive along a darkened road and to pull over. When she does, a car crashes into the passenger side of her car.
Page regains consciousness at the scene of the car crash, and sees Castle dragging an injured Schoonover away. She pleads with him not to kill Schoonover, who mocks Castle, telling him that none of this is about Central Park, it's about what happened in Kandahar. Page pleads with him one last time, angrily telling him that if he kills Schoonover, he will be dead to her. Castle would respond that he's already dead before he shuts the door.[28]
As an attempt to lure out Daredevil to kill him, the Hand, under the orders of Nobu Yoshioka had kidnapped everyone Daredevil had saved and put away, including Page and Turk Barrett. Page discovers that Barrett is under house arrest, which Page has the idea that the Police were monitoring him. But Barrett revealed that he had tampered with the device so that the police could not track him, but is convinced when after seeing a hostage being executed by Tyler.
Under the supervision of Tyler and the rest of the Hand soldiers, Jerry's corpse was removed from the vehicle before Page, Barrett and the other hostages were ordered to step out and follow them inside a warehouse elevator and taken upstairs. As Page and Barrett would be placed beside each other, they overheard the arrival of two New York City Police Department offices who had eventually tracked down Barrett location at the Hand's hideout. Before they could enter the warehouse, they were both shot and killed with the Hand's arrows, but fortunately, the second officer was able to give a call out on the radio in time.
Page looking up at the roof of the warehouse
One of the Hand's men discovered the tracker on Barrett's ankle but the latter claimed that it was a family heirloom while Page attempted to convince them it was nothing to be concerned about. The men were not easily fooled and proceeded to draw a knife and try to cut slice off Barrett's foot. But Daredevil arrived and saved Page and the other hostages by using his billy club to subdue the kidnappers. Page and the other hostages emerge from the building to find Mahoney and a squadron of police waiting for them. Page tells Mahoney that the abduction was just a trap to lure out Daredevil. Mahoney orders lights to be shone on the building. Nelson arrives, and is shocked when Page tells him about the trap set for Daredevil.[29]
Murdock's Duel Identity[]
Writing Article[]
"What is it, to be a hero? Look in the mirror and you'll know. Look into your own eyes and tell me you are not heroic, that you have not endured, or suffered or lost the things you care about most. And yet, here you are a survivor of Hell's Kitchen the hottest place anyone's ever known. A place where cowards don't last long. So you must be a hero. We all are. Some more than others, but none of us alone. Some bloody their fists trying to keep the Kitchen safe. Others bloody the streets in the hope they can stop the tide, the crime, the cruelty the disregard for human life all around them."
At Josie's Bar, Page and Nelson have drinks together. She remarks on how sad it feels with Murdock not with them, but then congratulates Nelson on his new job. He promises her they will always be friends before settling Nelson and Murdock's tab with Josie.
At the New York Bulletin office, Ellison is surprised to find Page there, since it's Christmas Eve. She still has writer's block. He convinces her to write a story only she can, from her point of view. He gives her a bottle of Scotch and then leaves. Page writes a story about heroes, suggesting that her readers look in the mirror, because all New Yorkers are heroes.[29]
"Karen, I should've told you. You have every right to be angry." "Yeah. I should be. I should be really angry at you. But I watched you fight for me. Twice, actually. You know I dreamed about that? I played it over in my mind again and again, and I keep... How can I be this mad at someone who saved my life?" "Because he's your friend and you care for him and he broke your trust."
Page was asked by Murdock to meet him at the old Nelson and Murdock Law Office, which she reluctantly agreed to. Page was waiting for Murdock, which he was nervous to tell her and he had something to show her, though Page told him that she did not want whatever it was. But Murdock insisted and eventually pulled out his Daredevil helmet. Page looked at the new revelation in shock and Murdock revealed that he was Daredevil.[29]
Still shocked by the revelation, Page later visited Murdock at his apartment and tried to talk with him about the way he sees. Murdock explained that although he cannot see by conventional means, he can sense things what ordinary people cannot, demonstrating it by telling where Page were beforehand using his enhanced smell. Page found it to be rather humiliating, which Murdock also could sense by listening to her heartbeat. She felt like she was supposed to be angry at Murdock for keeping such a secret from her but she also felt extremely grateful for saving her life twice, from Rance and the Hand. Page asked Murdock how was she supposed to be angry at someone who saved her life, to which Murdock replied that he did broke Page's trust regardless, which did not make her feel any better.
When Murdock poured her a drink, Page asked Murdock why he did not trust her with his secret, claiming that she would not judge him, just like she did not judge Frank Castle. Murdock, however, felt like Page probably should judge Castle, since he was a killer, while Murdock was not. Page said that he cannot always know what motivates people, but Murdock claimed that he knows when people lie to him, since he can listen to their heartbeat. Murdock then promised to Page that he will never lie to her again and let her ask whatever she wanted, so Page asked Murdock where does he hide his suit. Murdock then showed Page his suit and told her that he will abandon his life as Daredevil, which Page found hard to believe after everything she saw. Murdock allowed Page to feel his heartbeat and assured her that Daredevil is no longer a part of him, and although Page wanted to believe him, she could not help but feel that Daredevil was not the problem, but Murdock himself.[30]
In 2016, Page was contacted by Danny Rand from Rand Enterprises. Rand exclusively revealed to Page that following recent reports about Rand Enterprises Chemical Plant in Staten Island's plant possibly causing illness in people he decided to shut it down until they could prove Rand's plant was not the source of the illness. Page wrote an article called "Rand Chooses Right" and told Rand she liked the idea.[31]
"You know, as complicated as I feel about all this stuff, I just I feel like you should know. The NYPD is prevailing. I report on it every day, and the crime rate's down. I really think that Daredevil may have made the city a safer place." "He might have. But right now, the city's better off without him."
Page met with Matt Murdock after winning the James v. Berkowitz case. Both dined at the Metro Diner, where each asked about the other's livelihoods and the status of their relationship; Page questioned whether Murdock missed the life as the vigilante, to which he answered that he has moved past it. Later, they conversed over the court case for her article.[32]
"I don't need your protection, Matt. Whatever it is you're doing, or Daredevil is doing, I'm not a part of it anymore. So..." "That may be the case, yeah. Unfortunately, it doesn't matter if you're a part of Daredevil's world or not, because they may be coming after Matt Murdock's, too."
Staying overnight at the New York Bulletin Building, Page was visited by Matt Murdock. When asked why he had visited, he answered that she could be danger; after elaborating that the people could harm the loved ones of Matthew Murdock, Page expressed her frustration over his actions and the lie prior to the visit. She, however, joined him and was brought to the 29th Precinct Police Station and was eventually reunited with Foggy Nelson.[33] Later, Murdock was brought in after being found with Jessica Jones and Luke Cage. Murdock told Page that he couldn't escape Daredevil before leaving to finish the mission. Nelson told Page that he gave Murdock the suit in hopes that when it is over, he would return to a normal life. Page was writing a story when the power went out. Mitchell Ellison called her asking if the lights were out at the precinct.[34]
"I can't shake this feeling, like it's... like it's not real. Or... Or even if it is, it's like it... like it's not over, because they're still digging, right?"
While the Defenders out, Page made a bulletin wall of evidence. Trish Walker approached her and talked about the threat. Suddenly, Foggy Nelson and Malcolm Ducasse ran in telling them the Defenders were located at Midland Circle. Walker noted that it was the epicenter of the earthquake. Later, they sat around the radio as the dispatcher ordered the police to evacuate Midland Circle. Soon, Midland had collapsed. Page and Nelson eagerly waited for the Defenders to return. One by one, each member arrived and rejoiced with their close friends. Page and Nelson watched the door, waiting for Murdock, only for him not to return. Page couldn't watch anymore as she buried her face into Nelson arms, crying.
At Clinton Church, Page lit a candle while Nelson walked up to her. She explained how she is having trouble realizing he is really dead. Nelson comforted her, but kept optimism that maybe Murdock made it out. They then sat in the pew.[35]
"I wanna help, but not if it's gonna get someone killed." "Hey, look, I didn't go looking for this guy, all right? He came to me. For all I know, this guy has something to do with what happened to my family."
Walking home, a bearded man begged for spare change from Page. After gifting him with money, he thanked her by name, to which he revealed to be Frank Castle. She invited him inside her home. Sharing a beer, the two conversed on passed time since their last interaction. When Castle questioned if she spoke of his existence, Page denied it, saying that she would never compromise him. She also accepted that she would help dig around at the New York Bulletin for any articles or records of a man by the name Micro, agreeing to communicate through a note in a bouquet of flowers.
Page ventured through boxes of archived newspaper printed by the Bulletin when she is visited by Mitchell Ellison, whom asked what the reporter was doing. She answered that she had been exploring for any known articles for a reliable source, keeping their identity secret. Asking Ellison about anything on a man named "Micro," Page was given the answer that he had written and made plans to publish an article on an agent caught leaking top-secret information but had never went public with it. In disbelief, she asked for the truth, to which he added that the Bulletin had received a personal visit by Carson Wolf and told that publication of the article would hinder his investigation, Ellison waiting for a better story to come forward. Afterwards, Page was gifted the unpublished article kept in Ellison's office.
Later that evening, she reunited with Castle by the river. Before she revealed what she had, Page questioned what his plans were for Micro. After a brief tantrum, she gave Castle a slip of paper and disclosed that the man was David Lieberman, former NSA agent whom supposedly died. As he expressed appreciation for her help, Page then asked when they could meet again, so she could be reassured that he was still alive after his new agenda.[36]
The day after the incident at the docks, Page was brought in and interrogated by Agent Dinah Madani. The two spoke in confidentiality about the situations that went on through their lives, Madani mentioning Page being set-up for murder, aiding in the arrest of Wilson Fisk, her time spent with Nelson and Murdock, and became an active reporter for the New York Bulletin. Page then met with Castle by the bridge. She tries to convince him to allow either her or Madani to expose the criminals he is hunting but he refuses. Castle does not want Page to become a target like his family.[37]
"I know this city will pull together like it has so many times before. The Bulletin may have printed his words, but we've also given his letter to the FBI, because we have faith in the institutions that he seeks to destroy. We must not tolerate those who use violence to communicate. This man is not a patriot. He's a coward, a terrorist."
Page received a letter from Lewis Wilson, as he believed that Page would support him because of her defense of Frank Castle during his trial. Page showed the manifesto to Mitchell Ellison, who insisted on notifying the FBI. Wilson wanted Page to print the manifesto as a call to arms, and threatened the paper and its staff if they did not. Page wanted to print the letter with a posted reply, and Ellison agreed to print an editorial if the FBI allowed it.
Page printed her reply to Wilson, where she called him a coward and terrorist. She then went as a guest on a radio talk show, the Ricky Langtry Show, alongside Senator Stan Ori. During the talk show, Page was threatened by Wilson.[38]
"No, look, honestly, I... I can appreciate what you're doing here, but... rhetoric and real lives, those things are worlds apart." "They don't have to be." "Oh, says the man who in an hour will be downstairs with New York liberals who paid $10,000 a plate to support his campaign."
Page met with Senator Stan Ori moments before his approaching speech. The two conversed over their differentiating viewpoints on limiting accesses to firearms. Unexpectedly, both collapsed to the ground, as an explosion blows the door to pieces.
Hearing as the hired security guards are shot dead by Lewis Wilson, Page hid behind a turnover chair and discovered her gun was missing, while Ori cowered over to Page. She soon begged Wilson not to kill the senator when Frank Castle entered the room and quickly disarmed the attacker. Reclaiming her gun, she and Ori darted for the door; Ori, however, pushed Page into Wilson's arms and was taken hostage. Wilson dragged Page towards the elevator, where three Anvil guards raised their weapons, only for Wilson to reveal he had a suicide vest with a deadman switch, forcing them to let him into the elevator.
Page remained Wilson's hostage as they got off at the hotel basement, where two police officers forced them into the kitchen. Releasing Page, Wilson then began to pace back and forth, unsure of what to do. After calming himself with a quote from his drill sergeant, Wilson blamed Page for not supporting him when he sent her the letter. In an attempt to get him to stand down, Page agreed that the public deserved to hear his story. Castle then entered the kitchen, forcing Wilson to grab Page and threaten her with the bomb. While keeping Wilson's attention on him, Castle subtly told Page to pull the white wire, indicating with his head if her fingers got the right wire before confirming if she had her gun in her purse. On Castle's signal, Page pulled the wire before shooting Wilson's right foot, at which Castle pulled her away from the troubled man, who locked himself in the freezer. As Castle struggled to open the door, Page checked outside the kitchen and saw Brett Mahoney with a squad of ESU waiting outside and insisted she and Castle flee. Castle insisted she leave but she refused to abandon him. He soon got Page out of the way as Wilson committed suicide.
Page and Castle survive Wilson's explosion
To ensure Castle could escape, Page allowed him to take her hostage at gunpoint to hold off the police waiting outside as he headed for the elevator. There, Page was released, no longer needing to pretend being a hostage, and forced the lift to stop mid-descent, allowing Castle to leave through the emergency exit and find a safe way out of the building.
In the aftermath, Page was escorted back to Ori's quarters to be interviewed by Mahoney, where she was intercepted by Madani, who insisted on talking to Page for a minute. Madani, reminding Page of their previous conversation regarding trust, stated that she knew Castle was alive the whole time and didn't tell her. Page retorted that Madani didn't tell her she knew. Madani then revealed that powerful people want Castle dead and would use this incident as an excuse to hunt him down and kill him. However, if she is to take them down, she needs Castle alive, so she gives Page her card with her contact information so Castle could reach her. Page then said Castle wasn't what everyone believes him to be, given that he saved her life again, to which Madani said was what they had in common.
Page then proceed to meet Mahoney, whom had previously interviewed Ori, who claimed that Castle and Wilson were working together and that the Senator ran for help. Page retorted that Ori was a political opportunist seeking to spin this incident to his advantage, and reminded Mahoney of Castle's character. After recounting what her version of events, Mahoney remarked he might arrest her for aiding and abetting Castle's escape.[39]
Several months after Matt Murdock's disappearance, Page kept paying for Murdock's rant believing that he would return. Page invited Foggy Nelson to Murdock's apartment to talk about his friend possibly being alive, but Nelson was starting to lose hope that he may still be alive.[30]
Following a massacre at a restaurant in Harlem called Gwen's, Page wrote an article about it and even got an inside scoop that there was a survivor, despite the police thinking everyone had died.[40]
"We were walking to the car, and these two men grabbed my father. They tried to put him into this van to kidnap him. We only got away because the other guy attacked him." "What other guy? You said there's another guy?" "Yeah. He came out of nowhere. He had this black mask over his face."
Months later, Page was assigned by Ellison to write an article about Rostam Kazemi and his daughter Neda which were attacked and almost kidnapped. However, Page tries to refuse because she investigates the situation with Midland Circle. Ellison insists that she needs to keep working on current articles.
Page met with Neda at the Riverbank Medical Center to speak about the attack but Neda refused to say anything, fearing people's attention. Page stated that people just come up with their own version, comparing this with times when all citizens of Fagan Corners used to think that Page killed her own brother. Neda then told her about the man in the black mask who saved them. Page went to see Nelson at Nelson's Meats and informed Nelson that Murdock was probably alive and still saving people but Nelson not believing her.[42]
Investigating Fisk[]
Page having dinner with Ellison's family
"I don't give a shit about credit on this one. What I give a shit about is Fisk getting out of prison. We have to do something... I have to do something about this. So don't tell me to back off, 'cause I won't."
Page attended a family dinner with Ellison and his family in their house. However, during dinner, Page and Ellison learned that Wilson Fisk was released from Ryker's Island. Ellison ordered Page to stay away from this story because she could be biased. Page did not listen and went to Presidential Hotel, speaking with Ray Nadeem. Page was told that Fisk was not released as he was still a convicted prisoner. Page did not agree with Nadeem's decision and he told her about FBI agents who died during the ambush, proposing a story for her to write about them.
Page informed Ellison that the Presidential Hotel was owned by Rostam Kazemi who was attacked by criminals. Page told him her theory that Fisk managed to purchase the hotel from Kazemi through off-shore companies. Ellison decided to take the story away from Page, but she says that she won't stop to work on this.[43]
Learning that Murdock is Alive[]
Page did more research on Wilson Fisk's corruption of the FBI when Foggy Nelson walked in. Nelson told her that he had to talk about Matt Murdock. Page was told that Murdock was alive. She ran to his apartment angry at Murdock for letting them think he was dead. However, she only to find that there was no one there. Nelson claimed that there was something missing with Murdock. Page said that Murdock made his choice and will not leave room for them. Page then left saying she will not wait for Murdock. Instead, she will continue her research.
At night, Page was walking home when she saw men carrying a woman off and harassing her. Page had enough and walked over, pulling out a gun. All men except one ran, who said it did not have to go down that way. Page told him it was a friendly reminder that he could get his head blown off. He then ran away leaving Page to catch her breath. She continued to walk, but stopped at Tanya Mills house to talk about Red Lion National Bank. She wanted to confirm that Fisk was laundering money from there. Mills threatened to call Mitchell Ellison, but after convincing, she told Page about Felix Manning.[44]
"Well, instead of letting Fisk use you and the FBI to retaliate against lawyers who put him in prison, why don't you ask him if he hired a fixer named Felix Manning to launder money through Red Lion? Ask him if he's the true owner of a shell company called Vancorp."
Page met with Felix Manning who simply told her that he knew about her past as a drug addict. He said he does not stop problems, he makes them. Page left in a hurry, thinking she was being followed. Her thoughts came true when a car pulled up. She quickly grabbed her gun, but stood down when she heard they were FBI.
She told them she had a gun and permit. They took the gun as she complied. She was then brought to Matt Murdock's Apartment where Ray Nadeem interrogated her. He asked about her past with Matt Murdock, who was wanted. Nadeem then brought up James Wesley, who was dead. Page grew worried as she had killed him. Page dodged the conversation by bringing up Felix Manning and Red Lion National Bank.. She also told him it was a shell company for Vancorp. Nadeem asked where she got information and she said she asks questions for a living. Page claimed that Wilson Fisk bought the Presidential Hotel, then left as she was not under arrest.
Page rushed over to see Foggy Nelson and was worried less about Matt Murdock and more about "something worse." Nelson wanted her to tell him, but she needed attorney client privilege. Nelson told her to give him $5. Page then confessed to killing Wesley.[45] Nelson claimed it to be self-defense, but she admitted she shot him seven times because she wanted him dead. She then drowned her sorrows in alcohol.[9]
Reunited with Matt[]
Page wakes up
"On the books, Evans is in solitary. In reality, he's been set free." "Can you prove that?" "Yeah, if I can find him. Get him to talk to you. Bulletin publishes the details. Fisk is exposed. And the FBI will be forced to send him back to prison. So, yeah, you're right. I came to you 'cause I needed something."
The next morning, Page woke up with a hangover and got ready. She then heard something in the other room: an intruder. She walked over with a weapon only to find Daredevil. Murdock removed his mask and Page simply told him that he needed to pay her back for his rent.
She made coffee while Murdock explained that he had been staying at the place he grew up. She asked him if he wanted coffee and he simply said if she wanted to yell at him, she could go ahead. Page brought up her old neighbor whose wife died. She went over to talk about what happened. Murdock talked about Wilson Fisk staged the prison attack on himself. The man who did the attack was let off free, whose name was Jasper Evans. Murdock asked for her help and Page refused then brought up the rent again.[9]
Meeting Maggie Grace[]
"Wears you out, doesn't it? Saving him from himself." "Yeah. I don't think I can do it anymore. I think I'm done."
Page went to the New York Bulletin for a meeting with Mitchell Ellison who talked to all editors. In the meeting, she looked up information on Jasper Evans. Later, she met with Foggy Nelson, angry that Murdock asked her. Nelson thought she should help on the condition that Matt Murdock turned himself in to get the FBI off of their backs. Nelson knew that they should not bail on Murdock and that was why they should help him. Page said that Murdock was staying at the place he grew up. Nelson told her it was Saint Agnes Orphanage. Page went to the orphanage and Clinton Church, asking to speak to Murdock. She was told to meet with Sister Maggie Grace. Page did and Grace did not know where he was, but they talked about their troubles with Murdock. Grace talked about his troubled childhood and how he was plagued by nightmares.
Page walked into Evans' home and found a man outside who patted her don and demanded $80 to give her drugs. She did this to get in. She found many people using heroin on her way up and even saw an old woman watching television. She asked a dozed off man where Evans was. Evans overheard and rudely asked why. He told everyone to get out before a man attacked Page. Suddenly, Daredevil arrived and held Evans down, knocking him out. Page asked if Murdock was okay and asked why he needed her if he knew the location. She agreed to help him, but after he turned himself in. He was okay with it.
Page had the idea of getting Evans to the New York Bulletin to speak about what Wilson Fisk had him do. Evans refused because Fisk would kill his son. Evans explained that his son was doing drugs with him in prison and he needed to help his son. Page did not care and told him to do it and he could run far away with his son.[9]
At the New York Bulletin, Page set Jasper Evans up to talk. Mitchell Ellison apologized for not trusting Page. Suddenly, there were screams outside. Page opened the door to find a man dressed as Daredevil killing her colleagues. She ran back inside and quickly grabbed her gun while Ellison demanded to know what was going on. She held the gun, waiting for the attacker. The door opened, but it was Foggy Nelson trying to hide. When "Daredevil" arrived, he threw an object, knocking the gun out of Page's hand. He then impaled Ellison before knocking out Nelson. He casually walked over to Page, took the gun and shot Evans. He told Page it was nice to see her before dismantling the gun and leaving, sparing her life.
Page found Matt Murdock in his black Daredevil suit bloodied and stabbed after he fought the impostor. She tried to make sure he was okay, but he had to leave before the FBI came. Page sat down next to Evans dead body as Agent Ray Nadeem walked in. He looked at her and then at Evans' body. An officer ran in asking what happened. Nadeem responded that it was Daredevil.[9]
Page was taken to the FBI along with her lawyer, Foggy Nelson. Special Agent Ray Nadeem showed them a recording that was captured at the attack. Specifically the part where "Daredevil" told Page that it was nice to see her again. Nadeem thought that "Daredevil" knew her, but Page claimed he did not. Nadeem brought up the articles that Page wrote saying she met him at least twice. Page told him that she met the real Daredevil, not this one. Nadeem claimed to look him in the face and saw it was Daredevil.
Page claimed that Daredevil does not kill people, so it is not Daredevil. She asked if Nadeem ever got to the leads she gave him and he admitted that it was on his to-do list. He brought up that Page was the only person that he did not lay a finger on, which was suspicious despite Page claiming that she did not have anything to do with it. Nadeem asked where Matt Murdock was and Nelson brought up that it had nothing to do with the conversation. Nadeem further talked saying Murdock was supposed to be there, but was not. There were zero Murdock's in his custody. Page spoke up saying there were also zero Jasper Evans' alive. She brought up that "Daredevil" killed the one guy that had dirt on Wilson Fisk. She went further saying the man did Nadeem a favor because Evans was the one person who could prove that Fisk was making a fool of the FBI.
Page looks at the victims' phones
Nadeem repeated the question: did Page know "Daredevil" was going to attack the Bulletin? Nelson had enough and told Page to leave with him. As they walked off, Nelson asked if Page was okay. They walked by the evidence table and heard all of the phones ringing from the victims' belongings. She stood over the phones, thinking she was responsible, but Nelson said it was on Fisk. Page wanted to go to the hospital as she wanted to make sure people were okay.
Page met with Mitchell Ellison at the hospital and found Carla walking out. Ellison greeted her, saying he was doing better. Ellison brought up that Amber was brain dead. Ellison wanted her to write down everything she knew about Daredevil, but Page claimed it was not Daredevil. Ellison asked how she knew, then realized it was because she knew who Daredevil was. Ellison started getting angry and threatened to fire her if she did not tell him the truth.
Page calls her father
A saddened Page sat in her car, contemplating about what to do. She looked up the route to Vermont on her phone and finally decided to call her father after many years. Her father was worried about her after he heard what happened on the news. Page asked if she could come home, but he told her the timing was not great. Before hanging up, he said she could call anytime. Page starting crying and said she tried to do the right thing, but it went all wrong. Her father simply said that was what she does, still not forgiving her for what happened.[46]
A Meeting with the Kingpin[]
"I wonder what would be worse for you. His duplicity or his death? He died quickly. If you were wondering. Didn't suffer much. You see, Wilson, Matt Murdock isn't the person you should be worried about. I killed Wesley. I shot him seven times. Because the clip ran out. He deserved more."
A saddened Page was drowning her misery when Foggy Nelson arrived with a way to take down Wilson Fisk. Page did not want to do it because she figured Fisk already thought of it. After convincing, Page agreed to help Nelson at a debate. Later, Page sat in her car and drove away after seeing protesters against Daredevil. She blew off Nelson and went to Presidential Hotel in hopes of talking to Fisk. She told the guards she was writing a story on Marlene Vistain.
Page walked into Fisk's "prison" only to find expensive decorations and Fisk in a white suit. Page remarked that it was offensive. Fisk slowly walked down the stairs and asked if she wanted tea. He then offered her to sit down saying if she came for words, at least do so. Fisk realized she was not writing an article on his mother. Fisk brought up how Page worked for Ben Urich and tried to condescend her. However, Page boldly revealed that she met Vistain along with Urich, which Fisk did not know about her involvement.
Fisk asked how it was around the New York Bulletin, so Page asked how he felt about the murder of his father, as she knew he did it. Fisk started getting mad and uneasy. Fisk revealed why he let her in. He had a few questions of his own. He brought up Matt Murdock and when Page's eyes perked up, he knew Murdock was Daredevil. He used this against her. Page then dropped the hammer and revealed that she murdered James Wesley. She teased him about losing his best friend as Fisk tried to hold back his rage. As Fisk stood up, the FBI came in, but instead of arresting Fisk, they arrested Page. She looked up to find Nelson in the room. He revealed that he told them she wanted to kill him so that she would not get injured. Her and Nelson argued as they walked out and she revealed she wanted Fisk to lash out emotionally. Nelson worried it will only get worse from there.[47]
"I can help you." "Yeah, no, you don't want me anywhere near you right now." "Trust me. The church has been helping people hide for 2,000 years. Hide here."
Page returned to her apartment to pack up as she had to leave town. Foggy Nelson tried to get her to stop, but she already made up her mind saying not to bother paying the rent. She also claimed to betray Matt Murdock by accidentally revealing to Wilson Fisk that he was Daredevil. The two hugged goodbye before Page left.
She met with Sister Maggie Grace and asked where Murdock was only for her to say he was not coming back. She explained that she was his mother and he finally found out. Page was left speechless, but still wanted to warn Murdock before she left town. Grace figured she was in danger and she offered sanctuary at the church for her to hide.[48]
Page set up in the basement of the church and hid when she heard footsteps. When she found it was Father Paul Lantom, she came out. He offered to have her come upstairs for mass, but she did not want to. Lantom gave her a talk about her troubled soul and even figured out that she had a troubled past. Page asked what to do when you realized you lost. Lantom brought up how Murdock went to see him after finding out about Grace. Murdock blamed Lantom for lying to him and Lantom understood and had to find a way to live with it. He told her that she should go to mass before leaving.
Page stood in the back during mass. Suddenly, a man called out her name, that being "Daredevil." He started killing innocent people as Page hid. She finally came out to stop innocent deaths. "Daredevil" took the billy club, saying hello. He then prepared to the the club, but Matt Murdock in his suit came from behind and they started fighting. Murdock was knocked down and "Daredevil" threw the club as Page closed her eyes. She heard impact and looked up to find Lantom in front of her, taking the hit, and dying. He collapsed into Page's arms telling Murdock to forgive him. Page whispered to Murdock to get "Daredevil" away so she could get everyone out.
As the two fought, Page planned to distract as others made it out. Page started running down the aisle, dodging his billy club throw. Page saw "Daredevil" beating up Murdock and called for him. She then hid as "Daredevil" threw rosary beads at her. She ran up the stairs to the balcony, successfully saving the innocents. "Daredevil" followed and taunted her. As Murdock came up for round two, Page took a pole and swung at "Daredevil" sending him flying off the balcony. She immediately helped Murdock, who said "Daredevil" could not leave. Page looked up to find him gone. She then cried over Murdock's injured body.[4] As Murdock got up, the police arrived. Page told him to go, but Murdock told her that the impostor was Benjamin Poindexter with the FBI and Ray Nadeem was in on it too.[49]
"What about we find ourselves another witness? Someone who will flip on Fisk. But unlike Jasper Evans, we keep 'em alive this time. Someone who knows the details of Fisk's criminal operation who has nothing to lose. Okay?" "No. No, we find someone who has everything to lose."
Page met with Matt Murdock downstairs, who was mad at her for not running. Page blamed herself for Paul Lantom's death. Murdock said that he had Wilson Fisk and he gave up his one shot to save her. He told her to be quiet as he said Benjamin Poindexter was upstairs. They hid in a stone box as listened as Maggie Grace steered the agents in a different direction.
Page explained her previous plan to Murdock and why Fisk wanted to kill her. She called herself an idiot, but Murdock claimed it to be brave. She then revealed that she killed James Wesley before continuing blaming herself for Lantom's demise. Murdock asked why she did not tell him and she stated that she liked when Murdock considered her "innocent." Upon learning of Murdock's plan to kill Fisk, Page finally told him of the car crash that took her brother's life and begged Murdock not to succumb to the darkness inside him. Murdock was adamant that Fisk was too powerful and dangerous to remain alive, but Page firmly assured him that taking a life, even an evil one like Fisk's, would taint his soul and sense of self permanently. Meanwhile, Fisk was released prison and made a speech that convinced New York citizens that Daredevil was the true "public enemy."
Murdock bandaged Page up and heard noise which worried her. Grace then rushed downstairs saying it was not safe. Murdock was done with Grace over her lies, but she still tried to help by bringing some clothes. Page apologized to Grace and she assured her it was not her fault. Murdock then heard search dogs and Grace steered them away. Murdock got dressed and Page saw the scars on his chest. Page talked to Murdock, who was departing himself from her. Murdock did not want to talk about it, but Page further argued saying that Murdock was pushing everyone away, She will not leave him despite him claiming to be protecting them. Page said they could all work together to take down Fisk.
The trio reunites
Following Murdock leaving, Page was grabbed by Grace, who brought her out in front of the FBI with her hands up. Foggy Nelson was there and made a deal with Mahoney to have Page surrender to the NYPD instead of the FBI as it was a state case, not federal. Page smiled as she was fake arrested and brought away by Brett Mahoney. They then met with Murdock, who apologized to Nelson and Page for inadvertently putting a target in the back of each of them, and the two best friends forgave each other. Nelson and Page continued to try to persuade Murdock that the law would end up taking down Fisk. Despite his best judgement and skepticism, Murdock begrudgingly agreed and asked what they had in mind. Page brought up an idea to get another witness. Murdock realized it had to be someone with everything to lose: Ray Nadeem.[49]
"We have all been lied to. All right? We've been manipulated by a sociopath who doesn't care about the truth or about who he hurts or about anyone other than himself. Last night, Wilson Fisk tried to have me killed because I know the truth. The man who was wearing the Daredevil suit is not the real Daredevil. He is an impostor who is helping Wilson Fisk take back control of New York's criminal underworld."
Page met with Ray Nadeem at Fogwell's Gym for a testimony. He apologized for not following the clues that she had given him, but she told him they did not need to go there. Page said his mistakes do not need to define him. As he left, Matt Murdock told her the same thing. She found Mitchell Ellison getting a hot dog and they hugged despite Ellison not forgiving her.
Page is followed by reporters
He asked who Daredevil was, but she still did not budge. Instead, she told him the impostor was Benjamin Poindexter. She also told him that Nadeem was giving a testimony at the court house. Murdock and Nadeem finally arrived and Nadeem testified while Page waited outside. Ellison grabbed her and they walked to the broadcasters and she started talking bad about Wilson Fisk. Afterwards, the court decided not to arrest Fisk as they had been coerced. Page was followed by reporters who thought she lied. In Fogwell's Gym, Nelson got word that Nadeem was killed in his home. Page and Nelson mourned his death, but Murdock, having lost complete faith in the court system, stormed out with the intent of killing Fisk.[50]
Page listened to SAC Tammy Hattley talk in a press conference, claiming Ray Nadeem was the bad guy. Foggy Nelson walked in and Page told him he should not have warned Brett Mahoney about Matt Murdock's plan. Nelson talked to her saying he understood her, but a good thing was that the real Murdock came back to them. Nelson was worried that if he crossed the line, he would never forgive himself and distance himself from them again. Nelson then got a call from the FBI asking him to come in. Page told him not to, but he was forced.
Nelson returned with a video that Seema Nadeem gave him. They watched as Ray gave a dying declaration before his death. Page realized he knew he was going to die. She said it will not hold up in court, but they could release it online and make Wilson Fisk's life horrible. Nelson corrected her saying a dying declaration does hold up in court and will take down Fisk. They just needed to tell Murdock before he killed him.
Page took the video to the Bulletin and gave it to Mitchell Ellison who released the video online for everyone during Fisk's marriage to Vanessa Marianna. She walked outside the Presidential Hotel as reports surfaced that Daredevil was attacking the hotel. Despite never getting the video, Murdock's morality got the better of him and he never killed Fisk. Page and Nelson were happy to see Fisk walk out in cuffs rather than in a body bag. Nelson said Murdock must be somewhere. Looking up, Page said she was sure he was.[51]
"What does that mean? We go back to helping people out of a crappy office, getting paid in chickens?" "I think Theo would let us work out of here, to start." "At least we'd have a place to sell the chickens. So what do you think?" "Why the hell not?"
Page was present at Paul Lantom's funeral as Matt Murdock gave a speech and goodbye to Lantom. She walked Murdock out of the church afterwards saying that was he said was nice. Murdock said it was her who helped him see the truth in himself.
The trio toasts to their new firm
They all went back to Nelson's Meats to have a party. Murdock and Page talked while drinking. Foggy Nelson walked over and they started talking about how Tammy Hattley was now saying Ray Nadeem was a good person, which was a complete 180. Murdock thanked them and even said he was going to move back to being Matt Murdock again. Nelson proclaimed that he had an idea and needed a new napkin. He wrote on it and showed Page. His idea was a law firm titled Nelson, Murdock & Page. They all agreed to work as a trio despite Page not knowing anything about law. They toasted to it and drank together.[51]
"You're not gonna fix this. Okay?" "Doesn't matter. It doesn't matter what you did. It doesn't change how I feel about you." "It should." "It doesn't."
Upon hearing news reports of Frank Castle being placed in custody, Karen rushed to the hospital to see Castle in an attempt to comfort him, using her status as Castle's lawyer to gain access to the hospital room. Castle explained that he did not want help as he had accidentally killed three women while pursuing Billy Russo. Page was shocked by this and tried to help, but Castle refused, believing himself to be worthy of dying. She then witnessed Castle's nightmares about when his family was murder, after which he told her about how he felt. He claimed to be slipping from doing what he was doing in honor of his family. Amy Bendix arrived to break out Castle, and at the same time, Dinah Madani arrived at the request of Brett Mahoney to interrogate him. Madani was called by Billy Russo, who delivered a message to Castle with Page in the room. Page and Madani talked outside until Page agreed to help Madani into the morgue.
Page and Madani arrived at the morgue and Page walked up to one of the employees, Ed Zatner. The two talked as they were friends, but Page asked for a favor. As it was a tall order, she agreed to a deal. Zatner then showed her the bodies of the three women and explained that there was gunpowder, meaning it was a shot from no further than ten feet away. This confirmed that Castle did not kill the women. Page thanked Zatner, who stopped her from walking out the door as they needed to complete the deal. Page then gave him her high heels.
Page and Madani returned to the hospital, only to see a police man named O'Rourke attempting to kill Castle and Bendix for the posted five million dollar bounty. Madani knocked him out. Once they explained their discoveries to Castle, he asked for their help in escaping so he could pursue Russo. They decided that they needed a plan first, so Castle asked for a one on one with Page. When the others left the room, Castle told Page that she could not help him. He asked if Matt Murdock knew she was there. When she said no, he said that was what he figured. Castle told Page that she was too good; he was too good. She did not need to help him as he was not good. Page told Castle that he should stop this life and love someone else. She then uncuffed him. Castle walked up to her, saying that Bendix was in trouble and it was not in his nature to just let her get killed. Page understood and the two leaned in to embrace each other before Bendix interrupted,
Formulating a plan, Page walked out, still barefoot from Zatner. Page then broke the glass on the fire alarm and pulled it, allowing Castle and Madani to escape as all patients needed to evacuate. Page then pulled another alarm before walking away, acting like she did not do it. On her way out, she walked by Brett Mahoney, who did a double take and called her back. He asked what happened to her shoes. She simply told him that she gave it away to a worthy cause. As she left, she whispered good luck to Castle.[52]
Personality[]
"Karen. Look, I know you. All right? You're brave. You're strong. But you are so goddamn stubborn."
Karen Page is a cunning, optimistic woman with a humorous nature and an unshakable loyalty and love for the people closest to her. However, the series of traumatic events, from being framed for murdering her colleague at the Union Allied Construction, almost being assassinated in prison and murdering James Wesley, evolves Page into a darker and more driven character, determined to bring those that wronged her to justice. Though these personal tragedies have affected her greatly, she is first and foremost an extremely kind and caring person and doesn't allow her growing cynicism to affect her ideas or nature.
Page's loyalty to her friends can make her act cold and spiteful if she feels hurt or shunned by the people she trusts. Being the only worker of Foggy Nelson and Matt Murdock who was not aware that Murdock was Daredevil, she was the only one who was constantly being lied to. After Nelson and Murdock stopped even speaking with each when Nelson discovered Daredevil's identity, it affected her state greatly, causing her to state that they were a team with Nelson and Murdock and this was not how a team acts. Due to Nelson not informing her why this was happening, she threatened to punch him in the throat if he claimed the situation was "complicated" and stated that he did not care about her. These traits become more evident when she engaged in a romantic relationship with Murdock. After a string of ill-concocted lies, his failure to appear at Frank Castle's trial - effectively causing the firm to shut down, and Page finding a half-naked Elektra in his bed, she assumed the worst, severed all ties with him immediately, claiming he wasn't a hero that could save New York City.
She can be viewed as a woman who gets into trouble quite often, from being caught in the crossfire of the Blacksmith framing the Punisher, almost being assassinated by Fisk numerous times, and kidnapped by the Hand, Wesley and Ray Schoonover.
Abilities[]
"You're one hell of an investigator." "Yeah, and way more stable than Jessica Jones."
Page discovered a passion for detective work while cooperating with Ben Urich and Mitchell Ellison. When she began working for the New York Bulletin, she proved herself to be a highly capable investigative reporter. She received praise from Foggy Nelson for her skills, and Matt Murdock stated she was much more stable than Jessica Jones, a reputable private investigator in her own right. She investigated Frank Castle and was able to find many details about Castle that allowed her to trust the murderer, seeing that he was not as he was made out to be. In order to find out information on a new vigilante, Page talked to Neda Kazemi and was able to figure out that the vigilante was in fact Murdock, who was alive besides being thought dead.
Combatant: While she does not fight often, Page is not helpless in defensive situations. When Clyde Farnum attempted to murder her in her jail cell, Page was eventually able to scratch his eye and break away from his hold. She effectively delivered an elbow strike to one of Jasper Evans' men when he tried to attack her.
Marksman: Page is proficient with a variety of pistols. The Punisher even noted that she is thoughtful with her choice of weapons.
"You know Spanish?" "Oh, just what I remember from high school."
Bilingualism: Page is fluent in her native English, as well as some Spanish, knowing and understanding enough to be able to communicate with Elena Cardenas and translate her words for Foggy Nelson.
Handgun: Page practiced her marksmanship in her hometown of Fagan Corners with this gun owned by Todd Neiman. She took it from the car in order to protect her brother Kevin from Neiman's beating, shooting in the air and then in his arm to stop Neiman.
"I killedWesley. I shot him seven times, because the clip ran out. He deserved more."
Taurus PT92AFS: Page took this handgun from James Wesley when he kidnapped her, and despite Wesley not believing her capable of shooting him, Page shot him seven times, killing him instantly. She later wiped the gun clean, went to the docks, and threw it into the sea.
Llama III-A: Page bought this licensed gun and started carrying it on her purse as a means to defend herself due to her previous experiences being kidnapped. She pulled the gun on Frank Castle when he startled her at her apartment, with Castle complimenting her choice. She kept it on her person by the time Frank Castle returned to New York. She drew it to defend herself and Jasper Evans from Benjamin Poindexter, but the latter ultimately disarmed her to kill the latter. Page regularly carried the gun in her purse, and used it to threaten a group of street thugs that were scaring girls as they passed in front of them. She also was about to reach it when she noticed some men following her after interviewing Felix Manning, but as they identified themselves as FBI agents, she warned them about the gun and it was taken from her. The gun was returned, and she resorted to it to try to stop Benjamin Poindexter when he attacked the New York Bulletin Building dressed as Daredevil, though Poindexter quickly disarmed her and took the gun to shoot Jasper Evans in the head, dismantling the gun afterwards.
Smith & Wesson M&P: Page picked up this handgun from a downed Anvil member while she was attacked by Lewis Wilson, and managed to put it in her purse before being taken hostage. While Frank Castle spoke to Wilson, and once he made sure that Page had a gun in her purse as she used to do, Castle covertly guided Page into disarming Wilson's bomb and shooting him in a foot to free herself. Page later gave Castle the gun to help him escape, by acting as if Castle had taken Page as hostage, in order to avoid the New York City Police Department officers from shooting him.
In the comics, Karen Page is the second love interest of Matt Murdock who ultimately developed a drug addiction and revealed Murdock's identity as Daredevil before becoming a prostitute. She was then killed while in church by Bullseye.
She appears in more episodes of The Defenders Saga than any other character.
Behind the Scenes[]
Deborah Ann Woll said that playing Karen Page is personal for her because she is in a relationship with EJ Scott, who has the rare genetic disease choroideremia, which is causing him to lose his eyesight.[53]
Karen Page was not originally included in The Punisher, but her character was added under request of showrunner Steve Lightfoot: "I asked to have her, because she and Frank are so great."[54]
Deborah Ann Woll noted that Page's backstory would be different than the one from the comics, saying, "In the comic books, in the beginning Karen is very innocent, and then towards the end she's really swung a full 180, she's in a lot of trouble, so I wanted to find a way to make her both of those things at the same time. Can she be a really wonderful, kind person who is a little bit attracted to danger? She's not just always getting into trouble because 'Oh, silly woman!' Karen is actually looking for it, and she won't let her fear stop her from finding the truth."[55]
Karen Page in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is the second live-action incarnation of the character, following an incarnation portrayed by Ellen Pompeo.
