Punisher and Daredevil have been moving toward a major showdown for a while now, with the two Daredevils Matt Murdock and Elektra Natchios forming their own group, the Fist, to take on the ninja group the Hand, currently led by Frank Castle.
Both sides have been foretold to defeat each other, with the fate of the world supposedly resting on whoever wins the war between the Hand and the Fist. The Hand have already struck the first blow, infiltrating many world governments with secret zombie agents, including replacing the president of the United States and framing Elektra for his murder.
Now, in February 8's Daredevil #8 from writer Chip Zdarsky, artists Marco Checchetto, Matthew Wilson, and Erick Arciniega, and letterer Clayton Cowles, the two old rivals finally clash, and things don't exactly go the way Matt Murdock and Elektra Natchios may have planned.
Spoilers ahead for Daredevil #8
As the Fist and the Hand come together for their first big fight, Matt Murdock and Frank Castle immediately find each other, with their fight forming the backbone of the battle between the two factions.
But even though they both seem to have the weight of prophesied victory at their backs, the conflict quickly turns against the Daredevils and their allies as Aka, Frank Castle's co-leader of the Hand, manages to stab Elektra in the stomach with her own sai - and Matt himself loses an eye in the fight.
Prioritizing the love of his life over victory in the battle, Matt Murdock declares a retreat, giving the Hand the victory in what is now clearly just the first of their battles to come.
However, it's not so cut-and-dried, as Elektra has managed to seize Aka's magical Lunate Talisman, the artifact which provides the Hand their powers of resurrection. Not only does this mean Elektra's probably gonna survive her near-mortal wound, it also means the Hand has lost one of their biggest weapons, the power to resurrect their undead warriors again and again.
There's one other consequence of the fight as well - and it doesn't work as much in Matt and Elektra's favor, as they suddenly become visible on the Avengers' tracking systems after the magic keeping them hidden fails.
Together, Iron Man and Captain America declare that it's time to bring the Daredevils in - with none other than Matt Murdock's longtime ally Spider-Man stepping in to volunteer for the job.
Daredevil #9 goes on sale March 29.
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