Daredevil isn’t long in New York, before he finds himself doing battle with the Ox! But is this new incarnation of the Ox anything like his predecessor? Karen’s mettle is put to the test when she confronts the Ox head-on. An unexpected ending for all involved!
Foggy is feeling the repercussions of an injury sustained when the Ox hit him back in issue six and Matt engages a doctor to look over him. The doctor orders Foggy to rest and so Karen takes him home from the Nelson Murdock offices.
Ox, meanwhile is in jail, alongside Dr Karl Stragg, who promises to help him with his intellectual development if he breaks him out of the prison. Whilst Matt is exercising in the gym, the radio alerts him to the duo's escape, and he puts on his costume to go out looking for the escapees. Ox and Stragg head for Mr Fear's old haunt.
Once there, Stragg sets up a device in Mr Fear's laboratory whereby he tells Ox he will transfer some of his intelligence to him. In fact, Stragg has fooled Ox and instead swaps personae with him, so that Stragg is now within Ox's strong body and Ox a dullard within Stragg. Stragg is now able to knock out the enfeebled Ox. Stragg, however, soon realises that he is spending time on wanton acts of destruction and is having trouble remembering his plans.
Stragg (as Ox) comes across a fearful Karen, just at the same time as Daredevil arrives on the scene and the two battle. Daredevil quickly realises that Ox appears to be different. However Stragg knocks Daredevil out and then dresses him in a spare set of Ox's clothes, giving the impression that the man without fear has been responsible for the spree of destruction. Stragg/Ox then makes off with Karen.
The police arrest Daredevil but do not unmask him. Stragg returns to Mr Fear's laboratory with Karen, where Ox, as Stragg, remains. With his back turned, the enfeebled Ox takes down Stragg by knocking a large item of equipment into the back of his head. Ox and Karen make their escape. When Stragg recovers, he goes back out into the street to try to find the others but bumps into the police instead, who now realise that DD is innocent and release him from jail.
The police inform Daredevil that Stragg/Ox is heading for a heliport and Matt makes his way there. After a brief battle, Stragg lunges at DD, misses and plunges from the top of the skyscraper, presumably to his death. Ox, in Stragg's body, meanwhile, resolves to turn himself in, seeing this new body as an opportunity to turn his life around.
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