Karen Page
Encyclopedia
Karen Page is a fictional character
in Marvel Comics
' Daredevil
series created by writer Stan Lee
and artist Bill Everett
. She first appeared in Daredevil #1 (April 1964).
Matt Murdock. Karen and Elektra
have been Daredevil’s most prominent love interests.
Like most aspects of the Daredevil mythos, her character grew darker and more three-dimensional when writer/artist Frank Miller
oversaw the comic book in the early 1980s. Karen became a heroin addict who sells Daredevil’s secret identity
, causing him innumerable problems. In subsequent years, she redeems herself, but is killed by Daredevil's adversary
Bullseye
in Daredevil vol. 2, #5 (March 1998).
hires her to be the secretary for his and Matt Murdock’s new law firm, Nelson and Murdock. Karen is beautiful, young, innocent, and naïve. She is infatuated with Matt from the moment they meet, but she also soon becomes mesmerized by Daredevil
, Matt’s crime fighting alter ego
.
Karen's father, Doctor Paxton Page, fakes his own kidnapping and death so that he can assume the guise of the villain "Death's-Head
." Karen returns to her parents' home to investigate her father’s disappearance. Daredevil follows her. In the ensuing battle between Daredevil and Death’s Head, Death’s Head spills a vat of molten cobalt
over Daredevil, but realizes that Karen is endangered. This brings him back to his senses, and he pushes Daredevil and Karen to safety. He appears to die in this act of self-sacrifice, when he is coated in the molten cobalt.
After the battle with Death’s Head, Daredevil reveals his true identity to Karen. She is conflicted, as she is in love with both Matt the man and Daredevil the hero. She constantly fears for Matt’s safety, but he cannot give up fighting crime. Karen eventually leaves him and moves to California
to pursue an acting career. She finds work as an actress in a daytime soap opera
.
Karen then becomes addicted to heroin and starts making pornographic
movies. In the "Born Again" story arc, Karen, in need of a fix, sells Daredevil's secret identity to a drug dealer, who in turn sells it to the Kingpin
. Karen is forced to return to New York, where she meets up again with Matt. He helps Karen beat her addiction and straighten up her life. Karen eventually resumes her relationship with Matt.
During the Typhoid Mary
storyline, Karen, who has set up household with Matt, discovers that he's been having a torrid affair with Mary (although he was manipulated into it) and she and Matt break up again. They eventually reunite, however. She becomes an anti-pornography
activist and even assists Daredevil and the Black Widow each in fighting crime on separate occasions. At this point she becomes a radio show host under the name “Paige Angel.” She eventually realizes that she is too dependent on Matt and that her past is a constant barrier between them. Karen leaves Matt to accept a talk show host position in Los Angeles
.
While in California, Karen has a routine blood test as part of an insurance policy application. The supervillain
Mysterio
disguises himself as a doctor, performs the blood test, and tells her that she is HIV
positive as part of his plan to destroy Daredevil before he himself dies of a brain tumor. Devastated, Karen returns to New York and tells Matt that she is HIV positive. Later, during a fight between Daredevil and Bullseye, Karen is murdered by Bullseye. She dies in Daredevil’s arms. She is the second love of Matt Murdock's life to be killed by Bullseye (though Elektra was ultimately resurrected).
After Mysterio's death, a conversation with Spider-Man
leads Daredevil to realize that the infant he's saved represents something positive that has come of the whole affair. He gives the baby up for adoption to a couple in New Jersey
. Before he leaves, Matt names the baby after Karen, and hopes that her new parents will allow the occasional visit from her "Uncle Matt".
alongside Johnny Blaze
as an actress in the same film where Johnny is hired as a stuntman. After a scene is interrupted by The Uncanny Orb, Karen's stuntwoman, Katy Milner, confides in Johnny about Karen's history of "unhappy romances" including the ones with Matt Murdock and Phil Hickock. Later on, Karen herself falls under the Orb's control.
In Marvel Two-in-One
#46, Karen Page is offered a role on The Incredible Hulk TV show which was on its first season at the time. She is kidnapped by three ex-stuntmen on the show, but is saved by the Thing
, who is looking for his own TV show, and the Hulk
, who is annoyed at having a show about him.
comic What If Karen Page had lived?, Karen is narrowly saved from death when Bullseye hits her in the shoulder rather than the heart. However, with Daredevil now motivated by the fear of losing her rather than the grief he felt when he actually lost her, he kills the Kingpin in a subsequent confrontation, subsequently being arrested and sent to prison despite the testimony of other heroes simply because the legal system is ill-equipped to cope with cases like this.
, Karen Page is portrayed by Ellen Pompeo
. Most of her scenes were deleted from the final theatrical cut, but they can be seen in the Daredevil Director's Cut DVD
.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
in Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
' Daredevil
Daredevil (Marvel Comics)
Daredevil is a fictional character, a superhero in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Bill Everett, with an unspecified amount of input from Jack Kirby, and first appeared in Daredevil #1 .Living in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood...
series created by writer Stan Lee
Stan Lee
Stan Lee is an American comic book writer, editor, actor, producer, publisher, television personality, and the former president and chairman of Marvel Comics....
and artist Bill Everett
Bill Everett
William Blake "Bill" Everett, also known as William Blake and Everett Blake was a comic book writer-artist best known for creating Namor the Sub-Mariner and co-creating Daredevil for Marvel Comics...
. She first appeared in Daredevil #1 (April 1964).
Character overview
In her first appearances, Karen is the secretary for the law firm of Daredevil’s alter egoAlter ego
An alter ego is a second self, which is believe to be distinct from a person's normal or original personality. The term was coined in the early nineteenth century when dissociative identity disorder was first described by psychologists...
Matt Murdock. Karen and Elektra
Elektra (comics)
Elektra Natchios, usually referred to only by her first name Elektra, is a fictional character in publications from Marvel Comics.Elektra is a kunoichi – female ninja assassin – of Greek descent. She wields a pair of bladed sai as her trademark weapon. She is a love interest of the superhero...
have been Daredevil’s most prominent love interests.
Like most aspects of the Daredevil mythos, her character grew darker and more three-dimensional when writer/artist Frank Miller
Frank Miller (comics)
Frank Miller is an American comic book artist, writer and film director best known for his dark, film noir-style comic book stories and graphic novels Ronin, Daredevil: Born Again, Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Sin City and 300...
oversaw the comic book in the early 1980s. Karen became a heroin addict who sells Daredevil’s secret identity
Secret identity
A secret identity is an element of fiction wherein a character develops a separate persona , while keeping their true identity hidden. The character also may wear a disguise...
, causing him innumerable problems. In subsequent years, she redeems herself, but is killed by Daredevil's adversary
Supervillain
A supervillain or supervillainess is a variant of the villain character type, commonly found in comic books, action movies and science fiction in various media.They are sometimes used as foils to superheroes and other fictional heroes...
Bullseye
Bullseye (comics)
Bullseye is a fictional character, a supervillain in the Marvel Comics universe.A psychopathic assassin, Bullseye uses the opportunities afforded by his line of work to exercise his homicidal tendencies and to work out his own personal vendetta against Daredevil.Although he possesses no...
in Daredevil vol. 2, #5 (March 1998).
Fictional character biography
Karen makes her debut in Daredevil #1. Foggy NelsonFoggy Nelson
Franklin P. "Foggy" Nelson is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics universe, part of the supporting cast of Daredevil ; Foggy is Matt's best friend. The character was created by Stan Lee and Bill Everett....
hires her to be the secretary for his and Matt Murdock’s new law firm, Nelson and Murdock. Karen is beautiful, young, innocent, and naïve. She is infatuated with Matt from the moment they meet, but she also soon becomes mesmerized by Daredevil
Daredevil (Marvel Comics)
Daredevil is a fictional character, a superhero in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Bill Everett, with an unspecified amount of input from Jack Kirby, and first appeared in Daredevil #1 .Living in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood...
, Matt’s crime fighting alter ego
Alter ego
An alter ego is a second self, which is believe to be distinct from a person's normal or original personality. The term was coined in the early nineteenth century when dissociative identity disorder was first described by psychologists...
.
Karen's father, Doctor Paxton Page, fakes his own kidnapping and death so that he can assume the guise of the villain "Death's-Head
Death's-Head (comics)
Death's-Head is a fictional character in the Marvel Universe.-Publication history:Death's-Head appeared in Daredevil #56-57 , and was created by Roy Thomas and Gene Colan.-Fictional character biography:...
." Karen returns to her parents' home to investigate her father’s disappearance. Daredevil follows her. In the ensuing battle between Daredevil and Death’s Head, Death’s Head spills a vat of molten cobalt
Cobalt
Cobalt is a chemical element with symbol Co and atomic number 27. It is found naturally only in chemically combined form. The free element, produced by reductive smelting, is a hard, lustrous, silver-gray metal....
over Daredevil, but realizes that Karen is endangered. This brings him back to his senses, and he pushes Daredevil and Karen to safety. He appears to die in this act of self-sacrifice, when he is coated in the molten cobalt.
After the battle with Death’s Head, Daredevil reveals his true identity to Karen. She is conflicted, as she is in love with both Matt the man and Daredevil the hero. She constantly fears for Matt’s safety, but he cannot give up fighting crime. Karen eventually leaves him and moves to California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
to pursue an acting career. She finds work as an actress in a daytime soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
.
Karen then becomes addicted to heroin and starts making pornographic
Pornography
Pornography or porn is the explicit portrayal of sexual subject matter for the purposes of sexual arousal and erotic satisfaction.Pornography may use any of a variety of media, ranging from books, magazines, postcards, photos, sculpture, drawing, painting, animation, sound recording, film, video,...
movies. In the "Born Again" story arc, Karen, in need of a fix, sells Daredevil's secret identity to a drug dealer, who in turn sells it to the Kingpin
Kingpin (comics)
The Kingpin is a fictional character, a supervillain in the . Kingpin is one of the most feared and powerful crime lords in the Marvel Universe. The character is a major adversary of Daredevil, the Punisher, and Spider-Man...
. Karen is forced to return to New York, where she meets up again with Matt. He helps Karen beat her addiction and straighten up her life. Karen eventually resumes her relationship with Matt.
During the Typhoid Mary
Typhoid Mary (comics)
Typhoid Mary , also known as Typhoid, Walker, Bloody Mary and Mutant Zero, is a fictional character, a supervillain and enemy of Daredevil and Deadpool in the Marvel Comics Universe. She first appeared in Daredevil #254, and was created by Ann Nocenti and John Romita, Jr....
storyline, Karen, who has set up household with Matt, discovers that he's been having a torrid affair with Mary (although he was manipulated into it) and she and Matt break up again. They eventually reunite, however. She becomes an anti-pornography
Anti-pornography movement
The term anti-pornography movement is used to describe those who argue that pornography has a variety of harmful effects, such as encouragement of human trafficking, desensitization, pedophilia, dehumanization, sexual exploitation, sexual dysfunction, and inability to maintain healthy sexual...
activist and even assists Daredevil and the Black Widow each in fighting crime on separate occasions. At this point she becomes a radio show host under the name “Paige Angel.” She eventually realizes that she is too dependent on Matt and that her past is a constant barrier between them. Karen leaves Matt to accept a talk show host position in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
.
While in California, Karen has a routine blood test as part of an insurance policy application. The supervillain
Supervillain
A supervillain or supervillainess is a variant of the villain character type, commonly found in comic books, action movies and science fiction in various media.They are sometimes used as foils to superheroes and other fictional heroes...
Mysterio
Mysterio
Mysterio is the name of three fictional characters, all of which are supervillains and enemies of Spider-Man in the . The original Mysterio was created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko and first appears in Amazing Spider-Man #13, although it was later retconned that the aliens seen in Amazing...
disguises himself as a doctor, performs the blood test, and tells her that she is HIV
HIV
Human immunodeficiency virus is a lentivirus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome , a condition in humans in which progressive failure of the immune system allows life-threatening opportunistic infections and cancers to thrive...
positive as part of his plan to destroy Daredevil before he himself dies of a brain tumor. Devastated, Karen returns to New York and tells Matt that she is HIV positive. Later, during a fight between Daredevil and Bullseye, Karen is murdered by Bullseye. She dies in Daredevil’s arms. She is the second love of Matt Murdock's life to be killed by Bullseye (though Elektra was ultimately resurrected).
After Mysterio's death, a conversation with Spider-Man
Spider-Man
Spider-Man is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero. The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and writer-artist Steve Ditko. He first appeared in Amazing Fantasy #15...
leads Daredevil to realize that the infant he's saved represents something positive that has come of the whole affair. He gives the baby up for adoption to a couple in New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
. Before he leaves, Matt names the baby after Karen, and hopes that her new parents will allow the occasional visit from her "Uncle Matt".
Other appearances
Karen also appears in an issue of the comic book Ghost RiderGhost Rider (comics)
Ghost Rider is the name of several fictional supernatural antiheroes appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Marvel had previously used the name for a Western character whose name was later changed to Night Rider and subsequently to Phantom Rider.The first supernatural Ghost Rider is...
alongside Johnny Blaze
Ghost Rider (Johnny Blaze)
Ghost Rider is a fictional character, an antihero in the Marvel Comics Universe. He is the second Marvel character to use the name Ghost Rider, following the Western hero later known as the Phantom Rider, and preceding Daniel Ketch.Johnny Blaze was portrayed both in the 2007 film Ghost Rider and...
as an actress in the same film where Johnny is hired as a stuntman. After a scene is interrupted by The Uncanny Orb, Karen's stuntwoman, Katy Milner, confides in Johnny about Karen's history of "unhappy romances" including the ones with Matt Murdock and Phil Hickock. Later on, Karen herself falls under the Orb's control.
In Marvel Two-in-One
Marvel Two-in-One
Marvel Two-In-One was an American comic book series published by Marvel Comics that featured the Fantastic Four member, the Thing, in a different team-up each issue with a different character. The series continued from the team-up stories starring the Thing in the final two issues of Marvel...
#46, Karen Page is offered a role on The Incredible Hulk TV show which was on its first season at the time. She is kidnapped by three ex-stuntmen on the show, but is saved by the Thing
Thing (comics)
The Thing is a fictional character, a founding member of the superhero team known as the Fantastic Four in the Marvel Comics universe. He was created by Jack Kirby and Stan Lee in The Fantastic Four #1...
, who is looking for his own TV show, and the Hulk
Hulk (comics)
The Hulk is a fictional character, a superhero in the . Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in The Incredible Hulk #1 ....
, who is annoyed at having a show about him.
Other versions
In the What IfWhat If (comics)
What If, sometimes rendered as What If...?, is the title of several comic book series published by Marvel Comics, exploring "the road not traveled" by its various characters...
comic What If Karen Page had lived?, Karen is narrowly saved from death when Bullseye hits her in the shoulder rather than the heart. However, with Daredevil now motivated by the fear of losing her rather than the grief he felt when he actually lost her, he kills the Kingpin in a subsequent confrontation, subsequently being arrested and sent to prison despite the testimony of other heroes simply because the legal system is ill-equipped to cope with cases like this.
In other media
In the film adaptation of DaredevilDaredevil (film)
Daredevil is a 2003 American superhero film written and directed by Mark Steven Johnson. Based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name, the film stars Ben Affleck as Matt Murdock, a blind lawyer who fights for justice in the courtroom and out of the courtroom as the masked vigilante Daredevil...
, Karen Page is portrayed by Ellen Pompeo
Ellen Pompeo
Ellen Kathleen Pompeo is an American actress, known for playing the title role of Meredith Grey on the ABC medical drama Grey's Anatomy.-Early life:...
. Most of her scenes were deleted from the final theatrical cut, but they can be seen in the Daredevil Director's Cut DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
.