WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Daredevil #602 by Charles Soule, Mike Henderson, Matt Milla and Clayton Cowles.


Matt Murdock has been on quite the ride recently, with the lawyer now pulling triple-duty; he's no longer just a masked vigilante and lawyer, he's also the mayor of New York City. With Wilson Fisk injured in a brutal attack by the Hand, the role of mayor went to his deputy aka Matt in Issue #600, and since then, he's been trying to save the soul of the city, as per usual.

In Daredevil #602, things escalate to the highest level, as the ninja organization known as the Hand cripples New York's police force, basically leaving vigilantes as the first responders. When Matt suits up as Daredevil and goes investigating, though, he finds a scene eerily imitating a key plot arc we saw in Netflix's corner of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

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The issue starts off with Matt in office and his aides advising him on the course of action. He insists they wake the governor up and enforce a state of emergency, including a curfew on citizens so they stay in doors, until dawn at least. This is because cops, firefighters, security guards and public transport workers are all being attacked by ninjas. Desperate for a strategy, he confers with Foggy Nelson before both men are eventually joined by Matt's vigilante apprentice, Blindspot.

Blindspot is feeling guilty because he thinks the assault on New York is his fault. In Issue #600, he struck a deal with the Beast (the demonic being that possessed Matt in Shadowland) to gain powers to defeat his enemy, Muse. However, he reneged on the pact, which required Blindspot to kill the villain as a blood sacrifice. Now, the young protege thinks the Hand overtaking the city is a consequence of his actions.

Matt reassures him this isn't the case, assuming it has something to do with his own seemingly never-ending feud with the ancient ninja sect. However, via his super-hearing, Matt locks in on a distress call, revealing the Hand is concentrating its forces on the NYPD headquarters. He changes into costume, and both Daredevil and Blindspot head out to investigate.

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When the pair eventually arrive at their destination, something's off: Daredevil is hearing absolutely nothing at all. As they explore, they find everyone's missing, every single level has had its floor destroyed, and at ground zero there's a huge hole.

This is similar to what Matt (Charlie Cox) and Elektra (Élodie Yung) found in Midland Circle in Season 2 of Daredevil, but seeing as it's actually at the heart of the structure, it feels more like the hole in the debut season of The Defenders.

There, the team found a massive hole still existing inside the Midland Circle Financial Building. It turned out it had been excavated by the Hand to unearth the skeleton of a dragon, whose bones contained the secret to making elixirs which could prolong life, and even resurrect the dead. Thankfully, the Hand failed in its mission as the Defenders brought the building down in the finale, and now, one has to wonder if there's a similar secret below the police headquarters in this comic.

The solicit for Issue #604 reads: "ENTER: THE ORDER OF THE DRAGON! New York City is under siege, and it’s up to Matt to lead the troops to defend the city he loves! Will these new players help him stem the chaos, or unleash a fresh horror on Daredevil and company?" -- which feels like a nod to The Defenders, especially with the term "dragon" in play. As for whether this arc will involve an actual giant reptile remains anyone's guess right now, but it seems clear readers are at least meant to have their minds wander in that direction.

Either way, we're willing to bet, just like The Defenders, whatever our heroes discover about this giant chasm and what lies beneath -- whether it be related to the Beast or some other supernatural entity -- it won't bode well for them, and the city in general.