Devil's Reign pits Daredevil and his allies against several returning villains.

In Devil's Reign, New York City Mayor Wilson Fisk enacts a law that bans superhuman activity from the five boroughs, effectively turning the city's protectors into criminals. To bring these masked vigilantes to justice, Fisk enlists the help of the Thunderbolts, a deputized task force composed of "reformed" villains who work alongside law enforcement officials to capture their targets. In Devil's Reign #2, some of the Thunderbolts chief agents answer the call to action, including Crossbones, Taskmaster and Whiplash, known to Marvel Cinematic Universe fans for their appearances in Captain America: Civil War, Black Widow and Iron Man 2, respectively.

RELATED: Daredevil: How Marvel Sent Matt Murdock to Prison

Devil's Reign spins out of the conclusion of Chip Zdarsky and Marco Checchetto's run on Daredevil. In that series, Fisk marries Typhoid Mary, giving the two villains a rare moment of bliss. Unfortunately, their joy ends when Fisk realizes that Daredevil has erased his secret identity from the former Kingpin's memory. This revelation, coupled with the stress of running for reelection, causes Fisk to lash out at New York's heroes by outlawing vigilante justice.

Preview pages for Devil's Reign #2 by Checchetto show that Crossbones will clash with Danny Rand, aka the classic Iron Fist, who's attacked at his corporate headquarters while talking on the phone with Luke Cage, Jessica Jones and Iron Man. However, since Danny recently lost his powers, Crossbones and his additional enforcers quickly subdue him. This unprovoked attack clearly shows that the mayor has no interest in waiting for New York's heroes to start a fight and is abusing his political power to achieve his goals.

RELATED: Daredevil: How Matt Murdock Briefly Became One of Marvel's Most Powerful Heroes

Also shown is an attack on the Daily Bugle, perpetrated by Taskmaster and Whiplash. The art depicts the two targeting Daily Bugle staff members Ben Urich, Glory Grant and Robbie Robertson to goad Ben Reilly into a fight after mistaking him for the original Spider-Man, Peter Parker. Ben recently took over as Spider-Man under the guidance of the Beyond Corporation after Peter was critically wounded. This sequence from Devil's Reign suggests Fisk doesn't care about Spidey's financial backing, perhaps setting up yet another battle for the Beyond Corporation's legal team.

Though the sinister trio of Crossbones, Taskmaster and Whiplash have never teamed up in the past, all three villains have a history with the Thunderbolts. Taskmaster fought alongside the team during Dark Reign while serving as one of Norman Osborn's top enforcers. Shortly afterward, when Osborn's regime fell, Luke Cage tried to help Crossbones shave time off of his sentence by bringing him onto the Thunderbolts. Eventually, Crossbones tried to kill Captain America, which got him taken off the team. Most recently, Whiplash fought against the Winter Soldier's Thunderbolts team alongside their original leader, Baron Zemo, as part of an attempted coup.

DEVIL'S REIGN #2 (OF 6)

  • CHIP ZDARSKY (W) • MARCO CHECCHETTO (A/C)
  • CONNECTING VARIANT COVER BY NICK BRADSHAW
  • VARIANT COVER BY INHYUK LEE
  • VARIANT COVER BY TBA
  • Wilson Fisk has set the Marvel Universe on a dangerous and violent path, hoping to remake it in his own image. Systematically leveraging the power of his office against the heroes of the Marvel Universe, Fisk takes his most dangerous and craven step yet… The THUNDERBOLTS are reporting for duty!
  • ALSO IN THIS ISSUE: Hizzoner isn't the only one with ambitions—the forces he's marshaled do as well. You know what they say about honor among thieves…
  • 32 PGS./Rated T+ …$4.99

KEEP READING: Iron Man Would Make a Terrible New York City Mayor - And That's a Good Thing for Marvel

Source: Marvel Comics