WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Daredevil #20, by Chip Zdarsky, Marco Checchetto, Mattia Iacono and VC's Clayton Cowles, on sale now.
Daredevil has many different villains that have battled him over the years for the fate of Hell's Kitchen. From Kingpin and Bullseye to the Owl and Typhoid Mary, Matt Murdock's rogues' gallery is one of the most murderous in the Marvel Universe. However, as many of Daredevil's greatest antagonists banded together in the latest plot to completely raze Matt's Manhattan neighborhood, the Man Without Fear reveals which of his enemies poses the greatest threat to Hell's Kitchen: Stilt-Man.
Created by Wally Wood in 1965's Daredevil #8, Stilt-Man is one of Matt's oldest foes. True to his villainous moniker, Stilt-Man wears a virtually indestructible suit of armor that can extend its legs to great heights, which lets him tower over buildings across the Manhattan skyline. While Daredevil has been Stilt-Man's most enduring opponent, the surprisingly advanced arsenal within the armor has had the villain take on Spider-Man, Iron Man, and Thor, and the ridiculously themed criminal has held his own, even as the superheroes acknowledge how far-fetched his overall gimmick is.
As the fray begins and Hell's Kitchen plunges into chaos in Daredevil #20, Daredevil is confronted by Bullseye and Crossbones, with a brutal brawl unfolding in the streets. While Bullseye is perhaps Daredevil's most insidious enemy, having murdered his true love Karen Page and constantly plagued the Scarlet Swashbuckler throughout his superhero career, Daredevil temporarily abandons his fight with the two marksmen to instead focus on taking down Stilt-Man first. The towering villain is targeting a local church packed with residents taking shelter as their neighborhood burns around them. While Stilt-Man is joined by the classic Spider-Man villain Rhino in his rampage, Daredevil reveals why he still considers Stilt-Man the biggest threat present because of the explosive ordinance he's carrying.
Among the arsenal packed in Stilt-Man's armor is a payload of bombs, and the villain is plotting to hover above the church and surrounding buildings and devastate them with his explosives, potentially killing hundreds. With Typhoid Mary using her mental powers to distract Rhino and lead him away from the scene as she defends those seeking sanctuary within the church, Daredevil focuses his own attack directly on Stilt-Man, quickly cutting the antagonist down to size and neutralizing him. With Stilt-Man beaten down, Daredevil turns his attention back to the other villains, as the battle continues to escalate before Matt receives unlikely support to turn the tide.
Stilt-Man has long been written off as a bit of a (high-walking) joke in the decades since his debut, with many stories simply focusing on his ability to use his suit to stand as tall as a skyscraper. Usually dispatched without a second thought and often involving tripping the villain up in his own towering legs, Stilt-Man has been the butt of many a New York-based superhero joke and even mercilessly killed by the Punisher during Civil War.
Daredevil #20 brought all of the villains that have tormented Matt Murdock for years back to face a resurgent Daredevil, and it also firmly established Stilt-Man as a serious threat for the Marvel Universe. While the laughing stock of Marvel's villain community was visibly eager and willing to kill hundreds, Daredevil was able to subdue his old enemy in time before a catastrophic loss of life occurred in Hell's Kitchen. And while Daredevil may have saved the day this time, Stilt-Man's reaffirmed shift to a darker agenda may set up a bloody rematch sometime in the future.