[tldr_position]WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Devil's Reign #6, now on sale from Marvel Comics
With the conclusion of Devil's Reign, Marvel's Man Without Fear has been freed up to embark on a mission that could change the entire world. Along the way, he's reaffirmed his bond with plenty of allies, and worked alongside Avengers, Champions, and the Fantastic Four to protect New York City. But one occasional ally might be coming up against Matt Murdock sooner than he realizes.
Devil's Reign #6 (by Chip Zdarsky, Marco Checchetto, Marcio Menyz, and VC's Clayton Cowles) saw Daredevil agree to help form the Fist with Elektra. But by positioning themselves openly against the Hand, the pair might have just inadvertently set their sights on the Punisher.
The current run of Daredevil has been seeding a plot-line about Elektra wanting to recruit Daredevil for a mission that could finally destroy the Hand once and for all. The nefarious organization has been fated to have a counter in the Fist, which requires a King and Queen. After a stint as Daredevil while Matt Murdock was in prison, Elektra has finally convinced Daredevil that it's time to begin the rituals to take command of the Fist. With Murdock believed dead to the public (thanks to the demise of his brother Mike at the hands of Wilson Fisk), there's little to stop Daredevil from abandoning his former life and once again committing himself to a larger mission.
What neither Daredevil nor Elektra seems to be aware of is who's in charge of the Hand at the moment. Although their connection to the Hell Bride has teased an eventual confrontation with Wolverine and the X-Men, the Hand's most important recent development has been their recruitment of the Punisher. After offering all of their resources to Castle -- and seemingly using their magics to revive his long-dead wife, Maria. Castle is seen by the Hand as an important tool in their mission to bring their demonic master the Beast to the material world, and believe the chaos that the Punisher can cause will be more than enough to push them closer to their goals.
If the Fist is poised to go up against the Hand, then it seems like the Punisher is on a collision course with Daredevil and Elektra. While any battle between Castle and Elektra will be dramatic given their brief romantic history, the long-standing frenemy relationship between Daredevil and Punisher will make their half of the fight uniquely compelling. The two street-level anti-heroes have often been pitted against one another as unique foils, both highlighting the moral failings of the other. Daredevil's stead-fast convictions and challenged morality contrast well against the Punisher's single-minded brutality have pitted them against each other in plenty of conflicts over the years. But now, their differences are about to explode on the biggest scale possible.
Punisher's lethal methods are at least keeping the Hand placated and in line for the time being, potentially giving Daredevil and Elektra a greater opening to fully form the Fist. Daredevil's own history with being a vessel for the Beast in Shadowland will likely come up, given that Punisher seems unperturbed in his role in apparently bringing it back to Earth. The entire fate of the world may rest on the direction of the next Punisher and Daredevil showdown -- with neither hero necessarily being in their most stable forms at the moment.