What If? Vol 1 8

What If? #8

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Art by: Gil Kane, Klaus Janson and Irv Watanabe

Release Date

January 24, 1978

Cover Date

April, 1978

Issue Details

Editor-in-Chief

Jim Shooter

But though I'm giving up my Daredevil identity, I have not given up my war against crime. With your help... your support... I'll change my emblem from "D.D."... to "D.A."!

—Matt Murdock

Appearing in "What If the World Knew Daredevil Was Blind?"

Featured Characters:

Daredevil (Matt Murdock) (First appearance)

Supporting Characters:

Uatu the Watcher
Spider-Man (First appearance)
Karen Page-Murdock (First appearance)
Foggy Nelson (First appearance)

Antagonists:

Electro (First appearance)
- Electro's auto theives
The Owl (First appearance)
- The Owl's henchmen
Duke Klaus Kruger (First appearance)
- Kruger's Inhuman guard

Other Characters:

NYPD (First appearance)
Dr. Van Eyck (Eye Specialist) (First appearance)
The blind man saved by Matt Murdock (Flashback)
J. Jonah Jameson (Cameo)
The Duke's attempted assassin
Judge Lewis (First appearance)
Higgins (First appearance)

Locations:

Earth-616 (Flashback)
Earth-7848
- Earth (First appearance)
  - United States of America (First appearance)
    - New York (First appearance)
      - New York City (First appearance)
        Baxter Building (First appearance)
        
        Hudson River (First appearance)
        
        Nelson and Murdock office (First appearance)
    - New Jersey Palisades (First appearance)
      - The Aerie (First appearance)
  - Europe (First appearance)
    - Lichtenbad (First appearance)
      - The Duke's Castle (First appearance)

Items:

Spider-Man's Web-Shooters
Daredevil's Billy Club
A Radioactive Spider (Flashback)
A Daily Bugle Newspaper
The Owl's Hoot Amplifier
The Owl's Electronic Owl
A Nuclear Pile (Reactor)

Vehicles:

A Truck carrying radioactive material (Flashback)
NYPD Patty Wagon

Synopsis for "What If the World Knew Daredevil Was Blind?"

Daredevil fought Electro alongside Spider-Man when Electro figured out he was blind after setting off an extremely bright flare in front of his face. Spidey didn't believe it, and asked Daredevil what color Electro's costume was, confirming the suspicion.

Electo outed the secret to the Daily Bugle, and Matt continued to fight crime as Daredevil at the protest of Karen. The Owl tried to use this known weakness against him, and almost succeeded, causing Matt to reconsider a radical experimental operation to regain his sight.

Matt and Karen travel to Lichenbad to have the operation, and encounter the tyrant monarch Duke Klaus Kruger along the way. After the operation, Daredevil is forced to save the doctor who performed it and is subjugated to a large radiation dose from shutting down a Nuclear Pile Reactor.

The Dose causes Matt to lose his heightened extra senses, but he regains his sight. Upon arriving back in the States, the Owl immediately abducts Matt and Karen to participate in his form of a courtroom trial against the Judge (Lewis) who put him away. Matt calls Daredevil to the stand and leaves to get his key witness. Daredevil defeats the Owl and saves Karen as well.

Later Matt outs his secret identity to the press and runs for District Attorney. He wins, and he and Karen get married, seemingly living a happy normal life from then on.

Appearing in "What If the Spider Had Been Bitten By a Radioactive Human?"