Daredevil #254 (May 1988)

This issue marks a pivotal moment in the life of Matt Murdock (Daredevil) and the rogues' gallery of Hell's Kitchen. The Kingpin (Wilson Fisk), still determined to destroy Murdock, shifts his strategy from legal battles to emotional warfare.

• Kingpin's Plot: The Kingpin hires a dangerous new assassin, Typhoid Mary (Mary Walker), offering her a million dollars to make Matt Murdock fall in love with her and then crush him emotionally. This is part of Fisk's larger plan to not only target Daredevil but also shatter Matt Murdock's faith in the justice system, which is already being tested by a major court case against a Kingpin-owned company (Kelco Industrials).

• Introduction of Typhoid Mary: The issue introduces Typhoid Mary, who is characterized by a dissociative identity disorder that manifests in three distinct personalities: the timid Mary Walker, the flirtatious and seductive Typhoid, and the stone-cold killer Bloody Mary (though the killer personality is more fully developed in later issues). She possesses mutant abilities including telekinesis and pyrokinesis (the power to start fires spontaneously).

• The Conflict: Mary, in her mild-mannered persona, meets and begins a relationship with Matt Murdock, completely unaware of his alter-ego. Meanwhile, in her Typhoid persona, she is an active threat, robbing and tearing up the Kingpin's operations until he makes his tempting offer. The final pages of the issue set the stage for the dramatic confrontation as Daredevil senses her danger and she attacks him, introducing a deadly, mind-bending new foe into his life.

This comic is a must-have for collectors due to the debut of Typhoid Mary, one of Daredevil's most compelling and complex antagonists.