What If... Daredevil Became an Agent of SHIELD?

For a reason I cannot quite fathom, "Agent of SHIELD" became a What If? story category, and it all starts here in this short story that is only really of interest because it was drawn and co-written by Frank Miller. Why this gave so many writers the idea to put people in SHIELD in What If? stories, as opposed to say, making them heralds of Galactus (oh wait, they did that a lot too), I can't tell you. It just seems so random. What if Nick Fury recruited hero X? (Answer: Then it would be the Ultimate Universe.)

Though I'll give a point of divergence, the timeline is a lot more screwy, with Nick Fury being an agent of SHIELD and Tony Stark an adult while Matt Murdock is a kid, and Matt seems a lot older when the accident happens (or am I remembering it wrong?). And is SHIELD's Dr. Frost supposed to be Emma Frost? And if so, we've got a great many more divergences than just Daredevil flipping over to the Supreme Headquarters, International Espionage, Law-Enforcement Division. Not to say it doesn't all turn into a satisfying fight, but as a What If?, I'm left wanting.

What If Vol.1 #28 (August 1981)
Based on: Daredevil #1
The true history: Young Matt Murdock looks straight at truck spilled radioactive isotopes and becomes blind... and more! He becomes the superhero Daredevil after his father is killed for refusing to throw a fight.
Turning point: What if Tony Stark followed that truck of isotopes?
Story type: Agent of SHIELD
Watcher's mood: Brooding Brando
Altered history: The isotope that turned Matt Murdock into Daredevil is revealed to have belonged to Stark Enterprises, and in this reality, Tony's just as outraged as we are that such dangerous material would be transported through Hell's Kitchen in an open truck.
Not outraged enough to do anything about it, though. Still, he feels responsible, so he takes young Matt to see the best doctors up on the SHIELD Helicarrier. And the best doctors throw him in a sensory deprivation tank to live out the rest of his life.
I'm just kidding. They eventually let him out and train him to use his abilities for the next month. What they don't tell him though is that Hydra is super-interested in his mutation and have taken Battlin' Jack Murdock hostage. Hey, probably saved him from being murdered by the Fixer. When Matt finds out about it, he decides to take things into his own hands and jump into the action.
Nick Fury stops him, but gives in to Matt's demands. They go after Hydra, infiltrate their underwater base under New York harbor, where Matt creates the cover of darkness to beat the crap out of Hydra cultists.
He rescues his dad (who gets a few licks in) and gives him the chance to live free of the Fixer's shadow. Still, the old man wonders if this is the kind of life he wants for his son:
What... secret agent not good enough?!?
Books canceled as a result: Daredevil may or may not be canceled as a result. It could be turned into Matt Murdock - Agent of SHIELD, though perhaps that would mean no Nick Fury series in the 60s.
These things happen: DD's Wikipedia entry puts SHIELD under Team affiliations, but I don't think he's done more than team up with them, has he? (Edit: Tijmen in the comments remembers a Scott Lobdell story in which Matt did work with SHIELD for a few issues.)

Next week: What If the Avengers Defeated Everybody?
My guess: That would be a sweet video game.

Comments

Unknown said…
Matt Murdock briefly did moonlight as an actual agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. in a four-part story written by Scott Lobdell that ended the original Daredevil comic before it got rebooted by Smith/Quesada for Marvel Knights. IIRC, he had a different costume that left his face mostly unmasked and got sent on a mission to Paris.

Nice feature by the way...I love me some What If...? too.