Daredevil (1964 series) #238

Down in the tunnels that used to belong to the Morlocks, Sabretooth defends what he has made his current home from a few people looking to move in. He chases off the two men but keeps the woman for himself. Feeling hunger, he senses that no one else is around for miles and lies down to sleep with the terrified woman beside him. In the city above, Daredevil bounds along the rooftops and comes across two dogs fighting, an omen of things to come. He then senses trouble nearby and soon discovers two thieves holding up a guy in an alley. He quickly disposes of the two muggers but discovers that the man he saved is not at all happy. Turns out, the man lost his store, and livelihood, during Daredevil’s battle with Nuke (in Daredevil #233). He says that he’d rather take his chances with muggers than with Daredevil protecting him, as Daredevil seems to attract trouble just by existing.

Elsewhere, a young brother and sister named Butch and Darla are watching TV and messing with each other as kids do. Their father tells them to stop watching TV and to head to the library, and not to go playing with a guy named Raphael and his gang. The two kids promise, and next we see, they have indeed gone to see Raphael and his gang, who have taken up residence in the now abandoned Morlock tunnels. Aiming to take it for themselves, they fan out so each person can claim a bit as their own. A bit of commotion ends up waking up Sabretooth and he confronts the gang of kids. Butch says that New York is protected by Daredevil and if Sabretooth messes with them, Daredevil will beat him up! Taking that challenge to heart, Sabretooth skulks off to find Daredevil and Butch wonders what he may have just gotten his hero into!

Sabretooth soon spots Daredevil leaping across rooftops, unable to get the man’s words from earlier out of his head. Daredevil suddenly senses Sabretooth’s presence but isn’t fast enough to avoid his initial attack. Daredevil questions why Sabretooth wants to fight him, and Sabretooth tells him just because he exists! Their fight takes them off the roof and into an alley below, where Daredevil discovers that as much as he hits Sabretooth, he can’t do much more than make him mad! Eventually, Sabretooth ducks back into the sewers, thinking that will give him an advantage. Surprised that Daredevil can keep up with him, Sabretooth attacks him once more and their fight brings them to Sabretooth’s den where he has his captive woman tied up. Their fight continues, interspersed with a comparison of a cat chasing a mouse, until Daredevil flips Sabretooth over, knocking a whole weak wall down on the two of them, which reveals the body of a dead Morlock.

Through observing how Daredevil responds to the body, Sabretooth is able to ascertain that Daredevil is blind. Sabretooth then runs for the tied-up girl and slashes at her neck! Daredevil stuns Sabretooth and checks on the girl, noting that she’s losing blood but is still alive. Playing on a theory, Daredevil tells Sabretooth that she’s dead, questioning what he does with his kills. Sabretooth doesn’t know, only feeling hungrier, and runs off for something else to hunt. Daredevil tends to the girl, who reveals that Sabretooth had been surprisingly kind to her, and was surprised he attacked her. She then reveals that she’d often imagine Daredevil watching over Hell’s Kitchen, keeping everyone safe, and expresses that she’s glad to know he exists. Unfortunately, all Daredevil can think is that’s why he was hunted in the first place: because he exists!