Why Mark Waid And Daredevil#11 Rock

There was a lot to love about Daredevil#11, the concluding chapter of the "Omega Effect" crossover with Avenging Spider-Man and Punisher. The interplay between Matt, Frank, and Spidey. The beautiful art by Marco Checchetto. The battle royale with Megacrime.

But my favorite part had to be this scene between Daredevil and Frank's ally Cole, who has stolen the Omegadrive from Matt. Some backstory: Cole is a former Marine staff sergeant whose husband was killed by the mob in a wedding day massacre.

Matt corners her and is trying to reason her into giving him the drive back. He explains to her how she's not unique in her loss, and that he, Frank, and virtually all the Avengers (including Spidey) have experienced losses similar to hers.

Then Cole lets loose with this rationale:

This line of thinking, that the only true motivator to become a hero is the loss of a loved one, is complete bullshit. But unfortunately it's an opinion shared by too many people, including many creators of modern superhero comics. That's what's led to horrible comics like Cry For Justice and Rise Of Arsenal. Worse, that mindset is in large part responsible for the Women In Refrigerators phenomenon, where a disproportionate number of female supporting characters are killed off for the sole purpose of amping up the male lead characters' angst levels.

But DD and writer Mark Waid, thankfully, ain't havin' it!

Matt's aim is a little off in this scene due to an audio-scrambling device Cole has activated. But what he says next is perfectly on target:

Thank you, Mark Waid!

If more writers adhered to your way of thinking, maybe Earth 2 Lois and Hippolyta would still be alive.