Owl

The Owl is an American crime boss and former businessman in New York City, known for his ruthlessness in both areas of life. He is able to glide through wind currents in an act that resembles flying, though whether this is due to a superpower or special clothing is unclear.

Biography

By 1964, the Owl—whose true name was said to be all but forgotten—was a successful businessman in New York, operating with ruthless and malicious intent to get ahead as much as possible. He was adept at avoiding legal scrutiny for his many crimes by implicating fall guys. One such patsy was accountant George Grey, who publicly committed suicide after being indicted for fraud and learning that Owl had set him up. Grey's death put increased attention on the Owl, and police found enough evidence to link him to the crimes for which Grey had been indicted. Owl was taken into custody, where he was strongly encouraged to get a lawyer in spite of his brazen refusals. He decided to choose a random lawyer from the phone book, and happened upon the number of recent law-school graduates Matt Murdock and Foggy Nelson. Murdock quickly accepted Owl as their client and met him at the courthouse, where Owl was assigned to return for a hearing the following morning. Owl had no intention of doing so, and returned to the Aerie. He acquired the services of the criminals Sad Sam Simms, who was a crack shot with a pistol, and Ape Horgon, a man with strength enough to wrestle his namesake. Owl's plan was to use Murdock as a weak-willed front for his organization as he became a respected crime boss. He and his new henchmen hid out in a vacant office next to Nelson and Murdock, but were interrupted by the arrival of the hero Daredevil (secretly Murdock himself). Daredevil valiantly fought them off, but was forced to surrender after secretary Karen Page walked in and Owl took hold of her. Page and Daredevil were both imprisoned in the Aerie. They were able to escape thanks to the latter's agility and cunning, but Owl confronted them and fought Daredevil head on. Karen was able to take a car and flee to notify the police. Owl briefly escaped by boat, but Daredevil jammed his cane into its rudder, knocking Owl into the water to an unknown fate.