View source for Karen Page

{{Short description|Marvel Comics fictional character}}
{{About|the fictional character|the writer|Karen A. Page|the New Zealand pentathlete|Karen Page (athlete)}}
{{Infobox comics character
<!--Wikipedia:WikiProject Comics-->
| character_name = Karen Page
| image          =
| imagesize      = <!-- default 250 -->
| caption        = 
| publisher      = [[Marvel Comics]]
| debut          = ''[[Daredevil (Marvel Comics series)|Daredevil]]'' #1 (April 1964)
| creators       = [[Stan Lee]] <br />[[Bill Everett]]
| full_name      = Karen Page
| species        = <!-- optional -->
| homeworld      = <!-- optional -->
| alliances      = Nelson & Murdock<br>''New York Bulletin''
| partners       = Matt Murdock
| supports       = [[Daredevil (Marvel Comics character)|Daredevil]]<br>[[Ghost Rider]]
| aliases        = Paige Angel
| powers         =
| cat            =
| subcat         =
| hero           =
| villain        =
}}
'''Karen Page''' is a fictional character appearing in [[American comic book]]s published by [[Marvel Comics]] created by [[Stan Lee]] and [[Bill Everett]]. She served as the original love interest for [[Daredevil (Marvel Comics character)|Daredevil]], working as an office manager for him and [[Foggy Nelson]] at their law firm. Page was killed by [[Bullseye (Marvel Comics)|Bullseye]] in ''Daredevil'' #5 (March 1999), and has remained dead since.

Karen Page was portrayed by [[Ellen Pompeo]] in the film ''[[Daredevil (film)|Daredevil]]'' (2003), and by [[Deborah Ann Woll]] in television series of the [[Marvel Cinematic Universe]] (MCU), including ''[[Daredevil (TV series)|Daredevil]]'' (2015–2018), ''[[The Defenders (miniseries)|The Defenders]]'' (2017), ''[[The Punisher (TV series)|The Punisher]]'' (2017–2019), and ''[[Daredevil: Born Again]]'' (2025–present); initially a friend and confidant of [[Daredevil (Marvel Cinematic Universe)|Daredevil]], this version of the character bonds with [[Punisher (Marvel Cinematic Universe)|the Punisher]].

==Publication history==
Karen Page was created by writer [[Stan Lee]] and artist [[Bill Everett]], and first appeared in ''Daredevil'' #1 (April 1964).<ref>{{cite book |last1=DeFalco |first1=Tom |last2=Sanderson |first2=Peter |last3=Brevoort |first3=Tom |last4=Teitelbaum |first4=Michael |last5=Wallace |first5=Daniel|last6=Darling|first6=Andrew |last7=Forbeck |first7=Matt |last8=Cowsill |first8=Alan |last9=Bray |first9=Adam |title=The Marvel Encyclopedia |date=2019 |publisher=DK Publishing |isbn=978-1-4654-7890-0 |page=265}}</ref>

In her first appearances, Karen is the secretary for the law firm of Daredevil's [[alter ego]] Matt Murdock and the mutual love interest of both Murdock and his partner [[Foggy Nelson]]. Her relationship with Murdock hits a downward spiral when he reveals his secret identity to her in ''[[Daredevil (Marvel Comics series)|Daredevil]]'' #57 (October 1969), setting off a long break-up which concluded with her departure from the series in issue #86 (April 1972). Within these final stories, she trades her profession of secretary to become a film actress.

After three years' absence from published stories, Karen returned for a considerable stint as a supporting character in ''[[Ghost Rider]]'', starting with vol. 2 #13 (August 1975) and continuing through to #26 (October 1977). During this time, a crossover with ''Daredevil'' #138 afforded her a brief return appearance in the series where she got her start. A 1978 appearance in ''[[Marvel Two-in-One]]'' would prove the character's last showing for over seven years.

Karen returned in ''[[Born Again (comics)|Born Again]]'', an award-winning storyline beginning in ''Daredevil'' #227 (February 1986) that would ultimately restore her earlier role as Daredevil's love interest. Writer [[Ann Nocenti]] gave considerably more development to their relationship and even had Karen acting as a sidekick to Daredevil for the first time in issue #259, in which she goes undercover to help take down a child pornography ring. She was again dropped from the series in issue #263 (February 1989) for another long-term breakup from Murdock, but this time was brought back just two years later, for ''Daredevil'' #294 (July 1991).

Karen is killed by Daredevil's adversary [[Bullseye (Marvel Comics)|Bullseye]] in ''Daredevil'' (vol. 2) #5 (March 10, 1999).

==Fictional character biography==
Karen Page is first seen being hired by Matt Murdock's partner, [[Foggy Nelson]], as a secretary for the new law firm "Nelson and Murdock".<ref>''Daredevil'' #1 (April 1964)</ref> She is infatuated with [[Daredevil (Marvel Comics character)|Matt Murdock]] from the moment they meet. When Matt introduces her to the adventuring, wisecracking aspect of his personality, in the guise of his "twin brother" Mike, she finds herself equally charmed by this side of Murdock.<ref>''Daredevil'' #25–26 (February - March 1967)</ref>

Paxton Page, Karen's father, fakes his own kidnapping and death to assume the guise of the villain [[Death's Head (Marvel Comics)|Death's Head]]. Karen returns to her parents' home in Fagan Corners, [[Vermont]], to investigate her father's disappearance. Daredevil follows her. In the ensuing battle between Daredevil and Death's Head, Death's Head spills a vat of molten [[cobalt]] over Daredevil but realizes that Karen is endangered. This brings Paxton back to his own senses, pushing Daredevil and Karen to safety. He appears to die in this act of self-sacrifice when he is coated in cobalt. After the battle with Death's Head, Daredevil's true identity is revealed to Karen.<ref>''Daredevil'' #56–57 (September - October 1969)</ref> She constantly fears for Matt's safety, but Daredevil cannot give up fighting crime. Karen eventually leaves Matt and moves to [[California]] to pursue her dream of an acting career. She quickly finds work as an actress in a daytime [[soap opera]].<ref>''Daredevil'' #65 (June 1970)</ref>

Karen appears alongside [[Ghost Rider (Johnny Blaze)|Johnny Blaze]] in a film. After a scene is interrupted by [[Orb (comics)|Orb]], Katy Milner (Karen's stuntwoman) confides in Johnny about Karen's history of "unhappy romances" including the ones with Murdock and Phil Hickock. Later on, Karen herself falls under the Orb's control.<ref>''Ghost Rider'' (vol. 2) #14–15 (October - December 1975)</ref> Karen is later offered a role on [[The Incredible Hulk (1978 TV series)|''The Incredible Hulk'' TV show]] which was on its first season at the time. She is kidnapped by three ex-stuntmen on the show but is saved by the [[Thing (comics)|Thing]] (who is looking for his own TV show) and the [[Hulk]] (who is annoyed at having this show).<ref>''Marvel Two-in-One'' #46 (December 1978)</ref>

Developing an addiction to [[heroin]], Karen's career falters and she is soon reduced to starring in cheap [[pornography|pornographic]] films.<ref name="Daredevil #227">''Daredevil'' #227 (February 1986)</ref> In need of a fix, she sells Daredevil's secret identity to a drug dealer who in turn sells this to the [[Kingpin (character)|Kingpin]]. Karen is forced to return to New York,<ref name="Daredevil #227"/> where she meets up again with Matt. Having rebuilt his life after surviving the Kingpin's machinations, Matt helps Karen beat her addiction, and they resume their relationship and begin sharing an apartment.<ref>''Daredevil'' #232 (July 1986)</ref>

Realizing that Matt is incomplete without work as a lawyer (having been disbarred), Karen founds a legal clinic, where she counsels drug addicts while Matt provides legal advice as a "ghost lawyer".<ref>''Daredevil'' #248 (November 1987)</ref> The clinic is destroyed during a [[Inferno (Marvel Comics)|demonic invasion of Manhattan]], and Karen discovers hours later that Matt has been having an affair with [[Typhoid Mary (character)|Typhoid Mary]]. These combined blows leave her psychologically lost, and she runs away.<ref>''Daredevil'' #262 - 263 (January - February 1989)</ref>

She becomes an [[Opposition to pornography|anti-pornography]] activist,<ref>''Daredevil'' #294 (July 1991)</ref> assists Daredevil and [[Black Widow (Natasha Romanova)|Black Widow]] in fighting crime on separate occasions and reluctantly starts dating Matt again. At this point, she becomes a radio show host under the name '''Paige Angel'''. She eventually realizes that she is too dependent on Matt and that her past is a constant barrier between them. Karen leaves Matt to accept a talk show host position in [[Los Angeles]].<ref>''Daredevil'' (vol. 2) #1 (November 1998)</ref>

While in California, Karen has a routine blood test as part of an insurance policy application. The supervillain [[Mysterio]], as part of a plan to psychologically destroy Daredevil for one last scheme,<ref name="Daredevil vol. 2 #7">''Daredevil'' (vol. 2) #7 (May 1999)</ref> disguises himself as a doctor, performs the blood test, and claims that she is [[HIV]]-positive. Devastated, Karen returns to New York and tells Matt about the diagnosis. Later, during a fight between Daredevil and [[Bullseye (Marvel Comics)|Bullseye]], Karen is fatally impaled by Bullseye using Daredevil's [[billy-club]].<ref>''Daredevil'' (vol. 2) #5 (March 1999)</ref>

==Other versions==
==="What If Karen Page Had Lived?"===
An alternate universe variant of Karen Page from Earth-523001 appears in the ''[[What If (comics)|What If]]'' comic "What If Karen Page Had Lived?". This version narrowly survived Bullseye's attack due to him hitting her shoulder instead of her head. After Daredevil's fear of nearly losing her leads to him beating the Kingpin to death and being sentenced to 44 years in the [[Raft (comics)|Raft]], Karen disappears and Daredevil assumes she committed suicide.<ref>''What If Karen Page Had Lived?'' one-shot (February 2005)</ref>

===''Secret Wars: Secret Lovers''===
An alternate universe variant of Karen Page from Earth-91240 appears in the ''[[Secret Wars (2015 comic book)|Secret Wars]]'' one-shot ''Secret Wars: Secret Lovers''. This version came to live with Matt Murdock.<ref>''Secret Wars: Secret Love'' one-shot (October 2015)</ref>

==In other media==
[[File:Deborah Ann Woll as Karen Page.png|thumb|[[Deborah Ann Woll]] as Karen Page in the television series ''[[Daredevil (TV series)|Daredevil]]'']]
* Karen Page appears in ''[[Daredevil (film)|Daredevil]]'' (2003), portrayed by [[Ellen Pompeo]].
* [[Karen Page (Marvel Cinematic Universe)|Karen Page]] appears in television series set in the [[Marvel Cinematic Universe]], portrayed by [[Deborah Ann Woll]].<ref>{{cite web |last=Hibberd |first=James |date=July 17, 2014 |title=''True Blood'' actress to star in Marvel's ''Daredevil'' |url=http://insidetv.ew.com/2014/07/17/true-blood-actress-to-star-in-marvels-daredevil/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140717183340/http://insidetv.ew.com/2014/07/17/true-blood-actress-to-star-in-marvels-daredevil/ |archive-date=July 17, 2014 |access-date=July 17, 2014 |magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]]}}</ref> First appearing in ''[[Daredevil (TV series)|Daredevil]]'' (2015–2018),<ref name="Karen">{{cite episode|title=Karen|series=Marvel's Daredevil|credits=Garcia, Alex (director); Tamara Becher-Wilkinson (writer)|network=[[Netflix]]|airdate=October 19, 2018|season=3|number=10}}</ref> she makes subsequent appearances in ''[[The Defenders (miniseries)|The Defenders]]'' (2017),{{cn|date=March 2025}} ''[[The Punisher (TV series)|The Punisher]]'' (2017–2019),<ref name="10 Things To Remember About The Punisher Before Daredevil: Born Again">{{cite web |last1=Young |first1=Kai |date=January 1, 2024 |title=10 Things To Remember About The Punisher Before ''Daredevil: Born Again'' |url=https://screenrant.com/punisher-recap-what-to-remember-daredevil-born-again/ |access-date=March 15, 2025 |website=[[Screen Rant]] |publisher=}}</ref> and ''[[Daredevil: Born Again]]'' (2025-present).<ref>{{cite episode|title=Heaven's Half Hour|series=Daredevil: Born Again|credits=[[Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead|Aaron Moorhead & Justin Benson]] (director); [[Dario Scardapane]] (writer)|network=[[Disney+]]|airdate=March 4, 2025|season=1|number=1}}</ref>
* An alternate universe variant of Karen Page appears as a playable character in ''[[Marvel Strike Force]]''. This version is a member of the [[Nightstalkers (comics)|Nightstalkers]] who previously worked as an investigative reporter before she was bitten by a vampire. Ever since, she works with [[Morbius]] to control her powers and works with the Nightstalkers to protect innocents under the name "'''Oath'''".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://marvelstrikeforce.com/en/characters/Oath|title=Marvel Strike Force}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Daredevil}}
{{Stan Lee}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Page, Karen}}
[[Category:Characters created by Bill Everett]]
[[Category:Characters created by Stan Lee]]
[[Category:Comics characters introduced in 1964]]
[[Category:Daredevil (Marvel Comics) characters]]
[[Category:Fictional actors]]
[[Category:Fictional female sex workers]]
[[Category:Fictional heroin users]]
[[Category:Fictional pornographic film actors]]
[[Category:Fictional prostitutes]]
[[Category:Fictional radio personalities]]
[[Category:Fictional secretaries]]
[[Category:Marvel Comics female characters]]