Kidnapping of Karen Page

Kidnapping of Karen Page
Previous	Infiltration into Melvin Potter's Workshop
Next	Infiltration into Madame Gao's Warehouse
Date	Early 2015
Location	New York City, New York
Type	Extortion Attempt
Result	James Wesley is killed by Karen Page.
Planned by	James Wesley
Executed by	James Wesley
Target	Karen Page
Casualties	James Wesley

"But you won't be the first to die, Miss Page. No, I think Mr. Urich will have that honor. Then we'll go to your place of employment, see to Mr. Nelson, Mr. Murdock. After that your friends, family, everyone you've ever cared about. And when you have no tears left to shed then, then we'll come for you, Miss Page."

―James Wesley to Karen Page^[src]

The Kidnapping of Karen Page was an attempt by James Wesley to coerce Karen Page into protecting Wilson Fisk.

Background

"My employer... Sorry, old habits. Mr. Fisk, as I said, loves his mother. He would be extremely... disturbed if he knew you'd found her. Even more so that you've been to see her."

―James Wesley to Karen Page^[src]

Karen Page talks to Marlene Vistain

While investigating Wilson Fisk to find a way to bring him down, Karen Page discovered a file that his men did not scrape, specififying Marlene Vistain's second marriage, even though Fisk's supposed backstory claimed that she was dead at that time. Page kept investigating that clue and found out that she was at Saint Bénézet Retirement Care, so she asked Ben Urich to go there with her, lying that they would be looking for a caretaker home for his wife. Speaking to Vistain about her marriage, Page brought up his son and made Vistain recall how Fisk murdered his father with a hammer when he was a child.

Page was certain that a new information about Vistain's existence and the truth about Fisk's father creates an inconsistency in Fisk's story that would make people look closely and find out about his crimes. However, Urich, Matt Murdock and Foggy Nelson all disagreed with her, claiming that her story is not reliable enough and even if it was, Fisk would be able to turn it around for his benefit regardless.

James Wesley orders Francis to stay with Wilson Fisk

Vistain then tried to call Fisk and talk to him, but as he was preoccupied with Vanessa Marianna recovering from the poisoning, James Wesley talked to her instead. While asking what she wanted to discuss, Vistain suddenly brought up a woman that visited her and Wesley came to realize that Page visited her and asked her questions. He knew how much Fisk cared about his mother, so it was an important matter, but since Fisk was still focused on Marianna, he decided to handle it on his own. He ordered Francis to give him car keys and his gun, while instructing him to keep Fisk guarded and tell him that he will come back soon once he is done with his business.

Kidnapping

James Wesley kidnaps Karen Page

"I killed Wesley. I shot him seven times. Because the clip ran out. He deserved more."

―Karen Page to Wilson Fisk^[src]

James Wesley tracked Karen Page down as she was coming home and ambushed her from behind, knocking her out and bringing her to a secluded location. As Page woke up and was still dazed, Wesley sat opposite to her and recalled how he specifically asked Wilson Fisk what to do with her, when her discoveries about Union Allied Construction found their way to the press. At the time, Fisk chose to spare Page's alive and arranged for her to be paid handsomely in exchange for signing the non-disclosure agreement. Wesley noted that she did sign it and was expected to leave it be and live her life, but instead she and Ben Urich kept digging under Fisk.

While she was still unresponsive, Wesley talked to her about New York City and how Fisk genuinely loves it unlike him, before bringing up Marlene Vistain and how much he cares for her. He mentioned how Page was able to make an impression that made Vistain remember her and Urich, even with her weak memory. As Page saw Wesley putting his gun on the table between them, she said that if he kidnapped her to kill, he should get it over with already. Wesley replied that killing her was not his intention and he simply wanted to offer her a job. He told Page that she needed to come to Urich and convince him that Fisk is actually a good man and they need to back off from him, before telling the same thing to everyone she roped into her investigation on Fisk.

Karen Page points the gun at James Wesley

Page responded by saying that she would rather die than defend Fisk, but Wesley anticipated that and said it would not happen like that. He warned Page that if she refuses, Urich will be the first to die, than it would be Matt Murdock and Foggy Nelson, before they move on to Page's other friends, family and everybody she ever cared about, and only after she witnessed all of them die, they would come for her. At that time, Fisk noticed Wesley's absence and started to worry, so he tried calling him. Wesley got distracted and went to pick up his phone, giving Page an opening to grab Wesley's gun from the desk and point at him. Wesley scoffed and asked if Page really thought that he would leave a loaded gun where she could easily reach it.

Karen Page kills James Wesley

In response, Page cocked the gun and asked Wesley in return if he really thought he is the first person she held at a gunpoint. Wesley was still convinced that she was bluffing and tried to approach her, but Page shot him in the shoulder and before Wesley could react in any way, she shot him again and again until the clip ran out of bullets. As Wesley succumed to the wounds and died, Page was utterly horrifed that she had taken a life, before grabbing the gun and her bag and running away. She disposed of the gun by throwing it into the river and headed straight home, still distraught from what transpired with Wesley.

Aftermath

James Wesley's body found by Wilson Fisk

"James Wesley. What was it like for you when he disappeared? Really, it's those first 24 hours that are the worst, aren't they? When you call and you call and you call, and there's just no answer. It becomes an obsession. The calling. The never-ending loop of a ghost's voicemail in your ear. You worry. You wonder. You swear, 'God damn it, if he's still living, I'm gonna kill him myself.' Is that what it was like for you?"

―Karen Page to Wilson Fisk^[src]

The next day, while Wilson Fisk was still tending to Vanessa Marianna, he was informed that James Wesley had been found, before being brought to the location where his body was discovered. Fisk was disheartened to see his good friend dead and as Leland Owlsley arrived at the scene as well, Fisk demanded his men to explain how did that happen. Francis told Fisk that last night received a call from someone and took his car and weapon, before leaving without giving out any details. Fisk questioned why did he let Wesley out on his own, to which Francis replied that Wesley gave him clear instructions to keep as many guards around Fisk as possible.

Regardless, Fisk was enraged that Francis let that happen and assaulted him, but Owlsley stopped Fisk, saying that Francis only did what he was ordered to do. Fisk was convinced that whoever tried to poison Marianna also killed Wesley and as he was mourning, he checked Wesley's phone and saw that his lastс call was with Marlene Vistain. He became worried that his mother would be the next target and decided to take her out of Saint Bénézet Retirement Care, hiding her somewhere in Italy. On their way out, Fisk asked Vistain about Wesley and their last phone conversation, wondering what were they talking about, but she struggeld to remember anything.

Karen Page was getting more and more anxious that Fisk's men might find out about her visit to Vistain or about her killing Wesley, afraid of what Fisk might do to her. She urged Ben Urich to publish a story about Fisk's family as soon as possible, but since he had no credible sources, Mitchell Ellison shot it down immediately. Urich confronted Ellison and accused him of accepting bribes from Fisk, which results in him being fired from New York Bulletin. Fisk found out about it from his sources in Bulletin and confronted Urich about his visit to Vistain, displeased that Urich had dragged his mother into this. As Urich claimed that he was alone at the time and did not mention Page at all, Fisk murdered Urich in his own home and left.

Karen Page tells Wilson Fisk the truth

Page kept the fact of Wesley's murder for years until his name was brought up during the FBI investigation into Matt Murdock, while they were being manipulated by Fisk. Desperate to somehow provoke Fisk into attacking her on camera, which would force the FBI to take measures, Page sat down with him at his suite at Presidential Hotel, during which Fisk tricked Page into admitting that Murdock was actually Daredevil. Page then told Fisk about Wesley and said that she was the one who killed him, but before he lost his temper and attack her, the FBI escorted her out on Foggy Nelson's request. Fisk then ordered Benjamin Poindexter to find Page at Clinton Church and kill her, just like she killed Wesley back then, to exact his revenge.