Mitchell Ellison is the editor-in-chief at the New York Bulletin who worked closely with Ben Urich, becoming increasingly frustrated with Urich's obsession with Wilson Fisk, which had resulted in Ellison firing Urich. However, Urich was murdered shortly afterwards, and Ellison finally realized that Urich had been right about Fisk the entire time. Ellison later met Urich's friend Karen Page, who came to Ellison since she wanted the Bulletin to write the true story of Frank Castle, as Ellison saw potential in Page and hired her to take Urich's job, vowing to keep her safe in a way he had failed to do with Urich while he continued to assist her in her investigation into Castle, finding Page becoming a target of Lewis Wilson due to her work.
Following Fisk's release from Ryker's Island, Ellison and Page were drawn back into the investigation of him, determined to find a way to ensure that he remained in prison for the murder of Urich, although Ellison had continued to try and keep Page safe. However, Ellison soon found that Fisk's power had still grown when Page's witness, Jasper Evans, was assassinated by Benjamin Poindexter under Fisk's orders, with many other Bulletin staff members dying in the process. Heartbroken by the deaths of his own co-workers, Ellison did everything in his power to take down the Kingpin, believing in Page despite her keeping Daredevil's secret identity hidden from him, until they finally were able to have Fisk taken back to Ryker's Island.
Biography[]
Bulletin Editor[]
Reporting on Micro[]
- "There was a story, brought in a while back by a stringer, a real seat-of-your-pants radical. Just paranoid. Saw conspiracies in everything. But supposedly he had a lead on an NSA analyst who was leaking secrets who went by the name of Micro."
"And?"
"And I decided not to run it." - ―Mitchell Ellison and Karen Page[src]
Working at the New York Bulletin as the Editor, Mitchell Ellison had learned about mysterious NSA analyst, known as Micro who was leaking government secrets. However, before Ellison could decide whether or not to print article, he was visited by SAC Carson Wolf from the United States Department of Homeland Security. Wolf personally asked Ellison not to pursue it, telling that it would interfere with his ongoing investigation and eventually Ellison agreed and decided not to publish this article, believing his stringer was not the best lead regardless of Wolf's objections.[3]
Controlling Ben Urich[]
When a young boy was rescued by a mysterious Masked Man after being kidnapped by the Russian Mafia, Ellison personally wrote the story about the incident for the New York Bulletin, telling the readers that the boy was now safe and sound and returned to his family.[1] Ellison later visited Ben Urich in his office to discuss his projects, he found Urich on the phone to insurance companies in an attempt to help with his wife's medical bills, with Ellison comparing Urich's frustration to when he had to take his children to the dentist, which did not offer Urich much more comfort.
Ellison and Urich discussed Urich's pitch for the newest spread in the paper, about a new crime Kingpin working in Hell's Kitchen who had taken over control of the Russian Mafia and was also now somehow connected to a Union Allied Construction scandal. Ellison, however, bowed his head in frustration and commented that Urich had been designed to cover the city desk, to which Urich argued that this story did involve New York, noting that nobody else saw the connections. When Ellison had commented it was not a sexy story that would sell, Urich argued they were not a girly magazine but a newspaper.
When Urich continued arguing that not even the New York City Police Department were digging into the situation yet and so therefore they could break the story, Ellison told Urich that it would not sell papers and suggested that he stop writing stories about gang violence and consider moving to another department and write about more social events, such as whether Hell's Kitchen would get a new subway line. With Urich clearly unimpressed by the assignment, Ellison reminded him of how he always liked to be on the ground and suggested that he take a poll on what color the people of New York would like.
Frustrated by the situation, Urich commented to Ellison on how the people who worked in the New York Bulletin Building were once dedicated to reporting the news; however, Ellison argued that these new generations of reporters made twice what they did while writing blogs from home, and therefore, their already struggling newspaper would have to work even harder to not go bankrupt. Knowing Ellison was right, Urich had then finally reluctantly agreed to write the piece about the new subway and in exchange, Ellison then promised to do whatever he could to help with Urich's wife's medical coverage.[4]
Bombing of Hell's Kitchen[]
- "We have reports coming in of multiple explosions all across Hell's Kitchen. Hey, Henricks, call PD, get a statement. Taylor, reach out to your guy at Public Works and see if gas or methane had anything to do with this."
- ―Mitchell Ellison[src]
When he received a call from the local law enforcements, Ellison then called together an emergency meeting with all his staff and informed them of a series of explosions which had all seemingly just gone off accidentally all across Hell's Kitchen, with Ellison claimed to be most likely due to gas leaks. With little time left to spare to get the story reported, Ellison told Henricks to contact the police for a statement on these explosions before telling Taylor to investigate if his theory that gas or methane was to blame for all the sudden explosions was correct.
As Ellison continued giving all his journalists their tasks to investigate the story, Ben Urich asked to find out the locations of the explosions. Although Ellison was initially annoyed at Urich interrupting him, Urich noted that it would be helpful to them to know where they needed to go to cover the story. Ellison then informed him of the locations and Urich informed him that all the buildings involved were controlled by the Russian Mafia before Urich left the New York Bulletin Building in order to learn more about the cause, while Urich ignored Ellison who was calling out to stop him from investigating the explosions.[1] Ellison soon wrote a story for the paper discussing a cab driver's killing spree.[5]
Offering a Promotion[]
A few days later, Ellison sent Ben Urich to investigate a possible lead as Urich called Ellison and told him the lead was useless and was wearing his tin-foil hat.[6] When Wilson Fisk stepped out to condemn the actions of vigilantes, Ellison wrote an article praising Fisk, thinking he was a second coming.[7] Ellison later went to ask Urich about him handing an assigned piece about a fundraiser over to M. Caldwell, as Ellison found him in his office looking over brochures for nursing homes for his wife which Ellison could not help but notice.
When Ellison asked him why he had passed on the story, Urich told him that something had come up, as Ellison asked Urich if this was going to be a problem for them. Clearly not willing to talk about the situation, Urich would then only tell Ellison that it was for personal reasons, which Ellison did not question as he claimed to be simply checking on Urich. Swiftly changing their subject, Ellison had then informed Urich that Haverson had cornered him in the bathroom to tell Ellison that he would retire to spend time with his grandchildren and Ellison asked if Urich would be interested in replacing him.
Making his argument for him to take the job, Ellison had noted that a promotion to an editor of the New York Bulletin would offer Urich a higher salary to support his wife, as well as allowing him to stop his running around New York City and relax a bit as he reached the age of retirement. Urich, however, turned down the offer, claiming that he was and always would be a reporter, not an editor, although he still promised that he would give the promotion some more thought and thanked Ellison none the less while Ellison had requested that Urich let him know his final decision within the next couple of days.[8]
Firing Ben Urich[]
- "The reason that you can't get any of your crime pieces into the paper lately, is because they're shit, Ben, just like that one, and I think, deep down you know that too. You know what, forget about the suspension, clear out your office, I'm done trying to help you."
- ―Mitchell Ellison to Ben Urich[src]
Ellison took a few hours off from his work to attend his son's cello performance at his school; however, when he had returned to work, he found Ben Urich had written a piece about Wilson Fisk, claiming Fisk was the crimelord running the many crime rings in Hell's Kitchen, as Ellison noted that he had experienced the opposite reaction of the joy he had felt when he saw his own son playing Johannes Brahms during the recital upon reading Urich's article, although Urich insisted that this could finally expose Fisk as the real Kingpin.
However, Ellison refused to print the story as he claimed it had zero evidence to support its claims and no follow up or corroboration and so the New York Bulletin would likely get sued by Fisk for running it with such little supporting evidence. Although Urich argued that his article exposed what Fisk's mother, Marlene Vistain had said about Fisk murdering his own father, Ellison noted that Vistain was just an old lady who would likely also believe that Richard Nixon was still in office. When Ellison continued to refused to run the article, Urich had finally lost his temper and called Ellison a whore for selling out.
Frustrated, Urich confessed that while he sometimes got lucky with a story like Union Allied Construction, Ellison had sucked the integrity out of the paper. In response, Ellison suspended Urich for this insult, but Urich continued to push the story, claiming Fisk would continue killing. When Ellison refused to print the story again and compared him to Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, Urich accused Ellison of being paid off, claiming this to be the reason why Ellison would never print his stories. Enraged by his insult, Ellison finally told Urich that all of his crime stories were shit and then fired him on the spot.[9]
Ben Urich's Death[]
- "He just stood there, like he was his friend. Like he had nothing to do with what happened."
"I thought Ben said he didn't have any evidence Ellison was taking money from Fisk."
"No, but it makes sense. I mean, it explains..." - ―Karen Page and Matt Murdock[src]
Shortly after being fired by Ellison, Ben Urich was murdered inside of his home by an attacker, who had brutally strangled Urich to death. Ellison attended the funeral of his former friend and showed his respects to Doris Urich, Ben's widow, although Ellison could not help but notice Karen Page was still staring at him with accusing eyes since she blamed him for Urich's untimely death as she was convinced Ellison took bribes from Wilson Fisk, leading to Urich's murder.
Before long, however, Urich's many theories were proved correct as corrupt police officer Carl Hoffman confessed to all his many crimes and which then exposed Fisk's entire criminal empire, leading to the arrests of anyone connected to Fisk. While in the offices of the New York Bulletin, Ellison looked on in horror once the FBI stormed inside and arrested his secretary, M. Caldwell, who had been leaking Urich's stories and intel to Fisk's people. Realizing that Urich had been right the entire time and he let down and betrayed his friend, Ellison could only bow his head down in utter shame at all of his mistakes.[10]
Punisher Story[]
Visited by Karen Page[]
- "We know that he was a Marine recruit, and we know that he went in as a kid, but there's no evidence that he actually served."
"I've seen the medal, engraved with Castle's name, next to a photo of him shaking the secretary's hand."
"Are you suggesting that his work was classified?" - ―Mitchell Ellison and Karen Page[src]
While he was working inside of the New York Bulletin Building, Ellison was then visited by Karen Page, who Ellison remembered as being a friend of Ben Urich's. Page followed Ellison and offered an apology for how she treated him at Urich's funeral as she had believed Ellison was the one being bribed by Wilson Fisk. However, Ellison still insisted that she forget about it, noting how Urich was a pain in his arse and he was unsurprised that all his friends were as well.
When Ellison asked what Page wanted from him, she explained that she wanted to talk about the piece the New York Bulletin had written about Frank Castle. Ellison noted that the Castle story was terrifying, but Page claimed that it was also inaccurate, although Ellison argued that the story had been corroborated by multiple sources including the New York City Police Department and District Attorney Samantha Reyes; however, Page claimed that while all the stories told were true the article was still inaccurate simply by what was not written about, as Ellison pulled Page aside to talk in private about the story.
Page had then told Ellison about how two years prior to his rampage, Castle was awarded the Navy Cross for his service in Afghanistan as part of the United States Marine Corps, claiming that Castle was, in fact, a war hero. Ellison, however, had explained that a paper always looked into service history following any mass shooting, claiming that while he knew Castle was part of the Marines, there was never actual evidence that he ever actually served, to which Page claimed to have seen the medal itself alongside a picture of Castle actually accepting it, as Ellison suggested that Castle's service might be classified.
Wanting to learn more, Ellison told Page never to assume anything without evidence as he questioned where she had seen the medal, although Page insisted that this was not important. Page then noted how Ellison had reported that Castle had no known relatives, which he noted was in the press briefings sent by Reyes' office, but Page explained that Castle in fact had a wife and two children, explaining that they were all killed at the same time that Castle was hospitalized with a gunshot wound to the head, as Ellison suggested that Castle killed his family and tried to commit suicide, which Page denied.[11]
Finding Evidence[]
- "You know, I cannot remember my, my kids' birthdays, but violent, soul-sucking events are just seared into my brain. Figures, right? Ah, yes, yes. Okay, gang-on-gang violence. No civilians were reported injured, so nobody cared. It took me a week to get this in the paper. Here. Three gangs, Central Park, mid-day."
- ―Mitchell Ellison to Karen Page[src]
Ellison asked what Karen Page thought happened to Frank Castle as she explained that she wanted access to the New York Bulletin's files to learn more. Ellison then brought Page into their filling room, explaining how their computer systems had been wiped during the Battle of New York so they kept hard copies. As Ellison left Page to begin her search, he could not help smiling to himself as he noted how he believed somewhere Ben Urich was looking down at them and smiling at seeing their situation.
Ellison eventually rejoined after she spent three hours looking over the documents, bringing her a cup of coffee. Page explained that she had gone through all the papers from the time when Castle and his family were shot, although she had found no reports of the shooting, although Ellison noted that people were shot every day in New York City and it did not always get into the paper. However, upon hearing more details about the date of the shooting, Ellison recalled another story of gangs within Central Park massacring each other and quickly managed to find the paper where the story was written about.
Ellison explained that since it was only criminals who were shot, the general public were less interested. Reading the article, Ellison and Page realized that it was the Dogs of Hell who were involved along with the Mexican Cartel and Kitchen Irish, which were all the gangs which had been targeted by the Punisher, as they realized there must have been a connection between this shooting and what happened to Castle. Finding a picture of Castle and his family at Central Park, Page realized she was right, while Ellison told her to then focus on confirming her theory, ensuring the Bulletin got the exclusive.[11]
Reunion with Karen Page[]
- "So, I just wanna rewind this informal meeting we're having by about thirty seconds. You come to me with a lead, with a really good lead, right? And now you just wanna take off right? I mean, it's sort of like a pitcher going to the eighth inning with a no-hit shutout, and just walking away."
- ―Mitchell Ellison to Karen Page[src]
Stepping out of his office, Ellison found Karen Page waiting for him, as he commented on how she had spent the last few days acting as part of the legal team for Frank Castle's trial, as they went against Samantha Reyes and the people of New York City which had resulted in Castle having an outburst and being sent to Ryker's Island, as Ellison jokingly asked if she had bought him back a t-shirt: However, Page had told Ellison that she might have something even better.
Ellison and Page then stepped in the filling room as Page presented him with files from the New York City Police Department regarding Castle's family's autopsy reports, noting one of the bodies reported had seemingly disappeared without any trace. Page explained that during the trial, Gregory Tepper's testimony had actually been thrown out, but he had also mentioned a John Doe who he had covered up. When Ellison noted that they now needed to learn the identity of the John Doe to complete the story, Page suggested that Ellison should do it alone, noting that her involvement with the trial was now over.
Although Page explained that the trail had gone terribly wrong and her partners at Nelson and Murdock had stepped back while warning her to walk away from the case, Ellison argued that Page had come to him with a really great lead on the story and questioned why she would just walk away from that, noting that he had gotten at least ten phone calls from various people wanting to know his source, which meant that Page was doing the right thing. The pair had then agreed to go together to find Dr. Tepper and then learn what they could from him about the case, with Ellison telling Page not to get cocky.[12]
Dr. Tepper's Confession[]
- "You're a target because of what you know. 'Cause whatever that is, they they want to keep in the dark. Karen has found something that will bring the truth to light."
- ―Mitchell Ellison to Gregory Tepper[src]
Ellison and Karen Page went to the home of Gregory Tepper as Page knocked on his door and asked for Tepper to open the door, noting how although Tepper's testimony against Frank Castle had hurt his career, but promised that she believed that she could help him, and noted that there was other people involved with the case who could do with Tepper's help. Ellison stood by as Tepper opened the door, recognizing Page as part of Nelson and Murdock who defended Castle in court.
Tepper agreed to allow Ellison and Page in his home as he explained that after the events in the Court House the major had asked him to step down, as Tepper confessed that he knew he sounded paranoid. Ellison, however, noted that Tepper had become this target due to the secrets he knew that others still wanted to keep quiet, promising that Page had found some new evidence which could expose the lies and redeem Tepper. Ellison then watched as Page showed pictures from the Massacre at Central Park aftermath and asked Tepper to identify which of the dead men was the John Doe he had mentioned.
Clearly nervous, Tepper demanded that Ellison ensure that his story be substantiated before the New York Bulletin published a word of it, which Ellison agreed to. Tepper then explained that while John Doe did not have his wallet or any form of identification, inside of his left shoe he did have a police call sign. While both Ellison and Page listened in shock and horror, Tepper explained that the John Doe was not a member of the Kitchen Irish or Dogs of Hell, and he was not an innocent bystander, but was instead a member of the New York City Police Department who had instead been sent undercover.[12]
Handing Over the Office[]
- "You're not gonna get any rest till you figure it out. So if you want to camp out in here, it's all yours. Start digging."
"Are you serious?"
"I'm very serious. Ben was the best researcher I've ever known." - ―Mitchell Ellison and Karen Page[src]
Returning to the New York Bulletin Building, Ellison had then listened while Karen Page theorized about how deep this conspiracy could go while Ellison noted from the look in her eyes, that Page would not let this story go anytime soon. Wanting Page to continue looking into their story revolving around Frank Castle and the Massacre at Central Park, Ellison then offered Page the opportunity to have Ben Urich's former office for her to work out of, much to Page's considerable surprise, as she checked if Ellison was actually being serious.
Ellison watched on from the doorway of the office while Page walked around, finding that it had not been altered since Urich's murder, with a picture of Ben and Doris Urich on the table. While looked around on his desk, Page then found that Urich had written a file about Page herself, as she opened it to find the reports about her brother's death which she did not know that Urich knew about, while Ellison simply commented that Urich was the best researcher that he had ever met, while Page had then begun openly weeping at this discovery about Urich's work while recalling her grief at Urich's untimely death.
Clearly still emotional at the discovery, Page asked Ellison if he had read the file which had detailed how Page had inadvertently killed her own brother in a car crash, which Ellison explained that he had but noted that neither he nor Urich had changed their opinion on Page based on what was inside of the file. With that, Ellison told Page to get to work for the New York Bulletin, researching whatever else she could about the story on Castle's true history, including the deaths of his family and how this story was being covered up, as Ellison then closed the office door and left Page to get on with her work.[12]
Losing their Leads[]
- "Look, you wanna report the news, or you wanna really get to the truth? The first step is you gotta put aside your personal feelings. I mean about everything. No matter how much it hurts."
"This is not personal. I'm just saying that this does not fit." - ―Mitchell Ellison and Karen Page[src]
Following the Assassination of Samantha Reyes, Ellison organized his staff at the New York Bulletin to cover their story, questioning if there were any Bulletin reporters actually at the scene of the courthouse. He confirmed that Manus was at Metro-General Hospital as Ellison sent Stantacki down to the police department and told Sarah to return to the fire department in order to get statements, while Ellison became annoyed as the staff still continued looking at him for answers rather than doing their own jobs.
As Ellison then moved away he saw Karen Page had arrived and then immediately asked if she had been there which Page confirmed as Ellison questioned if she needed anything. Ellison then questioned if the shooter was Frank Castle, which Page did not believe although they began questioning who Castle would target next following the successful murder of District Attorney Samantha Reyes, with Page noting he would be targeting all those who had crossed him in the past. They both agreed that Gregory Tepper would be a likely target for Castle as Ellison refused to allow Page to speak with Tepper alone.
However, when the pair arrived at Tepper's home, they discovered he had already been murdered, as Ellison looked at the corpse and had informed Page of what had been found, noting that all the signs led to Punisher being the killer. Page, however, claimed that this was not Castle's style, to which Ellison pulled her aside and questioned if Page really wanted to report the news or get to the real truth, noting that the first step to doing this would be to put aside all of her own personal feelings about a situation, no matter how much that might hurt, although Page insisted her feelings were not personal.
Page insisted that the crime scene was the work of somebody who was out of control, to which Ellison reminded her that the Punisher was a killer who worked around chaos. Ellison suggested that Page was simply projecting her feelings into the case, noting that whatever good she had seen in Castle was not actually there. Ellison had then checked who else might be in danger and asked for a list, with Page pointing to Castle's former nurse. When Page prepared to return to her apartment to get the files, Ellison insisted upon the police escort, refusing to put her in the same danger as Ben Urich was in.[13]
Karen Page's Return[]
- "I understand that this whole journalism thing is new to you, but a real journalist doesn't just up and quit."
"Well, that's not fair."
"That's exactly fair! Stories don't disappear, they change and they become different stories." - ―Mitchell Ellison and Karen Page[src]
Despite the precautions Ellison put in, Karen Page was targeted once again when the police escort at her apartment were attacked and the building was suddenly fired upon after she left Ellison, an action seemingly done by the Punisher, although Page denied this.[13] Eventually, however, Page returned into the New York Bulletin Building as Ellison checked on how she was doing, noting how the Punisher had seemingly been killed in a ship explosion during the same night.
Ellison commented that this seemed to be the third time that Page had been targeted by the Punisher and then escaped, to which she claimed to simply be lucky which Ellison called bullshit on. Seeing that Page was ignoring what he was saying to her, Ellison asked how the story was coming along as she claimed there was no story now that Samantha Reyes, the Blacksmith and now Castle were all dead and had instead suggested the next New York Bulletin be filled with crossword puzzles. Ellison, however, insisted that stories like this did not die, but that they changed and become different stories.
Page insisted that she was exhausted, to which Ellison simply asked why she cared so much about Frank Castle, noting that once it was about whether or not he was innocent or a psychopath, but the same concept disappeared along with Nelson and Murdock. Page insisted that Castle was not actually a psycho murderer, despite Ellison still reminding her how he had gunned down at least thirty people. Page, however, argued that Castle saw wife and two children being gunned down in front of his face and nobody was talking about the fact that Castle was a grieving father desperately searching for answers.
Ellison had then concluded this debate by commented on how Page believed there was more to Castle than just his actions as a killer, and therefore the story was not yet over. Page confirmed with Ellison that her story was no longer an expose on what caused the Punisher's violent rampage, but was instead a profile on the man himself, seeing that she needed personal contacts with relationships with Castle in his life and his service in the United States Marine Corps, considering Major Ray Schoonover for an interview while Ellison reminded her of her upcoming deadline, while officially offering Page a job.[14]
Christmas Celebrations[]
- "But at least write something new. Something different. Something that only you can write."
"Right. Which which would be what?"
"The truth. Your truth, Karen. All of it. Everything that you've been through. Don't pull any punches." - ―Mitchell Ellison and Karen Page[src]
The night of the New York Bulletin Building's Christmas party, Ellison had found Karen Page still working in her office, jokingly questioning why she was not spending Christmas with the family members who she hated like everybody else. Page explained that she simply had gotten writers block while trying to finish her story, to which Ellison claimed that the best cure for that was scotch, as Ellison jokingly claimed that the scotch instead simply helped him to not care as much about what he had been writing.
Taking a seat, Ellison listened while Page explained how she did not know if she should start by writing about the hostage crisis or what happened with Frank Castle, or with a comment on vigilante justice. Ellison, however, told her that all of that was just garbage, noting that it was no longer news as all of the facts had already been reported about, as Ellison suggested that if Page would insist upon torturing herself by writing through the holiday, then she must write about her honest truth, regarding everything that she had been through and the impact of it, telling her not to pull any punches in her writing.
Continuing his explanation, Ellison noted how in New York City the people believed that they had seen everything, and invited Page to prove them wrong, commenting that he would personally read that if it was given to him. With that, Ellison stepped out of the room and presented Page with her gift, which Page correctly guessed was a bottle of scotch, before telling Page to write at least two thousand words before Santa Claus turned up, which Page promised to do as Ellison left her office, as Page wrote a long and detailed piece about the concept of being a true hero in this new and modern world.[15]
Continued Stories[]
Karen Page's Reporting[]
- "His only source was this guy from Homeland, who refused to go on record. And then special agent in charge for New York, Carson Wolf, stopped by personally and asked me not to pursue it."
"So then the story is true?" - ―Mitchell Ellison and Karen Page[src]
Upon learning that Danny Rand had just returned and retaken Rand Enterprises, Ellison had sent in Jennifer Many to report on the story, which resulted in Many writing a piece about Rand reducing the cost of the Leishmaniasis Cure.[16] Ellison also kept Karen Page on as his reporter and gave her the free rein, as she wrote a story about school board scandals.[17] Following a Blackout across New York, Ellison called Page learn what she knew.[18]
Micro's Story[]
Ellison later entered Page's office and then found her going through boxes of old papers. Page explained that the New York Bulletin's system had an entry for an unpublished article from around a year earlier, but she had been unable to find the actual report anywhere. Ellison asked for details as Page explained it was about Micro, which got Ellison nervous as he questioned who Page's source was, but she refused to reveal who it was apart from saying that it was somebody who she trusted. Ellison then explained a story about how a conspiracy nut had a lead about an NSA analyst who was leaking secrets and went by the codename of Micro, but Ellison explained that he had decided not to run it.
As Page asked for an explanation as to why Ellison did not run the story, he had then explained that the conspiracy theorist did not have any real evidence and his only source from Homeland Security had simply refused to go on record about the claims, before then noting how Carson Wolf came by in order to request that Ellison stop the story before it interfered with his investigation, as Ellison claimed he had simply wanted to wait for a bigger story and make friends with Wolf, much to Page's frustration. Ellison had then agreed to find the article for Page, telling her to stop looking at him in a funny way.[3]
Open Letter Threat[]
- "So the first thing you wanna do is, we're gonna call the FBI. This letter may be the only evidence of who this guy is, what he intends to do, what his state of mind is. God, I don't know if I'm horrified or excited. Maybe a little bit of both. Guess that makes me just half a terrible person."
- ―Mitchell Ellison to Karen Page[src]
In the wake of the Bombings of New York City, Ellison was called into the office of Karen Page as she had just received a threatening letter which was seemingly sent by the terrorist responsible. As Page read the letter aloud, Ellison had confirmed with Page it was the bomber who had sent the letter to her directly, questioning if Page had touched the letter, which she confirmed until she realized what it was, as Ellison recommended calling the FBI to aid their investigation.
However, as Page still continued to read the letter, she pointed to a section where the terrorist noted how Page had previously stood up in defense of the common hero which was seemingly why he had contacted Page in the first place, as the terrorist had believed that Page would understand his actions, requesting that Page print his words in the New York Bulletin as a call to arms, threatening that if she refused, then he would target her and her own co-workers next, ending with a quote from Patrick Henry which Ellison had jokingly noted was extremely unoriginal to end a letter like this one.
While Ellison reacted to the paper being threatened, Page noted that she would never accept what the terrorist actions, suggesting they print the letter along with a reply so Page could express her feelings towards it. Ellison insisted that they first had to go to the FBI and see what they wanted to do in order to catch the terrorist, but despite Page's insistence that if they published it then somebody who knew the terrorist would come forward, Ellison refused to hear it and said they would only publish an editorial if the FBI gave them permission to do so, with Page requesting her own name on the editorial.
As their hunt for the terrorist terrorizing New York City still continued, Ellison learned of a shocking development, as Frank Castle had been filmed fleeing a suspected crime scene before assaulting to members of the New York City Police Department. Shocked by what he had seen since the last report about Castle was that he had been killed in an explosion, Ellison then stormed into Page's office and asked if she knew, before turning on WHiH World News where the news story was being reported and had then asked the question to Page once again, as Page only looked at the news in complete and utter horror.[19]
Midland Circle Aftermath[]
- "What is it about Midland Circle, Karen? I mean, it's not just a story, is it? Look. The work you've done on this, reporting, the writing it's excellent. It's great. It's some of the best you've ever done. I'm proud of it. I'm even maybe a little bit jealous. But it's done."
- ―Mitchell Ellison and Karen Page[src]
As Ellison had learned that Rostam Kazemi and his daughter, Neda Kazemi had been attacked and Rostam had been left in a coma as a result, he went into Karen Page's office to inform her of this and request that she take over the story. However, to Ellison's surprise, Page insisted that he instead give the story to TJ as he had also watched Neda's television show and could potentially add that more gossipy insight, although Ellison simply informed Page that either way he wanted her to write the story.
Determined not to do that story, Page had tried to say that she was working on something else which she wanted to stick with. Annoyed by this, Ellison questioned what Page was talking about, as she took out a file and handed it to Ellison which showed reports of respiratory illnesses in New York City, as Page confirmed that these areas she was looking into were all around Midland Circle. Before Ellison could object, Page admitted that while they had written a lot of stories all about the Destruction of Midland Circle, she still wanted to attempt to understand what had happened there, although Ellison was still highly skeptical.
Ellison questioned what Page's obsession with Midland Circle was before noting that while all her reporting had been exceptional on this story, he felt that the story was now done with and that the New York Bulletin needed to move on. Page was visibly annoyed that they were dropping the Midland Circle story for a new tabloid piece about the Kazemis, but Ellison insisted that it was also a story which featured this young woman now caught up in a family crisis, knowing that this angle would appeal to Page, also noting that the Midland Circle story was beginning to take over Page's life before he walked out.[20]
Kingpin's Return[]
Dinner Interrupted[]
- "We'd gotten to the point where an hour could go by, and I didn't have to call to reassure that I'm alive."
"I understand."
"Good. Then you won't push back when I tell you, you are staying away from this story." - ―Mitchell Ellison and Karen Page[src]
Seeking to set her up with his own nephew, Jason Ellison, Ellison had invited Karen Page to join their family for dinner, without telling Page what his intentions were. As they sat down together, Page and Jason commented on how long it had been since they had each had a home cooked meal, while Lily Ellison gave her husband all the credit for cooking all of their food, while Ellison complimented his wife on her skills as an editor for Proxy Magazine and the food they ordered.
Page had then jokingly questioned if the Ellisons were always this romantic with each other as they had still continued giving each other compliments, to which Jason retold a story of how they had renewed their vows and Lily had hired a message on a plane. However, their conversation took a sudden awkward turn as Lily had inadvertently revealed that their meeting was a romantic setup, which both Page and Jason were clearly uncomfortable with while Lily questioned why Ellison had not told them this. As the uncomfortable situation getting worse, Page excused herself from the table, looking to get wine.
Ellison followed Page into the kitchen as he immediately apologized, while noting that he knew that if he had been honest then she would have said no to the idea, as Page acknowledged that while she knew Ellison meant well, she still was uncomfortable with the new situation. Ellison questioned if Page was really happy, to which she claimed that she was not ready to begin dating following everything that had happened with Matt Murdock. Seeing that he had upset her, Ellison gave Page the choice to leave his home, promising that both he and Jason would understand why she did before walking away.
However, despite everything, Page chose to stay at the dinner table as she and Jason had a great time together, laughing at stories about how Jason named his cat after Ralph Ellison. When Page proved that she could quote the author's words, she had admitted that she was planning on being an English Major while she was studying while Ellison noted that being a journalist with the New York Bulletin was good going for her, calling the paper an acclaimed publication. Page then continued chatting with Jason, comparing Cats to Dogs before Jason questioned Page over if she had any siblings of her own.
Before Ellison could step in and change the subject, Page had noted that she had a brother, but he had died. However, just as Lily offered their guests some desert, Ellison's phone rang as he apologized and answered, only for Page's phone to also begin ringing as she also apologized to Jason and Lily as she answered. To Ellison's horror, the call was to inform them that Wilson Fisk was currently being moved out of Ryker's Island having made a deal with the FBI, which Ellison rightly knew that Page would be mortified about due to her previous dealings with Fisk and how his actions had impacted her life.
Ending the dinner, both Ellison and Page then got their jackets on as they prepared to begin work understanding how this had happened. As Page expressed her great anger, Ellison noted that Lily had been devastated when Ben Urich died, and more so when they discovered that M. Caldwell had been the one informing for Fisk from the Bulletin. Ellison then told Page to stay away from their story, which Page still objected to due to her unique knowledge of Fisk and her experiences with him. However, Ellison knew that this created a conflict of interest and refused to let Page work on the story before then leaving.[21]
Story Discussion[]
- "If people see your name and know your connection to Fisk, it compromises this paper!"
"Fine. Give the byline to Mason. I don't give a shit about credit. What I give a shit about is Fisk getting out of prison. We have to do something— I have to do something about this." - ―Mitchell Ellison and Karen Page[src]
At the end of a long day, Ellison met with Karen Page, giving her just a few minutes to pitch her next story before he went home. However, seeing Page's enthusiasm, Ellison immediately realized that her story was about Wilson Fisk and then furiously reminded her that he had told her to stay away from the story on Fisk, while commenting that Mason saw Page at the Presidential Hotel trying to learn more about why the FBI had recently chosen to put Fisk inside there.
Page, however, claimed that she was at that Hotel while researching the story on Rostam Kazemi and she believed that she had found a connection between that attack and Fisk. Page explained that in her research she had learned that the Presidential Hotel was previously owned by the Kazemis and she now believed, although she did not have proof, that it was now owned by Fisk himself. Shutting the door, Ellison asked for more information as Page explained how the Hotel was owned by shell companies which were represented by Donovan and Partners, who had also worked as Fisk's personal lawyers.
While Ellison listened on, Page told him that through having a private meeting with Neda Kazemi, she learned that Rostam had regretted the sale of the Hotel and attempted to buy it back, days before he was attacked. Although Ellison told Page that this work was simply outstanding, he still decided to give all of this research to Mason to continue writing the story for the New York Bulletin, reminding Page how he had told her to stay away from the story, much to Page's own horror while Ellison had still continued to furiously remind her that her personal connection to Fisk would then compromise the paper.
This led to a furious argument as Page told Ellison to give the story to Mason as she did not care about the credit, but just about learning exactly why Fisk had been freed from Ryker's Island by the FBI and potentially walking free in New York City again. Page also confessed to having a personal bias with the story, due to Fisk murdering Ben Urich as well as attempting to have her killed and noting that Urich's death should give Ellison a bias in the story as well. Page told Ellison not to tell her to back off the story as she would not, as Ellison noted that it took Urich years to become as annoying as Page was.[21]
Attack on the Bulletin[]
- "I owe you an apology. Someone has gotta shine a light on this. And, well, I'm grateful that you were brave enough to make me do it, so thank you. Lead on."
- ―Mitchell Ellison to Karen Page[src]
Back at work, Ellison called a meeting with his New York Bulletin staff as he explained changes to their health care system. Later that same day, Ellison was called up by Karen Page to leave Lily Ellison's office party in order to come back into the Building where he greeted Page, who introduced Ellison to Jasper Evans, noting that Evans was the inmate who stabbed Wilson Fisk in Ryker's Island and was now willing to go on the record about the fact that Fisk had actually forced him to do it.
Ellison agreed to listen to what Evans as he made some calls while Evans' lawyers, Matt Murdock and Foggy Nelson waited outside, before Ellison was joined by Page, who acknowledged how Ellison had told her to stay away from the story on Fisk, but noted that they had owed it to Ben Urich. However, to Page's surprise, Ellison then offered her an apology of his own as he noted that somebody had to shine a light on what Fisk had been up to and noted that he was now grateful to Page for forcing him to do it, so that they could hopefully expose all of Fisk's crimes and have him sent back to Ryker's.
However, just as Ellison and Page began their interview with Evans and asked him about how he knew Fisk, the lights within the entire building were suddenly and unexpectedly shut down. The group had then heard horrific screams coming from outside as an assassin had begun murdering the employees at the Bulletin while clearly making his way towards them. Ellison watched while Page grabbed her gun, almost shooting Nelson when he came to help, having almost been killed by the assassin who was now fighting a Masked Man who was desperately attempted to keep the assassin away from everyone.
Despite all of the best efforts of the Masked Man, he was eventually overpowered and defeated, as the assassin managed to make it into the room where Ellison and the others were hiding, revealing himself to be wearing Daredevil's Suit and was armed with his Billy Club. The assassin swiftly disarmed Page by throwing his weapon at her gun, before knocking out Nelson who tried to defend them all and impaled Ellison in the gut with a pen, which caused him to fall on the ground in agony. While Ellison lay wounded on the ground, the assassin shot and killed Evans, calling himself Daredevil before he escaped.[22]
Attack Aftermath[]
- "Some piece of shit attacked my people, in my house! And if you know anything, anything that will get me closer to finding out who he is, then, God damn it, you are going to tell me! Or you can go clean out your desk."
- ―Mitchell Ellison to Karen Page[src]
Following that attack, Ellison was admitted into Riverbank Medical Center to heal from all his injuries. While he was still in bed, Ellison was visited by Carla who informed him that Amber was brain dead. Once Carla left, Karen Page greeted Ellison who updated her on Amber's condition, with Ellison claiming that he was feeling alright due to the painkillers, although he admitted to being filled with rage following three deaths as a result of the attack, with the devastated Page still clearly blaming herself for everything that had happened.
Still believing in Page, Ellison told her that this was part of the job, to pick fights with people like Wilson Fisk and occasionally this resulted in some form of retaliation. Ellison told Page that every person who lived in Hell's Kitchen, including himself, was part of the fight against Fisk and that they would keep fighting against him, while promising that the New York Bulletin would still go into print despite everything that had happened. Wanting to get started, Ellison then requested everything that Page knew about Daredevil and his own connection to Fisk, as he had assumed Daredevil was who attacked them.
However, Page informed Ellison that the assassin who had attacked them was not actually Daredevil, although she did not know who it really had been, only believing that he had been wearing Daredevil's Suit. Confused by this, Ellison questioned if Page knew Daredevil's true identity, as she begged him not to ask that question, confirming that she did. Mortified, Ellison then demanded the answer, furiously slamming his fist down as he recalled the attack and demanded to know what Page was hiding. As Page refused to give up Daredevil's identity, Ellison made the decision to fire her from the Bulletin.[23]
Reunion with Page[]
- "It's a hell of an exclusive. Welcome back."
"No, see, actually, it's not gonna be an exclusive. Come on, Ellison, this is bigger than just our newspaper. When Fisk had our offices attacked, he was trying to silence the truth."
"God help me. So what is it, exactly, that you want me to do?" - ―Mitchell Ellison and Karen Page[src]
Ellison eventually recovered from all his injuries and returned to work. One day, while out in New York City, Ellison was buying his hot dog from Tommy when Karen Page appeared and ordered the same, noting that she knew where Ellison would be as it was part of his routine. Having not seen Page in days since she went on the run following an attack on her life, Ellison immediately hugged her, although he noted that she was still not forgiven for everything that happened.
They then both acknowledged how Page was now in hiding in order to prevent Wilson Fisk from assassinating her, before Ellison had then questioned if Page was willing to reveal who Daredevil was, although she said that she would not but promised to say who attacked them while wearing Daredevil's Suit, saying it was Benjamin Poindexter, as Ellison had recalled Poindexter as the FBI agent who had managed to save Fisk's life, while Page claimed that now Poindexter was also working for Fisk as his own personal assassin, although she had still admitted that she could not yet prove this to be a clear fact.
Page informed Ellison that soon Ray Nadeem, who was the head of Fisk's FBI detail would testify against everything that Fisk had been doing and expose everything. Although Ellison was clearly excited about their New York Bulletin getting such an exclusive story, Page told him that it would not be an exclusive, but instead that wanted it more open, which Ellison reluctantly agreed to while Page told him to go out and call a press conference with everyone who Ellison knew, including WHiH World News, telling them that she wanted to make a public statement, knowing that this would get them the views.[24]
Public Press Conference[]
- "Hey, you ready for this?"
"Uh... No?"
"Okay, let's go." - ―Mitchell Ellison and Karen Page[src]
Ellison soon met with Karen Page just outside of the New York State Supreme Court Building where special agent Ray Nadeem was now testifying against Wilson Fisk to a full jury, hopefully exposing all of his many crimes. As Page stepping out of that building, Ellison met her on the steps and questioned if she was ready to face all the cameras, which she admitted that she was not so Ellison simply ignored this and took her down the stairs to speak to all of the reporters who were waiting.
As they greeted reporters, Ellison stood by Page while she spoke to everyone there, including WHiH World News and WJBP-TV and had claimed that they had all been lied to in regard to what Fisk had been saying. Ellison watched on with satisfaction while Page called Fisk a sociopath who did not care about the truth and noting how Benjamin Poindexter had been sent by Fisk to murder her because she knew the truth about him, although she did not officially use Poindexter's name during her report as she continued to condemn Fisk's name in front of the world's media while Nadeem continued testifying.
However, despite agent Nadeem testifying in a court of law against Fisk, it was soon discovered by Matt Murdock that Fisk blackmailed the jury with threats against their lives and the lives of their families, resulting in them ignoring Nadeem's testimony and claiming that Fisk was innocent of all crimes. As a direct result, Ellison and Page were surrounded by reporters who instead asked if this was the New York Bulletin's attempt to make up a story, which annoyed Ellison as he questioned if the reporter was being paid off by Fisk as he and Page made it to their car and made a hasty retreat from the building while all of the reporters continued to follow asking their questions.[24]
Takedown of Kingpin[]
- "Well, it's official, yesterday sucked."
"Yes it did, but today is going to make it all worth it."
"What is this?" - ―Mitchell Ellison and Karen Page[src]
Back at the New York Bulletin, Ellison was speaking to his own staff members about the upcoming news stories for the paper when he was then interrupted by the arrival of Karen Page who had also just returned, with Ellison pointing to reports about their press conference and noting that the day before had been awful for them. However, while Page acknowledged that that was a fair statement, she had simply promised that this day would actually be immediately better for them all there.
As Ellison took a seat, Page logged on her computer where she then brought up a video of the deceased Ray Nadeem as he confessed to all the crimes he had committed for Wilson Fisk, including murder and exploitation, giving them all of the evidence that they would ever need to expose Fisk as a criminal and have him returned to Ryker's Island. Ellison and Page then leaked this footage online to expose all Fisk's crimes, while Fisk was attacked by both the Daredevil as well as Benjamin Poindexter, resulting in Fisk being beaten to submission before being arrested alongside Poindexter for their many crimes.
Following Fisk's arrest, Ellison went into Clinton Church to attend the funeral of father Paul Lantom, who had recently been murdered by Poindexter. Ellison watched while Matt Murdock gave a long speech paying tribute to Lantom's life, noting how he had died in the church while he was standing up against Poindexter and Fisk, commenting on Lantom's own legacy of fighting against that fear. Following the funeral, Mahoney had joined both Foggy Nelson and Page outside the Cathedral to talk casually all about Lantom's life and his impact over their community before and after Lantom's untimely death.[25]
Personality[]
- "Don't think you have some proprietary claim over sticking it to Fisk. You know, this fight belongs to every person in Hell's Kitchen. And I'm one of them, so I intend to keep fighting. We're gonna go to print today, tomorrow, and the next day and the next day."
- ―Mitchell Ellison to Karen Page[src]
Ellison was greatly dedicated to his work and to his co-workers and friends, as he believed everyone had a chance in life. Despite being close to Ben Urich, he was frustrated with his friends obsession with Wilson Fisk, going as far to fire him for his own safety. After Urich's death, he became more determined to help Karen Page, and hired her to the bulletin because she had great potential. He believed that she would do great work, and allowed her to work on the true story of Frank Castle, showing that he was a truthful person. Despite this, however, he was frustrated with her due to worrying about her safety, and not revealing Daredevil's identity.
Ellison was also protective of his friends, as he promised to protect Page from Fisk since he couldn't protect Urich. He also became greatly focused on keeping Fisk in prison due to the lost of his friend, and the crimes he committed in Hell's Kitchen. When Fisk was released from Ryker's Island, he and Page returned to take down the Kingpin permanently. Ellison was heartbroken after the murders of his co-workers by Kingpin's assassin, and put more of an effort to end Fisk's reign once and for all.
Abilities[]
- Master Investigator: Ellison was an incredible investigator, rivaling Ben Urich and becoming the head of the New York Bulletin. She helped teach Karen Page all that she knew about detective work and becoming a journalist. He also figured out that Page knew who Daredevil was and resented her for it for a short time. His skills were not enough to figure out that M. Caldwell was a mole.
- Expert Businessman: Ellison was the head of the New York Bulletin and oversaw decisions and articles coming through the publisher. He often shot down Ben Urich and Karen Page's ideas as he thought it would look bad on the bulletin. He also decided to interview Jasper Evans to take down Wilson Fisk, although it led to an attack. Sometimes, he was short fused though as he fired Urich.
Facilities[]
This section requires expansion |
- New York Bulletin Building: To be added
- Ellison Residence: To be added
- Riverbank Medical Center: To be added
Relationships[]
Family[]
Allies[]
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Enemies[]
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Appearances[]
Trivia[]
- After his introduction in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Mitchell Ellison was later referenced as being the editor-in-chief of the New York Bulletin in the mainstream comic universe.
- Before his first name of Mitchell was revealed, the episode Condemned features a newspaper article written by Ellison where his name is incorrectly credited as G. Ellison. Additionally, his New York Bulletin ID also says G. Ellison.[2]
Behind the Scenes[]
- Anthony Mecca was a stunt double for Geoffrey Cantor in the role of Mitchell Ellison.
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Daredevil: 1.06: Condemned
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Marvel Prop Store Auction Daredevil Lot #248
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 The Punisher: 1.02: Two Dead Men
- ↑ Daredevil: 1.03: Rabbit in a Snowstorm
- ↑ Marvel Prop Store Auction Daredevil Lot #82
- ↑ Daredevil: 1.08: Shadows in the Glass
- ↑ Daredevil: 1.09: Speak of the Devil
- ↑ Daredevil: 1.10: Nelson v. Murdock
- ↑ Daredevil: 1.12: The Ones We Leave Behind
- ↑ Daredevil: 1.13: Daredevil
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Daredevil: 2.05: Kinbaku
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 Daredevil: 2.09: Seven Minutes in Heaven
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 Daredevil: 2.10: The Man in the Box
- ↑ Daredevil: 2.12: The Dark at the End of the Tunnel
- ↑ Daredevil: 2.13: A Cold Day in Hell's Kitchen
- ↑ Iron Fist: 1.04: Eight Diagram Dragon Palm
- ↑ The Defenders 1.01 The H Word
- ↑ The Defenders: 1.07: Fish in the Jailhouse
- ↑ The Punisher: 1.09: Front Toward Enemy
- ↑ Daredevil: 3.02: Please
- ↑ 21.0 21.1 Daredevil: 3.03: No Good Deed
- ↑ Daredevil: 3.06: The Devil You Know
- ↑ Daredevil: 3.07: Aftermath
- ↑ 24.0 24.1 Daredevil: 3.12: One Last Shot
- ↑ Daredevil: 3.13: A New Napkin