The Daily Bugle was the most recognizable newspaper in Marvel’s New York City due to its hard-hitting reporting on the various superheroes that called NYC home and the devastating events that befell the city over the years. These events were all covered by reporters like Ben Urich, who quickly found himself in the stories he was reporting.
While Urich has spent time away from the Daily Bugle over the years to work with Jessica Drew/Spider-Woman as a private investigator or help defend the city as part of Doctor Strange’s forces during Secret Empire, he is still known for breaking some of the biggest stories in the Marvel Universe, which we’ll be taking a closer look at today.
10 He Wrote An Article Praising The Night Nurse That Backfired On Him Later
Linda Carter was a classic Marvel character who became known as the Night Nurse after she developed a reputation among the superpowered community as someone they could trust to stitch them up when injured.
Night Nurse made her modern reappearance in Brian Michael Bendis and Alex Maleev’s Daredevil run where she first met Ben Urich, who tracked down an injured Daredevil. Urich reported discretely on the Night Nurse, though because of the article he was forced by the FBI to reveal her location during their hunt for Daredevil under threat of incarceration.
9 The Punisher Used Urich To Start A Gang War By Publishing A Lie About Kingpin’s Death
Frank Castle’s first starring role as The Punisher was in the 1986 mini-series that was later collected as Circle of Blood which featured The Punisher’s work and then battles with The Trust’s brainwashed criminals known as the Punishment Squad.
After he was mistakenly given credit for a hit on the Kingpin, he decided to use it to his advantage and leaked to Ben Urich that he was responsible for Kingpin’s death. A gang war erupted that began to do Punisher’s work for him, though he was forced to bring peace to the gangs in order to stop the mayhem that erupted.
8 He Was Forced To Write About Bullseye’s Funeral After The Assassin’s Death
Following the death of Bullseye at the hands of Daredevil during the Shadowland event, Ben Urich was kidnapped by a gang of bikers called the Hell Riders and forced to write his obituary and cover the story of his funeral, which they had forced other people to attend while they honored the fallen assassin.
Urich was able to tip off Daredevil and his team of Shadowland enforcers and get rescued during the funeral, though his ultimate story about Bullseye’s funeral ended up focusing on the dark new methods of Daredevil and the Hand.
7 Urich Revealed To Peter Parker That He Knew His Secret Identity As Spider-Man
Ben Urich spent years reporting stories for the Daily Bugle despite a sometimes troubled relationship with his publisher J. Jonah Jameson, and he was put in charge of a new feature for the paper known as The Pulse that was tasked with specifically reporting on costumed affairs in NYC.
Urich began investigating a series of disappearances at Oscorp that furthered his ongoing expose of Norman Osborn which required him to call in help. He revealed to Peter Parker that he had known he was Spider-Man for years and would never have brought it up if it wasn’t for Osborn, making it one of the biggest stories he never reported.
6 Marvel’s Civil War Put Ben Urich On The Front Line For His Own Paper
One of Ben Urich’s biggest personal stories came during Marvel’s Civil War, which he reported on as an embedded journalist for Iron Man’s Pro-Registration forces that covered a number of the event’s biggest battles between former allies. After he discovered Norman Osborn had been released from prison to lead the Thunderbolts, Urich was forced to resign from the Daily Bugle.
Jameson called him out for his statements on Osborn and fired him before rehiring him, though Urich had made his mind up. He decided to cover the truth on his own by branching out on his own alongside fellow reporter Sally Floyd with frontline.com, though Urich soon became editor-in-chief of his own paper, Front Line.
5 Urich Named The “Dark Reign” Era And Traveled With Volstagg During Seige
Norman Osborn took center stage in Marvel’s politics as the new Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. (which he renamed H.A.M.M.E.R.) following his fortuitous timing during Secret Invasion when he was able to deliver the killing blow to the Skrull Queen. Ben Urich had a long history with Osborn and had been suffering after the death of his wife, though he was inspired to begin writing again.
He christened Osborn’s takeover as the “Dark Reign” which was shared by the overall event. Urich would then travel with the Asgardian Volstagg on a tour of amends after he had been manipulated by Osborn during the Siege event. Urich witnessed the climactic final battle of Siege which he reported on for his new paper Front Line.
4 He Almost Uncovered The Secret Identity Of Red Hulk Following The World War Hulk Event
The mystery behind the identity of the powerful and deadly Red Hulk ran through The Incredible Hulk‘s landmark 600th issue, which featured Ben Urich’s own investigation into the new character after he was contacted by She-Hulk.
Urich and Peter Parker joined She-Hulk to investigate an A.I.M. base where they uncovered evidence that General Thunderbolt Ross had begun super-soldier experimentation. Urich had all the pieces he needed to determine that Ross was the new villain, though Red Hulk managed to successfully make Urich drop the story after threatening him in a parking lot.
3 He Published A Book Called Legacy Of Evil About Norman Osborn’s Time As The Green Goblin
Ben Urich began to investigate Green Goblin following the death of Harry Osborn, which unmasked him as the long-time Spider-Man villain. However, the dark legacy of Norman Osborn was only revealed to Urich in the Spider-Man: Legacy of Evil one-shot. Harry’s death triggered one of Harry’s automated plans as robotic Goblinettes abducted his son Normie.
Urich investigated alongside Spider-Man to discover Normie’s whereabouts, learning about Green Goblin’s origins and some of his connection to Spider-Man. Urich would go on to publish a book called Legacy of Evil about his findings, leading to a lasting rivalry between Urich and Norman after he returned.
2 He Discovered That Matt Murdock Was Daredevil But Chose To Bury The Story
One of Ben Urich’s greatest investigations ultimately led him to his biggest story when he uncovered that blind attorney Matt Murdock was secretly the vigilante of Hell’s Kitchen known as Daredevil. He wrestled with publishing his findings and setting his career up for life, but his decision was made after Daredevil nearly died trying to keep the Hulk from destroying New York.
Urich revealed to Murdock that he wasn’t going to run with the story because he felt Daredevil could help more people than his story could, and he burned most of his notes. While Murdock’s identity was later revealed, Urich never corroborated or commented and remained one of Murdock’s closest confidantes.
1 Urich Exposed Wilson Fisk As The Kingpin In “Born Again” Despite Threats To His Personal Safety
After Wilson Fisk/The Kingpin discovered Matt Murdock’s secret for himself, he used that information to ruin his life and discredit him before attempting to have him killed during the “Born Again” storyline. During this time Ben Urich was busy learning secrets about Fisk as well, which put a target on his back.
Both Elektra and Bullseye were sent to make him stop his investigation and he was seriously injured. However, after Kingpin’s actions led to the deaths of over a hundred people in Hell’s Kitchen, Urich continued to publish his investigations and exposed Wilson Fisk to the public as the Kingpin.
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