- "She staked all her political chips on the conviction of this Punisher freak, now things go her way there'll be an opening in the District Attorney's Office in the not so distant future."
"And DA Tower has a nice ring to it."
"I'll start considering the benefits that could occur if your firm were more cooperative." - ―Blake Tower and Foggy Nelson[src]
Blake Tower is an assistant district attorney for the Southern District of New York who helps Daredevil by providing him with information to track down and capture criminals. He started out as a subordinate of Samantha Reyes while she attempted to bring justice to the Punisher, fighting against Nelson and Murdock during the court case. When Reyes was killed by Ray Schoonover, Tower then began assisting Daredevil in ensuring justice for his deceased boss while helping in Harlem in a case for Luke Cage while Mariah Dillard was trying to frame him for Cottonmouth's murder and Diamondback's hostage situation.
Biography
Early Life
Building a Career
Blake Tower joined the District Attorney's Office, working under the supervision of Samantha Reyes. He was aware that former Assistant District Attorneys Elliot James, Nicole Kent and Chris Davidson had all been let go because of misconduct, but Reyes remained in her position. [1] After he was hired, he found out that Reyes was covering up information about the Massacre at Central Park. Knowing that the cover up was well underway and fearing for his job, he remained silent.[2]
Targeting the Punisher
Meeting Foggy Nelson
Tower and District Attorney Samantha Reyes quietly concocted a plan to draw out Punisher, a vigilante who had been targeting members of the Kitchen Irish, Dogs of Hell and Mexican Cartel. They planned to use Grotto as bait. When Grote hired Nelson and Murdock to broker a witness protection deal for himself in exchange for information about the Kitchen Irish, Reyes and Tower met Grote, Foggy Nelson and Karen Page at the 15th Precinct Police Station.
Tower offers a protection deal to Grotto
They tried to strong arm Nelson into letting them deal directly with Grote, but Nelson wouldn't budge. In the end, they reluctantly agreed to let Nelson and Murdock handle the case. Grote agreed to wear a wire while meeting Edgar Brass, a known drug dealer, in exchange for witness protection and relocation to Florida. Although Grote was initally reluctant Blake and Reyes showed pictures of the Punisher's victims and explained how he had tracked them down to convince him. Neither Grote, Nelson or Page suspected that Grote was actually to be used as bait to lure out and capture the Punisher. [3]
Using Grotto
Tower, along with Samantha Reyes, told Foggy Nelson and Karen Page that they wanted Grotto to wear a wire while meeting Edgar Brass. During the arranged meet, Grote was pulled into a shipping crate while police waited for the arrival of the Punisher.
Nelson and Page were furious at the deception, but the operation was well underway. When a truck drove into the area, the police fired at it, believing it to be the Punisher. However, it was a decoy. The Punisher was on a nearby rooftop and was attacked by Daredevil. The police reported that they could not get a clear shot on the Punisher, but Reyes ordered them to fire anyway.[4]
After the firefight, there was no sign of Grote, the Punisher or Daredevil. Page angrily accused Reyes and Tower of using Grote as bait, but Reyes threatened to blame Nelson and Murdock for the failure if word ever went public about it.[1]
Visited by Karen Page
Karen Page visited Tower in his office to ask him for any information he had on the Punisher. She told him that she had researched Samantha Reyes and noticed how many of her subordinates had lost their jobs because of misconduct, while she kept hers. She suggested that Tower could be be next, and offered him the chance to help Nelson and Murdock defend themselves against Reyes' threats. Although Tower warned her that he would never implicate the District Attorney, he handed her the Punisher files before telling her to leave and never come back.[1]
Seeking Grotto's Files
- "We need all your files in the Grote case, notes, interviews, any and all recordings and emails."
"And in return we get?"
"I convince District Attorney Reyes to scratch the names Nelson and Murdock off her shit list." - ―Blake Tower and Foggy Nelson[src]
Tower visited the Nelson and Murdock Law Office and asked Karen Page if he could speak with Foggy Nelson. He tried to convince Nelson to hand over any and all files Nelson and Murdock had on Grotto. Nelson refused, saying that he would only share the files if Tower had a subpoena.
Tower explained that District Attorney Samantha Reyes had her eyes on the mayor's office, and that Tower would likely succeed her as D.A. He told Nelson that getting in the new D.A.'s good favor would be a good idea. Nelson still refused, telling Tower once again that he would only hand over the files if he was served with a subpoena.[5]
Capturing the Punisher
Tower assisted District Attorney Samantha Reyes in preparing a case against Frank Castle once he was arrested. The court assigned Christopher Roth to represent Castle. However, Nelson and Murdock convinced Castle to hire them instead. Although Foggy Nelson brokered a deal for Castle to plead guilty, at the arraignment, Castle surprised both the defense attorney and the prosecution by vehemently pleading not guilty.[6]
The People v. Frank Castle
Tower and District Attorney Samantha Reyes prosecuted Frank Castle for multiple murders in a highly publicized trial. Over 400 potential jurors were vetted before both the prosecution and the defense agreed on a 12 member jury panel.
After Reyes made her opening statement, Foggy Nelson made the opening statement for the defense. Although he faltered at first, in the end he delivered a thought provoking, well made statement.
Tower called Dr. Gregory Tepper, the medical examiner, to the stand, to testify about the Punisher's many victims. When it was time for cross-examination, Matt Murdock began to ask Dr. Tepper about how many death certificates he had filed during his career. Suddenly, a very nervous Tepper asked judge Cynthia Batzer if he could make a statement. The judge, sensing something was wrong, asked to have the courtroom cleared before Tepper continued.
Pepper described being coerced into falsifying the death certificates of Maria Castle, Lisa Castle and Frank Castle, Jr., as well as one for a John Doe who died on the same day. He said he was admitting this now because the previous night, a masked woman with a foreign accent threatened to kill him if he didn't admit his wrong doings to the court.
Both the defense and the prosecution accused the other of harassing and threatening the witness, and the judge ordered all of his testimony stricken from the record. Nelson asked for a mistrial, but the judge refused.[7]
The defense called Colonel Ray Schoonover, Castle's former superior officer, to the stand, who described Castle as a hero who saved his fellow soldiers' lives. When Reyes cross examined him, she suggested that Schoonover perhaps didn't know the real story. Schoonover clarified that he was one of the men whom Castle had saved. Tower was astonished that Reyes could have missed that fact, but she told him that all the names in Castle's file had been redacted.
Next, Nelson called Dr. Andrew Lee to the stand, who testified about the damage Castle suffered from the gunshot wound to his head. He claimed that Castle was living in a constant state of fight-or-flight. Before the prosecution had a chance to cross-examine, a young man rose from the gallery and loudly declared that Castle had killed his father. The judge ordered the man removed from the court.
Murdock called Castle to the stand and tried to ask him about the day his family was killed, but Castle was silent. Murdock got permission from the judge to treat the witness as hostile, and proceeded to talk about Castle's work as a vigilante, saying that the city needed men and women who would take the fight themselves. The gallery applauded when he referred to them as heroes, but he quickly pointed out that Castle had gone too far, and that he needed help and not punishment.
Castle asked the judge if he could speak, and to everyone's surprise, loudly proclaimed that he would commit all the murders again. He began to scream that he was the Punisher and that he was guilty. Since Castle had confessed his guilt, the prosecution had won the case.[8]
Samantha Reyes' Murder
Tower and District Attorney Samantha Reyes asked Foggy Nelson, Karen Page and Matt Murdock to come to her office. Tower and Reyes asked Nelson and Murdock to hand over all files they had on the Punisher. Tower urged Reyes to admit to the cover up of the massacre in Central Park. She also told them they were trying to draw out a drug dealer who called himself The Blacksmith. With the help of an undercover cop, they set up a meet between the Dogs of Hell, the Mexican Cartel and the Kitchen Irish. However, the Blacksmith did not show up, and the rival gangs, rattled, turned on each other.
She showed them an x-ray of a skull that she found in her daughter's backpack. She pleaded with them to help, saying that she didn't care about keeping her job anymore; she just wanted to keep her family safe.
Suddenly, gunfire filled the room. Nelson was shot in the arm, and Tower watched in horror as Reyes was killed.
Outside the courthouse, Tower admitted to Page and Nelson that he found out about the cover up after he had joined the D.A.'s office. Convinced that the Punisher had been the one to shoot up the D.A.'s office, Tower announced he was leaving town, and urged Page an Nelson to do the same.[9]
Questioned by Daredevil
Tower was on his way out of town when he was stopped and interrogated by Daredevil, who wanted information on the Blacksmith. Tower admitted that they had very little, but that Samantha Reyes had been looking into his competition. He never got a name, but he knew there was a new drug dealer working out of Chinatown. Daredevil suggested that Tower continue to leave town and stay out of the city. [10]
Hostage Crisis
Aiding Luke Cage
During the shootout turned hostage crisis at Harlems Paradise, Blake was told by the mayor to assist the situation. Arriving in Harlem, Blake told the leading officer their Inspector Ridley that the mayor had sent him as a way of helping both parties achieve a promising outcome. Ridley said that she did not need his help as all she was worried about was getting the hostages and her own officer dectective Misty Knight to safety and arresting Luke Cage who was though to be the perepertator behind the nights events.
Personality
| This section requires expansion |
To be added
Relationships
Allies
- United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York
- Daredevil
- Nelson and Murdock
- New York City Police Department
- Cynthia Batzer
- Ray Schoonover †
- Gregory Tepper †
- Andrew Lee
- Christopher Roth
Enemies
Appearances
| Appearances for Blake Tower |
|---|
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In chronological order: |
Trivia
- In the comics, Blake Tower succeeded Foggy Nelson as a district attorney, and ended up hiring Bruce Banner's cousin Jennifer Walters as a lawyer in his office. He sent Misty Knight undercover against Bushwacker's organization. He was involved in trials of the Punisher, Peter Parker, Karen Page, and Winter Soldier.
Gallery
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Daredevil: 2.03: New York's Finest
- ↑ Daredevil: 2.10: The Man in the Box
- ↑ Daredevil: 2.02: Dogs to a Gunfight
- ↑ Daredevil: 2.02: Dogs to a Gunfight
- ↑ Daredevil: 2.05: Kinbaku
- ↑ Daredevil: 2.06: Regrets Only
- ↑ Daredevil: 2.07: Semper Fidelis
- ↑ Daredevil: 2.08: Guilty as Sin
- ↑ Daredevil: 2.10: The Man in the Box
- ↑ Daredevil: 2.11: .380
