Ben Urich

Origin

Little is known about Ben Urich's early life. He had at least one sibling, probably a brother. As a young man he attended New York University, where he pursued and ultimately received a degree in journalism. While still at school he obtained a job working as a copy boy for the Daily Bugle, and maintained his employment there upon graduation, eventually becoming a reporter of some esteem, pursuing crime stories in particular. Eventually he was able to work out the identity of Daredevil, and leveraged this knowledge to build a friendship with Daredevil, who soon began offering Urich information in exchange for any information Urich could provide. Urich set himself to uncovering the identities of various criminal elements in the city.

Creation

Ben Urich was created by Roger McKenzie and Gene Colan and first appeared in Daredevil #153 (1978).

Major Story Arcs

Circle of Blood

The Punisher sends a note to Uric informing him of his quest to kill the Kingpin. Urich's publication of the story ultimately leads to a series of deaths, with victims including organized crime members as well as innocent civilians.

The Pulse and Civil War

Daredevil's identity is publicly printed, and out of loyalty Urich refuses to acknowledge whether Daredevil is Matt Murdock or not, which has a detrimental impact on his career. He is later assigned to write The Pulse, a supplemental piece for the Bugle. During his time with The Pulse he uncovers the true identity of the Green Goblin, Norman Osborn, which he exposes in a book, Legacy of Evil. He also uncovers Peter Parker's identity as Spider-Man, but, as with Daredevil, he declines to expose Parker's secret. During the Civil War Urich acts as an embedded journalist, reporting on Iron Man's pro- Registration efforts. He is taken off of this assignment due to supposed neutrality issues. He later leaves the Bugle entirely, co-founding the internet news site Frontlines.com with Sally Floyd, which later receives a print outlet in the form of Front Line.

World War Hulk

Urich reports on the alien invasion alongside Floyd. He also spends a great deal of his time investigating into the identity of the Red Hulk. When the Red Hulk becomes aware of his investigations, he hunts Urich down and warns him to drop his investigations and never publish any of his research, or Red Hulk will attack his colleagues.

Secret Invasion

Urich is trapped in a hospital by the invasion of the Skrulls. He is one of the few survivors following the Skrulls' rampage through the hospital, and he and several survivors make their way to Stark Tower. Following an encounter with another Skrull at the Tower, Urich and another survivor wander to Central Park, where they observe the final battle between the Skrulls and the Earth heroes. Following the conclusion of the invasion he learns that his wife Doris has died, apparently of cancer. This sends him into a period of despondency during which he experiences severe writer's block. His writer's block is lifted when Osborn's return, rise to power, and apparent acceptance by the general public prompts him to write an article entitled " Dark Reign: Norman Osborn Takes Control".

Siege

Urich joins forces with ex-colleague Bill Stern in Chicago, and the pair are soon joined by Volstagg. The trio travels to Oklahoma, where Osborn is waging a siege on Asgard. Urich reports on the fighting and frequently comes into contact with both Stern and Volstagg in the course of the siege. At one point he is attacked and almost eaten by Venom, but manages to escape. He and Stern are later rescued from being crushed by a crashing helicarrier by Volstagg. The trio later work together to aid in the Asgardian evacuation efforts. Urich observes the defeat of the Void. After the siege is completed he and Stern return to New York.

Shadowland

Urich is awoken in the middle of the night and held captive by gang members at the funeral of Bullseye, and forced to write an obituary for Bullseye in which he is made to honor the man. Those who attend the funeral including the priest are forced to cry during the farce mostly for the reason they're held hostages. On the van driven by the criminals he meets a mentally unstable guy named Denny Deaver who has been seeing ghostly apparitions since childhood and is now being haunted by Bullseye's spirit who forces him to join the farce in order to stop the torment. Ben manages to leave clues to his predicament in the morgue, and a rescue effort is mounted by Daredevil and the Hand. Urich is rescued following a massive brawl, during which he is almost killed.

Powers and Abilities

Urich has no superhuman abilities. He is of average or above-average intelligence, and a gifted reporter. He is fairly skilled at detective work and research.

Alternate Versions

Maximum Carnage

Urich makes a minor appearance in this universe, as a staff member at the Daily Bugle.

MC2

Urich does not physically appear, but is apparently a published author, having written at least one book, which is entitled His Name Was Spider-Man.

Ultimate Marvel

Urich is a young reporter who works with both of Spider-Man's identities. He is mostly responsible for exposing the criminal machinations of the Kingpin, even submitting incriminating evidence in court. He is at one point attacked by a vampire, but does not contract vampirism.

House of M

Urich works for The Daily Bugle, a propagandistic mouthpiece for the mutant government. He does not attempt to challenge those in power, and encourages others to do the same.

Marvel Noir

Urich is a drug addict who relies on blackmailing Osborn to feed his habit. He acts as a mentor to Parker, and eventually passes on the incriminating evidence on Osborn to Felicia Hardy. He is murdered by the Chameleon, who has disguised himself as J Jonah Jameson.

Other Media

Film

Daredevil

Urich appears as a reporter for the New York Post who uncovers Daredevil's identity but decides not to reveal it. He is played by Joe Pantoliano.

Video Games

Spider-Man: Battle for New York

Urich appears as a minor character in this game. He is voiced by Robin Atkin Downes.