Benjamin "Ben" Urich is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character usually appears in comic books featuring Daredevil and Spider-Man.
Urich is a chain-smoking, tough-as-nails investigative journalist for the New York newspaper The Daily Bugle. Urich deduced the secret identity of Daredevil and has used him as a source of information and vice versa. To a lesser extent, he has a similar relationship with Spider-Man, whose alter ego Peter Parker was a photographer for the Bugle who occasionally accompanied Urich on assignments. Urich has used these connections to expose supervillains posing as businessmen including Kingpin and Green Goblin.
He has been portrayed by Joe Pantoliano in the 2003 film Daredevil. Ben Urich was also portrayed by Vondie Curtis-Hall in the first season of the Marvel Television streaming television series Daredevil, set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).
Publication history
Created by Roger McKenzie and Gene Colan, Ben Urich first appeared in Daredevil #153 (July 1978).
Fictional character biography
Urich first appeared in Daredevil stories, where he investigated Wilson Fisk, a businessman who was secretly the Kingpin, the head of the New York criminal underworld.
Urich plays a vital behind-the-scenes role in the Punisher limited series Circle of Blood (drawn by Mike Zeck). When a younger, less experienced Punisher plays into the Kingpin's ruse, he leaves a message for Urich. The resulting story results in the murders of several mafia men and the deaths of many innocent people, teaching the entire community how vital Kingpin unfortunately is.
Ben learns the secret of Daredevil's identity but refuses to divulge it. He is drawn into the circle of revenge the Kingpin has planned for Daredevil. Ben tries to overcome the intimidation but the threats come closer to home. His fingers are broken and he hears the death of a witness over the phone. His courage crumbles but he rallies back. His wife is nearly killed. The would-be hit-woman turns state's evidence and Ben and several allies go to interview her. One of his self-proclaimed 'entourage' and a prison guard turn out to be Kingpin assassins. Ben defeats one by a severe pistol whipping. The witness is killed. Kingpin uses a super-powered assassin, Nuke, to try to take out all his enemies, but the attempt fails. Urich uses public support to destroy the Kingpin's empire.
Urich later takes on another criminal businessman, Norman Osborn, also known as the villainous Green Goblin. After Osborn's presumed death, Urich writes an exposé book on the man's many crimes, titled Legacy of Evil. During the course of research for the book, Ben helps Spider-Man and the Molten Man save Liz Allan's son from kidnappers who resembled the Green Goblin. His research helps the trio go through the Goblin's history and eventually discover what had really gone on. When Norman returns from the dead (or rather, Europe), he is able to discredit Urich and the book, going to great effort to clear his name. Urich refuses to retract his exposé on Osborn despite being threatened by him and risking his career, and investigates him further to prove that Osborn is a criminal.
Ben becomes colleagues with his nephew Phil Urich. Though unsure at first, Phil proves to be a skilled investigator. Though his work life is professional, his personal life is in shambles, causing him and Ben to become endangered.
During the period where Daredevil's identity was exposed in print, Ben refuses to confirm it to J. Jonah Jameson on the principle of protecting his sources, and his status at work suffered for it. Jameson was able to move beyond that argument when he assigns Ben to the new supplement, The Pulse. During this assignment he reveals to Peter Parker that he knows his identity as Spider-Man. It is also around this time that Matt Murdock sets up a meeting with Ben to privately declare he is ending their professional relationship to avoid anyone else discovering this connection and using Ben to get to Murdock.
Ben Urich turns out to be right when he originally exposed the Green Goblin, as Daily Bugle research would show, and conclusively when the Green Goblin is publicly unmasked by Luke Cage and Spider-Man and sent to jail. Plans for a re-release of Legacy of Evil are discussed at that point.