For alternate versions of Dinah Madani, see Dinah Madani's Character Hub

Agent Dinah Madani is a former Homeland Security agent who, upon returning to New York City from her active duty in Kandahar, had opened up her own investigation into the death of her partner Ahmad Zubair, with the aid of her new partner, Sam Stein. Upon gaining her leadership position after the sudden murder of Carson Wolf, Madani soon learned that Frank Castle was still alive and began investigating his connection to her investigation, resulting in Madani starting a sexual relationship with Castle's friend Billy Russo. However, as her investigation continued, Madani witnessed Stein being killed and uncovered the conspiracy involving Russo and his superior, William Rawlins linking to Zubair's death and, siding with Castle, assisted in the death of Rawlins and the capture of Russo, exposing Operation Cerberus and all of their illegal actions, while surviving Russo shooting her in the head.

Following her injury, Madani became obsessed with mentally torturing Billy Russo as he recovered in the hospital with no memory of his actions. However, once Russo escaped, Madani once again called upon Punisher to help track down and kill Russo, with the Punisher also hoping to help Amy Bendix escape from John Pilgrim who was now attempting to kill her. While avoiding the suspicions of Brett Mahoney, Madani had continued hunting Russo down, but inadvertently giving key information to Krista Dumont, who was actually aiding Russo. Upon discovering Dumont's deceptions, Madani had her final showdown with both Dumont and Russo, resulting in Dumont being crippled and Russo dying from his injuries. Madani then chose to leave Homeland Security and joined the CIA so that she could still continue her work protecting the country.

Biography[]

Early Life[]

Rising in the Ranks[]

Dinah Madani was born to Hamid Madani and his wife Farah and raised in Manhattan, New York City. She graduated from Fordham University in 2005 and attended Columbia University where she earned a master's degree in Islamic Studies. Later, she received field training in Quantico at the FBI National Academy, where she drew top marks in intelligence analysis, profiling and investigations.

In 2009, Madani was recruited to the United States Department of Homeland Security by Rafael Hernandez. Madani worked at the Homeland Security Field Office in Washington, D.C. as the Intelligence Analyst before 2012, when she was stationed at the office in the Middle East.^[2] Madani was designated the Homeland Security attaché to the United States Mission in Kandahar. There she served with Ahmad Zubair, officer of Afghan National Police, investigating criminal activity in the Kandahar region, until Zubair found out about criminal conspiracy, involving the U.S. military.

Madani convinced Zubair to make an official statement, promising that he and his family will be safe. However, Zubair disappeared under unknown circumstances before he could testify. Later, Madani received footage of the execution of Zubair by he unknown group of U.S. soldiers from anonymous source. However, before she could investigate the murder of Zubair, the footage was stolen and then Madani's superior decided to pull her out of Afghanistan.^[3]

Return to New York[]

Working for Carson Wolf[]

Following her return into New York City in 2016, Madani was transferred to the DHS Office in the city, where she would continue to work as an Agent for Homeland Security. Madani drove to her new office in her car, being asked to show her identification upon arriving, as she parked and swapped her trainers for her pair of heeled boots. Once Madani arrived she was informed that she had been made partners with Sam Stein, a junior agent under the orders of Carson Wolf, although Madani did not consider Stein as her partner.

Once Madani had been given her new office, she immediately began an investigation in order to learn who killed Ahmad Zubair back in Afghanistan. While Madani put all of her evidence on the wall, Stein asked her about their case, questioning who Zubair was to her and noted that a case this complex did not actually bode well for them as partners, while Madani had continued to deny that they were actually partners. When Stein noted that according to their assignment, they were indeed partners, and Madani insisted that Stein had to earn her trust first, a comment which Stein had merely scoffed and joked at.

Stein made it clear that he doubted that Wolf would let her run with the investigation, however, Madani still remained confident that she would be able to persuade the Special Agent in Charge of the case's merits, to which Stein jokingly commented that this was because she is new there. They were visited by Wolf who wanted to know about Madani's current investigation, commenting that she had been in the United States for less than three weeks and already had a case for him. Madani presented him Zubair's case as she explained Zubair had discovered that American soldiers were trafficking heroin out of Afghanistan, which had then led to Zubair being assassinated.

Upon hearing the details of Madani's potential case, Wolf ordered Stein to leave the room so he could speak with Madani in private, which Stein had expressed some annoyance about. Once they were alone Wolf had claimed that Madani was lucky as many other agents wanted the job, although Madani claimed that she was happy being overseas. Wolf then went on to claim that the investigation she was running within Kandahar had been deemed to serve no one, claiming that she was lucky to still have any kind of a career for pursuing the case for so long despite so many people objecting to it.

When Wolf claimed that she had been saved due to being the poster girl as she was both a woman and mixed race, Madani called him out for his sexist and racism, which Wolf dismissed. Although Madani insisted that the government got Zubair killed, Wolf insisted this was not true, suggesting Zubair was dirty while Madani insisted that she was sure that she was pulled out of Afghanistan because she was close to finding out something big. Annoyed, Wolf said that he would not tolerate insubordination, insisting that Kandahar is off-limits, as Madani had then reluctantly obeyed Wolf's direct order to her.^[3]

Sam Stein's Support[]

Later, Madani checked her files when Sam Stein had returned to her office and sarcastically asked how her meeting with Carson Wolf had gone before asking if he could ask how she was feeling despite being her junior, to which Madani insisted that she did not want to listen to his sarcasm. Stein told Madani that he had knew that Wolf would not accept her case about Ahmad Zubair because Stein was assigned as her partner.

As Stein noted that Madani seemed like she could make a career in the department if she really wants it, Madani questioned what Stein had done to piss off Wolf, but he jokingly refused to answer. Stepping over to her board of evidence, Stein asked Madani where they should go from here, to which Madani requested all of Homeland Security's files on the United States Marine Corps by the name of Colonel Ray Schoonover, as well as the explosion of ship with drugs at the docks what happened last year, while she also requesting information about Lieutenant Frank Castle who had served alongside Schoonover.

Although Stein was clearly highly skeptical about this and had noted that Punisher was dead, Madani noted Castle and Schoonover served in the same unit in Afghanistan and had then both died on the same day, just twenty miles apart there in New York City, questioning if Stein really thought that this was merely a coincidence. Stein then confirmed that Madani was going to run her own case regardless of Wolf's orders and decided to assist her because he was already in Wolf's blacklist, and he still had nothing to lose, expressing his surprise that Madani was actually willing to join him there.^[3]

Mother's Advice[]

Having finished for the day, Madani returned to her family apartment to share some wine with her mother Farah, taking a moment to look out of the window at New York City. Farah had asked her daughter why it was that she resented being home so much, to which Madani answered that she resented the fact that she was forced to return from Afghanistan and that nobody wanted to know the truth about Ahmad Zubair's death. Farah, however, suggested that Madani was avoiding dealing with losing Zubair, although Madani still insisted that Zubair had actually been murdered.

As Madani noted how she had told Zubair that he could trust her just before his death, she poured herself another glass of wine while her mother questioned how much she was drinking these days, to which Madani insisted that she did not need therapy from her mother. Farah, however, simply noted that it was nice to have her daughter back so she could share her wine with her, as Madani sat down next to Farah and insisted that she would be staying inside her mother's apartment temporarily until she found her own place in New York. Their talk then turned to Madani's father and his faith, as Madani explained her faith in the system of law which gave her parents the life they have.

However, it was also noted that despite all his strong faith, Madani's father could see all of the flaws which were within his own religion, with Farah making a clear reference to the flaws in the system of law which Madani worked within. Madani then insisted that her mother gets to the point as she explained that her insistence of looking into Zubair's death was already creating enemies for Madani, as people like Carson Wolf did not want her to continue looking into this. Farah had then ended the conversation by simply noting her fear of Madani investigating too deep and putting her life in danger as a result.^[3]

Coffee with Sam Stein[]

As they had slowly began to build up trust with one another, Madani and Sam Stein went for coffee together Madani had explained to him noted how the feeling of being back in New York City from being in Afghanistan kept hitting her, noting how she had forgotten so many of the little details of living in the city, comparing the feeling to how the city got back to normal after the September 11 attacks, as Stein noted that they simply let themselves forget the horrors.

Madani then noted that she knew the easiest thing for her would be to forget about Ahmad Zubair and put the case behind her, to which Stein then questioned why she believed that Zubair had been killed by the United States Armed Forces. Madani explained to Stein that she had previously been sent a secret video file featuring the death of Zubair by an anonymous source, explaining that the video featured Zubair being tortured and executed by their own troops, which horrified Stein who asked why she had not shown Carson Wolf that video file as proof of everything she had been talking about.

As Madani explained that the file had been stolen in Kandahar, Stein questioned if Frank Castle and Ray Schoonover could be seen killing Zubair in the video, to which Madani explained that everyone in the video had worn masks to hide their identities. As Stein noted that all her suspects were dead, Madani questioned who had sent her that tape, noting there were seven men in the video who were suspects as they speculated that Wolf knew this and was tasked with keeping Madani away, but she had her way in with Billy Russo, to which Stein claimed that Wolf would never allow Madani talk with Russo.^[4]

Appeasing Carson Wolf[]

Returning to the Homeland Security Headquarters, Madani had waited for Carson Wolf to come out of a meeting, at which point she complimented him on his field team. Madani noted that she knew Wolf had been a field agent for Homeland Security before moving up the ranks before she requested the chance to get some physical training with their unit. Although Wolf was initially against this idea, Madani insisted that it could be done in New York City.

Madani explained that she had taken a look at a private military company known as Anvil which she explained would have all of the facilities they would need for a complete training exercise, noting that she wanted Wolf to have confidence in her abilities if she was to be the first through the door in his team. Hearing this, Wolf agreed to consider the concept, telling Madani to put the proposal together so he could take a look at it later in the day. Upon getting the proposal, Wolf approved the training for the unit and sent Madani and her team to train alongside Anvil with Wolf still supervising it all.^[4]

Arrangement with Anvil[]

Having convinced Carson Wolf to allow her to use Anvil to train her team, Madani and Sam Stein went to the training exercise together as the teams were armed with plastic weapons and tasked with marching through an empty warehouse to save fake hostages, using blanks to gun down the terrorists. During their mission, however, Stein had almost shot an apparent hostage who had attempted to run through the room, before Madani just managed to stop him.

Stepping out of the training area, Stein complained to Madani about how he had seen the "hostage" running at him and assumed it was hostile, to which Madani insisted that if that had been a real situation and only one hostage died, it would still be considered a win for them. They were then joined by Billy Russo himself who assured Stein that Madani was right in her assessment of the situation as he noted that the real situations were always messier. Russo introduced himself as the CEO of Anvil, explaining how his teams would rent out different spaces for all their exercises to keep things fresh.

While Stein went to put away his equipment, Madani got some water with Russo who explained how Anvil rented different spaces for all of their training exercises to always keep things fresh, as Russo then suggested that Anvil could make a deal with Homeland Security as a contract would be good business for them. while Madani explained that she had just returned from Afghanistan as Russo recognized her surname as being Persian before Russo explained he had served as well before he had left the Marines, going private to found Anvil, with Madani wanting to ask for more details about his military career.

They were interrupted by Carson Wolf's arrival, who accused Madani of interrogating Russo, which she denied. While Russo invited Wolf to come to Anvil Headquarters to discuss a deal between their own organizations, Wolf cut him off to remind Madani to not get involved in the case she was still looking into the Kandahar investigation. Wishing to get to know her better, Russo waited for Wolf to leave and then invited Madani to join him for a drink after they were both finally off duty, noting that once they were off duty, she could discuss whatever she wanted with him, which Madani then happily agreed to.^[4]

Drink with Billy Russo[]

Madani joined Billy Russo for the drink at a bar, as she questioned if this was where he took women out to impress them. They discussed their time in Afghanistan as Madani had claimed she had unfinished business there. Madani asked again which unit Russo served within the United States Marine Corps, to which Russo asked if this was why Madani agreed to join him, at which point Madani finally revealed she had read his file and knew of Russo's military career.

Russo questioned if Madani had come to Anvil for training or to ask him about his service record, which she confirmed. Once he insisted he would not be throwing his friends under the bus, Russo invited Madani to ask him the questions. Madani immediately asked Russo about Frank Castle and was surprised when Russo had informed her that he and Castle had been close friends while serving together. Russo told the story of when he and Castle fought together in Basra, which he claimed to be the best night of his life, before expressing his regret that Castle had been killed, noting that he missed him.

While Madani noted that Castle had killed a lot of people before his own death, Russo then claimed that the people he had killed were all criminals and drug dealers just like Finn Cooley and Dutton. Madani questioned if Castle had become dirty while serving and even asked if he had gotten involved with smuggling heroin, which Russo simply laughed at, although Russo claimed that Castle's one way of staying clean was his family which were taken away from him. Changing the subject, Russo flirted with Mandani, asking if she was single before Madani's pager went off and she was forced to leave early.^[4]

Agent in Charge[]

Carson Wolf's Murder[]

Following the pager call Madani joined Sam Stein as they were called to investigate the home of Carson Wolf, as Madani found that Stein had already arrived as he teased her about her drink with Billy Russo. Stein then showed Madani the corpse of Wolf as they discovered him lying dead in the pool of his blood, having seemingly been beaten down, tortured, shot, before finally having his neck broken, as Stein noted that with Wolf deceased, Madani was now the highest ranking agent and needed to take command of the crime scene.^[4]

Following Wolf's death, and with Madani now the ranking agent with the United States Department of Homeland Security, she and Stein set to work to figure who killed him and why. Stein presented Madani with Wolf's autopsy report, noting that since it was unlikely that Wolf had just beaten himself up and shot himself through the leg before breaking his leg, they appeared to be looking at a murder. They then discussed how the killer got to Wolf, while Madani theorized that the killer came down the chimney and snuck up on Wolf before attacking him, to which Stein joked that they were looking for Bad Santa.

Stein noted to Madani that the press was aware that Wolf was dead; however, she insisted that they would not make an official statement regarding his death just yet, as Stein also warned how the situation involving the New York City Police Department and the FBI would make their lives extremely difficult as they tried to investigate Wolf's death: however, Madani insisted that the other organizations could go screw themselves, noting that Wolf was one of them and therefore only Homeland Security should investigate his death before walking away, leaving Stein still looking over the crime scene pictures.

Returning to the family apartment, Madani had spread out the crime scene pictures of Wolf's murder as Farah Madani arrived and reacted in disgust at the horrific images. Farah theorized that her daughter was feeling guilt over disliking Wolf before his death, as Madani had claimed that while she indeed wanted Wolf gone but she had not wanted him dead. When Farah noted that now Madani sat in Wolf's position, Madani insisted that this was only temporary while Farah argued that somebody had to take up the job and questioned why Madani should not take it now that Wolf had been killed.

Madani claimed she was unsure she was suited for command, to which Farah noted how Madani went to Afghanistan as it was a fast track to getting a promotion, although Madani had claimed that her priorities changed since returning to New York City. Farah noted how since Ahmad Zubair died she saw her daughter closing herself off and finding it hard to trust people. Madani, however, insisted that she was not a victim and she just did not trust anyone else to get the job done right, claiming that was arrogance, to which Farah claimed that Madani needed to trust people or allow them to trust her.^[5]

Investigating Carson Wolf[]

Beginning the investigation, Madadi tasked Sam Stein to research all of Carson Wolf's bank records in the wake of his death. Eventually Stein went straight to Madani with evidence that Wolf amassed a six million dollars fortune of over six accounts, which were buried offshore, much to the shock of both Madani and Stein. Seeing this, Madani then questioned where this sheer amount of money had originally come from, which Stein claimed he was still working on it.

As she closely looked over this new evidence, Stein recommended to Madani that they had to take this new evidence higher in Homeland Security. However, Madani just insisted that as far as Stein should be concerned, there was nobody there higher ranking than her. Madani questioned who else could be trusted with all of this new information, noting that she still only trusted Stein because he was the one who actually brought her this information and everybody else there was suspect, as Stein had questioned if Madani found that concept scary, which she denied while continuing to look over the paperwork.

Stein became frustrated with Madani's dismissal of him and claimed that Madani was now right where she wanted to be at the Homeland Security Headquarters. When Madani questioned what he meant by this, Stein said that she clearly liked to be on her own, going against the world, as Madani asked if Stein spoke to Wolf like this. Stein then complained about Madani's attitude following her return to New York City from Afghanistan, noting how she had been dismissive and now wanted him to keep her secrets, which she confirmed as Stein noted that she had still needed to earn his trust and loyalty first.^[5]

Reunion with Hernandez[]

Having gotten word of a gun deal that was going to be going down involving the Greek Mob, Madani was briefed by Sam Stein inside of her office about the mission, as Stein explained how the guns were currently on their way on board the freighter and would be arriving by the next day. However, Madani was still not paying any attention to what Stein was saying to her, as Stein jokingly suggested that they could use tomahawks to ambush the Greeks, which Madani approved of as she was still not listening to anything Stein was saying.

Stein found that Madani was still completely focused on investigating the death of Carson Wolf as she still failed to hear what Stein was saying to her regarding the Greek Mob and their gun sale. Stein then managed to ask if they should ambush the Greeks on the boat, but Madani insisted that she wanted to catch them in the United States of America, noting that if they attacked the boat then they would only arrest the crew who likely would not know what they were carrying. Madani noted that Wolf had done a lot of work on this case and she wanted to still see it through in the aftermath of his murder.

While Stein then attempted to get Madani to sign some paperwork, they were interrupted by the arrival of Rafael Hernandez. Madani introduced Hernandez to Stein before Stein left. As the pair hugged, Hernandez noted Madani had lost weight, as Madani jokingly noted Hernandez had not. Hernandez commented on Madani's promotion to Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security, although Madani insisted that she was still merely the acting SAC, while Hernandez had then noted that if she performed well then there was a chance that the position could still be offered to her permanently.

While Madani questioned how much influence Hernandez had over her promotion, he had insisted that he had merely put forward his recommendation before turning serious, as Hernandez then informed Madani that the Office of the Inspector General would be taking over the investigation into Wolf's murder. Hernandez noted that there were questions that needed to be answered, as Madani noted how Wolf was a dirty cop who had amassed his thirty million dollar fortune, to which Hernandez noted that this puts all of Homeland Security under a cloud of doubt following the revelations about Wolf's actions.

As Madani complained that this was her once again being silenced as she had been in Kandahar, Hernandez told her to grow up as he noted how he had recruited her fifteen years earlier to put her in this high ranking position. Hernandez recommended that Madani focuses on earning her stripes as a field agent, telling her that her obsession with Ahmad Zubair's death was becoming an obsession. Hernandez told Madani not to lose sight of the good being done, noting how she would help people by snatching the Greek Mob's supply of guns and ammunition which were soon going to be sold within the city.

Hernandez recommended that Madani focuses on her work behind her desk to make a difference, as Madani questioned if he had come all the way from Washington, D.C. just to tell her this. Hernandez then insisted that he had come there to make sure that Madani was aware of the opportunity that lay before her and recommended that this take it unless she felt that it was not right for her anymore. Madani told Hernandez not to play games with her, as Hernandez then left, noting that Madani did not need a babysitter but had just needed to check her priorities before moving forward with her position.^[6]

Ambush Planning[]

Once their mission to rob the Greek Mob prepared to go underway, Madani sat down with her team as Sam Stein gave the briefing to the Homeland Security agents, explaining how agent Sampson would act as their buyer and pointed out where they would place their snipers during the mission. Stein also noted that agents Bowers and Sinclair would make sure that all the weapons make it off their boat and insisted that they did not engage with the Greeks no matter what happened, explaining that once the exchange was done then the arrest team would immediately move in.

When Stein asked if there were any questions, Madani spoke up and simply told him that his sniper positionings were off, also making a point that they had needed a dedicated communication line to the snipers. As Madani briefly misspoke and said that the team was hers and not Steins, Stein dismissed the agents and spoke with Madani alone. Considerably annoyed that she had criticized his plan in front of all his agents, Stein had sarcastically questioned if he had gotten anything right, to which Madani claimed that his plan was good and she had merely made it better with all her many corrections.

While they were speaking, Madani hinted that she was considering taking up Carson Wolf's position, as Stein then questioned if Rafael Hernandez came there to offer it to her. Although Madani claimed that Hernandez was merely making sure she behaved in a manner which could ensure her the position, Stein noted that Hernandez was a good man to have on the side. Madani told Stein how Homeland often recruited agents who spoke foreign languages, but Hernandez had always viewed her as American first and that was why she agreed to join the agency, before complimenting Stein on his work.^[6]

Robbery of the Greek Mob[]

As the mission went ahead, Madani remained in the control room and confirmed that all the Homeland Security agents were in position as well and ready to begin as soon as the Greek Mob appeared to sell the guns, with everything seemingly going to plan. However, mere minutes before the truck would be in position, the team's communications were taken over as a hacker had managed to play loud music, which disrupted their ability to communicate as Madani and her team desperately tried to figure out what was now happening.

While all the music continued to play, Madani tried to figure out what was happened as Sam Stein could only look up at their camera he was being watched on, questioning what was happening and why he could no longer communicate with Madani. Madani was then called by Stein on the phone, questioning what happened and if they all needed to abort the mission, as Madani said it was some kind of interference and ordered him to stay in position. However, as Madani continued watching the footage, she realized it had also been hacked and was a looped video, meaning the mission was at risk.

Determined not to allow the heist to fall apart, Madani stepped out of the control room and into her Ford Mustang as she prepared to find whoever was interrupting the mission, informing Stein of where to go. Driving through Red Hook Pier, Madani searched through the roads until she eventually came across the truck being driven away from the area, while being followed by another car. As the thieves had now seen Madani following them, the driver of the other car braked and forced Madani to follow him, while the driver of the truck continued making their escape from the area which Madani could not stop.

Madani and the other driver then engaged in a high-speed chase as Madani stayed behind him as they turned through sharp corners at high speed, with both drivers being equally skilled behind the wheel. Since Madani was about to stay up with the driver as their chase continued, her target attempted to swerve across the road to make the chase more difficult: However, Madani was able to get alongside the car but was unable to see the face of the driver. The chase briefly paused when a sharp corner forced Madani to brake while the other car drove away, but she soon caught up leading to a stand off.

Following a brief standoff, Madani and the other drive charged at one another at full speed; however, before they could collide, Madani's car was struck by the truck, causing Madani several serious injuries while rolling her car onto its roof. Unable to move and with the car at risk of bursting into flames, Madani was pulled to safety by the other driver, who Madani recognized as being Frank Castle. While Madani was unable to move, Castle laid her on the floor, took her gun and I.D. while confirming that he killed Carson Wolf. Castle then warned Madani to stay out of his business before exiting the scene.^[6]

Search for Punisher[]

Following their disastrous mission, Madani was put on leave in order to recover from her injuries sustained in the car wreck. Madani then returned to her mother's apartment where she slept through the night and in the morning, she painfully stepped out of bed, bruises covering her body, as she stepped over to the window and looked at New York City. Despite her injuries, Madani main priority was to return to work, although Madani's mother tried to keep her in bed.

Madani returned into the Homeland Security Headquarters the same day where she soon found Sam Stein was in his meeting with Rafael Hernandez as they discussed the failed mission, with Hernandez questioning why the thieves would leave any witnesses, to which Madani commented that she was glad that they had. Looking at all the pictures of her burnt out car, Madani explained that it was her gift from her father, noting that someone killed it so she could not let it go. Hernandez asked what evidence Madani had to assist the investigation, noting that she should not have gotten out of bed with nothing to contribute.

Once Stein left, Madani noted how she had just led her Homeland Security team into an unexpected ambush, and now she refused to go back to the Madani Residence to simply feel sorry for herself as she noted that her team would never respect her if she left them to continue their investigation without her. Hernandez, however, simply commented that somethings things went wrong, telling Madani that her planning was solid and she had run it well until she had tried to chase down the person who had hijacked their mission which had resulted in Madani being injured due to a brutal car wreck.

Hernandez then informed Madani that she and Stein would soon be questioned by OIG to understand what had happened to the Greek's guns and how the operation had gone so wrong, as Hernandez then recommended that Madani cooperate fully with their investigation. As he prepared to leave, Hernandez had a final word with Madani as he questioned if she really wanted to know what her agents thought of her, picking up a photograph of Madani's burned out car and telling her that her team viewed her as a badass, before Hernandez touched Madani's arm and asked if she was keeping any more secrets.

Despite knowing that Hernandez was only trying to help her, Madani did not tell him what she had discovered, noting that she wished that she could, which seemed to make Hernandez nervous. Once in her office, Madani studied a picture of Frank Castle receiving a medal for his service within the United States Marine Corps, thinking back to the crash wreak and how Castle had saved her life, questioning how Castle was involved with her investigation. As Madani's phone rang, she saw that it was Billy Russo attempting to call her up, as Madani hung up the call and had continued all of her work instead.^[7]

Questioning Karen Page[]

As part of her current investigation into Frank Castle, Madani invited Castle's friend, Karen Page for an interview, as Madani personally greeted Page and thanked her for coming to speak with her, as Page questioned if Madani was attempting to intimidate Page by keeping her waiting for so long, which Madani had simply denied. As Madani took a seat opposite her, Page noted that Madani seemed to be in some considerable pain and then also questioned if it had anything to do with the incident at Red Hook Pier the night before.

While Madani did not answer, Page had noted that she had already researched the incident and knew Madani's car had been involved, also commenting that it was odd that no report had been filled with the New York City Police Department. Page compared her job as a reporter to Madani's noting that they were only as good as their information, as Madani questioned if Page intended to run her story about the crash with the New York Bulletin, although Page claimed that she simply did not know enough about it yet and asked for a comment, which Madani simply chose not to provide her with.

Commenting that she seemed trustworthy, Madani asked Page not to report anything until the story was clear, however, Page instead asked if Madani had trusted Carson Wolf. Madani asked her answer to be off the record and explained that Wolf was dirty, as Madani had asked for the sources Page had about Wolf which Page refused to provide. Changing tactics, Madani commented on Page's life since arriving in New York City, noting how she was accused of the murder of Daniel Fisher before working for Nelson and Murdock and helping to successfully bring down the criminal empire of Wilson Fisk, before Madani asked if Page had a habit of getting overly involved.

Madani then made it clear that she was referring to Castle, noting how Page had defended Castle and had been kidnapped by him once Castle had escaped from Ryker's Island, to which Page had insisted that she had nothing to fear from Castle, despite him having killed a lot of people, to which Page claimed that Castle's story was tragic. Madani asked what Page had known about all Castle's time in the United States Marine Corps, and specifically his time in Kandahar, to which Page instead continued to ask about what happened to Madani on the docks the night before, which Madani did not answer.

Madani noted how she had also served in Kandahar and suggested that Castle could have been the man she needed to speak to about her investigation into Ahmad Zubair's death, as Page expressed her regret that Castle had been killed in an explosion. Not believing this, Madani questioned Page about what kind of a man was Castle, to which Page had described him as decent and honest, with a code of honor. When Madani asked Page what Castle would be doing if he was still alive, Page claimed that Castle would have been minding his own business and should be left alone now that he was dead.^[7]

Trusting Sam Stein[]

Madani had later called Sam Stein to her office where her desk was covered with pictures of Frank Castle. Once Stein came in, Madani gave him a list of names that she wanted him to track down while Stein then questioned if this was in relation to the Greek Mob and the guns they had failed to capture, to which Madani instead explained that these men could have been in the room when Ahmad Zubair had been killed, much to Stein's great surprise and confusion.

While Madani had also noted the Operation was kept off the record which was why there was never an official list of who was involved, Stein had still remained confused as to why Madani was still focusing on the Zubair case at this time. While Madani continued looking over her own paperwork, Stein then began reading the list of names that Madani had provided him with, commenting on Gunner Henderson's name, he had complained that there must have been twenty names on the list while Madani had only needed one to know something to continue her case, much to Stein's considerable annoyance.

As Stein noted how their last mission had been a complete and utter failure which they were just about to be questioned by OIG over and Madani was still wasting her time with a case which she should not be working on since Carson Wolf had ordered her not to even look into it right from the start. Stein had then furiously claimed the case was about dead men who nobody cared about and refused to get involved before walking out of Madani's office, leaving Madani in a position of being forced to decide whether or not she could actually trust Stein enough with everything that she had found out.

Madani, however, then followed Stein into the hallway and pulled him aside, where she had revealed that Castle was the one who stole the guns, which Stein scoffed at before recommending that Madani go back to the hospital. As Madani explained that she had seen Castle up close, Stein noted that from her theory, Punisher was alive and had stolen a truck full of guns from under their noses, as Madani explained that Castle had pulled her out of the car and saved her life, questioning why he would do this. Stein, however, noted that with his new arsenal of guns, the Punisher would start dropping bodies and advised her to go public with it, which Madani refused to do.

As expected, Madani was called to a meeting with OIG to discuss what happened with their failed robbery of the Greek Mob, as she had first claimed that someone had known about the mission and intercepted it, although she still insisted that this was not a failing of her planning. Madani was asked if she would have done anything differently, to which she claimed that in hindsight then she may have changed something, insisting that the mission was not discussed outside the office, although Madani also became frustrated over the questions and denied knowing who had intercepted the truck.

Following their interrogation, Madani waited outside for Stein as she followed him to the elevator. Once they were alone, Stein then began cursing his decision while Madani smiled to herself, with Stein noting that Madani had clearly known he would not rather out. Madani then suggested they find Castle's Military Unit for answers and hopefully they could get them Castle. Stein, however, had warned that he would give Madani a week to get her evidence before he would go to Rafael Hernandez and immediately tell him everything, telling Madani that it would be for both their sakes, as Madani reluctantly agreed.^[7]

Misplaced Trust[]

Billy Russo Hookup[]

Madani was later invited out by Billy Russo for a second drink, which they shared at a fancier restaurant than the last time. Madani then explained that they were drinking since she had had a difficult day at Homeland Security involving some hard decisions which she did not know if they were right or not, with Russo giving her advice and noting that he had also had a bad day. Turning the conversation more flirtatious, Madani suggested that they should do something about their days, to which Russo said he was open to suggestions.

Choosing to forget about their drinks and distract themselves from their bad days, the pair headed back to Madani's apartment where Madani and Russo immediately began kissing and removing their clothes, at which point Madani's harsh bruises on Madani's body caused by a recent car wreck were seen by Russo. While Russo tried to stop due to concern over Madani's wellbeing, Madani just refused to discuss it and insisted that they continue. Ripping open Russo's own shirt, Madani took him to the bed where she got on top of him and the pair engaged in passionate sex throughout the night.^[7]

Madani and Russo had sex again the next day, with Russo joking that this time they could not blame the alcohol for getting them into bed together once again. While Madani stayed in bed and covered herself up, she watched while the naked Russo then stepped into the bathroom. While Madani checked her phone, she did not notice that as Russo was finding his clothes, he discovered some of Madani's work which detailed her investigation. Russo had then demanded to know what Madani was still not telling him, which she had refused to answer, instead claiming that it was her work and nothing more.

While Russo had questioned if Madani was only using him to find out more about his military history and who he had served with, he also questioned why Madani was still determined to insult Frank Castle's memory, although she insisted that this was not the case. Russo then noted that Madani was now clearly withholding information, to which she reminded him that she was Homeland Security and secrets were part of the job. Russo called Madani a poor liar before noting that the police had never found Castle's body following the Destruction of Blacksmith's Ship which Russo had always wondered about.^[8]

Shootout Aftermath[]

Once she returned to the Homeland Security Headquarters, Madani was informed by Sam Stein that Gunner Henderson had turned up following his search for him; however, Henderson had actually been found dead on a mountainside in Kentucky. Madani and Stein then entered her office to discuss the matter as Madani told Stein told him to shut the office door while Madani had then immediately gotten in contact with the Kentucky sheriff, as she and Stein prepared to go to Kentucky to investigate Henderson's death themselves.

Once they arrived in Kentucky, Madani and Stein had soon found the aftermath of a violent shootout in which several people had clearly been killed, including Henderson whose corpse was found alone with multiple gunshot wounds. As they had continued looking all around the area for any clues regarding what had actually happened there, Stein noted how Henderson, whose corpse had been the only one recovered, had taken bullets to the hand and chest before eventually bleeding out, with Madani noting that somebody had been with him, before they had left Henderson behind and made their escape.

While they explored the area, Madani found some bullet casings and deduced that a serious firefight went down, with Henderson and his ally coming out mostly on top as Stein noted this is what happened when a Special Forces soldier was attacked on his own turf. Madani explained her theory on how Henderson and his ally, who they both agreed was likely Frank Castle, fought side by side until Henderson died of his injuries, as Stein noted that there were no hospital reports of people coming with gunshot wounds, noting that Castle called the police to ensure that Henderson's body was eventually found.

Once they returned to the Homeland Security Headquarters, Madani and Stein had looked over the crime scene photos, as Stein then confirmed that the blood they had found on the scene had matched Castle's DNA. Stein then questioned who Castle and Henderson had been fighting against, as Madani suggested that whoever it did not want the story about Kandahar to go public and were taking out any leads they had. Madani suggested that the CIA or the US military could have sent a death squad up that mountain to kill their targets while commenting on the sheer balls it would take to do this.

As Stein noted that if he had been able to get off the mountain after the shootout, then Castle would have been bleeding heavily from his own wounds and would have been seeking medical assistance for his wounds. Madani and Stein agreed that they had to locate Castle sooner rather than later, while Stein questioned where they would be able to find a deceased Marine who was unlikely to be on social media. Madani, however, came up with a plan to go to Billy Russo and inform him of Castle's survival, hoping that either Russo knew where he was or he could lead them directly to him.^[8]

Billy Russo's Assistance[]

Needing to find her lead on Frank Castle's whereabouts, Madani then decided to contact Billy Russo and had asked him to meet her on the outskirts of New York City. Pulling up beside her, Russo suggested that she had invited him there for an apology due to all the secrets she had been keeping from him before waiting until she told him what she needed. Madani asked Russo once again about Castle before she had then finally informed him that Castle was indeed alive.

Madani explained to Russo that she needed to arrest Castle and noted that if anybody could help her find it, it would be Russo, but Russo questioned why he would even consider doing this. Madani explained that she believed Castle was investigating the same case of Kandahar that she was and that he may have some involvement in Ahmad Zubair's death. Madani told Russo that the people who were also hunting Castle had left him for dead and would kill him if they did not get to him first. Russo promised to do what he could before thanking Madani for trusting him with this information.^[8]

Updated by Billy Russo[]

In order to get the latest update, Madani had invited Billy Russo into her office, as Madani and Sam Stein made eye contact as she closed the door. Handing her a coffee, Russo went to kiss Madani only to be rejected as she was on duty. Russo briefly flirted with Madani before she noted how tired he looked and asked what knew he had on Frank Castle. Russo, however, informed Madani that he had found nothing on Castle and had not been able to confirm he was alive.

Russo then claimed that he had also reached out to other members of the United States Armed Forces who served with Castle and had still failed to come up with any kind of information about Castle's current condition. Russo questioned why Madani had claimed Castle was hurt and she told him about the firefight during which the badly wounded Castle was the only survivor. Russo asked why Madani had not gone public with this if she knew of Castle's survival, with Madani only noting that she had already told Russo more than she should have because she thought that he could help her find Castle.

Madani confirmed that she still did not know who was involved with the firefight that killed Gunner Henderson but she claimed she did not know, noting that without Castle she had no leads. Intending to help Madani, Russo promised that if Castle was alive, he would find him and bring him to her, hinting his aim was to end their professional relationship so that they could continue their new sexual relationship. Teasing Madani about their own sexual relationship and his desire to continue it sooner rather than later, Russo had also commented that nobody was listening to their conversation before he left.

Once Russo had left her office, Stein then walked in and questioned if and why Madani had told Russo about Punisher's return, as Madani demanded that Stein knock before entering her office. Stein noted that Russo was Castle's best friend during their time together in the Marine Corps and therefore had stood the best chance of tracking him down, before Stein questioned why Madani did not tell him her plan to get a civilian like Russo involved with their case, claiming that this decision compromised their investigation and Stein's own career if Madani's agreement with Russo backfired.

As Stein continued to complain, he also noted how Madani had not trusted Rafael Hernandez with what they knew and questioned why she felt she could trust Russo, to which Madani claimed it was the same reason why she trusted Stein, instinct. As they walked out of her office, Stein noted that while Madani's applied flattery was a nice touch which he appreciated, it was not going to work this time as Stein questioned if Madani's trust for Russo had anything to do with his handsome face and seductive confidence, before Stein told her not to create a situation like this again, which she agreed to.^[9]

Search for the Bug[]

While she was inside her office, Madani had continued looking at the images of Gunner Henderson's corpse following his gunfight, and began questioning why Henderson had suddenly become a target just as their investigation was ready to look into him. With this thought now inside of her mind, Madani had then also thought about what Billy Russo had said about nobody listening and realized that Henderson was targeted shorted after she and Sam Stein had spoken about him, as she realized somebody was indeed listening.

Needing the help of somebody she trusted, Madani went to Stein as she requested a private word with him. Once they were both alone, Madani noted to Stein how just one day after they first mentioned Henderson's name, he had turned up dead, calling into question this massive coincidence, while the confused Stein questioned why they were not discussing this in her office. As other Homeland Security agents walked past, Madani and Stein had pretended to be having a casual chat about a night out Madani when she had been groped until they were certain that nobody else could hear them.

While Stein questioned if the story Madani told of being groped was true, she confirmed that it was and that she had broken the guy's finger, as Stein continued complaining about having this conversation in the hallway rather than her comfy office. Madani was once again noted that Henderson only died after they got a lead on him, telling Stein that she believed someone had put a bug in her office which was how whoever was listening found out about their investigation into Frank Castle's former unit and was having them all murdered before Madani and Stein could get to them for questioning.

That evening, Madani and Stein waited for the other agents to return to their homes, before they silently stepped back into her office and began a search in complete silence, scanning all of the paperwork and under every desk and bookshelf to try and find where the bug had been hidden, knowing that they were likely still being recorded and could not risk whoever was listening knowing they were actually on to them. Stein accidentally dropped the papers he was holding which had made a slight noise, although not enough for them to believe they would have actually been discovered.

Eventually, Madani's search of her bookshelf led her to finding a read on her scanner, as she silently called Stein over to assist her. Without making a sound, Madani and Stein lifted up the shelf where Madani discovered a wire had been hidden underneath one of the screws, allowing somebody to listen to every word that was being said in the office which had resulted in the death of Henderson. Madani and Stein chose to leave the bug there, however, knowing that as whoever put that there was now unaware that they had found it and therefore they could use that to their advantage in their investigation.

With their task completed, Madani and Stein both sat in the hallway drinking together as Stein revealed that he had actually completely missed a date he was supposed to be on to help Madani find the bug. Stein noted that it was not the first date he had missed due to his job and admitted that it was unlikely to be the last that he missed. They then discussed the concept of dating with their line of work, as Madani had noted that if Stein was dedicated to the job, then his relationships would always come second, which Stein accepted was true, but claimed he would still keep on trying regardless.

Madani then offered Stein some free advice, which he claimed to be all ears until Madani told Stein that their job was not compatible with family and friends and suggested the job might not be suitable for Stein's personality, noting that it was best for closed off people. Stein then claimed that Madani reminded him of Castle, which offended Madani as she claimed that they were nothing alike, as she was about the law and Castle was about something that they had not figured that out yet. Stein had then asked what they were going to do about the bug and Madani confessed that she had no idea.^[9]

Discussing Battle Scars[]

Madani invited Billy Russo back to her apartment where they had sex in her shower. Once finished, Russo lay naked with only a towel in Madani's bed while watching her put on clothes ready to return to work at Homeland Security. As she looked at his body, Madani questioned where some of Russo's bruises came from, as Russo told her that it had come from a paintball during his training.

Changing the subject, Russo pointed to one of his real scars which he explained he gained while in the United States Armed Forces and was shot with an AK-47. Russo asked Madani about her own scars to which she claimed one was from an angry lover who stabbed her, which Russo did not believe. Madani teased Russo by noted that he had so many scars and yet none on his attractive face before asking about two large scars on his shoulder, making up a story about how Russo's parachute had once failed to open, and he then fell through a tree which resulted in the scars as they laughed together.

Russo calmly told Madani of how due to his mother's meth addiction he had been forced to grow up within the Ray of Hope group home where he had almost been sexually assaulted at the age of either ten or eleven, before Russo had tried to defend himself which resulted in Russo's attacker seriously damaging his shoulder, resulting in all of the scars. Madani confessed that she did not know about this part of Russo's life as it had not been in his personnel file when she had been researching him, resulting in Russo teasing her over the middle class guilt she was feeling for having a good childhood unlike him.

Russo, however, noted that he still believed that regardless of all the trauma he had once suffered and the lack of knowledge about his exact birthplace, he still felt lucky for being born in the United States of America. Madani thanked Russo for feeling that he could trust her with these facts about his life, as Russo teased her over the fact that if they continued having real personal conversations then she may have to admit to liking him. As Madani finished putting on the rest of her clothes, she asked about Russo's mother as Russo told her that he still had no happy ending to his own personal life story.^[10]

Planting False Leads[]

Now they were aware of the wire secretly bugging her office, Madani and Sam Stein came up with a plan to trick whoever was listening by planting false information to see how they would react. While in her office, Madani told Stein that they just got a new lead on Frank Castle, claiming that he was buying his ammunition from Jack DeLeon for all of the guns which the Punisher had previously managed to successfully steal from the Greek Mob during Homeland Security's first encounter with him days earlier.

Madani and Stein then joked over comparing their fictional weapons deal to The Godfather before they had claimed that they would know exactly when Frank Castle would be and they would be right behind him to take him into custody, as they claimed to be simply waiting for Castle to set up the meeting. When Stein jokingly claimed he could kiss Madani, she told him that he was not her type, as Stein teased her over her relationship with Billy Russo. Stein then went on to offer to meet with Russo himself to ensure his intentions were honorable, until Madani had finally ordered Stein to get out of her office.

With whoever had been listening to their conversation on the office bug now believing that they knew exactly where the Punisher would be, Madani knew that it would only be a matter of time before they showed up with a heavily armed team with the intention of killing the Punisher. Madani called a meeting with her team and briefed them on the mission, without giving up all of the information. Madani warned that the team who showed up at the location would be heavily armed and would not surrender easily to them, so told the team to expect resistance, before noting that there would not be another copy of the tactical plan anywhere online in order to avoid it being leaked.

Stein later greeted Madani as she briefed her team on what to expect as they prepared to meet their enemy team who were expecting to encounter the Punisher, as Madani also noted that once they saw Homeland Security there to greet them, they did not expect them to surrender quietly. Madani had informed Stein that their teams would arrive at the Abandoned Warehouse first and wait for whoever turned up there, while Stein then explained that the fake tactical plan was completed and ready to be put on their systems, where it would likely be read by whoever had bugged secretly Madani's office.^[10]

Warehouse Ambush[]

As was expected, Madani and her team saw the team of mercenaries arrive at the Abandoned Warehouse with the intention of attempting to assassinate Frank Castle. Once the team were in an exposed position right in the center of the Warehouse, Madani and Sam Stein then revealed themselves along with their own squads of Homeland Security officers and demanded that all the men drop their weapons and surrender to them. However, one of these mercenaries fired a shot which killed one Homeland Security agent, which immediately resulted in a shootout breaking out between them.

Madani and Stein took cover, as Madani furiously demanded that the mercenaries drop their weapons and get down on the ground, while Stein questioned who they were as they were better armed than they had expected. As the lead mercenary told his team to take down the Homeland agents, Stein pulled Madani to cover as they were fired upon. Once they had an opportunity, Madani and Stein ordered their men to move forward, as they killed Jim Pruitt while forcing the other mercenaries to desperately try and take cover, as Stein gave Madani cover and killed Mike Bashille as he and his team moving up.

As they took cover behind a pillar together, Madani again reminded the mercenaries that they had nowhere to run, before ordering Stein to flank and get behind them for a final assault. Stein asked for cover as he charged across the room, firing at the remaining mercenaries while he got out of the building to get around to the back during the chaos. While Stein had then made his way into position in order to ambush the mercenaries before they escaped, Madani was also able to gun down Spencer Geiger, while Tom Weems was shot in the leg before being brutally executed by his own lead mercenary in order to ensure that Weems could be captured and then questioned.

During the chaos of the shootout, the lead mercenary was able to get away from Madani and her men, getting outside where he managed to shoot another Homeland agent through the head. Unwilling to let anyone escape before she had a chance to find out who they were and what they wanted, Madani furiously gave chase, taking cover as the lead mercenary fired several shots at her to keep her away while he continued to run for freedom. With her shotgun raised and ready, Madani called Stein and informed him that the lead mercenary was making a run for freedom on the East side of the Warehouse.

However, when Madani made it outside, she had found the corpse of another agent before finding Stein lying on the floor while desperately grasping his throat and drowning on his own blood which gushed out of an open wound following being stabbed in the throat by the lead mercenary who had escaped. Madani momentarily froze upon seeing her friend bleeding to death before she ran to him and desperately called out for help while trying to stop the bleeding. Despite her cries for help, Madani could do nothing to assist as the loss of blood from his wound eventually caused Stein to die in Madani's arms.

With Madani having been too busy desperately trying to save Stein's life, she had allowed the lead mercenary to escape from the scene, although his four accomplices had been killed during the shootout. Completely heartbroken and traumatized by witnessing Stein dying in her arms, Madani could only return to her apartment where she called Russo to offer her emotional comfort. Madani then sat in the bath, her hands still shaking with fear, while Russo carefully cleaned all Stein's blood from her face and hands. Madani also took some time off from her work at Homeland in order to recover.^[10]

Emotional Recovery[]

Advice from Farah Madani[]

In the wake of the Ambush at the Abandoned Warehouse, as well as witnessing the death of Sam Stein, Madani was given some time off in order to emotionally recover from the ordeal. Madani returned to her apartment where she remained in bed, emotionally broken and feeling responsible for Stein's death. Farah Madani eventually came in Madani's room and offered her some Cinnamon Coffee, while she attempted to offer her daughter some comfort.

Madani told her mother that she was not sleeping but refused to take sleeping pills, while Farah said that Rafael Hernandez had still been trying to get into contact with her again, noting that she had not told Hernandez anything about how Madani was doing. When Farah had begged her daughter to talk to her, Madani admitted that she could not stop thinking about Stein and how he died in her arms following being killed by the lead mercenary, while she had been unable to save him, as Madani and her mother discussed how Madani could begin healing by not blaming herself for Stein's sudden death.

As Farah continued offering advice, Madani commented that Stein's mother had asked her to speak at his funeral, while she questioned what she could say and noting that saying that Stein died doing what he loved would be a lie, noting that saying that Stein was not alone when he died did not matter now that he was dead. Madani noted that Stein had died believing in what they had investigated, and then questioned if she should tell the truth or what would make Stein's family feel better, to which Farah held onto her daughter's hand and suggested that she simply say whatever she had needed to.^[2]

Visited by Rafael Hernandez[]

While Madani was still in bed, several bombs were detonated which had rocked New York City as several innocent people were killed. While Madani remained in her bed and still refused to get involved with the situation, Rafael Hernandez was forced to visit the Madani Residence to convince her to come back. Once he arrived, Hernandez spoke with Farah Madani who asked him how things were going in the wake of the terrorist attack while Madani was quietly listening from the other room.

Hernandez asked how Madani was doing, as Farah insisted that she would not allow him to speak with her daughter, claiming that Madani was an emotional wreck following Stein's death. However, Madani revealed that she had been listening to the entire time and insisted that she was okay to speak to him. Once they were alone, Hernandez had then told Madani that while he wanted her to have recovery time, she had left Homeland Security unprepared for the recent bombings, as well as leaving Hernandez with several dead agents with no idea why they died, to which Madani noted that he might not want to know.

Hernandez noted that Madani refused to name her target and filed a false tactical plan. However, Madani questioned if Hernandez and his team identified the men they killed and who they worked for: However, Hernandez insisted that Madani needed to answer questions and not continue asking them. Madani then explained how she was haunted by the image of Sam Stein as he died, noting how he was surprised in his final moments. Hernandez questioned if all this was connected to Ahmad Zubair and Kandahar, noting that he could not protect her anymore if Madani did not begin to finally tell him the truth.^[2]

Billy Russo's Visit[]

Madani was later visited by Billy Russo who asked why Madani was not out dealing with all of the Bombings of New York City, to which Madani claimed that Homeland Security did not want her out there before trying to have sex with him, only for Russo to insist that sex would not make the pain go away, much to Madani's annoyance. Russo explained how he had been to seventeen funerals of friends, to which Madani questioned if any of the deaths were his fault.

Russo then questioned if Sam Stein himself was to blame for his own death, noting that Stein had managed to get stabbed while he was still holding a gun to his killer. All of this still did not stir up Madani, despite Russo arguing that she needed to get back out there and seek out the terrorist who was attacking New York City, with Russo even suggesting that if she could not do this, then she should then consider retiring from active duty with Homeland Security; however, Madani noted that her career was likely finished regardless of whether she got out of bed or not due to all of her previous actions.

Madani then confessed to Russo that the Ambush at the Abandoned Warehouse had been her own desperate attempt to find and kill the men hunting Frank Castle which had resulted in the deaths of several agents including Stein which she was directly responsible for. Russo argued that Madani had just been attempting to do the right thing, although she insisted that nobody would care about her intentions but only the results of her actions. Russo then noted that the people judging her had not been there and so did not understand, to which Madani noted that neither was he before she walked away.

Following her talk with Rafael Hernandez, Madani decided to get out of her bed and attend Stein's funeral, telling her mother that she had owed it to her late friend. Madani then told her mother how when she first arrived at the Homeland Security Headquarters, Stein's career there had been going nowhere for quite some time, which had been due to Carson Wolf's dislike of him, claiming that when she arrived, she revived Stein's determination by giving him a mission which he could chase. However, Madani also noted that it was because of this that Stein died so she would speak at Stein's funeral.

Madani told her mother that she intended to tell the entire truth about what had happened to Stein and why he had died, despite knowing that it would end her career at Homeland Security. Madani, however, noted that despite this likely destroying her career, she knew that if she spoke up about Kandahar and Ahmad Zubair's death so publicly, then somebody would have to act on it, and it would not be buried. Farah called this a grand gesture and asked her daughter to really consider her decision, although Madani simply claimed she had done enough reflecting and it was now time for her to take action.^[2]

Meeting with Micro[]

Before attending Sam Stein's funeral, Madani goes to a bar to have a drink with the intention of relaxing her nerves while she read through her speech she would be giving. As Madani turned down a final drink and prepared to leave, a man sat down beside her and offered to buy her a drink, which Madani refused only for the man to reveal that he knew about Stein's death. When Madani turned to confront the man, she then realized he had a gun as he revealed he was Micro who had send of the video of Ahmad Zubair's death to Madani.

While Micro noted how a lot of people had died due to him sending that video to her, Madani questioned if Micro believed that she was responsible for those people's deaths, which he confirmed. Madani then noted how Frank Castle had recently turned out to be alive before she was confronted by Micro, questioning if Micro and Castle were partners, or if Micro had come there to kill her, but Micro claimed that he come there because he hoped that his theory was right and that Madani was not part of the conspiracy which had just destroyed so many lives, including his own and Castle's.

Noting that she was heading to a funeral which she did not want to attend, Madani gave Micro the opportunity to shoot her, before Micro promised he could provide Madani with all of the names involved in her investigation in Kandahar which caused Madani to stay. Madani then listened as Micro explained Operation Cerberus and how Zubair had caught wind of it which had resulted in his death, telling Madani that William Rawlins was the man in charge and that it had been run and officially funded by the CIA under Rawlins' direct supervision, as Micro promised he had video files which could prove everything.

Micro, however, then also noted to Madani that she would need the assistance of Castle as he had also been in the room when Zubair died, as Madani had then realized that Castle was still unaware that Micro had gone to her with this information. As Madani and Micro continued talking, however, Madani then noticed the television was on WHiH World News and asked the bartender to turn it up, as they soon realized that the report was about Castle having been caught on the New York City Police Department's camera, while his survival was being reported across the country, much to Micro's horror.^[2]

Investigation into Anvil[]

With all the new information provided by Micro regarding Operation Cerberus, Madani had finally found all of the strength that she had needed to return into the Homeland Security Headquarters to continue her work into the investigation. Once she arrived there, Madani walked past Sam Stein's office before she had found Rafael Hernandez sat in her office, as Hernandez presented her with her badge back and showed her the paper with Frank Castle's picture on it.

Hernandez had questioned if Madani believed that Castle being alive vindicated everything that had happened, to which Madani had then noted that men had died and nothing would vindicate that; however, she claimed that if Homeland Security listened to her then perhaps they would still be alive. Hernandez, however, insisted that Madani was to blame for the Ambush at the Abandoned Warehouse and had questioned what she had been hiding, as Madani closed the door to her office and then told Hernandez that she knew that Castle was still alive, and he had stolen the Greek Mob's weapons from them.

As Hernandez questioned why Madani would not have told her this, to which she finally explained that Castle was connected to Ahmad Zubair's death in Kandahar and every lead she found had turned up dead, before revealing that she had found a bug inside of her office which she then ripped out and gave it to Hernandez. Madani went on to explain that she and Sam Stein had quietly given false information to whoever was listening to the bug and waited to see who turned up in order to kill Castle. Hernandez asked why it was not reported but Madani claimed she could not trust the chain of command.

Hernandez cursed Madani as he noted that she could have come to him, while Madani insisted that whoever was behind this could be connected to the CIA or the NSA, noting that they had fought against well-trained operatives in the Abandoned Warehouse. Hernandez asked what evidence Madani had of these theories, noting that half the city was attempting to kill Castle, noting that her witness was a terrorist seeking to bomb New York City. Madani then informed Hernandez that she still had one other witness, William Rawlins, which horrified Hernandez, noting that Rawlins was a high-ranking CIA agent.

While Madani still called Rawlins a murderer who had killed Zubair, Hernandez changed the subject and handed Madani the paperwork on the men killed during the recent ambush, including Tom Weems and Spencer Geiger, who Hernandez noted her all ex-special forces and now working as mercenaries, with Madani taking note that they had all worked for Anvil at some point. As he then prepared to leave, Hernandez gave Madani her badge back, telling her that she would need she as she continued her investigation and attempted to find some evidence which could actually link back to Rawlins.^[11]

Attack on Stan Ori[]

Wanting to investigate Anvil's possible involvement with the situation, Madani had then traveled to the Royal Hospitality with the intention of speaking to Billy Russo, with Russo noting that he thought it was great to see her back at work in the wake of all the recent incidents involving her. Russo noted that he could not really talk due to still protecting Stan Ori, to which Madani claimed she was there to talk about Anvil, handing him the files of Tom Weems and other Anvil agents, with Madani noting that they had killed her agents and had also previously worked for Anvil.

Russo insisted that he did not have a personal connection to these men, claiming that although they had indeed previously worked for him several years ago, they had also likely worked freelance for other organizations, claiming that Anvil had a strict policy on not to rehire men who had ever worked for criminal organizations. Russo questioned what Madani and Homeland Security had been involved with to cross paths with these men before questioning if he had become a suspect in Sam Stein's death, with Madani noting that the fifth man on the team had escaped without being identified.

Russo promised Madani that he was looking into the case to find the fifth suspect, before then suggesting that he come into the Madani Residence later that night to then discuss it further, although Madani rejected this. Changing the subject, Madani noted that if the New York Bulletin was to be believed, then Russo was protecting Ori from both Lewis Wilson and Frank Castle, questioning if Russo was willing to kill his friend to which Russo claimed that if he had to, he would. As they discussed Castle, Russo was suddenly alerted by an alarm and realized one of his agents was not answering his radio.

When an explosion was heard while Wilson attacked Senator Ori, Madani sprang into action as she charged through the hotel while intending to find and stop Wilson. As she ran up the stairs, Madani hid in a doorway and burst out to confront Punisher who was attempting to get downstairs. Although Castle stopped, he slowly continued walking down the stairs and insisted that the situation was not caused by him but by Wilson, as Madani insisted that although she believed him, she needed Castle to drop his gun and surrender; however, Castle refused and told then Madani to let this go.

Madani revealed that she knew about Castle's work with Operation Cerberus and demanded that he stand up in court and tell the world about what happened in Kandahar and William Rawlins' involvement, insisting that they wanted the same thing while Castle realized that Madani had spoken with Micro. When Castle tried to leave, Madani fired a warning gunshot and demanded he surrender, to which Castle walked to Madani and calmly pushed her gun against his forehead, questioning if she was willing to kill him, which Madani made it clear that she would not do as Castle had then prepared to walk away.

However, just as Castle tried to walk away, a gunshot struck him on the side of the head, causing him to fall down the stairs as Madani raised her gun and found that Russo was the one who shot Castle. Madani aimed her gun at Russo who attempted to find his shot to finish off his target while Madani furiously demanded to know why he had fired, Russo claimed he thought that Castle was aiming for her, and he was therefore just trying to protect her. Madani demanded that Russo lower his gun, but he refused and continued aiming as Madani threatened to charge Russo with obstruction of justice.

Madani insisted that she was a federal agent ordering him to lower his weapon, but still, Russo refused, before comparing his actions to war and claiming that the only crime in the war would be to lose. Madani noted that she had realized that Russo had indeed killed Sam Stein, as Russo then aimed his gun at Madani. Before Russo could execute Castle and Madani, he was suddenly found by the New York City Police Department who took Russo and Madani into custody as Castle was able to get away and had later assisted during killing Wilson during the chaos.^[11]

Brett Mahoney's Questioning[]

Following the chaos, Madani was then called to give a statement by Detective Brett Mahoney, with Madani noting to Mahoney that she believed that if Frank Castle had entered into that room with the intention of killing Stan Ori, then he would most certainly have succeeded. While Madani had claimed that solving this was the reason she was in there, Mahoney asked why she was on leave from Homeland Security, to which Madani explained that somebody had killed Sam Stein, so Mahoney apologized.

Once Mahoney had expressed his sympathies about Stein's death, he asked why Madani had come to the scene of the terrorist attack on her first day back. Madani questioned what Mahoney thought had happened, to which he claimed the evidence suggested that Castle and Lewis Wilson had come in together to kill Ori, as Madani noted his previous experience in dealing with the Punisher should show the issue in this concept. Madani explained to Mahoney that she came to speak with Billy Russo in regard to his Anvil agents being involved in the attack that had killed Stein, suspecting his involvement.

Madani explained how she had almost captured Castle before Russo had intervened, leading to a standoff between her and Russo until the New York City Police Department arrived and arrested them, and allowed Castle to escape. Mahoney questioned her over this, noting that Castle had killed Russo's people, to which Madani argued that there was no actual evidence that this was the case, believing that Castle had not actually killed anyone that day. Mahoney insisted that Madani help him see her view, as she claimed that Mahoney did not believe Castle was a terrorist, asking to give him one chance.

Despite Mahoney telling her that she could not leave, Madani did and came across Karen Page who was on her way to speak to Mahoney, as Madani pulled her aside for a private word before she spoke with the Detective. Madani noted how she and Page once talked about trust, and noted that Page clearly had known that Castle was alive when they last spoke and had kept that secret, although Page made it clear that she believed Madani also knew Castle was alive. Madani noted that someone powerful wanted Castle dead and insisted that she did not want to this as Page asked her to do something about it.

Madani told Page that she needed to find Castle, noting that Page and Castle had a connection, as Madani then gave Page her card and told her that if she knew where he was or how to contact Castle, then she needed her to call her while insisting that she was the best chance Castle had of staying alive before Rawlins would be able to find and assassinate him. Page accepted the card and told Madani that Castle was not the man people said he was, noting that he had saved her life from Wilson, as Madani noted that Castle had also saved her life before then telling Page to get some rest.^[11]

Finding Justice[]

Questioning Billy Russo[]

In the wake of the Attack on Stan Ori, Madani returned to her office and watched Billy Russo giving a public statement on WHiH World News as he claimed that he had believed Frank Castle had been dead but declared that the man Castle had become was a monster. Noting that he had a close relationship with law enforcement and that Anvil would contribute in any way they could, questioning what had happened to Castle, to which the disgusted Madani then furiously threw her mug at the television.

Madani had then summoned Russo back to the Homeland Security Headquarters to give a statement on the recent events. While Madani read through her paperwork, Russo arrived inside the main room as Madani thanked him for coming, to which Russo joked that he had made his living from being around whenever the government called. Russo sat down for his interview, which Madani recorded while she presented him with the pictures from the Ambush at the Abandoned Warehouse, which included images of some of the men killed at their shootout, to which Russo questioned why he was there.

Madani presented Russo with an image of Sam Stein's corpse and accused him of being a murderer who was soon going to pay for all of the lives he had taken. Russo, however, remained calm and claimed that he had only been at the Abandoned Warehouse was to collect Madani before saying on camera that he had brought her back to her apartment and noting that they had previously engaged in a sexual relationship within that place. Madani then questioned if Russo and Castle had engaged in illegal actions while stationed, they had both been stationed in Kandahar, to which Russo noted that his own file showed no record of him being stationed in Kandahar.

Madani then turned off the camera, although Russo claimed that the room was likely still bugged, before Madani then Russo the offer to give her everything that he knew on Operation Cerberus, including all of the tortures and executions Cerberus Squad had carried out, and his own dealings with William Rawlins, with the mention of Rawlins' name causing Russo to look up as Madani noted that Russo had not known that Homeland Security knew Rawlins' involvement. Madani had threatened Russo by promising to destroy his life once she could prove once and for all that Russo had actually killed Stein.

Remaining calm, Russo claimed that Madani was merely haunted by the deaths of both Stein and Ahmad Zubair and was now looking for someone to target, to which Madani then noted that she was looking for Castle who in turn was now aiming to kill Russo for his own betrayal if Madani was not able to capture him first. Madani noted how Castle had looked at Russo with such hatred in the stairwell of the Royal Hospitality and mockingly suggested that Castle would ruin Russo's suit with his blood if he managed to catch up with him, which clearly made Russo nervous about his current situation.^[12]

Rafael Hernandez's Advice[]

Madani then called Rafael Hernandez back into her office where they watched the film of Madani's interrogation of Billy Russo. However, as Hernandez saw Russo had been able to manipulate Madani throughout the questioning and suggested many of those deaths were her fault, Hernandez became annoyed and told her to turn off the tape, as he claimed that Madani had let Russo get her angry and build a conflict of interest case against her due to her and Russo's sexual relationship which he mentioned.

As Hernandez questioned what all this was aiming for, Madani then confessed that she had screwed up by allowing Russo to get close to her, noting that she had trusted Russo while Hernandez told her that she had let it get personal. Madani, however, asked Hernandez if he expected her to apologize for this before questioning if he was willing to allow Russo to get away with killing Sam Stein, noting that Russo had pretty much confessed it following his attempted murder of Frank Castle. Hernandez then finally questioned if Madani actually knew where Castle and Micro were, and told her to find them.^[12]

Interviewing Marion James[]

Continuing their investigation, Madani and Rafael Hernandez invited Marion James to come to the Homeland Security Headquarters for an interview, with Hernandez greeting his friend and leading her into the interrogation room, introducing James to Madani who got straight to the point. Hernandez thanked James for coming, to which James noted that since Hernandez had contacted her on her own personal cell phone she had assumed it must be important enough.

James asked if this was about the Bombings of New York City, while Hernandez explained that it was not as they had evidence that a CIA agent ran an illegal assassination program which was funded by heroin sales in Kandahar. James then noted that this was a serious accusation, as Madani noted how Ahmad Zubair had been captured, tortured and killed by this Operation. While James questioned what evidence there was and Madani told her that there was a videotape, Hernandez explained that William Rawlins was the agent in question which James scoffed at, explaining how respected Rawlins was.

While James promised that the CIA would look into this accusation, Madani claimed it would be a Homeland Security investigation which James argued against. Hernandez, however, explained that several Homeland Security agents had already been killed while investigating Rawlins, to which James asked to see the tape Madani mentioned. Hernandez went on to explain that Rawlins had gone rogue and was now seemingly doing whatever he could to cover his own tracks, no matter how many people got killed. Hernandez then told James that he had asked her there so they could resolve the matter.

Madani asked James to give up Rawlins, to which James noted that if Rawlins' actions came to light, then their foreign policy would be thrown backwards by at least ten years, to which Madani claimed that the public would not likely be surprised by many of the illegal actions committed by the CIA, to which James demanded to get at least some respect from Madani. James furiously ranted that she and Hernandez had been in their business long enough to know how to deal with these situations, leaving to go onto the United Nations and ignoring Hernandez's request for her to stay to discuss this.

Once they were alone, Madani and Hernandez discussed James, as Madani referred to her as a piece of work and jokingly claimed that the meeting had gone well, to which Hernandez noted that he had known James for a long time and she was one of the good ones. Hernandez claimed that Madani had always reminded him of James, assuring her that this was meant as a compliment. Madani had then questioned what they should do next, to which Hernandez used one of Madani's metaphors and then calmly claimed that they now just needed to wait and see what the consequences would be.^[12]

Questioning the Witnesses[]

Madani was later contacted by Frank Castle and then asked to come to a quiet location, where she found Micro waiting inside his van with his daughter, Leo Lieberman. When Micro asked what Madani was doing there, Castle then came out of the darkness and explained that he called her and needed to know if she had come alone, before questioning if Madani would pull her gun on him again, to which Madani claimed that she would if she needed to, before watching as Castle spoke to the Liebermans.^[12]

Madani took Castle and the Liebermans into the Homeland Security Headquarters where she personally interrogated Castle, getting him to state his own name and confirm he was not being forced into the confession in front of a camera. Madani then asked Castle about his time in their United States Marine Corps as well as his involvement with Operation Cerberus, although Castle made it clear the questions annoyed him. Castle had then told Madani how Cerberus was, in fact, an illegal CIA mission that was funded by the smuggling of heroin out of Kandahar, and therefore it was being kept off the books.

While Madani continued her questioning, Castle then explained how Cerberus was being run by Ray Schoonover, Morty Bennett and Carson Wolf and confessed to killing all of them except Bennett. Under Madani's request, Castle then told the camera that the man in charge of the Cerberus was William Rawlins, explaining how Rawlins designed and controlled Cerberus from the start and they had been following his orders. Madani then asked if anyone else involved and Castle then named Billy Russo as being one of the men involved with Cerberus, noting that Madani already knew this.

Showing up a picture of Ahmad Zubair, Madani asked Castle what happened to him, to which Castle explained that Rawlins had given Cerberus Squad Zubair's name and they had gone out to find him before dragging him out of his home in front of his screaming family. Castle confirmed to Madani and Zubair was tortured and killed under Rawlins' orders, before asking if Russo was the one who had pulled the trigger and killed Zubair, to which Castle told her that he was, in fact, the one who fired the shot and killed Zubair, much to Madani's complete horror, as he claimed that his actions had damned him.

Madani then brought in Lieberman to make his own statement; however, Lieberman immediately told her that he would not make this simple, telling Madani that although they wanted the same things, his priority was his family and ensuring that his wife and son were saved from Russo and Rawlins. Lieberman confirmed Madani wanted evidence of Rawlins' involvement with Zubair's death, noting that he already sent Madani the footage of this assassination but Madani had managed to lose it and that the video had already gotten him killed once before, as the frustrated Madani questioned who had tried to kill him.

Lieberman went on to note how Madani wanted the video so Castle could point himself and Rawlins out so that she could finally get justice for her friend's death, although Lieberman claimed that Madani simply had not yet accepted that there was no such thing as justice. Lieberman told Madani that he had once believed in justice and that the agents like Madani were it, but he had since changed his mind. Madani noted that good men like Sam Stein died believing in this mission, to which Lieberman claimed that the only way to defeat Rawlins and Russo was to become like that, something that Madani could not accept.^[13]

Capture of Frank Castle[]

In their attempt to catch William Rawlins in the act and bring him to justice, Madani came up with a plan for Frank Castle to allow himself to be captured so he could be brought to Rawlins and Madani could then catch him in the act. Putting a tracker on his jacket, Castle joined Micro at an exchange for Sarah and Zach Lieberman. Once the Liebermans were at a safe distance, Madani and her Homeland Security agents stormed the scene to break up the exchange.

During the chaos, Madani managed to get the Liebermans to safety while Castle was knocked out by the Anvil agents and dragged away. Before Micro could also be captured by the Anvil agents, Madani and her team shot him in the back, as Lieberman's Bulletproof Vest and blood pellets giving the illusion that he had been killed, much to the horror of his wife and son. While the Anvil agents had then driven away with Castle, Billy Russo used a sniper rifle to shoot out Madani's car tires, ensuring that they could not be followed as Russo and the surviving agents on his side could make their escape from the scene.

In order to ensure that Lieberman's survival was kept secret, his lifeless body was then put into a body bag and taken back to the Homeland Security Headquarters, where his family were informed that he had not been killed. Once he was awoken, Lieberman complained as he asked if the body bag was really needed, to which Madani noted that they had to make the scene look good while Lieberman had then immediately asked after his wife and son as Madani assured him they were alright considering that they had all just witnessed his "death" for a second time as Madani promised he could go and see his family.

However, Madani and her agents soon discovered that Castle had removed his tracker, leaving them unaware of where Castle had been taken. Having given Micro enough time with his family, Madani then rejoined him and noted that Castle was likely being tortured to death by Rawlins and Russo and they had no idea where he was. Madani had then brought Lieberman into her office and confronted him over them deviating from the plan, noting that Homeland Security had kept up their end of the deal and demanded to know why exactly Lieberman and Castle had ruined her chances of bringing Rawlins and Russo to justice.

Lieberman, however, denied all knowledge of Castle's plan, noting how Castle did not work well with others, to which Madani claimed that Micro was a bad liar. Lieberman then noted that Madani had simply gotten everything that she wanted with Castle's statement and the footage of Ahmad Zubair's death, as Lieberman claimed that he owed a debt to Castle but not to Madani. When Madani noted that Castle was the one who killed Zubair and that there was no honor with that killing, Lieberman noted that this fact haunted Castle, claiming that Castle had chosen to die because he did not feel like he deserved to live.^[13]

Rescue of Frank Castle[]

Eventually however, David Lieberman returned to Madani's office and had noted that Frank Castle had not completely screwed over Madani while he requested access onto her computer, with Madani noting her shock that Micro knew her password from memory. Micro, however, then explained that Castle only lived for the chance to kill both William Rawlins and Billy Russo so he had given him that chance. Lieberman continued by saying that he and Castle made a plan so there was only one place that Rawlins could take Castle following Micro's death.

Accessing into a hidden camera feed, Lieberman revealed that Castle was being tortured by Rawlins at Micro's Hideout, as Madani watched the footage of Castle being repeatedly hit by Rawlins, who was wearing a pair of thick leather gloves, in complete horror. Madani questioned if the footage was being recorded, which Lieberman then confirmed as he claimed that Castle had figured that if he could not kill Rawlins and Russo then at least Homeland Security would have enough evidence to put them into jail for the rest of their lives as Lieberman begged Madani to go and rescue Castle before he could be killed by Rawlins.

Along with a team of Homeland Security agents, Madani and Lieberman stormed his former hideout where they soon found Castle had already murdered Rawlins but Russo was preparing to execute him. With Russo shot in the arm and managing to escape, Madani and Micro ran to Castle's aid as he was barely breathing due to all the torture. Madani prepared to call an ambulance but Micro insisted that Castle could not go to the hospital as he would be arrested, so Madani agreed to find an alternative way of saving Castle's life while Micro had desperately attempted to get Castle to wake up.^[13]

With Castle barely breathing and getting close to death, Madani and Lieberman took him to the Madani Residence where she had desperately called out to Hamid Madani for help as they then carried the bloody Castle into the bedroom. While her parents questioned what was happening, Lieberman explained that Castle had been tortured as Hamid looked Castle over while Farah Madani questioned why Madani had chosen to protect Castle from the same people she worked for, as Farah noted that they were both breaking the law in trying to protect Castle, although Madani claimed that technically they were not.

Madani then witnessed Castle almost choking on his blood due to a punctured lung, as her father managed to release the pressure just in time by extracting the clotted blood. Following several hours of work, Hamid was able to confirm that Castle was in a stable condition as he finally woke back up and immediately asked Madani where Russo was, to which Madani was forced to admit that Russo had managed to escape during the chaos. Madani had then provided Castle with a clean set of clothes, including a new pair of boots, in order for him to go without being arrested, as Castle thanked her for saving him.

Having also apologized to Madani's parents for any emotional grief he may have caused, Castle prepared to leave with an envelope of money which Lieberman had given him, with Madani recommending that he take the money and go. Once Castle had put on the boots and prepared to leave, Madani gave him a final warning that if they ever crossed paths again then all bets would be off, and that she would either take him into custody or shoot him dead, to which Castle had jokingly said that he would see her around. Madani then told Castle not to waste this final chance that had been given to him.^[14]

Mission Aftermath[]

Following everything that had happened, Madani was then taken into a meeting with Rafael Hernandez and Marion James as Hernandez insisted that following her rescue of him, she had then allowed Frank Castle to go free, although Madani instead noted that it had taken the combined efforts of both the Punisher and Micro to do what Homeland Security and the CIA had failed to do with bringing down William Rawlins and exposing the true conspiracy behind him.

Although James claimed that they did not know the truth behind all Rawlins' deception, Madani claimed that they merely did not want to know, noting that Castle had just risked his life to bring in all of the evidence that they would ever need for their investigation. Hernandez asked Madani where Castle was, as she claimed that she had been overpowered while trying to arrest Castle, although Hernandez noted that Castle could barely stand up following Rawlins' torture, to which Madani suggested that Castle could have been faking all his injuries which neither Hernandez nor James accepted could be true.

As Hernandez asked her to be honest, James claimed Madani had assisted a wanted terrorist with his escape, although Madani turned it back on her, reminding her how she did not believe the accusations about Operation Cerberus and all Rawlins' illegal dealings, noting the CIA colluded to keep that information secret. Hernandez asked what Madani had done, as she claimed she had done what was right and suggested that Hernandez and James could either arrest her or let her do her job, which they accepted as Madani suggested that they needed to allow Castle to be free, which they agreed to.^[14]

Duel at the Central Park Carousel[]

Back in her office, Madani began writing her report about everything that had transpired in their investigation into William Rawlins and the conflict against Anvil's ex-military soldiers, which had resulted in the deaths of several Homeland Security agents including Sam Stein. As she was writing the report on all the recent events, Madani continued her claim that Frank Castle overpowered her and escaped; however, her writing was interrupted when Madani received a text message on her phone which linked to a location.

Looking up this address, Madani found it was to Central Park as she checked her paperwork and had realized it was the exact same spot where Castle's family were gunned down. Realizing that something was going down at that location and that Castle was somehow involved, Madani grabbed her gun and left the report writing behind. As Madani walked out of her office, Rafael Hernandez questioned where she was going, as Madani completely ignored Hernandez and quickly got inside the elevator before leaving the Homeland Security Headquarters in order to find out what the Punisher was doing.

Madani soon arrived at Central Park where she found evidence of a firefight, from the sounds of gunshots in the distance and screams of terrified hostages. Moving swiftly out of her car, Madani pulled out her gun and went in search of situation. Madani found the Punisher engaged in a fierce final showdown against Billy Russo, while Russo had taken both Carl and Hayley as his hostages, tying them to the Carousel horses and cutting them as they both slowly bled out while Russo and the Punisher stood in a standoff. Madani snuck around the Carousel and had attempted to get a clear shot at Russo.

However, just as Madani got behind Russo, who was shooting at the Punisher in his vest repeatedly, Carl called out to Madani to help him, which had caused Russo to realize someone was there. Before Madani could shoot, Russo spun around and fired a single shot, striking Madani in the skull, as she fell bleeding to the ground, the gunshot knocking her unconscious. The Punisher then proceeded to overpower Russo and hideously disfigured his face by smashing it into a broken mirror repeatedly, before he freed the hostages and sat beside Madani, just as the police then arrived on the scene.^[14]

Punisher's Second Chance[]

Madani survived the bullet to the head and spent the next three days in Sacred Saints Hospital. Eventually, Rafael Hernandez and Marion James stood by her bedside while Frank Castle was brought inside, having also been arrested at the scene. Upon seeing her alive, Castle commented on how much she amazed him with her recovery and questioned if that bullet fired was meant to kill him, questioning if Madani had saved his life. James then handed Castle his chance at a second life, which Madani had requested in order to repay Castle for everything he had already endured.

Hernandez and James explained Billy Russo and Lewis Wilson were the only suspects still officially involved with the recent events, and that Castle's prints had been wiped from the system, with Madani noting that with William Rawlins now dead, everyone she wanted had already been punished. With James leaving the room, Castle asked about Russo, with Hernandez explaining that following his beating at the hands of Castle, he was still in a coma with a risk of damage to his brain, as Madani then noted that she hoped Russo remembered everything that had happened to him and her part in that pain.^[14]

OIG Interview[]

While Madani was recovering from her injuries at the Sacred Saints Hospital, she was visited by Marion James and Monroe, as the Office of the Inspector General requested an official inquiry into recent events. Before Monroe proceeded with an interview, James asked her to leave her alone with Madani for some time to make sure that Madani understood the situation. Madani recalled an incident at the Central Park which resulted in her being shot in the head by Billy Russo before he was taken down by Punisher. Madani then asked James if CIA wanted her to tell the OIG that her sexual intercourse with Russo had resulted in the deaths of several agents and nearly her cost her own life.

Madani noted that this story would leave William Rawlins a decorated agent, while keeping the truth about Ahmad Zubair off-record, rendering her entire investigation pointless. James told Madani that this version was affirmed by CIA to avoid a potential controversy, as well as it would allow Madani to keep her job as the Homeland Security agent and Frank Castle to remain a free man. James then praised Madani's selfless desire to uphold justice, regardless of the experience she went through, commenting that the system needs people like her, but insisted that the false information CIA wanted her to provide was too important. Madani claimed that people have the right to know the truth, regardless of how harsh it might be but James insisted again, claiming that it would be the least worst option for all of them.

Madani eventually gave up and reluctantly told Monroe on record that her misconduct with Russo allowed him to manipulate her and gain access to her investigation. Madani also stated that she attempted to arrest Russo on her own, keeping Castle's name off-record and noted that she ignored Sam Stein's warnings about Russo which resulted in his death. After the end of the interview, James told Madani that although she could tell the OIG all truth about Rawlins and his actions, it would not change anything and CIA, Homeland Security, and Rafael Hernandez would mostly get away scott-free while she and Castle would be the only ones to suffer from consequences.^[15]

Hunting Jigsaw[]

Visits to Billy Russo[]

Still haunted by nightmares about her experience at the Central Park,^[16] Madani found out that Billy Russo severed a heavy cranial trauma after his confrontation with Punisher, which resulted in him losing most of his memories. Madani did not believe it and suspected that Russo was faking his condition, so she started to frequently visit him at Sacred Saints Hospital, although Russo claimed that he did not know who Madani was.

During one of the visits, they were joined by Krista Dumont who worked with Russo on his recovery for months. Madani asked Dumont if there was any chance that Russo was faking his memory loss but Dumont assured her that Russo had no means to fake anything. Madani asked Dumont if she knew about what Russo did to her, but Dumont expressed no interest in her patients' alleged crimes. Dumont noted that Madani suffered a trauma as well and offered her to seek a therapy but Madani politely refused.

Madani was invited to a restaurant by Rafael Hernandez who reprimanded Madani on her actions, since he received a complaint about her visits to Russo. Hernandez told Madani that Russo's case was not her concern anymore and she should let go, but Madani was determined to expose Russo's lie. Hernandez then remined her that Homeland Security handed Russo's case to the New York City Police Department and Madani's actions could compromise any trial Russo could face in the future.

Madani still refused to believe Russo's condition and tried to convince Hernandez that his memory loss was an act. Hernandez then commented that the Punisher should have finished Russo when he had a chance but Madani did not want Russo to die, thinking he killed her. Hernandez then asked Madani once again to stay away from Russo's case since it could jeopardize her position as SAC but Madani suddenly left the restaurant.^[17]

Allying with Frank Castle[]

Waking up from yet another nightmare with Billy Russo, Madani was called by Frank Castle who was arrested in Larkville, Ohio, and he needed her help. Madani told Castle that he cannot kill people whenever he wants and expect her to help but Castle reminded her about their situation with William Rawlins last year and that Homeland Security would not want him talking with the law enforcement. Madani, however, told Castle that he was not connected to her and Homeland Security anymore and they were not going to help him with his problems. Madani said that Castle was no longer a part of her life and ended the call, telling Castle to never call her again.^[17]

The next day, Madani was informed that Russo suffered a mental breakdown and attacked several guards, escaping from his custody. Madani rushed to the Sacred Saints Hospital and approached Krista Dumont who was waiting for the detective to testify about Russo's escape. Madani was certain that Russo's escape was him breaking his memory loss act and showing his true colors but Dumont was not convinced.

Madani then tried to ask Dumont about the details of Russo's escape but Brett Mahoney told Madani that she was banned from investigation of Russo's case due to the conflict of interests. Mahoney reminded Madani about the jurisdictional agreement between Homeland Security and the New York City Police Department and suspected that Madani's personal connection with Russo could play a part in the situation. Madani expressed her anger at Mahoney trying to ban her from investigation and Dumont thinking that Russo was innocent before leaving the scene but managed to steal Russo's journal from his room.

As bringing Russo down by conventional means was not plausible, Madani made a decision to enlist Castle for help and attempted to contact him. Since Castle did not answer her calls, Madani took the Homeland Security Helicopter and flew to Larkville where Castle was in the middle of the conflict between the Larkville Police Department and a mercenary group. While Homeland Security agents provided a support to the Larkville police, Madani informed Castle that Russo escaped from custody and she needed his help to take him down once and for all. Madani then spoke with Roy Hardin, saying that Castle was a part of a Homeland Security investigation and his involvement needed to be kept off-record. Castle told Madani that he will go with her only if Rachel joined them, so the three of them headed to back to New York City to hunt down Russo.^[18]

Rivalry with Mahoney[]

Madani secretly took Frank Castle and Rachel to New York City where she gave them shelter in her apartment. Madani then told Castle to stay there while she talked to Rafael Hernandez. Madani met with her boss and talked to him while the walked. Hernandez told her that Castle was on his own and they made that deal. However, Madani saw that as a lie, but did not tell Hernandez that she was giving Castle shelter.

Madani returned to her apartment and talked with Castle about Billy Russo. Madani wanted Castle to kill him, but Castle believed that chapter of his life was done with. Madani claimed that she was not done with it and needed Castle's help. Rachel grew confused and asked what ther jobs were, but both Castle and Madani told her to shut up. Castle then told Madani that if Russo truly lost his memories, he would go after whoever reminded him of his past life. Castle suggested visiting Arthur Walsh, who abused Russo as a child. Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. Castle and Rachel hid as Madani opened the door to Brett Mahoney.

Mahoney greeted her, but immediately brought up how Russo's notebook was missing from the crime scene. Mahoney suspected that Madani had it, but she refused to admit the fact. She then told Mahoney she was leaving anyways, but Mahoney stopped her and talked about his ex-girlfriend, Aviva; using it as a metaphor. Madani was done with the conversation and left the apartment to steer Mahoney away from Castle, whom he had no idea was there.

Madani arrived at Walsh's house with her gun held high, expecting Russo to ambush her. She made her way through the house until she reached the kitchen, where she saw Walsh's corpse on the ground with a stick impaled through his heart. Suddenly, Madani heard somebody approaching and blindly turned around, shooting at the intruder. However, the intruder turned out to be Mahoney. Luckily, Mahoney was wearing a bulletproof vest, but was still hurt by the impact.

Madani approached him, mad that he snuck up on a federal officer, but she still helped him up. As Mahoney caught his bearings, he angrily said that he could have her badge for that. Madani defended herself saying he snuck up on her. Mahoney then said that if he forgave her, would she tell him what was going on? Madani said that he could tell his colleagues that he was shot by an FBI agent since they would probably love that story. However, she did not care and believed he could not do anything to get her fired. She then walked out of the house.^[19]

Forcing Frank Out[]

Madani woke up to a thud. She immediately grabbed her gun and searched her home only to find Billy Russo standing in front of her. Madani then woke up from that dream and checked her gun, seeing it was still there. Madani then went to see Frank Castle and talked about Russo. However, Rachel, who had revealed her name to be Amy Bendix, asked about if they were going to pursue John Pilgrim. Madani then realized that Castle had brought a whole other war to New York and she accidentally helped him. Angry, she told Castle to leave New York by the next day.

Madani then went to talk to Curtis Hoyle, who was friends with Castle. She introduced herself and they talked about the fact that Russo shot both of them. Madani then tried to ask questions about Russo's past life, but Hoyle's veteran support group came in. Hoyle explained that he could talk to her later because if the veterans see him using his time for her, it would make them feel useless. Hoyle then offered for Madani to stay and listen.

Madani did stay and listened to Jimbo talk about being dishonorably discharged. Hoyle told him he could appeal the decision. Suddenly, Jake Nelson rudely asked who the "tourist" was. He asked Madani if she served, doubting that she did. Madani almost snapped, talking about her past missions and how she was shot in the head. Nelson sincerely apologized, realizing what she had gone through. Afterwards, Madani talked to Hoyle as she planned to do earlier.

Madani returned home and found her place all cleaned up with Castle and Bendix gone. However, her credit card laid on the counter with many receipts under it.^[20]

Meeting John Pilgrim[]

Madani prepared to get to work when there was a knock on the door. She quickly took cover with her gun and asked who it was. Detective Brett Mahoney responded, so Madani opened the door. He said they were making progress because she did not shoot him this time. He then walked in and handed her coffee.

Mahoney asked who the third guy at the Carosel was, but Madani was confused. Mahoney claimed he talked to the teenagers who were involved in the Duel at the Central Park Carousel. They claimed that there was a third person. He also said that it made no sense for Madani to screw up Billy Russo's face, yet Russo still managed to shoot her. Madani repeated that it was in her report. Mahoney went on saying she did not need to keep anything from him as he was an honest cop and he wished she would be too. Mahoney then left, with Madani holding onto that last part.

Madani went to the coffee shop and ordered her usual, but noticed a suspicious man in the corner. She got her coffee and walked out, but felt that the man was following. Madani turned the corner and pointed her gun, saying she staked the man out at the coffee shop. The Man introduced himself and asked who Frank Castle was, but also asked if she knew him better by Peter Castiglione. The man asked what Castle did to have another identity. Madani simply took a picture of the man, who was unphased. She then said she could arrest him, but he asked on what charge. Before leaving, The man told her not to get in his way.

Madani immediately ran back into the coffee shop, telling everyone not to clean up. Madani had the coffee cups taken and analyzed by professionals. Madani then visited Curtis Hoyle once again and saw that Castle was there. She said he was supposed to be gone, but Castle was not that type of person. They then negotiated and Castle agreed to kill Russo if he called the shots.^[21]

Change of Heart[]

Madani woke up the next morning and called Marion James to meet. Madani then took a shower, remembering her love life with Billy Russo, saddening her. She then went to check on the scientist's work on getting DNA for the man at the coffee shop, but they came up with no matches for identities. Madani then arrived outside of the city and talked with James, but also butted heads about Frank Castle. James wanted Castle and Russo to just fight it out without the CIA's interference. However, Madani argued that it was the CIA's job to take care of this.

Madani then went to meet with Curtis Hoyle and Castle, who had kidnapped Jake Nelson to get information on Russo. Madani overlooked as Castle interrogated Nelson, who immeditaley recognized Madani. Madani told him that she was never there. Throughout the interrogation, Madani noticed that Castle was getting out of control. Once Castle stabbed Nelson's hand with a knife, Madani yelled at him to stop.

Madani talked with Castle outside, mad at him. She explained that he was no different than Russo and William Rawlins, but Castle wanted none of that. He walked back inside and finally got the information on Russo. Outside, Madani told Castle she wanted to do it a different way and call in Brett Mahoney. Castle was tired of her and told her to do what she needed to do.^[15]

Madani was later met by Mahoney at her apartment. Mahoney talked to her, knowing that she had been helping Castle. He explained that he pursued Castle, who was helped by his "big black friend." They argued and Mahoney brought up how she could easily be fired for conspiring with Castle. Madani simply rebuttaled that with one call, she could have him working in a completely different area for the rest of his career.

Madani then used her devices to track Hoyle's phone. This led her to an RV in a junkyard. She knocked, telling Hoyle it was her. Hoyle let her in, asking how she found him. Madani explained how she tracked his phone. Madani then walked in to find Amy Bendix with a shotgun. Astonished, Madani said she could have shot her. Bendix opened the barrel, revealing it was empty, and said she could not. Madani then ate dinner with the two as they discussed the troubles of Frank Castle.^[22]

Jigsaw's Visit[]

Madani woke up the next day to see Frank Castle in front of her as well as Amy Bendix claiming Madani would arrest him. Castle sat down unfazed and said he got advice from his wife and how he had been acting. The group talked until Madani returned home. She immediately put down her gun and went to go grab some scotch to drink.

Suddenly, she heard Billy Russo's voice behind her. Madani turned around and faced Russo for the first time since he woke up. Russo explained that he knew they had something in the past, but he did not remember it and envied her for it. He then demanded to know who messed up his face. Madani said she needed to get soem scotch first. She reached for the cabinet, but found her backup gun gone as Russo already took it. She then told Russo that Castle messed him up and she was impressed that his face looked the way it did given what happened to it. Russo grew mad, but left instead of killing her.^[23]

Dumont's Advice[]

Madani then got a call from Krista Dumont who wanted to meet. Madani arrived at Dumont's house. They then talked about Billy Russo with Dumont figuring that they had a relationship. Dumont was afraid that Russo was going to go deeper and he could not be stopped. She wanted Madani's help.^[23]

The two further talked about Russo, but got onto the conversation of Frank Castle as well. This put the women at odds as they drank. Madani argued that Castle was nothing like Russo, but Madani said that he was still a bad man; the reason was because they both killed people. Dumont argued that Castle should not choose who was innocent or not. Madani rebuttaled that Castle was different because he did not kill women or children. Dumont argued that Castle's outdated belief of chivalry was not enough. Madani backed herself up saying that Castle's code defined him as if he ever killed who Russo killed, he would never forgive himself. They finally finished the talk and Madani left, thanking Dumont.^[24]

Rescue of Frank Castle[]

Madani arrived on the site of a Punisher massacre. She was approached by Brett Mahoney, who was angry as he revealed that Castle killed three women. Madani was shocked and found it hard to believe, pointing at the masks that proved Billy Russo was also there. Mahoney said it must have been planned as there were rubber bullets used on Castle. Mahoney showed her the death scene with the bodies gone. He admitted that Castle might not have meant to do it, but it still happened. Madani felt awful, which nearly humored Mahoney as he was right all along. She asked if he could get her into Castle's hospital room.

Madani arrived at the hospital to find both Karen Page and Amy Bendix there. Madani was tired of it all, but talked to Castle, who wanted to be put in jail as he would never forgive himself. Suddenly, Madani got a call from Billy Russo, saying that he was watching her. She put the phone on speaker, which Russo knew she would do. He then scolded Castle before hanging up. Madani then talked outside with Page and admitted that she brought Castle back, so this was her fault too. However, she believed something else might have happened as Russo would not call otherwise. Page then revealed she could get Madani into the morgue to check the bodies.

The women arrived at the morgue and Page made a deal with Ed Zatner, one of the employees. He showed them the bodies of the women and explained that there was gunpowder around the bullet holes, meaning the shot came from no more than ten feet away. Another detail was that the bullet was parallel to the ground, meaning it must have been planned and not in the crossfire. Madani thanked him and left, knowing that it must not have been Castle's doing.

Madani returned, only to find O'Rourke, a Kitchen Irish member, attacking Castle and Bendix. Madani knocked him out with her purse. Madani then explained to Castle how he did not kill the women, but Russo did. Castle told them to uncuff him so he could get Russo, but they needed a plan. Page pulled the fire alarm, allowing Castle and Madani to get down the stairs as Castle wore O'Rourke's uniform. They finally made it outside, only to be caught by Mahoney, who forced Castle into his van before scolding Madani, saying he would have her fired.^[25]

Madani then loosely followed Mahoney's ambulance when John Pilgrim attacked it. Madani drove straight there and got out of her car, attempting to shoot at Pilgrim once Mahoney's ambulance was driven over the highway bridge. Madani slowly made her way through the cars, trying to find Pilgrim, but only found his hat. She then peered around a car and found a woman pointing to her right. Madani turned around to the car on the right, but found Pilgrim escaped. She suddenly heard ties and turned around to see Pilgrim using her car to drive away. Madani shot, but was unable to hit Pilgrim, angering her.

Madani returned to the ground and found a badly hurt Mahoney. However, he was grateful as he believed she did the right thing and following them as well as putting herself in danger. He then admitted that he had Castle and could have shot him as he left, but he did not as Castle saved him. Although Mahoney did not know why. Madani gave the best answer she could: Castle was no criminal, but was also not a hero, he was just Frank. Madani was then called by Krista Dumont, who appeared shaken up, but asked about Castle as well as Russo. Madani felt something was off and told her it was an active crime scene, so she could not share details.^[26]

Attacked[]

Madani then did her research and found out that when Krista Dumont was young, her father attempted a murder suicide with Dumont. Dumont and her father fell out of the window with the father dying on impact, but Dumont surviving. Madani soon remembered what Billy Russo said to Frank Castle about Castle being his own devil. Madani realized that it was what Dumont said to her. Madani then visited Dumont, knocking on her door.

Madani greeted Dumont despite being very suspicious and asked if she was okay as she sounded off. Dumont blamed it on the panic attacks, saying doctors get them too. As Dumont made tea, Madani brought of the quote about the devil and said Dumont said it first. Dumont deflected this saying she repeats stuff to her clients all the time. Dumont was still shaken up and excused herself. As she was in the bathroom, Madani looked around and found Russo's notebook with Punisher skulls drawn all over it, confirming he lived there with her.

Madani immediately pulled out her gun and slowly walked down the hallway. As she approached the bathroom, Dumont lunged at her with scissors, stabbing Madani. The two women fought in hand-to-hand combat. Dumont was getting the better of Madani until she grabbed a cutting board and hit Dumont on the head to get away. In response, Dumont grabbed a knife, lunging at Madani once again. Madani caught the knife and tried to push it away, but Dumont made contact with her face, causing Madani to scream. Madani finally got Dumont off of her and struggled to push Dumont. Madani's strength proved better as she pushed Dumont so hard, she fell out of the window, falling three stories, just as her childhood event happened.^[26]

Madani then looked out the window to see Russo with blue flowers in his hands, looking at Dumont's body. Madani quickly took cover as Russo charged in, shooting everywhere in a mad rage. The two former lovers shot at each other. Madani held her ground, shooting Russo twice in the abdomen, but Russo's adrenaline helped him not feel it. He grabbed her and tackled Madani onto the ground. Madani shot once more, putting a bullet through Russo's shoulder. However, Russo still did not back off, choking Madani until they were both knocked out.

Madani woke up to find a doctor helping her. Madani freaked out until Brett Mahoney calmed her down. She immediately asked where Russo was, but he had her sit down, saying how much respect she had earned from him recently. She kept pushing on about Russo until he said they came up and Russo was gone. However, there was blood on the wall and down the stairwell, so he was most likely bleeding out. A blood splattered Madani calmed down as Mahoney gave her her badge. However, Madani did not take it as she claimed she was done.^[27]

Visiting Dumont[]

When she recovered, Madani visited Krista Dumont in the hospital. Dumont was very injured, so Madani apologized, saying how she knew Billy Russo wrapped her into this. However, Madani was surprised when Dumont claimed he did not wrap her into anything and she was a part of it. She asked where Russo was and Madani said he was not dead yet. She then left Dumont, disappointed in her.^[27]

Execution of Billy Russo[]

Madani was informed by Curtis Hoyle that the Punisher finished off Billy Russo, so she arrived at the St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Church with Hoyle and Brett Mahoney to see his body. Mahoney wanted to preserve the crime scene; however, Hoyle insisted that every detail about Russo's death is already clear, however, Mahoney expressed his doubt on the situation, as Madani shot him three times, but Russo had five bullet holes in his body.

Mahoney had then asked Madani did she tracked Russo and finished him off, despite her condition. Madani replied that she is flattered, but then casually claimed that she could have possibly fired five bullets but mistakenly assumed that she fired only three. Madani stated that without any possible clues or clear statements, Mahoney can accept this version of events and close the case anyway. As Mahoney asked about Castle and whether or not he was the one who shot and killed Russo, both Madani and Hoyle had mockingly denied knowledge of Castle, much to Mahoney's great frustration.^[27]

Employed by the CIA[]

Recruiting Punisher[]

As she intended, Madani resigned from the Homeland Security and joined the CIA, accepting Marion James' offer. Three months later after her recruitment, Madani was stationed at the CIA facility outside of the United States of America. Intelligence informed the CIA about high-profile target and Madani was tasked to organize the mission to eliminate him. Due to the level of possible danger, Madani decided that the only person who was capable to complete this mission was Frank Castle.

However, Castle went off the grid, breaking all his contacts and Madani used the CIA equipment to track him down and contact with Castle. Madani informed Castle about the target that needs to be killed and Castle noted that she had changed since the last time they met what Madani agreed, commenting that she spent too much time with him. She offered Castle to participate in the mission, doing what he does best. However, Castle dismissed Madani's offer, making her deal with her problems by herself.^[27]

Personality[]

This section requires expansion

Dinah Madani has presented herself to be determined and stubbornly persisted in seeking justice within the system where injustices exist. Though she initially does not trust her new partner Sam Stein, Madani developed a tamed friendship with him and worked heavily alongside him, in the hopes of solving one case after another until his sudden demise.

Abilities[]

• Expert Combatant: As a Homeland Security agent, Madani is skilled in hand-to-hand combat. Madani was able to defeat Krista Dumont in a close-quarters fight, but was then overpowered by Billy Russo.
• Expert Marksman: Madani is extremely skilled in the use of firearms, particularly pistols, shotguns and assault rifles. She is especially accurate with her sidearm, managing to fire a warning shot at Punisher at the railing of the staircase he was going down at Royal Hospitality, just barely missing him. She also killed Spencer Geiger with her service shotgun during an ambush, and showcased tight grouping with the three bullets she put in Billy Russo and the two in Brett Mahoney's vest.

• Expert Tactician: As an experienced Homeland Security agent, Madani is a competent strategist, demonstrated when she improved upon Sam Stein's tactical plan to intercept the Greek Mob's weapons shipment.
• Expert Investigator: Madani is highly skilled at solving the details of mysterious events that would seem unrealistic to others. She investigated in finding the true cause of her former partner, Ahmad Zubair's death and claimed that Punisher was involved. Dinah figured that asking Billy Russo would help so she got Carson Wolf to arrange a training session at Anvil to schedule a night out with him and find out about his and Castle's business of what they have done with their group in Afghanistan. Eventually, after recovering from her car crash from the Punisher, she reported to Homeland Security to head to the woods to find the corpse of Gunner Henderson, after Micro sent the coordinates to them. Then she found out that Henderson was one of the soldiers in Castle's group and wonders why Anvil soldiers were present in the woods, she goes to confront Russo at the waterfront, and he lies to her about his unit being out there for other reasons. Later after that, she shortly followed a lead about an arms dealer that the Punisher might be in it and realized that it was Russo in disguise with people in his freelance fighting in a shootout then her friend, Sam Stein, was murdered. When her confrontation with Castle was interrupted by Russo, she realized that he was the masked man who started the shootout then found a bug in her office that was implanted by him since they meant as she also came in conclusion that he was using her the whole time. And was getting everything about her case directly from Castle himself over an interview and found out Operation Cerberus and William Rawlins running it all.
• Bilingualism: Madani is fluent in her native English, as well as Farsi, though primarily speaks the latter when she is with her parents at home.

Equipment[]

Weapons[]

• SIG-Sauer P226R: Madani carried her service pistol on her, and took to the Royal Hospitality while she tried to speak with Billy Russo. She became involved in attack planned by Lewis Wilson inside the hotel, and while trying to help out, she managed to sneak up on Frank Castle, who was attempting to chase Wilson. Madani held Castle at gunpoint while still explaining that she was on his side and wanted him to expose Operation Cerberus, even firing a warning shot while Castle tried to leave. However, Russo shot at Castle, so Madani and Russo held each other at gunpoint until the New York City Police Department officers then appeared and subdued them. Madani had also led an ambush against Billy Russo during their hostage exchange where Frank Castle and David Lieberman were going to surrender in exchange for the liberation of Lieberman's wife and son. Madani and the rest of DHS engaged in a shootout against Russo's men, opening fire herself while protecting the two hostages. She took the gun to Central Park when she tracked Frank Castle hoping he would lead him to Russo. Upon arriving, she tried to sneak up on Russo, but one of his hostages asked for her help, so Russo quickly shot at her.

• SIG Sauer P226: Madani started using this handgun as her service weapon once she was promoted to Special Agent in Charge for Homeland Security, carrying it when she inspected Arthur Walsh's house in an attempt to locate Billy Russo. She then found Walsh's corpse, and as she heard footsteps behind her, she turned around and instinctively fired twice against the person behind, who turned to be NYPD Detective Brett Mahoney. Fortunately for him, the two bullets hit his Bulletproof Vest. She later took the gun when someone unexpectedly knocked at her door, though it turned out to be Mahoney, and to threaten John Pilgrim when he started following her to request that she told him the whereabouts of Frank Castle. Madani drew her handgun when she was chasing John Pilgrim in a highway to prevent him from killing Frank Castle. She tried to locate him when he was hiding behind the cars, and shot at him as he stole Madani's car. Madani carried the handgun with her when she went to visit Krista Dumont when she realized that Dumont had been involved with Billy Russo, and once left alone, began searching for proof. When she found Russo's journal, Madani pulled the handgun, but lost it in the ensuing fight against Dumont. Once she pulled Dumont out of the window, she retrieved the gun as she saw Russo on the streets, and the two of them engaged in a brief shootout. Madani managed to shoot Russo three times, but she lost the gun again as Russo choked her until he too lost consciousness. Brett Mahoney later returned both the gun and her badge to Madani when she recovered.

• Mossberg 500 Persuader: Madani carried this shotgun during an ambush that they had prepared in an attempt to capture the people they were investigating, using the bug in Madani's office to feed false information. As the five men that appeared did not surrender, Madani and the rest of the DHS agents engaged in a shootout, with Madani managing to kill Spencer Geiger. She went to chase Billy Russo, who unbeknownst to her was the field leader of the mercenaries, but instead, she came across the fatally wounded Sam Stein, discarding her weapon to try to assist him.
• SIG Sauer SIG516: This assault rifle was the standard weapon carried by Madani, Sam Stein and other agents of the United States Department of Homeland Security during a training exercise organized by Anvil. They successfully shot at the men acting as terrorists, though Stein shot at one of the hostages.

Other Equipment[]

• Bulletproof Vest: Dinah wore this vest during her missions in homeland security. She first wears it in an ambush against Billy Russo in disguise with freelance Anvil soldiers, then was seen using one when investigating Russo's former foster caretaker's home.
• Billy Russo's Journal: After Billy Russo's escape from Sacred Saints Hospital, Madani stole Russo's journal from his room. Russo took the journal back after confronting Madani at her apartment. Madani later found it in Krista Dumont’s house.

Vehicles[]

• 1968 GT Ford Mustang: On her twenty-first birthday, Madani was gifted this vehicle from her father and drove it to or during work out in the field. However, the car became destroyed after chasing Punisher, who led her to be crashed by Micro.
• Homeland Security Helicopter: Dinah Madani in her days with homeland security fly a helicopter and was shown flying it to pick up Punisher after a shootout at the Larkville County Sheriff Station he requested a ride from her from.

Facilities[]

• Fordham University: Madani attended Fordham University before her graduation in 2005.
• Columbia University: Madani attended Columbia University where she earned a master's degree in Islamic Studies.

• Homeland Security Headquarters: Upon her eventual return into the United States of America, Madani was stationed in the Homeland Security office in New York City. Madani then resumed her investigation of the murder of Ahmad Zubair with Sam Stein's help, despite Carson Wolf's attempts to stop her to pursue it. In the wake of Wolf's death, Madani was promoted to the SAC of the Homeland Security Headquarters. While their investigation became complicated due to Frank Castle's return, Madani and Stein had discovered the bug placed in her office. Eventually, Madani learned from Castle and Micro about William Rawlins and the details of the Operation Cerberus. She brought both of them to the Headquarters where they officially testified against the actions of Rawlins and Billy Russo while they were under oath.

• Madani Residence: While searching for her place to live in New York City, Madani frequently spent some time in her family residence, speaking with Farah Madani, about her own investigation and her job for the Homeland Security.
• Dinah Madani's Apartment: Now having her own apartment, Madani owns a room that she now resigns while working for the Homeland Security. Soon, Madani was suddenly called up by Frank Castle and asked for a place to live with Amy Bendix. After Castle and Bendix left the apartment, Madani had gained access to her room again.
• Campervan Hideout: Tracking down Frank Castle by using Curtis Hoyle's traces of his phone, Madani came inside the Campervan Hideout and waited talk to Castle about the situation with John Pilgrim and Jigsaw.

Relationships[]

Family[] Grandmother † Hamid Madani - Father Farah Madani - Mother Allies[] United States Department of Homeland Security - Former Subordinates Rafael Hernandez - Former Superior and Friend Sam Stein † - Former Partner and Friend Bowers Sinclair Sampson Wendy Afghan National Police Ahmad Zubair † - Friend David Lieberman/Micro - Contact and Temporary Enemy Karen Page New York City Police Department Brett Mahoney - Temporary Enemy Smith Lawrence CIA Marion James - Superior Frank Castle/Punisher - Former Enemy and Savior Leo Lieberman Sarah Lieberman Zach Lieberman Monroe Larkville Police Department Roy Hardin Amy Bendix Curtis Hoyle Ed Zatner

Enemies[] Carson Wolf † - Former Superior Greek Mob Jack DeLeon Anvil Spencer Geiger † - Victim Tom Weems † Jim Pruitt † Mike Bashille † William Rawlins † Lewis Wilson † Jigsaw's Crew Billy Russo/Jigsaw † - Former Lover, Attempted Killer, and Attempted Victim Jake Nelson John Pilgrim O'Rourke Krista Dumont - Former Ally, Attempted Killer, and Attempted Victim

Appearances[]

Appearances for Dinah Madani

In chronological order: The Punisher | Episode 1.03: Kandahar (mentioned; flashbacks) The Punisher | Episode 1.01: 3 AM The Punisher | Episode 1.02: Two Dead Men The Punisher | Episode 1.03: Kandahar The Punisher | Episode 1.04: Resupply The Punisher | Episode 1.05: Gunner The Punisher | Episode 1.06: The Judas Goat The Punisher | Episode 1.07: Crosshairs The Punisher | Episode 1.08: Cold Steel The Punisher | Episode 1.09: Front Towards Enemy The Punisher | Episode 1.10: Virtue of the Vicious The Punisher | Episode 1.11: Danger Close The Punisher | Episode 1.12: Home The Punisher | Episode 1.13: Memento Mori The Punisher | Episode 2.07: One Bad Day (flashbacks) The Punisher | Episode 2.01: Roadhouse Blues The Punisher | Episode 2.02: Fight or Flight The Punisher | Episode 2.03: Trouble the Water The Punisher | Episode 2.04: Scar Tissue The Punisher | Episode 2.05: One-Eyed Jacks The Punisher | Episode 2.06: Nakazat The Punisher | Episode 2.07: One Bad Day The Punisher | Episode 2.08: My Brother's Keeper The Punisher | Episode 2.09: Flustercluck The Punisher | Episode 2.10: The Dark Hearts of Men The Punisher | Episode 2.11: The Abyss The Punisher | Episode 2.12: Collision Course The Punisher | Episode 2.13: The Whirlwind

Behind the Scenes[]

• Aja Frary and Nitasha Bhambree were stunt doubles for Amber Rose Revah in the role of Dinah Madani.

Trivia[]

• Dinah Madani is loosely based on Kathryn O'Brien, a character from the comics who's also a CIA operative.

References[]