Agent Samuel "Sam" Stein was an Homeland Security agent who was challenged by his partnership with Dinah Madani. Despite his skepticism, Stein still agreed to investigate into the murder of Ahmad Zubair, which then led to them both into eventually seeking out Frank Castle, whom Stein had believed was dead. Discovering that their investigation was being secretly bugged by a third party, as Stein and Madani then attempted to outwit their enemies by planting false information in order to capture whoever was listening to all of their conversations. However, during a shootout, Stein was stabbed by Billy Russo, as he died before he could reveal the truth about Russo's betrayal.

Biography[]

Homeland Agent[]

Carson Wolf's Blacklist[]

During his time working for the Homeland Security, Sam Stein had inadvertently managed to make himself an enemy of Carson Wolf, who put Stein on a small desk in the hallways of the Headquarters. Due to Wolf's dislike of him, Stein was convinced that anybody assigned to work with him would have been put there to keep them out of trouble.^[1] During his career as a Homeland Security agent, Stein struggled to mix his work life with his personal life, often missing dates due to his focus on his current work.^[2]

Meeting Dinah Madani[]

While still working at the Homeland Security, Stein was assigned as a partner for Dinah Madani who had just returned from Homeland Security mission in Afghanistan. Immediately, Madani had begun work on a case involving Ahmad Zubair, as Stein questioned who Zubair was to Madani, as she then explained that Zubair had been had a partner back in Kandahar before being kidnapped and executed. Stein noted that while this was a good story it did not bode well for their partnership, to which Madani insisted that they were not partners.

Stein insisted that Madani call him by his first name, claiming that his surname sounded like a beer glass before then noting that ordering to their assignment they were indeed partners, despite Madani being given a vastly superior office to him. Madani, however, claimed that Stein first needed to earn her trust, as he jokingly claimed that her approval was the most important thing in his life. Stein questioned if Madani really thought Carson Wolf would allow her to take on this investigation into Zubair, as she claimed that she was confident that she would to able to convince Wolf of the case's importance.

The pair were then interrupted by the arrival of Wolf was expressed his surprise at seeing that Madani already had a case ready, which she noted she had brought with her from Afghanistan. While Stein stood by, Madani explained how Zubair, who was also a member of the Afghan National Police had managed to discover that several US Soldiers were secretly smuggling heroin out of Afghanistan, which resulted in Zubair's murder. Hearing this, Wolf ordered Stein to leave him and Madani alone, while completely ignoring Stein's insistence that he should be allowed to hear the case being discussed as Wolf instead told Stein to close the door behind him on his way out.

That evening, Stein saw Madani was still working from her desk and went to speak with her, tapping on the glass to get permission to enter before sarcastically commenting on how well her meeting with Wolf had gone discussing her Zubair case, as Madani smiled and claimed it had been peachy. As Stein asked if he, as her immediate junior, could ask how she was feeling about being rejected by Wolf, Madani became annoyed and told Stein to stop with his wise-ass comments about being the junior on the case, as Stein then jokingly claimed it was all he had to offer as he sat opposite Madani.

Stein explained to Madani that he had known Wolf would not take on her case because she had been given him as her new partner, and he knew how much Wolf disliked him. As Madani questioned why Stein was telling her all this, Stein explained that he believed that Madani was still a good person and somebody who could easily have had a career at the top level if she wanted it. Madani questioned what Stein had done to piss off Wolf, to which Stein had simply leaned back and used Madani's own words against her since he had claimed that she had to earn his trust first before he would finally explain that to her.

Focusing back to business, Stein asked Madani what their next step was, as Madani requested the files on Ray Schoonover, as well as details on the Destruction of the Blacksmith's Ship and whatever information they had on Frank Castle, who served with Schoonover in the Marine Corps. However, Stein was skeptical over Madani's requests, noting how Castle was dead, to which Madani noted that Castle and Schoonover served together and died within a day of each other in New York City. Stein confirmed Madani would run with the case and agreed to still assist her with it.^[1]

Coffee with Madani[]

As they slowly began to build trust with one another, Stein and Dinah Madani went out for coffee together as Stein listened while Madani noted how the feeling of being back in New York City from being in Afghanistan would keep 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 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 US military. 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 soldiers 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.^[3]

Meeting Billy Russo[]

Having convinced Carson Wolf to allow her to use Anvil to train Homeland Security agents and build trust between them, Stein and Dinah Madani went to the training exercise together as their teams were armed with plastic weapons and tasked with marching through an empty warehouse to rescue fake hostages, using blanks to gun down the "terrorists" as they moved forward. During their mission, however, Stein came close to "shooting" an apparent hostage who attempted to run through the room, much to Stein's great frustration to his mistake.

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.

Russo continued to assure Stein that he had indeed done everything right during the exercise, noting that it was impossible to predict the one terrified hostage who refuses to listen and gets themselves killed in the crossfire. Stein had told Russo that he would keep that in mind before leaving to put his equipment away, leaving Madani to speak with Russo in private so that she could try and get information out of Russo regarding his operations in Kandahar involving Frank Castle as well as Ray Schoonover, although Madani had still found that Wolf was constantly trying to keep her from the investigation.^[3]

Murder of Carson Wolf[]

That evening, Stein and Dinah Madani were called to investigate the home of Carson Wolf, as Madani arrived second following her going her a private drink with Billy Russo, while Stein had jokingly told her that what she was about to see would soon sober her up, although Madani had insisted she was not drunk. Stein then showed Madani the corpse of Wolf as they discovered him lying dead in a pool of his own blood, having seemingly been beaten down, tortured, shot, before finally having his neck broken, as Stein informed Madani that this was their highest ranking agent.^[3]

Following the murder of Wolf, Madani was immediately promoted to the ranking agent with the Homeland Security as 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 beat himself up and shot himself through the leg before breaking his leg, they appeared to be looking at murder. They discussed how the killer got to Wolf, while Madani had theorized that the killer came down the chimney and then 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 so, only Homeland Security should investigate his death before walking away, leaving Stein still looking over all of their crime scene pictures.^[4]

Frustration with Madani[]

Stein was tasked with researching Carson Wolf's bank records in the wake of his death, discovering Wolf had amassed his six million dollars fortune of over six accounts, which were buried offshore. Stein went straight to Dinah Madani with this evidence about Wolf's wealth, as she 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.^[4]

Planning an Ambush[]

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

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.

Stein noted that despite being a dirty cop who made money illegally, Wolf was still a good officer who always tried to catch the bad guys. While Stein then attempted to get Madani to sign some paperwork regarding the tactical operation, they were interrupted by the arrival of Rafael Hernandez. Madani tried to introduce Stein to Hernandez, but Stein made it clear that he was already aware of who he was as he shook his hand, with Hernandez calling Stein by his first name which had surprised Stein. Hernandez had then requested to speak with Madani alone as Stein left the office.^[5]

Robbery of the Greek Mob[]

Once their mission to rob the Greek Mob prepared to go underway, Stein gave the briefing to the Homeland Security agents, explaining how Sampson would act as their buyer and pointed out where they would place their snipers during the mission. Stein also noted that Bowers and Sinclair would make sure that 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 move in and immediately take the Greek Mob into custody.

When Stein asked if there were any questions, Dinah Madani spoke up and 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.

As the mission went ahead, Stein took a position with his team and listened while Madani confirmed that all the agents were in position as well and ready to begin as soon as the Greek Mob appeared to sell the guns. While waiting behind several containment units, Stein impatiently paced around the area, waiting for the go-ahead from Madani, confirming that they were waiting for their target to Madani. 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.

While the music continued to play, Stein could only look up at the camera he was being watched on, questioning what was happening and why he could no longer communicate with Madani or any of the other agents to continue the mission. Stein then called Madani on the phone, questioning what has 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. The mission was then interrupted by an unidentified culprit, who had managed to successfully steal the guns for himself before escaping, injuring Madani with a brutal car crash.^[5]

Punisher's Return[]

Tracking the Punisher[]

In the wake of the failed mission to arrest the Greek Mob, Stein then worked alongside Rafael Hernandez to figure out exactly who had hacked into their systems to disrupt the mission, as Hernandez commented that whoever was behind it would face up to thirty years in prison if they had been caught, questioning why they would have left witnesses alive, before Dinah Madani had then arrived and commented that she was glad that they did leave witnesses alive.

Hernandez noted that he had told Farah Madani to keep her home to recover from her injuries, as Madani noted that her mother had tried her best to do as Hernandez requested. Looking at all the pictures of her burnt-out car, Madani noted that it was her birthday present from her father, noting that somebody killed it and she could not let that go. Hernandez questioned what evidence Madani had to assist with their investigation, noting that she should not have gotten out of bed if she had nothing to contribute, to which Madani asked Stein to give her and Hernandez a minute to talk alone which Stein agreed to.

Stein was later called to Madani's office where he saw her desk was covered with pictures of Frank Castle before Madani gave him a list of names that she wanted him to track down. As Stein questioned if this was in relation to the Greek Mob and the guns they had failed to capture, Madani instead explained that these men could have been in the room when Ahmad Zubair had been killed, while she had also noted the Operation was kept off the record which was why there was not an official list of who was involved, with Stein confused as to why Madani was still focusing on the Zubair case at this time.

While Stein began reading the list of names, 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, as Stein noted how their last operation had been a failure which they were just about to be questioned 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. Stein then claimed the case was about dead men who nobody cared about and refused to get involved before walking out of Madani's office.

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, Castle 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.^[6]

Maintaining Secrets[]

Stein had later sat down with his superiors in order to discuss what happened during the Robbery of the Greek Mob's Arsenal, as they questioned what had gone wrong and how the mission could have been hijacked by outside forces. Stein insisted that the plan could not have been known by anyone outside of the Homeland Security Headquarters and noted that he was the one who had first come up with the plan which he had been confident in before his team had begun the mission to arrest the Greek Mob.

As the questioning still continued, Stein was asked about who had hijacked the guns, and he soon became conflicted over whether he should reveal the Punisher's involvement or respect Dinah Madani's request to keep it quiet. As Stein paused to consider what he should do, his OIG Agent asked him once again if he had any suspects. In the end, however, Stein had made the decision to put his trust back in Madani's leadership and did not reveal Castle was still alive and had stolen all of the guns away from them, fearing that if he was wrong in his trust, then his entire career could be in jeopardy.

Stepping out of the interrogation room, Stein found Madani waiting for him as she followed him to the elevator. Once they were alone, Stein 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, warned that he would give Madani a week to get her evidence before he would go to Rafael Hernandez and tell him everything, telling Madani that it would be for both their sakes, as Madani reluctantly agreed.^[6]

Shootout Aftermath[]

Stein was informed that Gunner Henderson had turned up following his search for him, however, he discovered that Henderson had been found dead in Kentucky. Stein informed Dinah Madani of the update as they had entered her office to discuss the matter as Madani told Stein told him to shut the office door. Madani got 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, Stein and Madani 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 into the Homeland Security Headquarters, Stein and Madani 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 FBI 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.^[7]

Billy Russo's Assistance[]

While sat in his office, Stein was given some paperwork by another agent before he then watched as Billy Russo walked into the Homeland Security Headquarters, as Russo offered Stein a friendly wave while walking past, before Russo was taken inside Dinah Madani's office for a conversation regarding exactly what Russo knew about Frank Castle and if he had any leads on where Castle currently was.

Once Russo had left her office, Stein then walked in and questioned if and why Madani had told Russo about the Punisher's return, while Madani had demanded that Stein knocked before entering her office. Stein noted that Russo was Castle's best friend during all their time together in the United States 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 this decision compromised the investigation and Stein's 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.^[2]

Search for the Bug[]

While working from his desk and listening to music, Stein heard a tap on the glass as Dinah Madani had requested a private word with him. Once they were alone, Madani noted to Stein how just one day after they had first mentioned Gunner Henderson's name he had turned up dead, calling it a massive coincidence. As other Homeland Security agents walked past, Stein and Madani 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 had asked why they were not having the conversation in her office rather than the hallway. 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 had found out about their investigation into Frank Castle's military unit and was having them assassinated before Stein and Madani could get to them for questioning.

That evening, Stein and Madani 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 find a read on her scanner, as she silently called Stein over to assist her. Without making a sound, Stein and Madani 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, Stein and Madani 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 to 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 Frank 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.^[2]

Planting False Leads[]

Now they were aware of the wire secretly bugging her office, Stein and Dinah Madani 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 the Punisher, claiming that he was buying ammunition from Jack DeLeon for all of the guns which he had previously managed to steal from the Greek Mob during Homeland Security's first encounter with him.

Stein and Madani then joked over comparing their fictional weapons deal with The Godfather before they had claimed that they would know exactly when 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.

Stein later greeted Madani as she briefed her team on what to expect as they prepared to meet their enemies 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.^[8]

Warehouse Ambush[]

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

Stein and Madani 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, Stein and Madani 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. This killing was witnessed by Stein who got behind the lead mercenary and furiously demanded that he drop his gun, while also claiming that if he did not drop his gun then Stein would be happy to have the excuse to shoot him dead. However, the lead mercenary did as he was instructed and threw away his weapon before getting down on his knees, seemingly surrendering to Stein who kept his gun trained on the mercenary.

With the mercenary now down on his knees, Stein then kicked away his gun while keeping his own weapon trained on his, ensuring that the mercenary put his hands behind his head before Stein took away the knife which was kept on his belt. Stein warned the mercenary that he would shoot him in the face, before removing the mercenary's mask to reveal him to be Billy Russo. While Stein stood horrified that Russo was behind everything and had been lying to Madani, Russo drew his Hidden Blade and plunged it into Stein's throat, mockingly questioning if he was still pretty before ripping the blade out.

Russo then dropped Stein's bleeding body down onto the floor and made his escape from the scene, while Stein was left desperately grasping his throat while drowning in his own blood which poured out of his open wound. Before long, Stein was discovered there by Madani, who momentarily froze upon seeing her friend bleeding to death before she ran to his side and desperately called out for help while trying to stop the bleeding. Stein found his wound to the throat left him unable to communicate Russo's betrayal as the loss of blood from his wound eventually caused Stein to die in Madani's arms.^[8]

Legacy[]

Madani's Guilt[]

After the incident at the Abandoned Warehouse which resulted in Stein's death, Dinah Madani was given time off to emotionally recover from the event and was asked by Stein's mother to talk at his funeral. Madani refused to return to work and stayed with her parents, believing herself responsible for Stein's death. Madani would later meet with Rafael Hernandez, and go into detail on how Stein was killed by the lead mercenary, and how Stein looked shocked when she found him bleeding to death.^[9]

Following the revelation that Billy Russo killed Stein,^[10] Madani became determined to prove his guilt, bringing Russo in for questioning and presenting him with photographs of Stein's corpse, although this had almost no effect on Russo.^[11] Although Russo was eventually captured following a brutal disfigurement at the hands of the Punisher,^[12] Madani remained disappointed as she was then forced into signing a falsified report about Russo's defeat and capture by Marion James, which Madani had felt did not give Stein the justice he deserved.^[13]

Stein's death was eventually avenged when Madani had a final fight against Russo, resulting in her shooting him three times. Although he survived, Russo had begun bleeding out from the wounds and called Curtis Hoyle for aid, only for Hoyle to tell the Punisher where to find Russo, resulting in Russo's execution.^[14]

Personality[]

Sam Stein was a skilled agent and showed himself to be a person who believed in connection and was dedicated to his work to the point of missing dates. Despite being told by Madani that he couldn't have a romantic relationship or family with his profession, he didn't believe so and stated he would continue to try. Stein was known by many to upbeat, comical, and sarcastic, most notably joking on Madani's relationship with Billy Russo. Despite not trusting her initially, Stein became Madani's most loyal friend in Homeland Security, as she returned the favor by knowing he wasn't a suspect when he gave her Carson Wolf's wealth.

Stein was known to be frustrated with himself and Madani, as he didn't like that the latter had embarrassed him at the briefing in front of agents. In addition, he didn't like how Madani's obsession with the death of Ahmad Zubair and wanted to help her move on with it. Though he had a strong trust with Madani, he would question most of her actions, notably her telling Russo that Castle was alive instead of telling Hernandez. He also appeared to be somewhat lonely due to being alone in Homeland Security and would set updates so that the could connect with someone outside his profession.

In addition, Stein also was skeptical of many of Madani's theories, such as the Punisher being alive, or believing that the FBI and CIA were suspects after Wolf's death. Despite questioning her theories, he trusted his gut that she could trust, and didn't tell Hernandez that their lead suspect in the theft of the Greek Mob was Castle. Stein's death would have a great effect on Madani, who became more determined to hunt down Frank Castle, and learned who murdered her partner.

Abilities[]

• Expert Marksman: Stein was a skilled gunman, being able to aid Madani during the shootout against mercenaries at the warehouse. He was also praised by Billy Russo during his exercise course at Anvil despite nearly shooting a hostage. He demonstrated his accuracy by shooting Mike Bashille in the head.
• Expert Tactician: Being trained by Homeland Security, Stein was an expert tactician, and was allowed to lead the trade-off with the Greek Mob. During the briefing, Stein went into detail on how the trade would go, and with the assistance of Dinah Madani, was able to get everything in position.
• Expert Investigator: Stein greatest attribute was his dedication in cases, as he went great lengths in investigating Carson Wolf's wealth, and on Frank Castle.

Equipment[]

Weapons[]

• SIG-Sauer P226R: Stein carried this handgun in an ambush that they had prepared in an attempt to capture the people they were investigating, using the bug in Dinah Madani's office to feed false information. As the five men that appeared did not surrender, Stein and the rest of the DHS agents engaged in a shootout, with Stein managing to kill Mike Bashille. He ran into Billy Russo, who attempted to escape, but despite threatening him with his gun, Russo managed to kill Stein.
• SIG Sauer SIG516: This assault rifle was the standard weapon carried by Stein, Dinah Madani, and other Homeland Security agents 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: Stein wore a bulletproof vest that was used by Homeland to protect agents when on missions. Notably wearing a vest during the theft of the Greek Mob's arsenal, and the shootout at the warehouse.

Facilities[]

• Homeland Security Headquarters: Stein had a small desk at the Homeland Security headquarters, probably due to Wolf's dislike of him, or being considered a junior agent. Stein would work with his partner Dinah Madani on cases and do a briefing with other higher officials. He also worked alongside Madani in her office, working with the investigation of Wolf's brutal demise.

Relationships[]

Family[] Mother Allies[] United States Department of Homeland Security Rafael Hernandez - Superior Dinah Madani - Partner and Friend Sampson - Colleague Bowers - Colleague Sinclair - Colleague

Enemies[] Carson Wolf † - Former Superior Frank Castle/Punisher Greek Mob Anvil Billy Russo † - Former Ally and Killer Tom Weems † Spencer Geiger † Jim Pruitt † Mike Bashille † - Victim

Appearances[]

Appearance for Sam Stein

In chronological order: 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 (mentioned) The Punisher | Episode 1.10: Virtue of the Vicious (mentioned) The Punisher | Episode 1.11: Danger Close (mentioned) The Punisher | Episode 2.07: One Bad Day (mentioned) The Punisher | Episode 2.10: The Dark Hearts of Men (mentioned)

Trivia[]

• Sam Stein had romantic feelings for Dinah Madani, and died trying to confess said feelings.^[15]

Behind the Scenes[]

• Frank Alfano was a stunt double for Michael Nathanson in the role of Sam Stein.

References[]