An unscrupulous munitions magnate, Damon Dran became paranoid regarding his own mortality and so secretly commissioned the creation of Project Four, a weapon that would imbue him with the power necessary to survive the "inevitable" World War III. After Project Four was stolen by Black Widow and Danny French, Dran spent years trying to locate it and eventually tracked both French and Black Widow down to San Francisco, where he had them captured and brought to his mansion in Berkeley. Dran is able to discern Project Four's whereabouts by subjecting French to a mind probe, and while the device is prepared for him he sets Blue Talon and a brainwashed Black Widow against Black Widow's partner Daredevil.