(Vigilante I #6 (fb) 7 (fb)) - Adrian visited his wife's grave, and was approached by a secret organization led by operatives Lynn, Bloody Knife, Chaka, and Chastity, who pushed him to his physical and mental limits. They were dedicated to justice, and reminded him to find strength in those whom justice never reached. He disappeared for six months, and they taught him how to fight while training him to physical perfection and teaching him methods of enhanced healing. They revealed that they were a society of ghosts who'd died unavenged, and trained the living to do justice on Earth. They said one day Adrian would die and rejoin them as a teacher.

(Vigilante I #1) - Vigilante met Terry Gomez and JJ Davis who served as his research and computer assistants. He had Terry dispose of his wife and children's possessions, and he did the best he could to feel numb. Terry told him that her friend Eppie Reynolds needed help, her husband had been killed by Mr. Quilt. Vigilante wanted to focus on convicted criminals released on technicalities, but he knew how corrupt Quilt was, and took the case. He broke into quilt's mansion and battled his bodyguard Brand, but quilt told them they should just talk. He said that Reynold's was blackmailing him, and her husband's death was unfortunate. Vigilante decided to leave and told Quilt he'd get him, but another day. Vigilante confronted Eppie and learned that she was blackmailing Quilt to stay away from her son Tommy, who was Quilt's biological son. Brand came to kill Eppie, and after Vigilante foiled him he chased him to Coney Island. They fought on the Cyclone, and Brand fell to his death. Eppie wanted to flee, but Vigilante told her to stay put, that he wouldn't let her forfeit a happy life with her son so that the criminal element could win. Vigilante confronted Quilt and gunned him down.

(Vigilante I #2) - Charles Chase made Adrian another offer to join his lawfirm, and reminded him that it was family business. Adrian still had no interest in a lavish lifestyle like his father, and despised the fact that he got white-collar criminals out of jail. JJ and Terry told him he was blowing through his inheritance, and he'd better find a way to profit from his activities as Vigilante. JJ quipped that he loved sleeping in a van and not eating three times a day. Terry told him that Leonard Kord, whom Adrian had convicted for raping a nun and leaving her for dead had his conviction overturned on appeal. Kord was living with his mother and neighbors made their lives Hell. Vigilante arrived and Kord, still pleading his innocence, attacked him. After a brawl Vigilante had him down and began to beat him mercilessly until JJ stopped him. He'd done some research and Kord was innocent, the attack was perpetrated by the son of an Alganian ambassador who forced his embassy guards to point the finger at Kord. Vigilante was disgusted with himself, and thought about calling it quits, having savaged an innocent. He joined his father's law firm despite JJ and Terry pleading with him to resume his vigilante career. Chase Unlimited took the case of Senator Kuvlak's son, who was accused of rape. It was not his first offense, as Adrian had convicted him in his DA days. Charles said they had an obligation to defend him, and Adrian said he could go hang and quit. Terry and JJ were ecstatic to see Adrian back in his crimefighting gear.

(Vigilante I #3) - Vigilante's next target was William Stryker, who brutalized JJ's fiancée, and Chase's case against him was overturned because of a bad search warrant. Vigilante didn't understand JJ's pain until his own family died, and he thought it was inevitable that his life as the Vigilante would lead to his own death. Stryker had been picked up for gun possession, but Vigilante thought death was an appropriate sentence, not one year in jail. He attacked the police convoy transporting Stryker to Attica twice, and the police got New Teen Titan Cyborg to escort Stryker to jail. Cyborg drove Stryker, but the car was hit with an armor piercing shell, and Vigilante pursued them through the woods. Cyborg questioned Vigilante's notion of justice and doubted that he'd only killed in self-defense or the defense of others as he claimed. Vigilante said he couldn't let Cyborg take him in, shooting him in the shoulder, causing him to black out. Vigilante questioned his own sense of justice, and instead of killing Stryker he threatened him until he confessed to where evidence against him for his heinous crimes could be found. JJ was disappointed, but agreed with Vigilante that responding to hate with hate was too easy, and wouldn't make them heroes. Vigilante said he was no longer a killer.

(Vigilante I #4) - Adrian, Terry and JJ attended the trial of movie star Grace Moore, who was accused of murdering her husband and co-star Clark Reynolds. Witness Gretchyn Bjorn was shot on the courthouse steps by the Exterminator, and Chase changed into Vigilante and pursued him. Their rooftop fight led to the Exterminator falling into the water below. The Exterminator showed up again to kill witness Cynthia Grant. Adrian got a hold of the DA witness list, and when Terry told him her son was sick he told her to go home, he only wished he could still be with his children. Vigilante stopped the Exterminator from killing witness Mr. Levine, but after falling from his helicopter the assassin disappeared. The news reported Moore's conviction, and the destruction of another symbol of American values.

(Vigilante I #5, 6) - Vigilante caught the assassin Cannon in the act of fulfilling a hit, and they battled, but Cannon saw his mission through. the police arrived, and Cannon surrendered, but Captain Hall said he was going to take in Vigilante for the murders of Quilt and Brand. Vigilante repeated that it was self-defense, buit couldn't allow himself to be taken in because he had work to do, and fled. JJ and Terry researched the hit, and the victim was Marco Rinaldi, head of a NY mob, so they feared a coming game war. Vigilante told them to keep up the good work, and he went to a party with Marcia King, the new assistant DA, finding an interest in a partner for the first time since his wife's death. They hit it off and spent the night together. Cannon and Saber, who'd killed the heads of each other's crime families, but planned to put them into witness protection for evidence against their mobs. Adrian told Marcia he disagreed with her decision, but she reminded him he wasn't DA anymore. Adrian confronted Cannon and Sabre in his identity as the Vigilante, and learned that they were planning to take over NY's crime families. He fought them, and all three were grievously injured. JJ and Terry were frantic, and JJ followed stole an ambulance to save Vigilante, with the police in pursuit. JJ stripped Vigilante of his costume and dropped him off at a hospital. He prayed that he'd live, not knowing what his life would be without him. JJ and Terry disposed of the admittance papers so the police wouldn't be notified of his gunshot wound, and Adrian soon healed. The doctor's were interested in his enhanced resilience, but he fled with his aides. He told them it was time they knew about how he transformed from Adrian Chase into the Vigilante.

(Vigilante I #7) - Adrian and Marcia went for a jog, and continued their flirtation. Judge Welles was exercising as well, and said he was sorry that Marcia's deal with Cannon and Saber had gone south since they'd escaped police custody. She chalked it up to overexuberance on her part. Welles said judge Wilson Turner was retiring, and he thought Adrian would be a good replacement. Adrian finally told JJ and Terry how he came to be the Vigilante.

(Vigilante I #8, 9) - Vigilante stopped a criminal from stealing a microchip from Newmark Industries. The thief chased him in a helicopter into the subways, but Vigilante disabled his craft and handed him over to the police. Judge Welles got in Adrian's ear again about becoming a judge, and said NY needed more men of vision and justice like him because criminals were being released because of an overcrowded jail system. Adrian, Terry and JJ saw Geraldo Cardazy released because of a bad search warrant, and made him the Vigilante's next target, but the Electrocutioner got to him first. Welles revealed a keen interest in the Vigilante to Adrian, making him nervous. Terry learned that the microchip thief, Ebert, had tied to a NY mob, and recently all the mobs had been brought together under the rule of the Controller. Ebert was free on bail, and in the Electrocutioner's sights. Electrocutioner said they could kill him together, and was displeased to hear Vigilante say he only killed in self-defense. He set an electric fire and knocked out Vigilante, telling him it would be best if he left the Electrocutioner to his work unhindered. Vigilante recovered and tried to rescue Ebert from the inferno, and the roof fell in on him, but he escaped. JJ tracked the microchip's mainframe to Sarandon Factories and hacked in while Vigilante pounded the streets looking in mob hangouts for clues. He tried and failed to keep the Electrocutioner from killing Remmington Kord. JJ decided to check out Sarandon himself, but the Controller was expecting him, and had a hitman placed there to shoot him. Adrian and Terry watched a news report about a body fished out of the Hudson, and the picture they showed of the victim was JJ.

(Vigilante I #10, 11) - Adrian and Terry attended JJ's funeral, and Adrian swore vengeance. Terry said if he was considering going back to his murderous ways they were through, and he told her she could go. Two mob families rejected working with the Controller, so Vigilante went to question them. Mob boss Johnny Z was killed by the Controller before Vigilante could get any information, but the head of the Apollo family told him the Controller was behind the recent crimewave, using his computer hacking skills to baffle the police. Controller's mainframe controlled all the computers in the city, and he set up false alarms for bank robberies while the mob families hit different targets while the police were preoccupied. Vigilante broke into Controller's mansion, where he was confronted by gun-wielding goons. He shot down several of them, and was injured in the process. He made his way past Exterminator robots and death-traps before entering the Controller's lab. Using a shuriken he penetrated the chestplate that hooked the Controller up to his computers, and served as his life-support system. The Controller was in agony, and begged for a quick death, but Vigilante just walked away as his life faded. Adrian moved into the Village, and accepted Welles' offer to become a judge.

(Vigilante I #12) - Vigilante started having nightmares where he was personally responsible for shooting JJ and his family, feeling guilt over their deaths because of who he was. He went to Jersey for some target practice, and came across a gang chasing a woman. He thrashed them, and felt good to be able to blow off steam. The woman thanked him, but then took his gun and cracked him in the skull. She told Vigilante about how the men had raped her, and gunned them down. Vigilante felt even more lost about what justice was. Adrian saw Maria prosecute Max Harris, who'd killed two Asian men in a hate crime after his plant was shut down to outsource to Japan. He was acquitted by a sympathetic jury, and Marcia raged that she wished she could take justice into her own hands, and Adrian wondered if she was serious. He considered shooting Max, but realized it wouldn't stop the bigotry in America that led to his acquittal. A drug addict was sniping outside his apartment, and Vigilante managed to talk him down, realizing how mentally ill he was. He actually felt like he'd done some good, and went to spend the night with Marcia, not wanting to be alone when the nightmares came.

(Vigilante I #13) - Adrian and Marcia watched proceedings against Brent Wilson. He'd been having an affair with his business partner Stephen Locke's wife Angela and had been embezzling funds from their company. Stephen died from poisoning and Stephen was charged, but Adrian told Marcia something was off, and decided to investigate himself. As Vigilante he first sought out underworld information on the Electrocutioner, and decided he needed to retire his masked identity when he became a judge because of conflicting interests. Vigilante learned that Stephen knew of his wife's affair, and committed suicide, but implicated Stephen with a note saying he was the murderer. Brent was free before trial, and Vigilante said he could clear him, but Brent shot at him, convinced he wasn't there to help. Brent took off in a plane and the Vigilante jumped aboard the wing. Brent shot again, missing Vigilante and hitting the fuel tank. They both bailed, but only Brent had a parachute. He continued to fire at Vigilante, and when Vigilante returned fire he killed Brent. Vigilante grabbed Brent's parachute, saving himself, and reflected that that day no one won. No justice was delivered despite his efforts, and he'd killed again.

(Vigilante I #14) - Adrian looked forward to putting the Vigilante behind him once he was judge, but wondered why he kept going out as Vigilante in the interim. He responded to an office break-in and shooting, and was assaulted by a man wearing a shadowsuit. Marcia and Allan were at Adrian's side during a press conference, and the press asked him what he thought of as the Vigilante, but he replied that he'd never given him much thought. He stopped by Terry's apartment, and learned from a neighbor that she'd moved to California. The man in the shadowsuit was Hammer, a businessman feuding with his brother Carl Hammett. He attacked Hammett, and Vigilante intervened, not knowing that Hammett and his lover Mariette were manipulating Vigilante. Just as they hoped Vigilante ended up killing Hammer, ending the brothers business rivalry.

(Vigilante I #15) - Marcia took Adrian to the circus, and he was happy to have a light-hearted afternoon. They went back to his place and made love, but his nightmares still haunted him, and he was soon in his gym working out to forget his pain. Electrocutioner had discovered a child abuse ring next door to Adrian, and killed the offenders. Adrian responded as Vigilante, and Electrocutioner grabbed one of the abused girls and tossed her off a roof so Vigilante would be forced to save her and he could make his escape. Hank Weston was a clown who'd attempted to rob a bank to raise money for his dying wife. He was found not guilty by a sympathetic jury, and Adrian and Marcia agreed with the decision, and Welles said they were going soft on him. Adrian wondered if Electrocutioner would consider him a target, and caught his next performance at the circus. The Electrocutioner arrived, and when Vigilante interfered he tried to kill him. Vigilante and Hank were saved by Hank's clown buddies, and Electrocutioner ran off in the confusion.

(Vigilante I #16) - Adrian and Allan were at a social club discussing a string of subway robberies orchestrated by a well-organized gang when Adrian got a phone call that Marcia was in Roosevelt Hospital. He went to see her and learned that she'd been assaulted during the latest subway robbery, and while she was badly hurt she kept up her good spirits. Vigilante wanted vengeance, and monitored the TA's traffic center until he noted a stopped train, and caught Keith Pitkin's gang as they were escaping into the tunnels. Their fight led to an abandoned, but still functional car, and Vigilante managed to take one of the men while the rest jumped off the train, but they crashed, and Vigilante was injured while his potential informant was dead. He caught the gang the next day when they tried robbing the dropoff from the change booths, and he felt exhilarated, but saddened that this might be his last time acting as Vigilante.

(Vigilante I #17, 18) - Adrian got a late-night call from Joanne Linnaker, whose husband Carl Adrian had prosecuted for abusing their daughter Jodie. Linnaker had been released from prison and was stalking her, and she begged for his help. He went into action as the Vigilante, but by the time he arrived at her apartment Carl had stabbed her, and Jodie was gone. Adrian got another call, this time from a woman saying she knew where Jodie was, and demanding he meet her in an alley and not involve the cops. He was reasonably suspicious, and when he arrived as Vigilante, the caller freaked out and attacked him. He subdued her, and learned that her name was Fever, and she and her friend Louise had found Jodie wandering the streets and took he in when she told them her dad was after her. She didn't want the cops involved because she had a large deal of marijuana in her apartment, but Vigilante said he'd overlook that fact. They returned to Fever's home, and her friend Louise had been butchered by Carl, who'd abducted his daughter. Fever swore revenge for her friend, and Vigilante agreed to let her ride with him. He found his motorcycle stripped, so Fever drove, and they discussed their opposing views about authority. They spotted Linnaker, and pursued him into a factory. After a brutal fight Vigilante got the upper hand, but Jodie shot him with her father's gun. He was saved by Fever, who ran over Carl, and they took the traumatized Jodie to the hospital. Vigilante asked her what she thought about what they did, and she said she didn't feel anything, Carl Linnaker just needed to die.

(Vigilante Annual #1) - Vigilante was on patrol when police surrounded him, and he had to make a fast break, disliking the idea of fighting law enforcement. He called Marcia, who told him her old friend Charlie Block had been framed for the murder of two of his neighbors, and she had to investigate. Vigilante did his own investigation, and Charlie's story about being set-up by a hitman checked out. Vigilante checked out the business office of the dead man Kaminski, and learned he was working for the mob. His boss Harvey Weston sent men to clear the office of any connection with him, and the goons tossed Vigilante out the office window. He recovered, though injured, and followed them to Weston's penthouse. Weston believed Charlie to be the killer, and sent a hitman to get arrested so he'd be in a cell with him and whack him for interfering in Weston's business. Vigilante shot his way out of the penthouse, killing several underlings and wounding Weston. He broke into One Police Plaza, and saved Weston's life, pulling a gun on the hitman and forcing him to back off. Vigilante passed on what he knew to Charlie, and he was cleared of murder.

(Vigilante I #19) - Adrian's judgeship was approved, and he answered questions from reporters with Marcia and Welles. The reporters asked about Marcia and Adrian's relationship, and Marcia would recues herself of cases Adrian would try to avoid a conflict of interest. He went to Chinatown as Vigilante to track down gang member Billy Chang, whose martial arts skills were equal to his. Billy had grievously injured a Tong who turned out to be his father, and he ended Billy's fight and his life with a bullet to the head just as he died. Vigilante no longer believed he could live up to his mission, and with his first day on the bench approaching he dumped his gear in a trashcan.

(Vigilante I #20, 21) - Adrian had nightmares about being the Vigilante, and woke to a news report about the Vigilante brutally murdering a gang of muggers. He wondered if he'd finally snapped and was going out at night in his old identity. He arrived in his chambers suffering a nervous breakdown, and Marcia embraced him even though he said he couldn't talk about what was bothering him, and she gave him the strength to serve his first day as judge. The new Vigilante gunned down a police officer and a civilian before throwing Nightwing off a bridge. Nightwing confronted Adrian at home, convinced he'd finally snapped. Their battle went into the streets, and Adrian couldn't convince Nightwing of his innocence because he wasn't sure of himself. They both realized there was a new Vigilante when they saw a news report about him shooting cop-killer William Sanchez. Adrian blamed himself for inspiring the new Vigilante, and promised Nightwing he'd take care of him. He shut himself off from Marcia again, but her persistence in getting him to trust her convinced him of her love.

(Vigilante I #22) - Marcia tried to talk to Adrian, who was drinking heavily, after he refused to explain why his apartment was destroyed. He raged at her to leave him alone, and she said she was worried he was mentally ill, but couldn't be helped unless he let her help, so she walked out on him. He begged her to stay, saying she was his tether to sanity, and they kissed. He went to work as judge, his mood worsened by the sky turning red during the Crisis. Alan Welles presented him the Santiago case, a massive cocaine bust, and told him not to blow it. That night Adrian grabbed a gun, wanting to pursue the new murderous Vigilante, and when Marcia saw his supply of weapons in his basement she left in fear. After a fruitless night looking for the new Vigilante he went to Marcia's apartment, and said he'd explain everything. He told her how he lost his mind after his family's death, and the whole story about his time as the Vigilante.

(Vigilante I #23) - Adrian's confession was too much for Marcia, and she told him if he'd truly left his old life behind he wouldn't be stalking the streets for the new Vigilante. She left, telling him she wouldn't turn him in because she loved him, but he should consider the option himself. Adrian and Welles ran into Charles McDade, Santiago's lawyer. He tried to bait Adrian, and his fists curled as Welles held him back. The new bailiff Dave Winston introduced himself, saying he thought highly of Adrian and would serve him to the best of his ability. McDade showed that the police warrant for Santiago's airfield did not extend to the hangar where the cocaine was found, and his client was read his rights in English, and he only spoke Spanish. Chase had no choice but to dismiss the case against Santiago, even though it made him sick inside. He spent the night searching for Vigilante, and as murder entered his mind he questioned his sanity. He was horrified when he learned that the new Vigilante had executed McDade and a young female companion.

(Vigilante I #24) - Judge Chase heard the case of Blinky and Lenny, two young toughs accused of stabbing a young woman to death. The victim's mother Mrs. Sherman heard them brag about it while they were all on the same subway car, but Chase had to dismiss the case because the evidence against them was hearsay. Sherman was furious, and Dave Winston had to calm her down. Chase talked to her in his chambers, and told her how his own children were killed and the justice system couldn't convict them. She hinted that she'd take the law into her own hands if she had to, and Chase told Winston that based on the look in her eyes he thought she was serious. Sherman bought a gun and was approaching Lenny and Blink's apartment when Chase caught up to her. He refused to get out of her way, so she shot him in the shoulder. Blinky fled, but she cornered Lenny and was prepared to kill him before Adrian talked her down, convincing her that it wasn't worth throwing her life away. He then confided in her that the punks were innocent, they'd just been bragging, and her daughter's killer was in custody and had confessed.

(Vigilante I #25) - Officers Jose Ramez and Daniel Hallahan were accused of torturing suspect Daryl Perkins into making a confession, and Adrian was disgusted with the news. The new Vigilante took a more proactive stance, murdering the officers.

(Vigilante I #26, 27) - Adrian surmised that Vigilante would go after Santiago, and used computer research to locate Santiago's cabin in the Catskills. Police had already spotted Vigilante in the area, and the NYPD sent a task force upstate. Vigilante and Adrian met in the woods, and Adrian was determined to shoot his violent successor, even though Vigilante didn't want to hurt him. The murderous Electrocutioner was also after Santiago, and during Adrian and Vigilante's scuffle he killed him. He fled into the woods where he came upon the two men fighting. Electrocutioner decided that Vigilante had to die, and Vigilante was concerned with keeping Adrian away from his electrical attacks. Adrian attacked Electrocutioner, saying vigilante was his, confusing the villain. They separated and the police staking the area kept them on the run. Santiago's men shot Electrocutioner, and he fled to an empty barn. Adrian followed him, and soon after so did the vigilante. Adrian gunned down the Electrocutioner, seeing him as a twisted version of what he used to stand for. Vigilante approved, but Adrian trained a gun on him and refused to let him leave. He fatally shot Vigilante and unmasked him as Alan Welles. Welles told him about how he discovered Adrian was the Vigilante the night he quit, and how he wanted to continue his mission because he admired him. Adrian was upset at having murdered his friend, and after retrieving his Vigilante costume he wrapped him up in a blanket and took the body, not wanting the memory of Judge Welles sullied. Bailiff Winston, worried about Adrian, had followed him upstate, and witnessed the whole debacle.

(Vigilante I #28) - Adrian planted the Vigilante costume on Electrocutioner and drove Welles' body back to NYC. He brought him to the hospital, claiming muggers had shot him. Lt. Stein recognized a fishy story and tried to question Adrian. This forensics team found out that the gun that killed Electrocutioner also murdered Welles', and bloodstains and a tear on the Vigilante's costume matched the location of Welles' fatal wound. Adrian flew into a rage, saying he despised the implication that he was lying about Welles' death, but realized Stein had solid evidence. In his chambers he fondled the gun he used for the murders, wondering why he hadn't disposed of it. Adrian finally brought himself to get rid of the weapon, and was disturbed to see a news report on a brand new Vigilante who apprehended mafia hitman Blake Scully.

(Vigilante I #29, 30) - Adrian started drinking heavily, and the new Vigilante lurked outside his house, desperately wanting to tell him that he was his inspiration, and that he'd be an upstanding successor unlike Welles, but in Adrian's current condition he knew he'd be in no mood for talk. Adrian returned to work and ran into Marcia. She'd heard about the death of the new Vigilante and Judge Welles, and as usual Adrian refused to explain his role, but assured her what needed to happen did happen. She said she was seeking psychiatric help for the strain their relationship caused, and he was furious, worried about what she'd told him. She said she never disclosed his identity, but he worried that the brand new Vigilante might be her doctor. Lt. Stein was given orders to back of his theory by higher ups, who didn't want two judges implicated in the Vigilante's work, but he continued his investigation after-hours. He broke into Chase's house and round a bloody blanket, but a noise startled him, and he left the house. Adrian talked to Winston, wanting to confess, and his bailiff told him he admired him and his work in the legal system. Vigilante met Adrian at his home, and Adrian pulled a gun on him, ranting that he didn't want the new Vigilante to pull him into his nightmare. The Vigilante said he knew everything about Adrian and his former career, and unmasked, revealing himself as Winston. Winston explained that he'd redeem the mask of the Vigilante, and was already doing good work inspired by Adrian, but he just made Adrian incredibly angry. Shots rang out as NY's gang war continued, and vigilante left, saying he'd continue his conversation with Chase later. In Chase's chambers he demanded that Winston quit or he'd find a way to stop him. Winston said he could succeed where Adrian failed, and thought Adrian was acting high and mighty for a man that gunned down Welles, his best friend.

(Vigilante I #31) - Adrian was on a drinking binge crying in front of his father's portrait, saying he'd twisted the respect and honor his father had for law and order, and had turned out to be a disappointment instead of following in his footsteps. Marcia called, and he begged for a meeting so they could try to work things out, and she reluctantly agreed.

(Vigilante I #32) - The gang war continued in Chinatown, with the Tongs fighting the mysterious usurper's mob. Vigilante got involved, and fled after pointing a gun at Lt. Stein. Judge Chase started sentencing the Chinatown Tongs the next day, and told Winston he'd crossed a line by pointing a gun at Stein, even if he didn't intend to fire. He hit Winston and said he was living out a fantasy without a good rationalization for being the Vigilante. Winston said he rationale was to bring justice where the law couldn't and make the law-abiding citizens feel safe in their city. Adrian stood up Marcia for their lunch date, and she found him in his chambers drunk and slurring. She couldn't stand to see the wreck he'd become and left, saying it was goodbye for good. Adrian went to the Brooklyn Bridge, and contemplated suicide, but thought there were too many unanswered questions in his life to end it all just yet.

(Vigilante I #33, 34) - Adrian went to a health club to blow off steam by pumping iron, but couldn't forget all the death he'd left in the wake of the vigilante, and wondered whatever happened to Bloody Knife, Chaka and Lynn, the people who created him. A religious zealot bombed the club, upset at the flesh on display, and Adrian was seriously injured. Adrian was at Roosevelt Hospital when Dave Winston and Marcia King came to visit him. Winston held Marcia's hand to comfort her, and just then Adrian's healing abilities kicked in. He screamed at them, mistaking the innocent gesture, accusing Dave of trying to take everything he had in life away from him. He told Dave he'd never be him, and told Marcia to leave him alone. Despite orders to lay off Adrian, Lt. Stein had uncovered evidence on his own time implicating Adrian in Welles' murder. He went to the press, and Adrian was now front page news.

(Vigilante I #35) - News reporters and the public swarmed outside Adrian's house, and he refused to talk to the press. He burned the tarp he'd used to carry Welles body in an incinerator and reflected that he'd driven away every last ally he had. Lt. Stein arrested him for murder, and he was incarcerated. Marcia quit her position as assistant DA to act as his defense council, and he shed a tear realizing how much she loved him.

(Vigilante Annual #2) - Adrian went to trial, and he told Marcia was uncomfortable pleading not guilty because he had killed Welles. She believed his story that he'd killed in self-defense, but told him he couldn't reveal the true story to the jury without outing himself as Vigilante. She told Adrian he was acting like he didn't care if he was convicted, and he revealed that he'd been wracked with guilt since Welles' death. The prosecutor called Molly Williams, a homeless woman that slept near Adrian's home. Stein had found her, and she testified she saw Adrian carrying aa rug with a body in it on the night of Welles' death. Marcia cross examined it, and it turned out that Molly was mentally ill, also claiming to have seen Martians in Adrian's neighborhood, and her credibility was shot. Outside the court Stein told him his suspicion that he and Welles both spent time as the Vigilante, and Adrian couldn't help but completely open up and tell the whole story of how he became the Vigilante. When Stein was on the stand he admitted the evidence against Chase had been illegally obtained through his breaking into Adrian's home, and charges were dismissed. Adrian asked Stein why he saved him after pursuing him for so long, and Stein was convinced Chase was on the side of law and order, even if he didn't approve of his methods. Adrian told Marcia he loved her, and she said he'd better never leave her again.

(Vigilante I #36-38) - Adrian and Marcia boarded a flight to London, hoping to leave Adrian's past behind. The plane was hijacked by the Lebanese People's Liberation Army, and Marcia made Adrian promise to leave the terrorists to the professionals. Peacemaker boarded the plane, shooting three of the terrorists, but Vigilante, who'd heard about the situation on the police band, arrived to make sure Adrian was okay. He grabbed Peacemaker, not knowing if he was one of the good guys or not, and Peacemaker flipped out, shooting him to death before departing. Adrian blamed himself, and said that others died when he turned his back on the Vigilante, and he had no choice but to put on the mask again. Marcia begged him not to succumb to the lure of violence and madness, but he walked away from her as she wept, saying he was going to kill Peacemaker. Adrian slipped into Winston's apartment, which was being guarded by police, and took one of his spare Vigilante costumes. The police spotted him, and he shot at them, wounding one of them in the shoulder, and kicking officer Wally Jackson out the window to his death. He declared that no one would stand in the way of his mission ever again. Peacemaker's handler Valentina Vostok was a member of the shadowy government Agency, and told Vigilante, who she knew was Adrian, that she'd help him find Peacemaker and the escaped Liberation Army terrorist Jhamed, and that she'd help him. He agreed to work with her, but said he'd destroy her if she was lying to him. Jhamed was set to leave on a ship, shielded by terrorist allies, and Valentina suggested one of her men go with Vigilante. He wanted someone he trusted, and she recruited the recently fired Lt. Stein for the job. Vigilante went in blasting, killing a number of the terrorists, and Valentina chastised him, saying that Peacemaker would never show up during such carnage. She was wrong, as Peacemaker was present, and believing she brought Vigilante there to kill him he pointed a gun at her, and Vigilante drew his gun on him. Stein reminded them that they still ahd terrorists to deal with, and Vigilante and Peacemaker begrudgingly teamed up to systematically kill them. Jhamed fled the ship, and after an argument Vigilante killed him. Peacemaker was furious that Vigilante took what he saw as his kill, and they started brawling. A journalist was nearby, and recorded the fight. Peacemaker unmasked Vigilante, and Adrian Chase's secret identity was broadcast to the world. Valentina's agents broke up the fight with a hail of bullets, but both men slipped away, vowing to continue their fight to the death another time. Vigilante found cops surrounding his apartment and knew that Adrian was dead and his life from then on would be dedicated to his mission.

(Vigilante I #39, 40) - Vigilante staid in one of his safehouses, and operated as part of Valentina's Agency, because she thought he'df be perfect for the occasional black op. Stein served as his handler, and was disturbed that Vigilante refused to answer to the name Adrian anymore. Vigilante was angered that the Vigilant Americans, a loosely connected mob, claimed he was their inspiration, and spent their time attacking immigrants. Vigilante confronted some of the Americans and started beating them, telling them to stop their game. One of the men, Mitch, revealed that they were after the man who abducted his daughter, and Vigilante agreed to help him. They patrolled the local elementary schools and witnessed another kidnapping. They rammed his car, allowing his victim to escape, but he slashed Mitch's throat. Vigilante was livid, and happy to deliver a beating. The man revealed that he abducted children for clients that ran a slave ring, and Vigilante shot him in the head. Police responded, but one officer kept his partner from shooting Vigilante, saying that he was doing a good job taking scum off the streets. Vigilante and Stein looked for leads on the dirty streets of Broadway, finding an abuser named Danelli. Vigilante brought him back to his safehouse and cut him until he gave a name connected with the slavery ring, Savid Vaugn. Vigilante was prepared to shoot Danelli, but when Stein objected Vigilante told him he could decide what to do with the criminal. Vigilante raided Vaughn's penthouse, killing a number of abusers before confronting Vaughn. Vaughn had no good intel on the people he sold children to, and Vigilante shot him in the head. The police arrived, and Stein showed up to ferry Vigilante away. Vigilante said that even though he didn't save any of the children he felt the bloodshed he caused made a difference.

(Vigilante I #41) - NY's new crimeboss was disturbed with Vigilante's new murderous streak, and remembering that Dave Winston almost took him down as the Vigilante, decided to nip the problem in the bud. He put a 30K bounty on Vigilante's head, and Vigilante had to fight through the streets of Manhattan as criminals came out of the woodwork to kill him. He shot a number of the men after him, and got one of them to reveal that they were told to collect the bounty at a penthouse in the WTC. Vigilante put a gun to an innocent pilot's head, forcing him to fly his helicopter to the penthouse, and he lept through a window, confronting the boss. Vigilante tossed him out the window to his death, and said Winston was weak, allowing one of his dangerous enemies to live. Vigilante felt excited by the action, and he accepted that his death seemed inevitabvle as the Vigilante.

(Vigilante I #42, 43) - Vigilante was ready to beat a mugger to death when he saw a news report that Peacemaker was trying to kill Valentina and Stein in Washington, and decided to leave the criminal for the police. He caught a ride on Amtrak to save his friends, but was being stalked by Stringer, an assassin still trying to collect the bounty on Vigilante's head that the dead crimeboss had ordered. Their battle raged through the train until they smashed through a window. They were passing a trainyard, and Vigilante impaled Stringer on a crane's hook. The train arrived at its destination and a small army of cops were waiting for Vigilante. He used smokebombs to make it onto the streets, and engaged in a car chase until he found Valentina's building, and made his way to her office. Peacemaker was there with his gun on Stein, but the trio managed to subdue him, and Peacemaker was taken to a cell by MPs. Valentina thanked Vigilante, and said there was a job in Washington suited to his skillset.

(Vigilante I #44) - Vigilante and some federal agents busted a drug house. Stein explained that Quracan terrorists were flooding the country with crack to undermine America. Vigilante made his way up the food chain, interrogating a dealer, and then a courier. The drugs were flowing from the Qurac embassy, and Vigilante snuck inside, helped by a rampage shooter who arrived at the same time. The man, named Jerry, was an alcoholic who blamed the crack epidemic for filling all of Washington's rehab beds. Bobby, a senator's son the ambassador was keeping in a drugged up state for leverage, shot him in a drug-fueled delusion. Vigilante grabbed Bobby and destroyed the embassy with a grenade, but Bobby overdosed in his arms.

(Vigilante I #45, 46) - Witnessing Bobby's overdose snapped Vigilante out of the daze he'd been in, and he assured Stein that he no longer had a death wish, although Stein had a hard time believing him. Valentina dealt with the aftermath of the destruction of Qurac's embassy, and told Vigilante that though they'd continue their professional relationship she advised him to leave Washington for a while. He hit the streets of NYC looking for a new vigilante named Black Thorn who killed with poison tipped thorns. He came close to getting a lead from arms-dealer Reimer, but Black Thorn killed him and slipped away. Black Thorn followed him to his safehouse, and introduced herself. She stated she was attracted to him, and they spent the night together. When Vigilante woke she was gone, and had doubts about bringing her in. She led Vigilante to her, and he watched her kill a criminal. He called her a killer, and she called him a hypocrite, telling him to shoot her, or love her. After an embrace she started attacking him, saying he was playing her game now. She knocked him out with a tranq thorn, and when the police responded tot the commotion they arrested Vigilante. Charges were being prepared against the incarcerated Vigilante, starting with the murder of officer Wally Jackson, and there was a media circus reporting the case. Vigilante's court-appointed defender Bernard Price said he was in deep trouble, but Adrian was nonchalant until Price failed to contact the Agency at the number Stein had given him. Unbeknownst to him the Agency had been dissolved, fearing association between them and Vigilante. Vigilante was kept in isolation, but during his shower COs allowed a gang of vengeful criminals to corner him. Vigilante fought them off, and was returned to his cell. Thorn regretted taking her game too far, and she was determined to free Vigilante, who she was falling for. She entered his cell block disguised as an officer, but ran into officers disguised as COs who wanted to kill Vigilante for Jackson's death. Black Thorn battled them, and in the ensuing chaos Vigilante escaped with the help of agents sent by Stein.

(Vigilante I #47) - Stein brought Adrian to Gotham, where he'd be working with remnants of the Agency and GCPD liason Harvey Bullock to catch Katia, an ex-KGB spy involved in smuggling with mobster Don Carlos. Vigilante located Katia at the Regency, and Batman, who was also tracking her, ambushed him. Vigilante said he was working for the feds, but Batman ignored him, saying he was a dangerous madman and a killer, and he intended to bring him into custody. Vigilante was overwhelmed by his fighting style, but Bullock broke them up, and vouched for him. Batman agreed to settle up with the Vigilante later, after Katia was caught. They stopped the shipment of smuggled art treasures, and Vigilante found a tape of government tapes she was also smuggling. A firefight erupted between Katia's men and the feds, and Carlos' men gunned down Katia for involving them in high treason. They took aim at Vigilante, and Batman pushed him off a pier. Bullock cleaned up the mess, and Stein was disconcerted that there was no trace of Vigilante.

(Vigilante I #48, 49) - Stein went with the cover story that Adrian drowned in Gotham, holding a funeral, and setting him up with the new identity of Dean Baker so he could live something resembling a normal life. He'd requested Black Thorn's presence, and Stein took her to Adrian's new Manhattan apartment. She was overjoyed that he was alive, and he said that although he was passionate about her they still knew virtually nothing about each other. She persuaded him to talk later, and they made love. When pressed about her background she fabricated a story about becoming a vigilante because her father abused her. Adrian heard a story about a new vigilante on the streets called the Homeless Avenger, and they decided to investigate. Vigilante and Thorn questioned a group of homeless men, who saw the Avenger as a hero for protecting them from predators. Vigilante said the Avenger was still a criminal, and they responded that he was the only one who seemed to care about then. Thorn suggested painful interrogation, but Vigilante dismissed her, and worried that she treated everything like a dangerous game. They had a heated argument, she accused him of being a bleeding heart, and set off on her own, brutalizing the homeless to get a trail on the Avenger. Vigilante had decided that the Homeless Avenger was doing good work to protect the forgotten, and went to stop her from killing the Avenger. Thwey found the Avenger protecting his flock in Grand Central from a large armed gang, and he told them to leave him and his world alone. Thorn tried to kill him, and Vigilante stopped hher. They engaged in a furious battle, and he knocked her unconscious. He offered help to the Avenger, but was told to leave.

(Vigilante I #50) - Vigilante read of the Homeless Avenger's death, and wished he stuck around to help him. Thorn was still furious over their fight, and said she hated him sounding so soft. He didn't feel comfortable with his mission or the righteousness of it, and she said she had no such doubts. They argued, and after striking her he left. Vigilante kept flashing back to Doris, the woman he still mourned and still loved, and the pangs of his family's death and the deaths he caused continued to eat away at him. He went to a movie to lose himself, but when rude teenagers berated him he beat them bloody. He went into the night, killing burglars, and an entire drug den among others. Something told Vigilante he wouldn't survive the night, but he kept pushing himself. Captain Hall and his task force sprung a trap on Vigilante, and he came out blazing, shooting several officers and killing Captain Hall. Vigilante returned home, and decided that he'd become a killer and a madman, so he had to take himself out. Reflecting on his lost loved ones, he put a gun to his head and committed suicide.

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