The seventh episode of Daredevil answers the question, “How did Matt Murdock learn to fight?” And that answer is Stick, an old blind man with a bad attitude, who then comes back into Matt’s life without warning. Through flashbacks we learn that Stick approached Matt while he was in the orphanage, still struggling with the improvement in his senses. Stick has a no bullshit persona and even though Matt is a blind orphan, the old man shows him exactly zero sympathy. (I’m told he’s actually nicer in the show than in the comics.)
Stick shows up because he begrudgingly needs Matt’s help with stopping a weapon called Black Sky. Only, it’s not a weapon. It’s a child, and a line Matt refuses to cross. He delays Stick from killing the child, but ultimately fails. Back in Matt’s apartment, the pair fights, and ends with Stick saying, “I wanted a soldier and you wanted a father. Guess we were both left disappointed.”
It was nice seeing the dichotomy between Matt’s father Jack and Stick, and the influence both had over him. Being a boxer, you would expect Jack to teach Matt to fight, but instead it’s the blind man. However, compared to the two episodes that bookend this one, “Stick” just can’t compare.
Who was the mystery man that Stick was talking to at the end of the episode? Find out here.
