Daredevil
Marvel’sThe Defendersarrives on Netflix , signalling the culmination of the studio apartment ’s design to replicate their ridiculously successful cinematic model on the small sieve .
Not only does the miniseries see the tax return ofDaredevil , Jessica Jones , Luke Cage , andIron Fist – drawn together to shape the eponymous superhero squad – but also several of the support player from each of their respective serial publication .
Among these conversant faces , without doubtfulness the most mysterious is Daredevil ’s former wise man Stick . Unlike fellow guests star likeElektraorthe Punisher , Matt Murdock ’s oracular warriorlike arts master stand up out by virtue of just how little special information fan of the comics love about him .
He might have been around for over 35 long time , but Stick has keep his cards fairly close to his chest , disclose very small about his past during this time . What was his puerility like ? Has he ever been in love ? Exactly when did he bug out referring to himself as a descend tree diagram branch ? Your guessing is as expert as anyone ’s !
Still , there are at leastsomethings we know about creator Frank Miller ’s forward-looking twist on the “ unsighted samurai ” archetype , some of which may have a bearing on the plot of land ofThe Defenders . With that in idea , we ’ve done some excavation and pulled together this leaning of15 thing You Did n’t Know About Stick !
15. He’s The Inspiration Behind Master Splinter
Something many hardcore comics geek – but far few casual fans – will be mindful of is thatTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtlesstarted life partially as a parody of the wildly popularDaredevilcomics of the 1980s .
It ’s even strongly implied that the radioactive ooze responsible for the turtle ’s metamorphosis was the same toxic waste that dim Daredevil and spark his powers !
However , it ’s not just Leonardo , Donatello , Michaelangelo , and Raphael that owe a debt to ol’ Hornhead – their martial arts instructor ( and humanoid informer ) Master Splinter was based on Stick , as well !
This lovesome ribbing extend to Splinter and the Turtles ’ archenemies The Foot , who are a thinly - obscure , playful slam at Stick ’s nemesesThe manus .
They say that imitation is the sincere form of flattery , although it ’s debatable how thrilled Stick would be to sleep with he was inspiration behind an overgrown , ninjitsu - practicing vermin !
14. He Wasn’t Originally Part Of Daredevil’s Origin
It ’s arduous to imagine now , give how engrained Stick is in theDaredevilmythos , but the soldierlike artistry master was n’t actually part of Matt Murdock ’s original descent story !
Prior to Frank Miller take over the comics , Daredevil ’s fighting vogue was a coalition of superhuman stunting and packing acquirement picked up from growing up around his forefather , “ Battlin ’ ” Jack Murdock .
It was only following the introduction of Stick – as well as other oriental elements to the mythos , like The Hand – that it was retroactively established that Matt had been educate in warlike arts .
This dish out to dramatically vary the flavor and direction of Daredevil ’s characterization , metamorphose him into something close to a incubation , samurai - like figure , unlike his anterior swashbuckling self .
lover seemed to respond well to the change – and to Stick – as subsequent writers in both comics and other media have follow Miller ’s lead ( although there has been a recent push button to somewhat lighten the tone of the progressively morose Good Book ) .
13. He’s Died (And Been Reincarnated As A Baby)
Whilst last is a pretty big hand in the veridical world , in comics , it ’s very often akin to a bad case of the grippe : it ’ll put you out of action mechanism for a while , butyou’ll be back on your animal foot eventually .
This test no different in Stick ’s case , after the ornery old geezer sacrificed himself to economise Daredevil andBlack Widowduring a battle with the Hand .
Even though his destruction – which basically amounted to the mystical eq of blow himself up ! – come along fairly irreversible , Stick would finally be reincarnated as a newborn baby .
Once the Hand got lead that their old enemy had set up his way back to the acres of the living , they made it their mission to vote out the tyke .
luckily , thanks to the combine efforts of Daredevil and the group known as the Chaste ( more on them later ) , lil ’ Stick survived the Hand ’s repeat assassination attempts !
12. He’s Also Been Resurrected As An Adult
Most hoi polloi are prosperous to be uprise once , but Stick has really grapple itthreetimes – the 2d and third as a full - grown adult !
During the third Contest of Champions , alien hoarder the Collector revived the revered martial artist in fiat to fight on his behalf against the Grandmaster .
However , Stick ’s fortune does n’t last , and he ’s later on all disintegrated by a futuristic variation of the Punisher . As with his earlier demise , you ’d be forgive for thinking no one could go back from such a mortal injury – but the wily sensei again proves he ’s a arduous man to kill !
See , fellow contestant the Maestro ( aka “ EvilHulkFrom The Future ” ) by chance revives Stick whilst playing around with a crazy - powerful art object of hardware called an Iso - Sphere .
make the most of his third lease on life story , Stick not only hold up the tournament , but make his way back to Earth , too .
Of naturally , the tangible question here is just how someone can be reborn as an infantandan adult without first dying in - between , but we ’ll leave that risible book scientist ( and theologizer ) to explain !
11. He Once Cured Wolverine Of His Feral State Of Mind
X - ManWolverineis well - fuck for his battle to control the animalistic side of his personality – and he once had help doing so from Stick !
Having reverted to a savage land of idea and pass into a dangerous berserk , Wolverine encountered Stick . take care that his help was demand , the revered tutor then deploy his common education technique to heal the Canadian mutation – he flogged Wolverine with his faculty and barked snide remarks at him .
Now , you may not approve of this sort of “ tough passion ” approach to genial health care – and in comeliness , many would argue that it form abuse rather than psychotherapy .
But give that he successfully work Logan back to his senses , while you may quibble over Stick ’s methods , it ’s voiceless to argue with his results !
10. His Ultimate Incarnation Became A Vampire
Back in the former 2000s , Marvel launched the Ultimate line of comics : a separate persistence featuring fresh take on their most popular heroes , undress of decades of storytelling luggage .
Within this new history , Stick was still show as one of Daredevil ’s teacher , who ( along with a guy named Anthony ) trained Matt Murdock in ninjutsu so as to press vampires , no less ( he would , also go on to train Hornhead ’s substitute , after Murdock is killed ) .
Where things really get interesting – not to remark kind of crazy – is when this interpretation of Stick is bitten by a lamia himself , transform him into an undead bloodsucker as well !
From there , things get even more complicated ( and horrific ) , but do it to say that the blind warrior is at long last teleport to Iran byCaptain America , where he is summarily slay by vampire hunterBlade .
9. He Was Portrayed By General Zod
For a coevals ofSupermanfans , Terence StampisGeneral Zod , thanks to his iconic carrying into action as the despotical escaped Kryptonian convict inSuperman II .
But what a stack of fan might not bed – or at the very least , may well have forgotten – is that the applaud British thespian also once portrayed Stick , in the widely pannedElektramovie .
A spin - off from the evenly malignedDaredevilfilm starring Ben Affleck , Elektrasaw Stick resurrect Jennifer Garner ’s titulary assassin , after she was become into a human shish kebab by rival Bullseye .
Similar to the comics and Netflix serial , the aged sensei ab initio tries to take Elektra under his wing , only to barf her out for being spiritually impure .
Unlike the comics , the twosome later reconcile , leaving each other on good terminus when the ending credits stray – which is more than can be enjoin for most fan exiting movie theater screeningElektraback in 2005 .
8. He Didn’t Develop His Powers Via An Accident
As we ’ve already established , there ’s not a lot we have it away about Stick . But one thing seems fairly certain : he did n’t rise his powers because of an accident .
Unlike Daredevil – who received his ability following a head - on collision with a radioactive isotope – Stick arrogate to have perfect his own powers through good old fashioned breeding alone .
Taking things a stone’s throw further , according to the Netflix series , Matt ’s mentor was actually born blind , making his accomplishments all the more impressive .
Intriguingly , Stick once suggested that Daredevil ’s powers ( much like his own ) were n’t a side effect of the radiation therapy he was break to . Rather , he hint that this simply served to sound off - first Matt ’s heightened senses – however , frustratingly , the mystical old coot died before he could elaborate any further !
7. He Was Nearly Played By Sonny Chiba
Stick is bring to life in the Netflix series by veteran thespian Scott Glenn , who – with his close - cropped grey hair and gruff voice – is a penny-pinching match to Frank Miller ’s original character pattern .
That aver , Daredevilseason 1 showrunner Steven S. DeKnight closely extend in a very different direction when filling the role , as he urgently wanted to cast Nipponese performer Sonny Chiba .
A caption of Nipponese cinema , Chiba is probably well known to Western audiences as strike out swordsmith Hattori Hanzo in Quentin Tarantino’sKill Bill Vol.1 .
However , buff of outside cinema will recognise him as an award - winning actor and skilled warlike artist – not to mention accomplished director , singer and manufacturer – who has starred in over 125 films !
unhappily for DeKnight and fans of Chiba ’s work , his dreaming casting never came to fruition . Still , Scott Glenn does a fine Book of Job regardless , so perhaps it ’s best we appreciate the Stick we have ( rather than lament the one we missed out on !
6. He Can Evade Daredevil’s Senses
Daredevil ’s heighten senses – including his radar - like power to observe his surroundings – make it rather baffling to get him unawares .
This does n’t seem to apply to Stick , though , as the sneaky customer has shown himself able to ward off detection by his former school-age child on several occasions !
Much of this can be attribute to Stick ’s lengthy martial arts vocation . The old fellow has been making like a ninja for so darn long , his stealth acquirement are simply off the chart !
And yet there may be more to it than that . As we ’ll get into in more contingent shortly , Stick ’s powers often appear to go beyond even the superhuman , set ashore in the domain of the outright supernatural .
As such , it seems that it ’s more than mere facility of movement that has allow for Stick to lead by the nose Daredevil ’s gumption – although as with so much about the man , we may never know for certain !
5. He’s 90 Years Old (According To The MCU)
In theDaredevilcomic Good Book , we never find out exactly how former Stick is – although it ’s taken as a given that he ’s no spring poulet .
In the Netflix series ( lay in theMarvel Cinematic Universe ) , however , he ’s patently well into his ninety !
This surprising nugget of data comes courtesy of Scott Glenn ( who is incidentally much younger at 76 ) , who revealed his character ’s years during a promotional consultation for the show .
agree to Glenn , it ’s only thanks to Stick ’s ninjitsu backdrop that he ’s cope to remain so physically life-sustaining despite restrict as a nonagenarian .
Indeed , the old schoolmaster is n’t just in great flesh for his long time , he ’s allegedly as strong and fit as someone decades his junior – which explains how he can agitate aboard ( and now and then against ) young whippersnapper like Matt and Elektra from fourth dimension to time !
4. His Powers Are Far Greater Than Daredevil’s
lunatic may not be on the same power level as a true Marvel power plant likeThoror the Hulk , but he ’s still demonstrated some impressive talents over the days .
This makes it all the more notable that Stick ’s own abilities do n’t just equal Hornhead ’s – they actually exceed them !
For newbie , his radiolocation gumption is considerably better develop than Matt Murdock ’s ( whether or not his more conventional senses are also higher-ranking is up for debate ) .
Then there ’s the acquirement Stick has that Matt does n’t , include several mystical office developed over decennium pass overcome the fine art of ninjitsu .
Not only is he capable to manipulate his Chi ( or living force-out ) in fiat to pass along telepathically with others , he can also undertake other more awe-inspiring feats , like fatally draining the life force of his opponents .
It seems that Stick originally hoped to pass this knowledge on to Daredevil before he died ( the first time , that is ) , but until then , our hero will have to make do with the powers he ’s already got !
3. He’s The Leader Of The Chaste
As mentioned before , Stick has other friend outside of Daredevil – he ’s also the leader of the warrior order get laid as The Chaste . The elect members of this radical each own abilities similar to their boss , and are all just as committed to bringing down the Hand as he is .
They also own a unearthly penchant for adopting epithet base around their key distinctive trait . Hence , Stick go by “ Stick ” because he uses a staff , Stone adopted his moniker because of his electric resistance to bother , and so on and so away .
The Chaste ’s base of operations can only be get at by rise an absurdly high-pitched , cobwebby mountain face know as “ The Wall ” ( not too unlike from that see inGame of Thrones , get to think of it ) .
sputter up this seemingly impassable obstruction doubles as an audition of sorts for Chaste rank , and as such , explains why the order ’s annual intake tend to be quite low !
2. He’s Handy With A Pool Cue
Say you ’re a unreasoning elderly chap in need of cash and possessed of a preternatural gift for speck accuracy – your just ( nay , only ) option is to become a pond hustler , veracious ?
This certainly seems to have been Stick ’s logical system , as when Matt Murdock bilk paths with his former sensei years after they split , he chance on him defecate like Paul Newman inThe Color of Money !
If you think about it , there ’s no just streetwalker bunco game than fronting up as a eyeless person , cognise that your superhuman mother wit will allow you to school much anyone you play .
And before you feeltoobad about Stick ’s miserable marks , recall : these are all guys who were willing to vie with ablindman in a game of syndicate !
1. Nobody Knows His Real Name
In all the fourth dimension Stick has been kicking around theMarvel Universe , nobody come along to have learned his veridical name .
True , the members of the Chaste could conceivably know his rightful handle , but considering he was their leader and presumably recruited and train them all , this seems improbable .
One thing ’s for sure , however : Daredevil definitely does n’t know . Heck , Matt Murdock possesses so little concrete entropy about his former teacher , they could almost be strangers !
Whilst any chances of uncovering Stick ’s name seemed to cash in one’s chips with him , his subsequent resurrections do provide a slim hope that this might one solar day come to legislate .
On the other hand , given just how secretive Stick is , it ’s far more likely that this will remain one of funnies ’ enceinte , unsolved mysteries !
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