The Defenders actor Scott Glenn sees his character Stick as a soldier in a 'desperate war'. As is appropriate when one considers just how many amazing characters the Marvel comic universe houses at any given time, Netflix's Marvel Studios TV dramas have played host to multiple worthwhile supporting players already, with no apparent end in sight. Arguably one of the most intriguing so far was introduced way back in Daredevil season 1, that being Stick (Scott Glenn), the blind warrior who trained Matt Murdock.
Despite their close ties though, Stick and Matt often find themselves on opposite ends of the moral spectrum. Stick doesn't believe in taking prisoners, and firmly buys into the idea that the ends of defeating the villainous Hand justify any deadly means necessary. This was put on stark display during Daredevil season 2, with Matt's ideals contrasted with Stick's other formidable student, Elektra. Elektra has no problem killing her foes, and fails to understand just why it bothers Matt to do so.
When Daredevil season 2 came to an end, Stick remained very much alive, despite several close calls. His survival was mostly thanks to former student Matt, although he'd likely be unwilling to admit it to anyone else. During a recent interview with AOL Build, Glenn was asked about where exactly Stick sits on the scale of good guy and bad guy post-season 2 and pre-Defenders. Here's what he had to say on the subject.
"A weird grey area. It’s like Daredevil and Elektra are my kids and I essentially adopt them both, trained them to fight. The written problem I have with Daredevil is the one line he won’t cross – taking human life. He’ll beat people up horrendously, put them in a hospital, do whatever he has to do but he won’t kill people. All I do is kill people. And working with the Chaste, I’m a blind assassin. [...] I’m a Defender against the worst evil in the world and my only way of dealing with that is killing people. So it is a grey area kind of thing. I don’t think of myself as a bad person. But I don’t think of myself as a particularly good person either. And the way I work with that is that I’m a soldier in combat in a desperate war and that’s the way I have to behave."
Like the majority of major surviving characters in Marvel's Netflix series so far, Stick will of course play a role in The Defenders miniseries, although it's not entirely clear just how pivotal of a part he'll play in the story. After all, the confirmed cast is quite immense for only eight episodes, and the focus will likely stay mostly on the titular team of four heroes. Still, based on Glenn's powerhouse acting ability, it's hard to imagine that he won't make an impact in whatever screen time he's given.
Based on Glenn's self-assessment above though, it'll be interesting to see just how on the Defenders' side he ends up being. While it's highly unlikely that he'd actually align with the side of evil, he definitely is far from a pure soul, and would probably become annoyed at trying to work within the constraints of the no-killing policy (usually) espoused by Daredevil, Jessica, Luke, and Iron Fist. If one thing's for sure, it's that Stick won't be content to stay on the sidelines of the fight.
Next: How The Defenders Sets the Stage for Heroes for Hire
The Defenders takes the fight to Netflix on August 18, with The Punisher coming later this year. Daredevil seasons 1 and 2, Jessica Jones season 1, Luke Cage season 1, and Iron Fist season 1 are now available on Netflix. Premiere dates for the next seasons of Jessica Jones, Daredevil, and Luke Cage have not yet been revealed.
Source: AOL Build