#protective matt murdock

[capybaramurdock]

♡ RED RING — Daredevil x Reader Series Masterlist ♡

Arranged marriage. Emotional tension. A slow burn set in the heart of Hell’s Kitchen.

Pairing: Daredevil/Matt Murdock x Fem!Reader

Rating: 18+ Mature (eventual smut, angst, and canon-typical violence)

Summary:

Matt Murdock never believed in arranged marriages—until he agreed to one. To protect a women’s shelter and the woman who runs it, he strikes a dangerous deal with her father, a man whose morality is as murky as Hell’s Kitchen itself.

She’s softer than he expected. Kinder. And nothing like the family she comes from.

But Matt knows that in a world where nothing is truly free, even kindness can be a weapon.

She’s an enigma. A mystery wrapped in quiet warmth and hidden shadows.

Prefer to read on ao3? Available on there too! https://archiveofourown.org/works/64668514

Chapters:

♡ Chapter 1 — “The Scream in the Rain” (Matt’s POV - 25 Days Until the Wedding)

♡ Chapter 2 — “The Man at the Door” (Reader POV – 25 Days Until the Wedding)

♡ Chapter 3 — “The Offer” (Matt POV – 24 Days Until the Wedding)

♡ Chapter 4 — “The Bargain” (Reader POV – 23 Days Until the Wedding)

♡ Chapter 5 — “The Proposal” (Shared POV – 22 Days Until the Wedding)

♡ Chapter 6 — “Through the Glass” (Matt POV – 21 Days Until the Wedding)

♡ Chapter 7 — “The Bed and the Storm” (Reader POV – 20 Days Until the Wedding)

♡ Chapter 8 — “The Guest List” (Shared POV – 19 Days Until the Wedding)

♡ Chapter 9 — “The Doubt Creeps In” (Matt POV – 18 Days Until the Wedding)

♡ Chapter 10 — “Paparazzi” (Reader POV – 17 Days Until the Wedding)

♡ Chapter 11 — “The Church” (Matt POV – 16 Days Until the Wedding)

♡ Chapter 12 — “The Weight of His Hands” (Shared POV – 15 Days Until the Wedding)

♡ Chapter 13 — “The Dress that Doesn't Fit” (Reader POV – 14 Days Until the Wedding)

♡ Chapter 14 — “The Menu and the Misunderstanding” (Matt POV – 13 Days Until the Wedding)

♡ Chapter 15 — “The Cake and the Chase” (Shared POV – 12 Days Until the Wedding)

♡ Chapter 16 — “The Interview Trap” (Matt POV – 11 Days Until the Wedding)

♡ Chapter 17 — “The Late Night List” (Reader POV – 10 Days Until the Wedding)

♡ Chapter 18 — “The Night It Cracks” (Shared POV – 9 Days Until the Wedding)

♡ Chapter 19 — "The Tail" (Matt POV – 8 Days Until the Wedding)

♡ Chapter 20 — “The Fallout” (Shared POV – 7 Days Until the Wedding)

♡ Chapter 21 — “The Breaking Point” (Reader POV – 6 Days Until the Wedding)

♡ Chapter 22 — “The Scripted Toast” (Shared POV – 5 Days Until the Wedding)

♡ Chapter 23 — “The Photograph” (Shared POV – 4 Days Until the Wedding)

♡ Chapter 24 — “The Reckoning” (Matt POV – 3 Days Until the Wedding)

♡ Chapter 25 — “The Dress” (Shared POV – 2 Days Until the Wedding)

♡ Chapter 26 — “The Silence Before” (Shared POV – 1 Day Until the Wedding)

♡ Chapter 27 — “The Altar” (Shared POV – Day of the Wedding)

♡ Chapter 28 — “The Vow” (Shared POV – Day of the Wedding)

♡ Chapter 29 — “The Night That Was Theirs” (Shared POV – Night of the Wedding)

♡ Chapter 30 — Epilogue

[roennq]

Moments: 8/x Foggy discovers Matt is the masked man ↪ "Where's Matt? What'd you do to him?"

[defenderassemble]

i need everyone to understand that we quite literally brought this series back from the dead, there's absolutely NO WAY the same thing isn't happening with foggy !!

[ravenhairedwaywanderer]

[littlebirdygirlywriting]

I’m sorry, but “his emotional support neighbor” is one of the best things I’ve ever heard! Like—I wanna be that SO BAD for him! Just let me teleport into this universe.

Neighbor Pt. 3

Matt Murdock x Reader

Summary: Matt hears her come home from a date, and interrupts when he hears it go south.

Words: just above 2k

A/N: So this series is basically different excerpts, so the chapters may not fall right into each other if that makes sense... so here's another night of them being neighbors! Hope you enjoy :)

Genres: light angst, comfort, fluff

Part 2

Matt came home to a quiet and cold apartment. After jiggling his keys in the lock a few times, his musty old door finally opened, and he was met with the cool draft that came in from his even older windows. Pushing the door closed with his back, he sighed deeply and dropped his suitcase on the floor. He hung his head low. 

Today was long. Too many papers at the office, too many people to talk to… or maybe, the night before, he spent too much time out as Daredevil and barely got any sleep. Or maybe he had trouble falling asleep. Matt wasn’t sure, but it didn’t matter. He was finally home. 

It seemed like everyone else in the building had livelier apartments than he did—he could smell spaghetti from an apartment below him, with jazz music playing in the background. Another apartment had children laughing at a cartoon. Another one was having guests over for dinner. Even Fran, the apartment’s snoop, had brownies in the oven. Of course—it was Friday night, and people like them had plans. 

Their apartments were all warm and inviting. But not his. It was cold and empty, and nothing played in the background—only these heightened sounds in his ears and his thoughts. His ever so dreadful thoughts. 

But what about hers?

He cocked his head against the door to listen closely to her apartment. What was she doing? Nothing seemed to be going on. No tea was on the kettle. Not even the sound of pages being turned in a book. She wasn’t home. 

Matt furrowed his brows at this—he knew she had the morning shift today because they had their usual morning greeting and walked each other out. Part of him was disappointed he couldn’t share his lonesome with her, but the other part felt guilty because, of course, she had plans. While Matt was reclusive and preferred the dark, she was friendly, inviting, and liked to be out. Why would she waste her radiance on being locked up in her apartment? 

So, Matt did what he normally did. Instead of being at home alone with his thoughts, he changed into his Daredevil gear and waited on his rooftop for something, anything, to call for him. Eventually, it did, but something was missing tonight. 

***

He wasn’t out for long. 

He was missing punches, throwing them too soon, otherwise just overall thrown off. Something was off. After stopping a robbery, and nearly taking a bullet to his shoulder, Matt tapped out. He sulked in his gear all the way home and stomped down the steps from his roof, back to his cold and empty apartment. 

It was nearly midnight. Some people in the building were awake, and others getting ready for bed. And still, she wasn’t home. 

Is she okay? 

Matt pushed any thought of worry away. Pushed any thought or feeling of attachment away. After all, she was just his neighbor. His neighbor who sometimes said hello to him, who sometimes dropped a book off in braille for him. Not his emotional support neighbor. Just a neighbor, whom Matt couldn’t keep himself from listening to her calming presence. 

So what if he liked her anyway, just a little bit? 

She would never get involved with a complicated man like him, who held so many secrets and even more baggage. 

Plus, they were neighbors. It could neverwork out. 

Matt immediately stripped himself of his Daredevil gear and stepped into a hot, steaming shower, to wash these thoughts of her away. Wash this awful night away. Wash the dried blood on his skin away. 

He lay in his bed, silk sheets sprawled over his half-naked body. He had his hands behind his head on his pillow, senseless eyes staring up at the ceiling. The building was winding down, finally. No loud conversations, no ovens beeping. Just people getting into bed and soft snores. 

And then, he heard it. 

The front door of the building unlocked. Footsteps make their way up the stairs. That familiar and therapeutic scent of warm vanilla filled his senses. Finally, she was home. 

But she wasn’t alone.

“I had a good time tonight,” he heard her say on her way up the stairs. Heavy footsteps followed closely behind her. Matt listened to her heartbeat and furrowed his brows—she wasn’t telling the truth. 

“Me too,” a smooth, masculine voice said. “Are you sure you don’t want to have some coffee?”

“Oh yeah,” she said nervously, masked by a high-pitched tone. She was being overly nice. Cautious. “We had so much food at that restaurant. I’m stuffed. I’m honestly ready for bed,” she laughed, again, a quiver in her laugh. Matt sat up on his elbows as he listened closely. 

“Me too,” the man repeated, in a tone Matt didn’t like. Conniving. Entitled. There was an underlying message. 

“Well, here’s my place,” she announced, placing a hand on her door. Matt noticed she often forgot to grab her keys when she was nervous. Matt had made her nervous that one morning, but nothing like this. She was… uncomfortable now. She wanted this man to leave. “You didn’t have to walk me up.”

And there it is. 

“I wanted to,” he said, leaning against her door, blocking her from the lock. “I thought maybe you could show me the inside.”

“I, uh,” she stammered, fidgeting for her keys unsuccessfully. “I don’t know, it’s late…”

In an instant, Matt throws on a shirt, gray sweatpants, and his dark glasses and hurriedly walks to his door to meet her and this stranger in the hallway. This stranger who won’t leave her alone, who takes the hint and ignores it, this stranger who’s making his neighbor uncomfortable. 

Her heart leaps when she sees Matt suddenly coming outside his door, brown hair disheveled and a smile on his face. 

“Matt!” She exclaimed. “I’m sorry, was I loud?”

“Not at all,” Matt smiled through gritted teeth. “Just thought I forgot my mail. That’s all. What are you up to?”

“Um…”

“We’re on a date,” the man states plainly. Matt pretends to be shocked, that he didn’t know someone else was there. He feigns surprise and lifts his eyebrows. 

“Oh,” Matt said, “Sorry. I didn’t realize.” 

“There’s no mail,” the man said curtly, clearly upset that Matt interrupted whatever it was he had planned. “You can go back into your apartment now.” An icy tone. 

Matt took a step forward, eyebrows tightening, jaw clenched. He wants to tell this man that he can break every bone in his body. He wants to tell him that if he ever hears him in this building again, he’ll make him beg for mercy. He listens to the man's body muscles tightening, his heart rate is fast in anger. Whatever his plans with her were, they weren’t pure.

But Matt remembers she’s here, witnessing this, scared. He doesn’t want to be whatever that man is. He wants to show her he cares enough about her to walk out of his apartment at midnight and save her from whatever is happening. 

So, instead of answering the man with a threat, he looks in her direction—concern etched in his expression, care in his voice. 

“Is everything all right?” Matt asks her. 

She shakes her head, mistakenly. She quivers a weak “no.” 

The man stood menacingly over her. If she didn’t open her door for him, he’d manipulate her into doing it eventually. And Matt was interrupting his plan, he knew it. The man didn’t like that. Well, Matt wasn’t going anywhere until he left her alone.

He walks up to Matt, close enough so they’re standing face to face. Matt can smell the rum on his breath, which reeked with bad intentions. His hands turned to fists as the man began to speak whatever bullshit threat he tried to come up with. But Matt cuts him off.

“If you don’t leave this apartment in the next thirty seconds, I will have Detective Brett Mahoney and the entire 15th Precinct outside for your arrest for harassment and intimidation. Or worse—I’ll have the apartment snoop named Fran come out and scare you herself. Have I made myself clear?” Matt spoke through gritted teeth, keeping his voice calm and even. 

The man was looking at Matt like he really had the nerve—and he did. She stood there, watching this all unfold, wanting nothing more than to lock herself in her apartment and shut her phone off for a week. 

He stared Matt down, trying to find any glare behind his dark red glasses. All he saw was his angry expression in the reflection. How can he be intimidating to a blind man? Matt is blind to an extent, but he’s not blind to people with malicious intentions. 

All he does is scoff at Matt. He turns on his heel and looks at her as she cowers into the corner of her door. Matt takes a step forward immediately to stand between him and her. He scoffs again. 

“Didn’t know you were fucking your neighbor,” he spat before bounding down the stairs, slamming the door behind him. 

Matt stood for a moment, listening to the man curse to himself outside, kick a random can on the ground, and walk himself down the street before entering a taxi and returning himself to whatever hell he came from. It wasn’t until Matt was sure he was gone from the vicinity that he heard a loud stomping again, booming in his ears, that he realized it was her scared, frantic heartbeat coming from behind him. 

Matt turned around to face her, taking a step back to give her some space. “Hey,” he cooed. “Are you okay?” 

“Yeah,” she lied, placing a hand over her heart in an attempt to calm herself down. “Well, now I am. Goodness… he wouldn’t take a hint.” 

Matt sighed. “I think he was ignoring them on purpose. Who was he, anyway?”

“Some guy I went on a first—and last—date with,” she answered sheepishly. “I didn’t even want to go. My friends encouraged me to get myself out there. Clearly, it was a mistake.” 

“I’m sorry he treated you like that. You don’t deserve that,” Matt replied in a soft tone, your usual calm heart beating frantically still. “You should never do anything you’re uncomfortable with. Even if it’s as simple as a first date.”

“I know,” she said, defeated like she’d told herself this before. “I don’t know what would’ve happened if you hadn’t come out. Thank you, Matt.” 

“No need to thank me,” Matt said, shaking his head. “That’s what neighbors are for.”

She smiled softly. “You’ll save me from my next bad date?”

Matt laughed, glad that she seemed to calm down and was back to her friendly, unafraid self. “It’s late,” he said softly, deflecting from her joke. He didn’t want her to go on another bad date—she didn’t deserve that. But he also didn’t want her to go on a date with someone other than him. Which was why he was about to wish her goodnight. 

“It is,” she yawned. “Well, maybe I’ll see you in the morning. Goodnight.”

“Goodnight,” Matt whispered. “Don’t forget to lock your door.”

She giggled, already letting herself inside. “I won’t.” 

“Hey,” she said suddenly, half inside her apartment, half out. From this alone, Matt was looped in her scent. “You don't think he will come back, do you? Now he knows where I live.”

“He won’t,” Matt shook his head, “and if he does, I will deal with it. Don’t worry. Get some sleep, okay?”

“Okay. Thank you again, Matt.” 

She closed her door softly, and Matt waited until he heard the lock click before he went back inside his apartment. 

Laying in his bed, he listened as she crawled into her bed in her apartment. Her heartbeat told him she was still awake. When he heard it slowed down, signaling she had fallen asleep, he closed his eyes and drifted into a slumber himself. 

TAGS: @mattmurdocksstarlight @yentroucnagol @danzer8705 @allllium @i-marvel-bitch @mattsgirlsworld @babygrlmurdock @writtenbyred

[smollkittykat]

[ Marvel's Daredevil Season 3 Ep 06 ]

[darcyofmine]

« And it’s true with Karen and Foggy » 👀👀👀

Deb’s « 100% » is no surprise cuz Karen 100% is a loner and she ran to the other side of the country to cope with it.

But Foggy ? 👀 why would he be « alone » ?

[mattmurdeaux]

MATT MURDOCK'S THOUGHT PROCESS FOR HIS SEASON 1 BLACK SUIT

0% Safety, 100% Slutty 👌

Based on

[capybaramurdock]

Red Ring Series ♡Chapter One♡

The Scream in the Rain – (Matt’s POV – 25 Days Until the Wedding)

“God, does her voice make him feel like someone worth patching up…”

Summary: It’s late, it’s raining, and Matt’s shoes are soaked. He isn’t in the suit. But when a scream cuts through the night, he moves anyway.

⚠️ Content Warning:

This chapter contains an implied attempted assault (non-explicit), brief but intense violence, and references to trauma. It’s not graphic, but it is emotionally heavy—please take care while reading.

The scene is written with sensitivity and focuses on Matt’s perspective as he intervenes. If you’re ever unsure, feel free to skip ahead to the shelter scene (you’ll know when you get there—there’s a mention of cocoa in there). ☕️💛

As always, your comfort comes first. 🩷

Series Masterlist | Next Chapter

Prefer to read on ao3? Chapter one is available there too! https://archiveofourown.org/works/64668514

Credit to @dollywons for the border dividers!!

It’s late. Raining.

Though, it feels like it always is at the moment.

Matt was on his way home, shoes soaked fully through from the puddles that always collect on the sidewalks of Hell’s Kitchen. The drainage is always the worst on these streets.

He’d stayed later than usual at the firm—paperwork, court prep, Foggy’s endless questions about why Matt had been acting even weirder than normal lately.

He didn’t answer them. He never does.

Not wanting to involve Foggy in what he does at night.

He’s halfway through crossing 47th when he hears it.

A scream—cut off way too fast.

Female. Tight with panic. Close.

He freezes. Rain slicks his hair to his forehead. His cane taps once against the sidewalk before he folds it, holding onto it in a death grip. His jaw tightens.

No black suit. No mask. No armor.

Not like he wore much in the first place, though.

But that doesn’t matter.

Matt moves.

He sprints down the block, heartbeat steady, breath sharp in his throat. He throws his folded-up cane away from him, not caring where it lands right now. Each step brings more sounds—footfalls scuffling in an alley, a muttered curse, the drag of fabric against brick. A struggle. Desperation.

He rounds the corner and—

Immediately focuses closer.

One heartbeat racing. One steady and angry.

A scuffle. A threat. One hand raised ready to strike, one around the woman’s throat.

Matt doesn’t think, but he never really does.

He just reacts.

He grabs a discarded piece of plastic from the sidewalk and hurls it at the streetlight above.

The bulb shatters with a sharp pop, plunging the alley into shadow.

Darkness is his comfort. Not theirs.

Matt lunges. His hand snags the back of the man’s hoodie, yanking him away from the woman. In one swift move, he twists the fabric around the man’s neck and pulls, using the momentum to spin him around and slam his back into the brick wall.

The impact leaves the man dazed—just enough.

Matt jerks the hood over the guy’s face and drives his fist into it.

Once.

Twice.

Again.

Until he hears it—the shift in the man’s breathing, stuttering into unconsciousness.

Only then does he stop.

The alley goes quiet but for his ragged breath and the rain.

Still breathing hard, trying to calm down, he hears the woman whimper nearby.

He slowly and gently lifts his tinted glasses so she can see his eyes.

Trying to get her comfortable enough to let him help her out of the alleyway.

Once he gently draws her from the corner she had curled herself up into—reminding him of the stray cats all over Hell’s Kitchen with how skittish she is—he gently helps her up, letting her get steady on her feet before he eases his grip on her.

He keeps a light arm around her, just to make sure she stays up as he starts guiding her in the direction of a women’s shelter that he remembered Foggy said was in the neighborhood.

She’s trembling heavily from cold rain and shock.

He can feel the thin jacket of hers soaked through, smell the copper of blood from her split lip, and hear her eyes darting and blinking quickly—like prey still waiting for the trap to spring that she’s still unsure if Matt has set or not.

She hadn’t said much since Matt helped her to her feet—just a half-whispered “thank you” and a question that’s haunted them both since:

“Is h-he coming back? You d-don’t think he’ll be able t-to find me, right?”

Matt hadn’t answered.

He didn’t want to lie.

He doesn’t ask her name either.

She doesn’t offer it.

And he can’t really blame her for that.

They reach the shelter’s entrance—low-lit, tucked behind a worn gate. He knocks twice.

Footsteps.

And then—her.

The door creaks open, and a soft voice cuts through the rain like something sacred.

“Oh, hi! Hey there, come on in. You’re safe now, sweetheart. I got ya, we got ya.”

It’s the warmth that does it.

Not just the words, but the tone—gentle, solid, real.

The girl exhales like she’s been holding her breath for hours.

Her heartbeat slows.

Matt listens intently.

Listens to the way her muscles unclench as she lets her nerves ease little by little.

The way her boots slowly clomp on the concrete as she finally steps forward.

He doesn’t know the woman at the door.

But something about her voice—about the way the girl steps toward it without question—lodges in his chest.

He hears her coax the girl inside, something about a warm blanket and cocoa, something the poor girl definitely needs.

It’s soft and safe and not meant for someone like him.

He turns.

Starts walking back into the alley—back into the dark where he belongs.

He hears that gentle tone again, almost like her voice is the warm cocoa itself.

“Hey, wait, do you need anything?”

He stops.

The words are gentle, almost an afterthought.

But they hit harder than the punches he threw tonight.

He shouldn’t.

He doesn’t need—

But his hands ache.

Maybe his heart does, too?

And her voice…

All he can think is:

“God, does her voice make him feel like someone worth patching up…”

💖 Taglist open—message/comment to join! 💖 🥀 Likes, reblogs, and comments cherished! 🥀

[yourenotdonefighting]

City of Sinners, Ch. 1

Post-DDBA season 1 —

“I just want to understand this connection the two of you have,” Matt says. “I’ve spent enough time with you both over the last month to know it’s not nothing. And if I’m being completely honest, that scares the hell out of me.”

“Why?”

“Because you’re my friend, and I care about you. You’re all I have left, and Frank’s a wildcard. I don’t think he’d ever do something to intentionally put you in danger, but he sure as hell can’t keep you safe.”

Matt expects Karen to pushback, to argue, but she just smiles. It’s confusing and surprising, and maybe being away from her for a year really has changed everything he thought he knew about her.

“If you really knew all the things he’s done to protect me…” Karen starts, but she doesn’t have the chance to actually tell him because the man in question comes barreling in, waving the map of a Red Hook they’ve been working on for weeks.

“We got it,” Frank says, his deep voice booming through the room. He slaps the map down on the bar and it echos so loud that some of the others poke their heads in. “We got a way in.”

Karen and Matt exchange a look, and he’s ready to ask how that’s possible. They’ve spent weeks trying and failing to figure out how to covertly breach AVTF ground-zero to free Fisk's captives. But he can feel the energy radiating off Frank as a rare grin stretches wide across his face.

“We’ve got a way in?” Karen asks, shifting away from Matt and into Frank's space.

“Goddamn right we do,” he says, locking eyes with her. “This plan’s gonna work.”

The plan goes to shit almost immediately. 

[littlebirdygirlywriting]

“Overprotective matt, fear and love.” The fear is such a big one here. He wouldn’t even REALISE it’s there, but that’s exactly what it would be. Fear for you. Gosh, I love this!

Hello Friend!! Can I request an Overprotective!Matt fluffy piece pls? Need some fluff to get through my day today lol.

heyyy of course <3 i hope this is ok!

-

“matt, it’s ok-“ you try to convince him, heart still going a little quicker than it usually would, and you know he can hear it.

“it’s not ok, he can’t grab you like that, fuckin asshole.” he’s muttering to himself, and still walking down the street as fast as he can and you’re running to keep up with him.

“matt, stop, matt listen to me,” grabbing his arm you pull him to a stop, “i am yours, you have nothing to worry about.”

“i-i know, you’re mine. i just don’t like it when people even look at you sideways, never mind grab you like he did.” he sighs, eyes closing as he tries to get his breathing back to how it normally rests.

grabbing his face in your cold hands, you look at him and feel exactly what this is - overprotective matt, fear and love.

[springdock]

I just imagine that the day Matt and Kamala will meet over the Khan family dinner would be the funniest thing just because they are two goofballs

[wlwarhammer]

Not even hearing a characters heart stop on screen will stop my delusions

[roennq]

[Black & Red 4/x] Lockdown ◦ Survival ◦ Escape "Who are you? And why does Fisk want you dead?"

[connecting-the-stars]

But In the End, We Stay the Same

Matt, Fisk, and Frank:

Spoilers for DDBA ep 4

Matt walking through an entirely different apartment. Fisk refusing to dawn his white suit. And Frank? Frank is setup in a filthy, half-haphazardly thrown together base of operations that is a striking mirror to the first base we see him in from Netflix Daredevil season 2.

Character introductions really set the tone for where their arcs may take them. Very interesting how they have painted each of these characters this season.

Of course, I am not blind to the criticism and where the cracks show from the creative overhaul, but I already viewed the show coming in as… well different. A “new era” both due to the gap in time since we’ve seen these wonderful characters, in real life and in universe, and due to Disney’s influence. I’m not one to focus a lot on time/age but the era when DD season one premiered was a year after Captain America: Winter soldier. This was years before Endgame and the Global Pandemic, the impact of such events are felt in the fictional universe and real world. I am a true believer in rewatch value from my multiple rewatches of Netflix’s Daredevil, but I also acknowledge that there will be elements lost, left in that era of film making and studio management. The colors and the certain level of grim are noticeably absent, when you see characters fall through several floors and they cough up dust/debris. The certain spark found in much of the dialogue of season 1 really is incredibly difficult to replicate.

Despite the places where “season 4” falls short, I can absolutely appreciate the dedication of the actors and actresses, returning and new. While I am comforted and reassured by Karen’s confirmed involvement in season 2, I appreciate Kristin’s and Cherry’s performances as they bar Matt into this new… stage of his life. Of being a full time lawyer and keeping his fists mostly unstained. Fisk’s new environment is half hilarious and half ominous as ever. Watching him stumble through politics and its niceties, and his uneasy speeches are relatively unexplored in Netflix’s series, forced into throne he has to keep his best face on for, rather than crushing skulls. Compared to his handful of appearances in the public being executed in precise manner that always had an end goal, for example, provoking Matt after the murder of Ms. Cardenas. Furthermore, with Vanessa’s distance and unfamiliar distrust. I am eagerly looking forward to Fisk’s manipulation in his mayorship as well as Vanessa’s standing in her business with her ever loving husband. The side characters playing off Fisk, have been given parts that challenge Fisk into different ways, which is much appreciated as he navigates being a truly public political figure.

Matt standing dead eyed in front of his window, right after the reshoot with Foggy’s death. Man, knew something was different. Like are you not crashing out and living out of a basement rn because….? I know that he only received medical attention after the finale of Defenders because he was in a Coma, how is the King of Guilt, Self Destructive Murdock not crawling out of dumpsters again? (Crit: where is queen of sass Sister Maggie?)

But it is fascinating watching this Matt Murdock listen to a nice record player and cook his own meals and walk like he isn’t living in the Bad Ending timeline. The quiet despair washing over him every time he reaches for Foggy’s prayer card. My dread as I realize he takes a piece of Foggy with him everywhere. The idea that Matt has lost faith in Daredevil, this utter stab to the heart proof that he Failed as daredevil, that he was not enough to save his best friend. Every which way you look at Matt and Foggy’s relationship, they are each other’s person. College, first internship, first official business. Matt of course sees this as his fault, that guilt clinging to him like a bad cold. Eats him (in the words of Castle), tears him up to the point he refuses to allow himself to enter a church. The sermon mention a person’s worthiness. Point blank. The fact that he no longer lives in Hell’s Kitchen is major flag of Distress (avoiding Sister Maggie who could talk at least some sense, some kindness to him, the absence of the church he visited so often in the Netflix show). Thus, refusing consolation of faith, of worthiness to be daredevil, Matt clutches twice as hard as ever to the Judicial system. To the part of his life and faith he shared with Foggy, where they promised each other they would do good. The abrupt introduction of Cherry and Kristin apparently filling said places of Karen and Foggy by Matt’s side is jarring as much as it is telling. While Kristin is a comic book character brought into this series, the knowledge of her and connection built with her so far is minimal, when set besides how much of Karen’s development we saw in season 1 of Netflix series. Similar to Cherry’s role being a mix of Ben Uriah and “Foggy” in essence. (I say very lightly. No one will compare to our Foggy.) Cherry’s reminders to Matt of the reality of the system and praising his efforts of being a Good Lawyer, mirroring in a way to Foggy’s constant mission to ground Matt when his head is in his ass. Heather also being pulled from the comics is quite interesting as I had no thoughts of who would be Matt’s love interest, though her being wedged between Vanessa, Fisk, and possibly Muse is not a good sign for her. New apartment, new firm, new co-workers but he cannot outrun grief. It will catch him.

(I know the lack of Karen is mostly due to the overhaul, but the fact that he does not have her to rely on currently also pushes this unresolved/unaddressed grief. The one person who also endured losing Foggy)

The time-skip is certianly something I’m intrigued by. Where it plays in the current story, and the pieces of Matt and Karen’s grief that are unexplored. Wonder if it had been inserted due to the creative overhaul?

Fisk and Matt’s parallel stories this session have been done quite well. While there was a particular balance the Netflix series formed for telling both their stories, I find giving more time to Fisk’s arc strengthens how well these characters are as narrative foils of each other. Fisk arriving this season through a slow flip of the camera, setting the city on its head and picking through a meager breakfast and his tense reunion with Vanessa, while Matt ghosts around his apartment before reaching for Foggy’s prayer card to leave. Both characters are damaged, pieces of themselves lost. While I have not watched Echo, the psychological damage done to Fisk appears to have followed him into Born Again. His confidence seemed to be shaken and his lack of support from Vanessa further pushes him towards stress. Matt facing Bullseye without Karen beforehand, the brief strained conversation with Karen afterwards. While Kristin does tell the audience that Matt needs someone in his life, that he needs a win, it is clearly seen how destitute he is when Fisk announces his mayoral campaign and he sits idle as his food burns behind him. Both Fisk and Matt turning to different ways to get by, to proceed to their goals, by refusing their “darker halves.”

This refusal to indulge in a part of who they are will double the pressure, suffocating until they can no longer stand it. Matt faced with the consequences of revealing Hector’s vigilante identity and the injustice of his murder, of being forced to face the grief and righteous anger of his niece. “No one will do anything about it!” As well as his extremely emotionally intense encounter with Frank. Fisk squaring away first steps of many in political action and faced against the failure of Daniel, then pecking through yet another modest meal. That is until episode 4’s reveal. Indulging in that carb heavy and seasoning rich meal for a king, paired swimmingly with a tortured soul’s pleas. That power, that desire for absolute authority, never truly left Fisk. Most likely never will. Then Matt scaling the roof’s ladder to his pristine collection of cowls, hand already reaching for his billy club. Their darker halves never left them, refused and placated for a time, but never not in the corner waiting for them.

Frank. Haha. Frank is great, let him take a few verbal swings at the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen and he can work out more than his therapist girlfriend. Matt really is not coping, not processing. Cannot tell most people in his life everything, why he feels so responsible for the death of Foggy, for failing him. Best keep his name out of his mouth, because it’s not about him, right? Frank sitting in this grief of losing people who meant Everything to him, and recognizing that pain and stifled rage in Matt. When he retaliates, apologies and curses falling immediately afterwards, Frank does not accept it. Knows that his Darker Half is apart of him, is apart of his grief and pain. Being Daredevil, that righteousness and ruthlessness fueled him. Losing his dad to the criminal underground that got away unscathed, that injustice and lack of closure. Acting as that immovable object to villains unstoppable force. If it’s him or these innocent people behind him? Matt’s stepping to the plate everytime. Even when he attempted, he prioritized saving the victims. Frank is taking out people he deems worthy of the death penalty, Frank is “by any means necessary.” Frank’s grief, the Punisher is a part of him, of course he is going to see Matt’s grief as part of Daredevil. “You lose him. Didn’t you red? You hear him don’t you?”

Frank started out as a corpse on mission for vengeance. He got the people who took his family. He spends his efforts to end the threats permanently. Startling similar to how we first met him.

Matt and Fisk have denied themselves from fully indulging, allowing themselves to lean into their Darker Halves. However, after the events of episode 4, that is clearly going to change. I hope it does in the most explosive way possible.

All of this started from listening to Mother Mother’s - Try to Change

[hellskitchenswhore]

Look I don’t believe in pitting women against women but someone get that SKANK away from my man