#e65

[vixenicks]

only damn word he knows

[essentiallydreadful]

Eh eto,,, bleh

[scringee]

Murderdock if he didn't make drama with 19 year olds for no reason

[murdockmeta]

Matt's Protective Tendencies Regarding Gwen

So, for this post, I want to focus on three moments (cause with that many this is still gonna be too long aha) that stuck out to me on my second read-through. It's important to note these examples because Matt's relationship with Gwen is the closest we get to seeing him caring about anyone or anything.

Matt threatening George Stacy

This one is the most complex of the three. There are many layers to this scene but I think it's telling how Matt makes Gwen the center of the conversation. Also, he resorts to personal attacks on George's ability to protect Gwen and be a good father to her.

Matt does seem controlled in this scene to a certain extent, clearly there with the intention to taunt George, but I think he's... not as controlled as he appears.

This is the first time in the run we've really seen him use a more hands-on approach. So far, he's used legal loopholes, threats, manipulation, and so on. He's dodged (quite literally in some cases) every chance at a physical altercation.

Here, he shows up in relatively casual clothes (another interesting choice. the only time we ever see this.) and he eventually ends up holding George Stacy in a chokehold over the side of a building.

In the previous panel he's in, he's meditating when he's contacted by George. He picked up his phone on the second ring (not the first, despite how obvious the disruption is. hes trying to give the impression of nonchalance). He goes through the efforts of pretending to not know who's calling even though he definitely does.

When we see him again, it appears as though he's only changed his shirt before showing up at George's house. It's not the next day, it's probably not even an hour later. He was waiting for George to call. I'd be tempted to say he was growing impatient.

He starts with cheap attacks on George's morality and his job, petty things. It very quickly escalates.

Frank Castle had recently proven to be quite a threat to Gwen. Castle wants to kill Spider-Woman. Matt is refusing to let that happen. But, he wants George to be the one to make the call.

He's very dedicated to protecting Gwen but he also needs Gwen to trust him a tiny bit. He knows that if he outright kills Frank that Gwen would lose all faith in him. She would drop contact immediately and refuse to work with him again.

Yet, he's so persistent about protecting her, he goes to George to try and get him to do it. Matt wants Frank dead. Out of the equation. He's willing to physically threaten George, to get angry, to show maybe just a little too much of himself. He's trying every personal attack he can. And in his desperation to force George's hand, he reveals a lot about his motives. Even George picks up on this.

George is talking about what he thinks he sees in Matt. He thinks Matt killing Frank outright would show how bad Matt is, how cold and immoral he is, therefore losing Gwen's willingness to work for him. When really, it shows how dedicated and desperate Matt is. Matt cannot-- cannot-- lose Gwen. He needs her because for the first time since he was a child he has the chance to no longer feel alone.

He needs his plan to work. He can't have Frank mess it up but he also can't push Gwen too far away from him. So, he does all of this instead.

This is one of the most interesting goddamn lines in the whole scene. This is in the middle of Matt's attempt to attack George's ability to be a good father, his ability to protect Gwen. In that, Matt lets this slip out.

He's obviously projecting himself onto Gwen. And I also think he projects his relationship with Jack onto George but that's a discussion for another post.

So, does he think he's protecting Gwen from becoming like him? Making the hard decisions so she doesn't have to? He acts like he wants Gwen to become as bad as he does but even Gwen says in the end: he wanted to lose, he wanted to be caught. So...? We know he hates himself. And with the above line, we see the closest Matt ever gets to admitting how he truly feels to someone he lets live.

Gwen's different because Gwen represents a chance for things to go right. Matt needs to protect her because he needs her to succeed.

2. Matt refusing Gwen's apology

I was going to just highlight his first few lines in this panel but the whole thing seemed relevant to this post.

So, when I first read this line, I thought it was borderline out of character. He, of course, can't just refuse her apology, he has to give some self-centered reason why. But, everything he follows up with unintentionally reveals his hand once again.

To Gwen, Matt's reasons sound selfish and cruel. She thinks he just wants to use her, control her. She thinks he's interested in what she can do for him. And, well, he is. But it's never just that.

He wants her safe. He plainly says it. He wants her safe so that he can make sure she's not in danger, to make sure she doesn't die or make any decisions she's going to genuinely regret.

I think Matt's heavy-handedness in regard to Gwen's morality is extremely intentional. You don't change someone's mind about their personal morals by telling them how ridiculous their morals are all day. You don't change their mind by trying to force them to make deals they rather wouldn't. Arguably, that's how you make them stand their ground.

And I think that's what Matt's counting on. He sees it as a win-win, whether Gwen ends up turning evil or not (because if she does then he can finally die). But really... I think he wants her to have a reason to be good. He knows how hard-headed she is, it's one thing he likes about her. So, he knows that antagonizing her will just make her more assured when she comes out on the other side.

If she can stick through to the end and beat him, there's not much that can stop her after that. One important thing about Gwen's development as Spider-Woman is that at the beginning, she doesn't have the strong conviction to do good that 616 Peter has due to his uncle's death.

Peter died in her universe, but it didn't serve the same purpose. She felt guilt over Peter's death, but not the kind that strengthened her morals. It was this crushing guilt that dragged her down, made her lose faith in herself. A lack of confidence like that can quickly lead down a much darker path and we see that in Gwen throughout volume two.

She still needs that push. That final act that'll let her come into her purpose fully. And Matt intends on giving that to her if she's willing to go along with his plan long enough. He crafts himself into a big, bad villain for her. Just so she can be good.

3. Matt protecting Gwen's identity

Matt goes out of his way to make sure Gwen's identity stays safe. He knows her secret identity is important to her. He made sure he tied up his loose ends with Toomes so he wouldn't tell.

The one that's more interesting to me is the fact he didn't even tell his ninja her name. These ninja are assigned to protect her from any harm while they are in a foreign country and an assassin is after Gwen. But Matt doesn't bother giving them her name.

There's not even really a reason for him not to tell them other than him being overly protective of her. It's not like they're going to tell anyone, they're fucking ninja. They're sworn to secrecy out of pure principle.

Yet, Matt doesn't say anything. He could've even used it as a bargaining chip but he doesn't genuinely threaten to reveal her identity even once. Would it have really even affected his plans long term? Her identity is revealed at one point, and he still gets what he wants in the end.

But he never brings it up unless it concerns her identity being revealed in a way that may harm her. He never dangles it in her face. He respects it and protects her.

---

These are just a few moments I wanted to talk about. Honestly, the George Stacy one could've been its own post and I'll probably end up making another about it eventually.

Matt is so multifaceted and he shows that best with the people he dares to form attachments to. The main one being Gwen. The way he treats her is the closest he got to caring about someone. It's the closest we get to seeing what he's really like under all his disguises.

He demands control because he thinks that is the only way to protect the ones he's attached to. He knows, in his particular position, that there really is no other way to go about it. And he doesn't want the people he cares about to like him. He doesn't think he deserves it, really.

He wants Gwen to be better, to do better, so he allows her to hate him so much that she has no choice but to come out stronger in the end.

[udekai]

yeah yeah yeah, the old version was just fine on its own. listen, we all live in hells of our own making and mine is made of colors that make my eyes hurt

[monkpool]

[clreria]

I’ve made a meme on my way to work

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There’s also a self-indulgent-OC-related version too hehe

[neonbrutalism]

My long overdue Marvel Trumps Hate piece for @amazing-spiderling, who requested a Murderdock and DA Foggy piece.

[fionnazone]

why is it that every earth-65er all knows eachothers and we all have good opinions

[briefcasejuice]

if murderdock had a mike what do you think he'd be like?

[dread-pirate-mumbles]

billy eilish's "therefore i am" has such hellishly accurate E65 energy

[vixenicks]

updated e65 mlp au!!!

[essentiallydreadful]

I can't stop fujcking helP ME

[silhouettehistory]

Bavarian Siebener 7G SilhouetteHistory

Silhouettes of the BMW 7 Series, including E23, E32, E38, E65, F01, G11 and G70.

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[murdockmeta]

Murderdock Headcanons

That I consider canon lol

Matt's hands and feet are always so fucking cold

Matt doesn't like to be touched (honestly this is kinda canon with him cutting Miles simply because he grabbed Matt's arm in a non threatening way)

Matt was laying there amongst the bodies of the ninja after Stick died because he was bleeding out and he was waiting to die

Matt is asexual (I specifically see him as being sex-positive, I think he enjoys it but he sees it more as a tool to get things from others or to manipulate them. He sees it as something that is useful for things like stress relief or pent up energy but it's not something he actively seeks out)

Matt has scars. Like a LOT of scars that cover his whole body. Some mar his skin but most you can't see unless the light catches them just right.

To further on the above: I think some of these are self harm scars

Matt has heavy scarring around his eyes, right where the chemicals directly contacted his skin, and that's why he's depicted wearing bigger glasses to cover more of his face

Matt struggles with eating, he'll easily forget or just won't eat for extended periods

To expand on the above: I think the hand probably starved him as forms of punishment, and he also grew up impoverished, so he's really not used to eating regularly or consistently

Matt likes it when he takes his glasses off and it makes people uncomfortable, he thinks they deserve it and it gives him a bit of a power trip

Gwen's dad was the responding officer during the accident that blinded Matt (def stole this from a @/ask-nelsonandmurderdock comic and adopted it straight into my canon)

Matt hates guns, they irritate him and he hates how loud they are

He has a default way of speaking that makes him come off as stuck up (I mean he kinda is so)

He's an extremely light sleeper

He has various canes with different weapons/uses hidden in them (one with a katana, one with a tantō, one that breaks apart v similar to 616!matts, probably more)

He knows so many of Tony Stark's ex-wives because he's the only lawyer that's won any case against the team of lawyers Tony has on retainer in a divorce suit

Matt is left-handed. Between the nuns and being raised by the hand, he's become ambidextrous, but his left is his more dominant

Matt will sometimes inadvertently pray while he's meditating. It's due to the different prayers he had to memorize as a kid, he's trying to clear his mind while meditating and sometimes they just slip into his thoughts as a repetitive act that keeps him calm and focused

Matt will stand eerily still, like you-can't-tell-he's-breathing you-swear-he-doesn't-even-blink kinda still, he doesn't usually even notice that he's doing it

I could go on and on cause I literally NEVER stop thinking about this slimy bastard but that's where I'll stop for now :)

[udekai]

before you ask who hurt him, it's matt. it's matt's fault.