Stick is a complicated character within the Daredevil mythos. He’s the one who trained Matt Murdock after an accident left him blind. He taught the young man how to use his heightened senses in combat, which would lead Matt into becoming Daredevil. Depending on the interpretation, Stick is either Matt’s mentor or the person who caused him lasting harm…possibly both.
Quick Guide for New Readers
- Stick is a blind martial arts master who trained both Matt Murdock and Elektra NatchiosLeader
- He’s leader of the Chaste, an ancient order whose sole purpose is to combat the Hand
- Responsible for teaching Matt to control his enhanced senses and become Daredevil
- His methods are brutal, his motives are complicated. His loyalty is to the war, not the people fighting it
- His fighting style emphasizes controlled violence, awareness, and emotional detachment
- In the comics he dies, is reincarnated as a baby, and is resurrected multiple timesMaster
- Master Splinter from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is directly based on Stick, while the Hand inspired the Foot
- Played by Scott Glenn across Daredevil seasons 1–2 and The Defenders
Who Is Stick?
Stick is a blind martial arts master. According to some accounts, Stick was born blind. He’s believed to be the reincarnation of the legendary Japanese warrior Yamato-Take. As a teenager, he trained under the Ancient One, the same sorcerer who would mentor Doctor Strange.
Stick trained both Matt Murdock (Daredevil) and Elektra Natchios, who would later become Matt’s love interest, to be his soldiers. Later, he expelled Elektra for being too violent, a decision that led Elektra into joining the Hand.
The Chaste and the Hand
He’s also the leader of an ancient order called the Chaste. The Chaste was founded by Stick’s own mentor, the blind master Izo. Their base of operations is located in a secret mountain stronghold. Their mission is to stop the Hand, a secretive organization of ninja assassins corrupted by dark magic. The goal is prevent the spread of the demon that influences the Hand.
Both the Chaste and the Hand are ancient warrior orders tied to the supernatural side of the Marvel Universe. The Chaste’s origin stems from violence and vengeance, much like the Hand’s. According to legend, the Chaste began when the Hand slaughtered a village, leaving one child alive. That child took revenge, killing the Hand warriors. His grief became the foundation for the Chaste, turning that tragedy into discipline.
Stick and his mentor, Izo, represent opposing sides of this philosophy. Stick believed strict control was the only defense against corruption. Izo argued that rigidity would make the Chaste no different from the Hand. This unresolved conflict mirrors the moral themes running through Daredevil: purpose born from pain, and the thin line between justice and fanaticism.
How Stick’s Fighting Style Influenced Daredevil
Stick’s fighting style is a hybrid of different martial arts styles including Wing Chun, Kali, Judo, Karate, Ninjutsu, Wushu, Muay Thai, and Taekwondo. The most important element in Stick’s fighting style is the philosophy behind it. He teaches that sight isn’t the most important sense you have. He trains fighters to act on instinct and awareness, not on visual cues or emotion. Every movement should serve a purpose, no unnecessary flash.
Stick’s lessons hinge on discipline. Talent means nothing without relentless practice. He claims his own skill comes purely from decades of work. Stick moves so silently that even Daredevil’s radar sense can miss him. His awareness seems supernatural, but it’s grounded in experience. He reads a room, an opponent, or a threat through pattern recognition. And it’s a skill he’s honed for over half a century.
This training comes with a cost. Stick warns that attachment clouds judgment and vulnerability can get you killed. His students often emerge as lethal fighters but damaged people, with Matt Murdock being a clear example.
Stick saw potential in Matt, a blind boy whose heightened senses made him uniquely suited for his teachings. Under Stick’s guidance, Matt learned control and precision. He turned what could have been a curse into a weapon. In that sense, Stick helped create Daredevil.
But his motives weren’t entirely benevolent. Later revelations show that Stick wanted Matt as a soldier in his war against the Hand. Even Elektra’s relationship with Matt began under Stick’s orders, a calculated move to harden Matt and draw him into the Chaste. Stick didn’t train Matt out of compassion. He trained him because he needed a weapon.
While Matt’s heroism is sincere, his life choices, and even relationships were influenced by Stick’s agenda.
Even Stick’s introduction in the comics by Frank Miller had a similar impact. Before Miller, Daredevil’s fighting style centered on acrobatics and boxing skills from his father’s influence. Once Stick entered the canon, Daredevil’s origins painted him as a disciplined martial artist molded by a harsh master. The result redefined the character, turning him from scrappy street fighter into a brooding, disciplined warrior. Stick changed who Matt Murdock became, and what Daredevil himself represented.
Stick’s Relationship with Elektra
Stick took Elektra in as a student and trained her for about a year. Under his guidance, she became a skilled fighter learning the disciplines used by the Chaste. Eventually, he expelled her after deciding she couldn’t control the anger and grief that haunted her since her father’s death. Stick knew this decision could drive her toward the Hand, but believed it was necessary.
In the Netflix adaptation, Stick’s motives are even worse. Elektra is revealed to be the Black Sky, a living weapon sought by the Hand. Stick had trained her to fight that destiny, using her as a weapon against the very group that wanted to claim her. When she becomes too dangerous, he orders her death. Stick’s logic is brutal but consistent. He acts to protect humanity, even if it means sacrificing individuals.
Matt Murdock, who was also trained by Stick, understands this contradiction. Stick saved both him and Elektra, but did so by manipulating them for his own purposes.
Comics History: Death, Reincarnation, and an Unexpected Legacy
Stick first appeared in Daredevil #176 (1981), created by writer and artist Frank Miller.
When Stick enters Daredevil’s life, it’s abrupt and jarring. He demands discipline, obedience, and emotional detachment. Miller wrote him as a cold, no-nonsense figure who pushes Matt to his limits. That tough, often harsh mentorship defines their complicated relationship for years to come.
During one of the Chaste’s battles with the Hand, Stick and his ally Shaft use an ancient energy-draining ritual to stop their enemies. The move works but at a cost. Both men absorb too much power and are destroyed in the explosion that follows. Stick dies saving Daredevil and Black Widow, ensuring they wouldn’t die in his war against the Hand. Later stories take a strange turn: Stick’s spirit had allegedly reincarnated as an infant named Baby Karen, who enters Matt’s life through a scheme by the villain Mysterio. The implication that the baby girl Matt nearly died protecting was his old mentor reborn is an unsettling detail in the Daredevil mythos.
Stick’s influence reaches far beyond Marvel Comics. The creators of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles borrowed key ideas from Miller’s Daredevil run to make both a parody and tribute. The radioactive substance that transforms the turtles mirrors the toxic waste that blinded Matt Murdock. Their master, Splinter, is a direct homage to Stick. And their enemies, the Foot Clan, reference the Hand.
While Stick is a serious figure in the Marvel canon, he unintentionally helped inspire one of the most beloved franchises of the 1980s.
The Netflix Series Does Stick Justice
Scott Glenn’s portrayal of Stick in Daredevil and The Defenders does a great job credit for being true to the character without softening his edges.
In the first season of Daredevil, Stick takes a young Matt Murdock under his wing after his accident. His methods are harsh then leaves without warning the moment Matt shows signs of getting attached. When Matt reaches out to hold Stick’s hand and Stick pulls away is one of the most painful moments in the Netflix run. The show frames it as necessary but also as a child being rejected by the only adult figure left in his life.
When Stick returns in later seasons and in The Defenders, his story expands. He’s revealed as the leader of the Chaste, an ancient order fighting a secret war against the Hand. By the time of The Defenders, most of his allies have been wiped out. His obsession with destroying the Hand pushes him to extremes. He even tries to kill Danny Rand to stop their enemies from using the Iron Fist’s power. He’s willing to kill a hero to keep the Hand from rising to power. It takes Elektra killing Stick to put an end to his ruthless ways.
The Man Who Made the Devil
Stick might be the most complicated figure in Daredevil’s story. Wilson Fisk embraces his role as a villain, and Frank Castle is brutally honest about his methods. Stick, on the other hand, insists he’s one of the good guys, and sometimes he’s right. The Hand is dangerous and must be stopped at all costs. But that conviction makes Stick oblivious to what he takes from others, especially Matt.
Matt didn’t choose this war. Stick chose him for it when he was just a child, molding his worldview around conflict and control. Everything that defines Daredevil from his discipline, to his need to protect can be traced back to a teacher who saw him as a weapon.
In the end, Matt outgrows Stick’s vision. He becomes a better man than his mentor ever was, which is the hopeful ending in an otherwise grim tale. Someone can be shaped by cruelty and still be compassionate.
Recommended Comics
- Daredevil #176 (Frank Miller) : Stick’s debut
- Daredevil #187–191 (Miller): The Chaste vs. The Hand and Stick’s death
- Daredevil: The Man Without Fear #1–5 (Miller & John Romita Jr.): Stick’s role in Matt’s origin
- Elektra: Root of Evil #1–4: Stick and Elektra’s relationship
- Daredevil by Chip Zdarsky Vols. 4–5: a modern take on the Daredevil mythos
