Who is Stick in the Marvel universe. What role does he play in Daredevil’s origin story. How has Stick influenced other pop culture characters. Why is Stick’s background shrouded in mystery. How many times has Stick been resurrected in the comics.
The Mysterious Mentor: Introducing Stick from Marvel’s Daredevil
In the vast Marvel Cinematic Universe, few characters are as enigmatic as Stick, the blind martial arts master who trained Daredevil. Despite being a pivotal figure in Matt Murdock’s life, Stick’s own background remains largely shrouded in mystery. This article delves into the lesser-known aspects of this intriguing character, revealing surprising facts that even dedicated comic book fans might not be aware of.
Stick’s Influence Beyond Marvel: The Inspiration for Master Splinter
Did you know that Stick’s influence extends far beyond the Marvel universe? In a fascinating twist of pop culture crossover, Stick served as the inspiration for another iconic mentor figure: Master Splinter from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
The creators of TMNT, Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird, were huge fans of Frank Miller’s work on Daredevil. They decided to pay homage to Miller’s creation by basing their own wise, martial arts-teaching rodent on Stick. This connection becomes even more apparent when you consider that the Turtles’ arch-enemies, The Foot Clan, are a playful nod to Stick’s nemeses, The Hand.
This creative borrowing demonstrates the far-reaching impact of Stick’s character design and backstory. It’s a testament to the compelling nature of the blind martial arts master archetype that Miller introduced with Stick.
Rewriting History: Stick’s Retroactive Integration into Daredevil’s Origin
Many fans assume that Stick has always been an integral part of Daredevil’s origin story. However, this wasn’t initially the case. How did Stick become such a crucial element of Matt Murdock’s backstory?
Originally, Daredevil’s fighting skills were attributed to a combination of his enhanced senses and the boxing training he received from his father, “Battlin'” Jack Murdock. It wasn’t until Frank Miller took over the Daredevil comics that Stick was introduced and retroactively woven into Matt’s origin.
This addition fundamentally changed Daredevil’s character. The introduction of Stick and his martial arts training transformed Matt from a swashbuckling hero into a more complex, brooding figure with ties to mystical Eastern traditions. This shift in tone and characterization proved popular with readers and has largely defined Daredevil’s portrayal in comics and other media ever since.
The Immortal Mentor: Stick’s Multiple Deaths and Resurrections
In the world of comic books, death is often a temporary inconvenience rather than a permanent state. Stick exemplifies this trope, having died and been resurrected multiple times throughout his comic book history. Let’s examine Stick’s remarkable journey through life, death, and rebirth:
Sacrifice and Reincarnation
Stick’s first notable death occurred when he sacrificed himself to save Daredevil and Black Widow during a battle with The Hand. This heroic act seemed to mark the end of the grizzled mentor. However, in true comic book fashion, Stick found his way back to the land of the living – this time reincarnated as a newborn baby.
This vulnerable new incarnation of Stick became a target for The Hand, who sought to eliminate their old enemy once and for all. It took the combined efforts of Daredevil and Stick’s own group, the Chaste, to protect the infant and ensure his survival.
Adult Resurrections
Remarkably, Stick’s journey through the cycle of life and death didn’t end with his reincarnation as a baby. The character has been resurrected as an adult on two separate occasions:
- During the third Contest of Champions, where the alien known as the Collector revived Stick to fight on his behalf against the Grandmaster.
- A subsequent resurrection after being disintegrated by a futuristic version of the Punisher.
These multiple resurrections underscore Stick’s importance to the Marvel universe and his seemingly unbreakable connection to the mortal realm. They also add to the mystery surrounding the character, leaving readers to wonder about the true extent of his powers and his significance in the grand scheme of Marvel’s mystical elements.
Stick’s Role in The Defenders: Bridging Marvel’s Netflix Series
With the arrival of Marvel’s The Defenders on Netflix, Stick’s role expanded beyond his appearances in the Daredevil series. How does Stick fit into this broader narrative, and what does his presence mean for the team-up of Marvel’s street-level heroes?
Stick serves as a connective thread between the individual series, particularly Daredevil and Iron Fist. His knowledge of The Hand and his connection to both Matt Murdock and Danny Rand make him a crucial player in the events that bring the Defenders together.
In The Defenders, Stick’s mysterious background and his ties to ancient conflicts add depth to the overall narrative. His presence raises questions about the true nature of the threat facing New York and the hidden forces at work behind the scenes.
The Chaste: Stick’s Secret Organization
One of the most intriguing aspects of Stick’s character is his leadership of a secret organization known as the Chaste. What is the Chaste, and how does it factor into the larger Marvel universe?
The Chaste is a group of martial arts masters dedicated to fighting The Hand, an ancient and evil ninja clan. As the leader of the Chaste, Stick plays a pivotal role in this centuries-old conflict. The organization’s existence adds layers of complexity to Stick’s character, suggesting that his role as Matt Murdock’s mentor was part of a much larger mission.
Members of the Chaste are trained in various martial arts and mystical practices, making them formidable opponents for The Hand. The group’s secretive nature and their ongoing war with The Hand provide rich storytelling opportunities, both in the comics and in adaptations like the Netflix series.
Stick’s Fighting Style: More Than Just Martial Arts
While Stick is primarily known as a master of martial arts, his fighting abilities go far beyond simple hand-to-hand combat. What makes Stick’s fighting style unique, and how does it complement his role as a mentor?
Stick’s fighting technique is a blend of various martial arts forms, honed and adapted to compensate for his blindness. He emphasizes the use of other senses, particularly hearing, to navigate and anticipate opponents’ movements. This approach not only makes him a formidable fighter but also provides the perfect foundation for training other blind combatants like Matt Murdock.
In addition to physical combat, Stick is well-versed in the use of weapons, particularly the billy club that would become Daredevil’s signature weapon. His fighting style also incorporates elements of meditation and chi manipulation, hinting at abilities that border on the supernatural.
Key Elements of Stick’s Fighting Style:
- Enhanced sensory perception
- Mastery of multiple martial arts disciplines
- Proficiency with various weapons
- Incorporation of meditation and chi manipulation techniques
- Emphasis on adapting to and overcoming physical limitations
Stick’s unique approach to combat makes him not just a skilled fighter, but an ideal teacher for gifted students like Matt Murdock and Danny Rand. His methods challenge conventional thinking about martial arts and demonstrate the power of adapting one’s fighting style to personal strengths and limitations.
The Man Behind the Myth: Exploring Stick’s Personal Life
Despite his prominence in Daredevil’s story and the broader Marvel universe, much of Stick’s personal life remains a mystery. What little we do know about his background and relationships offers tantalizing glimpses into the man behind the gruff exterior.
Stick’s early life and the circumstances that led to his blindness have never been fully explained in the comics. This lack of a detailed origin story adds to his mystique and allows writers to drop intriguing hints about his past without being constrained by established canon.
In terms of relationships, Stick is generally portrayed as a loner, dedicated to his mission of combating The Hand. However, his interactions with his students, particularly Matt Murdock, reveal a capacity for mentorship and even a grudging affection, though he often masks this behind a tough, no-nonsense demeanor.
Unanswered Questions About Stick:
- How and when did Stick lose his sight?
- What events led to his involvement with the Chaste?
- Has Stick ever had romantic relationships or a family?
- How old is Stick, given his multiple resurrections and ties to ancient conflicts?
The mystery surrounding Stick’s personal life serves to make him a more intriguing character. It allows readers and viewers to project their own interpretations onto his motivations and actions, adding depth to his role in the stories he appears in.
Things You Didn’t Know About Stick
Marvel’s The Defenders arrives on Netflix, signalling the culmination of the studio’s plan to replicate their ridiculously successful cinematic model on the small screen.
Not only does the miniseries see the return of Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist – drawn together to form the eponymous superhero team – but also several of the supporting players from each of their respective series.
Among these familiar faces, without doubt the most mysterious is Daredevil’s former mentor Stick. Unlike fellow guests stars like Elektra or the Punisher, Matt Murdock’s enigmatic martial arts master stands out by virtue of just how little extra information fans of the comics know about him.
He might have been around for over 35 years, but Stick has kept his cards fairly close to his chest, revealing very little about his past during this time. What was his childhood like? Has he ever been in love? Exactly when did he start referring to himself as a fallen tree branch? Your guess is as good as anyone’s!
Still, there are at least some things we know about creator Frank Miller’s modern spin on the “blind samurai” archetype, some of which may have a bearing on the plot of The Defenders.
With that in mind, we’ve done some digging and pulled together this list of 15 Things You Didn’t Know About Stick!
15. He’s The Inspiration Behind Master Splinter
Something many hardcore comics geeks – but far fewer casual fans – will be aware of is that Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles started life partly as a parody of the wildly popular Daredevil comics of the 1980s.
It’s even strongly implied that the radioactive ooze responsible for the turtle’s metamorphosis was the same toxic waste that blinded Daredevil and triggered his powers!
However, it’s not just Leonardo, Donatello, Michaelangelo, and Raphael that owe a debt to ol’ Hornhead – their martial arts teacher (and humanoid rat) Master Splinter was based on Stick, as well!
This affectionate ribbing extends to Splinter and the Turtles’ archenemies The Foot, who are a thinly-veiled, playful dig at Stick’s nemeses The Hand.
They say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, although it’s debatable how thrilled Stick would be to know he was inspiration behind an overgrown, ninjutsu-practicing vermin!
14.
He Wasn’t Originally Part Of Daredevil’s Origin
It’s hard to imagine now, given how engrained Stick is in the Daredevil mythos, but the martial arts master wasn’t actually part of Matt Murdock’s original origin story!
Prior to Frank Miller taking over the comics, Daredevil’s fighting style was a fusion of superhuman acrobatics and boxing skills picked up from growing up around his father, “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 trained in martial arts.
This served to dramatically change the tone and direction of Daredevil’s characterization, transforming him into something closer to a brooding, samurai-like figure, unlike his prior swashbuckling self.
Fans seemed to respond well to the change – and to Stick – as subsequent writers in both comics and other media have followed Miller’s lead (although there has been a recent push to slightly lighten the tone of the increasingly dour books).
13. He’s Died (And Been Reincarnated As A Baby)
Whilst death is a pretty big deal in the real world, in comics, it’s very often akin to a bad case of the flu: it’ll put you out of action for a while, but you’ll be back on your feet eventually.
This proved no different in Stick’s case, after the crotchety old geezer sacrificed himself to save Daredevil and Black Widow during a battle with the Hand.
Even though his death – which basically amounted to the mystical equivalent of blowing himself up! – appeared fairly irreversible, Stick would eventually be reincarnated as a newborn baby.
Once the Hand got wind that their old enemy had found his way back to the land of the living, they made it their mission to kill the child.
Fortunately, thanks to the combined efforts of Daredevil and the group known as the Chaste (more on them later), lil’ Stick survived the Hand’s repeated assassination attempts!
12. He’s Also Been Resurrected As An Adult
Most people are lucky to be resurrected once, but Stick has actually managed it three times – the second and third as a full-grown adult!
During the third Contest of Champions, alien hoarder the Collector revived the venerable martial artist in order to fight on his behalf against the Grandmaster.
However, Stick’s luck doesn’t last, and he’s later completely disintegrated by a futuristic version of the Punisher. As with his earlier demise, you’d be forgiven for thinking no one could recover from such a mortal injury – but the wily sensei again proves he’s a hard man to kill!
See, fellow contestant the Maestro (aka “Evil Hulk From The Future”) accidentally revives Stick whilst playing around with a crazy-powerful piece of hardware called an Iso-Sphere.
Making the most of his third lease on life, Stick not only survives the tournament, but makes his way back to Earth, too.
Of course, the real question here is just how someone can be reborn as an infant and an adult without first dying in-between, but we’ll leave that comic book scientists (and theologians) to explain!
X-Man Wolverine is well-known for his struggle to control the animalistic side of his personality – and he once had help doing so from Stick!
Having reverted to a feral state of mind and devolved into a dangerous berserker, Wolverine encountered Stick.
Seeing that his help was needed, the revered tutor then deployed his usual teaching techniques to cure the Canadian mutant – he flogged Wolverine with his staff and barked snide remarks at him.
Now, you may not approve of this sort of “tough love” approach to mental health care – and in fairness, many would argue that it constituted abuse rather than psychotherapy.
But given that he successfully brought Logan back to his senses, while you can quibble over Stick’s methods, it’s hard to argue with his results!
10. His Ultimate Incarnation Became A Vampire
Back in the early 2000s, Marvel launched the Ultimate line of comics: a separate continuity featuring fresh takes on their most popular heroes, stripped of decades of storytelling baggage.
Within this new history, Stick was still depicted as one of Daredevil’s teachers, who (along with a guy named Anthony) trained Matt Murdock in ninjutsu in order to fight vampires, no less (he would, also go on to train Hornhead’s replacement, after Murdock is killed).
Where things really get interesting – not to mention kinda crazy – is when this version of Stick is bitten by a vampire himself, transforming him into an undead bloodsucker as well!
From there, things get even more complicated (and outrageous), but suffice it to say that the blind warrior is ultimately teleported to Iran by Captain America, where he is summarily dispatched by vampire hunter Blade.
9. He Was Portrayed By General Zod
For a generation of Superman fans, Terence Stamp is General Zod, thanks to his iconic performance as the despotic escaped Kryptonian convict in Superman II.
But what a lot of fans might not know – or at the very least, may well have forgotten – is that the acclaimed British thespian also once portrayed Stick, in the widely panned Elektra movie.
A spin-off from the equally maligned Daredevil film starring Ben Affleck, Elektra saw Stick resurrect Jennifer Garner’s titular assassin, after she was turned into a human shish kebab by rival Bullseye.
Similar to the comics and Netflix series, the aged sensei initially tries to take Elektra under his wing, only to cast her out for being spiritually impure.
Unlike the comics, the pair later reconcile, leaving each other on good terms when the end credits roll – which is more than can be said for most fans exiting cinemas screening Elektra back in 2005.
8. He Didn’t Develop His Powers Via An Accident
As we’ve already established, there’s not a lot we know about Stick. But one thing seems fairly certain: he didn’t develop his powers because of an accident.
Unlike Daredevil – who received his abilities following a head-on collision with a radioactive isotope – Stick claims to have honed his own powers through good old fashioned training alone.
Taking things a step 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) weren’t a side effect of the radiation he was exposed to.
Rather, he hinted that this merely served to kick-start Matt’s heightened senses – however, frustratingly, the mysterious old coot died before he could elaborate any further!
7. He Was Nearly Played By Sonny Chiba
Stick is brought to life in the Netflix series by veteran actor Scott Glenn, who – with his close-cropped grey hair and gruff voice – is a close match to Frank Miller’s original character design.
That said, Daredevil season 1 showrunner Steven S. DeKnight nearly went in a very different direction when filling the role, as he desperately wanted to cast Japanese performer Sonny Chiba.
A legend of Japanese cinema, Chiba is probably best known to Western audiences as retired swordsmith Hattori Hanzo in Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill Vol. 1.
However, fans of international cinema will recognise him as an award-winning actor and skilled martial artist – not to mention accomplished director, singer and producer – who has starred in over 125 films!
Sadly for DeKnight and fans of Chiba’s work, his dream casting never came to fruition.
Still, Scott Glenn does a fine 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 heightened senses – including his radar-like ability to detect his surroundings – make it rather tough to catch him unawares.
This doesn’t seem to apply to Stick, though, as the sneaky customer has shown himself able to avoid detection by his former pupil on several occasions!
Much of this can be attributed to Stick’s lengthy martial arts career. The old fella has been making like a ninja for so darn long, his stealth skills are simply off the charts!
And yet there may be more to it than that. As we’ll get into in more detail soon, Stick’s powers often appear to go beyond even the superhuman, landing in the domain of the outright supernatural.
As such, it seems that it’s more than mere deftness of movement that has allowed Stick to hoodwink Daredevil’s senses – although as with so much about the man, we may never know for sure!
5.
He’s 90 Years Old (According To The MCU)
In the Daredevil comic books, we never find out exactly how old Stick is – although it’s taken as a given that he’s no spring chicken.
In the Netflix series (set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe), however, he’s apparently well into his 90s!
This surprising nugget of information comes courtesy of Scott Glenn (who is incidentally much younger at 76), who revealed his character’s age during a promotional interview for the show.
According to Glenn, it’s only thanks to Stick’s ninjutsu background that he’s managed to remain so physically vital despite qualifying as a nonagenarian.
Indeed, the old master isn’t just in great shape for his age, he’s allegedly as strong and fit as someone decades his junior – which explains how he can fight alongside (and occasionally against) young whippersnappers like Matt and Elektra from time to time!
4. His Powers Are Far Greater Than Daredevil’s
Daredevil may not be on the same power level as a true Marvel powerhouse like Thor or the Hulk, but he’s still demonstrated some impressive talents over the years.
This makes it all the more notable that Stick’s own abilities don’t just equal Hornhead’s – they actually surpass them!
For starters, his radar sense is considerably better developed than Matt Murdock’s (whether or not his more conventional senses are also superior is up for debate).
Then there’s the skills Stick has that Matt doesn’t, including several mystical powers developed over decades spent mastering the art of ninjutsu.
Not only is he able to manipulate his Chi (or life force) in order to communicate telepathically with others, he can also undertake other more amazing 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 allies outside of Daredevil – he’s also the leader of the warrior order known as The Chaste.
The elite members of this group each possess abilities similar to their boss, and are all just as committed to bringing down the Hand as he is.
They also possess a weird penchant for adopting names based around their key distinctive trait. Hence, Stick goes by “Stick” because he uses a staff, Stone adopted his moniker because of his resistance to pain, and so on and so forth.
The Chaste’s base of operations can only be accessed by climbing an absurdly high, sheer mountain face known as “The Wall” (not too dissimilar from that seen in Game of Thrones, come to think of it).
Clambering up this seemingly impassable obstacle doubles as an audition of sorts for Chaste membership, and as such, explains why the order’s annual intake tends to be quite low!
2. He’s Handy With A Pool Cue
Say you’re a blind elderly gent in need of cash and possessed of a preternatural gift for pinpoint accuracy – your best (nay, only) option is to become a pool hustler, right?
This certainly seems to have been Stick’s logic, as when Matt Murdock crossed paths with his former sensei years after they split, he discovered him making like Paul Newman in The Color of Money!
If you think about it, there’s no better hustler con than fronting up as a sightless person, knowing that your superhuman senses will allow you to school practically anyone you play.
And before you feel too bad about Stick’s hapless marks, remember: these are all guys who were willing to compete with a blind man in a game of pool!
1. Nobody Knows His Real Name
In all the time Stick has been kicking around the Marvel Universe, nobody appears to have learned his real name.
True, the members of the Chaste could conceivably know his true handle, but considering he was their leader and presumably recruited and trained them all, this seems unlikely.
One thing’s for sure, however: Daredevil definitely doesn’t know. Heck, Matt Murdock possesses so little concrete information about his former teacher, they could almost be strangers!
Whilst any chances of uncovering Stick’s name seemed to die with him, his subsequent resurrections do provide a slim hope that this might one day come to pass.
On the other hand, given just how secretive Stick is, it’s far more likely that this will remain one of comics’ great, unsolved mysteries!
––
Got a favorite bit of Stick trivia that didn’t make this list? Let us know in the comments!
Scott Glenn on Stick’s Future – The Hollywood Reporter
[Warning: This story contains full spoilers for Marvel’s The Defenders, as well as spoilers for the series finale of HBO’s The Leftovers.
]
There were few doubts that the good guys would lose someone they cared about at some point during the course of The Defenders, the eight-episode Marvel-Netflix series. Unfortunately for Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox), that loss came from his side of the aisle.
In the sixth episode of the series, the blind assassin Stick, played by Scott Glenn, loses his life in battle against Elektra (Elodie Yung), or at least the killer husk previously known as Elektra. Stick experiences a swift and sudden end, killed unceremoniously by the woman he spent years of his life raising as a daughter, the same person he believed needed to die in order to defeat the Hand. Despite that belief, Stick could never bring himself to deliver the fatal blow to Elektra, even in the midst of their final fight. It’s a choice that cost him his life, even if Glenn himself suggests there might be more life in Stick yet.
In a candid interview, Glenn spoke with The Hollywood Reporter about Stick’s fate, why the character might live on in the future, the physical demands of inhabiting the role, and even a meditation on how things ended both at large and specifically for his character Kevin Garvey Senior on The Leftovers, a series he describes as “the best job I’ve ever had.
”
How did you find out Stick would die on this season of The Defenders?
[Marvel TV head] Jeph Loeb told me about either two or three episodes before I got killed.
Did you have any sense that it was coming up, that it was part of the design for the character? Or were you surprised by the move?
Neither one. I really didn’t have a sense of where I was going with that character. When he said, “Elodie is going to kill you,” I remember thinking… to begin with, I’m at a little bit of a disadvantage, because I haven’t seen any of [the series]. I know what we shot, but I don’t know if it came out that way or not. I was fine with it. I just wanted the fight to work in a certain way. I don’t know whether it did or not. Is there a moment when she stabs me in the leg and rolls underneath me, and she rolls right up to the point of my sword for a second? Because I told Jeph, “I should have one moment in this fight where if I had chosen to, I could have killed her, and I back off.
” I don’t know if that’s still in or not, but if it’s not, it should be!
The leg-stabbing was certainly memorable. I’ll have to review. [Note: Stick definitely passes on the chance to kill Elektra.]
The reason I suggested it is because through [season two of Daredevil], I keep saying, “Elektra has to die! Elektra has to die!” But all I’m actually doing is saving her life. I save her life at the construction site when Daredevil and I show up and kill the ninjas. I save her life again in Daredevil’s loft, by putting all that potion in. One time after another after another, I say she has to die, and then I save her life. I saved her life when she’s a little kid. The other teacher is [trying to] kill her, and instead, I kill him and pull her away and take her to her new foster home. So I kept saying, to be consistent with the character, there’s no way I’m going to kill her. She’s my daughter.
It must be shocking that she’s back in the first place… and now he’s expected to kill her?
But she’s not the same person.
That’s the point. The mistake would be to think it’s Elektra. It’s not Elektra. It’s whatever creature has been created by that reentry into life with the Hand and with Sigourney’s character [Alexandra]. But at any rate, I remember Jeph saying, “We’re in the Marvel Universe. If Elektra kills you, that doesn’t necessarily mean you’re dead.” And I said, “Okay.” But for me, the show is over, unless I get a phone call, and then it will or won’t [continue] depending on the deal and all of that stuff.
Even after Stick is killed, the very next episode begins with a flashback between you and Elektra, so there’s always a way to return.
Yeah, but when Jeph said that to me, he wasn’t talking about flashbacks. He was talking about literally whatever is going on in that world where people do in fact come back from death.
Would you be interested in that, seeing what Stick looks like post-death?
It’s hard to answer that question. All of that stuff really lies with the script writer and with lines, and do I really want to go back and deal with those contact lenses again? I don’t know.
It’s an impossible question to answer. Right now, all of my consciousness — which is this weird time machine that actors find themselves in — is with Castle Rock [at Hulu]. For you guys and for the audience, The Defenders just opened, but for me, it was over and in my rearview mirror many months ago. What’s going on right now is trying to figure out what we’re doing up in Massachusetts with these Stephen King short stories. It’s almost like I’m walking backwards now to get [back to Stick]. And it was the same thing right before The Defenders opened, when I was just coming to the end of it. People would call me up, and all they would want to ask about was The Leftovers.
I understand the instinct. Frankly, I’m biting my tongue, because all I want to do is ask you a million Leftovers questions.
(Laughs.) Anyway, where were we?
What are your memories of working with Charlie Cox to develop the relationship between Matt and Stick across these three different Marvel seasons?
Charlie is an interesting guy.
He’s both really talented and also just flat-out one of the nicest people I’ve ever met. It was a joy working with him. The change that happened with him as a human being from the second season of Daredevil into the first season of Defenders was when we did The Defenders, he was a father. He now has a baby daughter. That changes everything.
You brought up having to wear contacts as Stick. Was this a very physically challenging role for you?
In a way, I don’t even like the word “challenging,” because it kind of implies that if you give it your best, that’s all you can be expected to do. For me, the better word is “demanding.” You either pull it off, or you don’t. When I first got the part, I realized I had never played blind before, and I was going to have to do it in the middle of doing a lot of martial arts. Once I figured that out, the contacts were fine, as long as the environment we were working in was clean. But there were some locations… I remember one on Staten Island, where when we got there, everybody on the crew were wearing masks.
There were signs all around that said: “Don’t drink or eat food on this location.” Of course, the only people who didn’t have masks on were the actors and stunt people. Wearing contacts in that environment was a little scary. I actually got minor conjunctivitis at the end of that show because of it.
That’s awful.
Yeah. But, you know. As my wife often says, “Nobody ever pointed a gun at you and told you you have to do this for a living!”
Can I ask you one question about The Leftovers?
You can ask me any question about The Leftovers that you want, since it remains to this moment the best job I’ve ever had.
Do you believe Nora Durst (Carrie Coon)?
(Long pause.) I’m going to answer you like Senior would answer you: “Who gives a fuck? Who cares? They’re all fucking whiners anyway. I’m not motivated by grief. ‘Oh! I lost my family!’ Who the fuck cares? Get a purpose. Have a cause. Then you won’t worry about the rest of this shit.
”
Were you happy with how the show ended?
I was. I loved the way it ended. Do I think Nora was really lying or not? Yeah, she probably was. But again, it doesn’t really matter. I was very excited by the way it ended. It fit for me. Someone said, and I can’t remember who, it might have been Justin [Theroux], asked me what I thought Senior was doing now. And I said he was probably riding around somewhere in Australia with an Australian biker gang.
I wish we could see that.
Who knows? Maybe you will. (Laughs.)
Follow THR’s The Defenders coverage for more interviews and news.
Ecolyat holiday – young defenders of nature (Cornflower flower making)
Ecolyat holiday – young defenders of nature
Presenter: Good afternoon, dear guys! Today we are inviting you to the Feast of Ecolyat-Defenders of Nature
-Look, guys. (on a slide) All this is our home planet.
How much beauty and wonder is in it: endless expanses, and mountains stretching into the sky, and blue-blue seas … and the inhabitants on it can not be counted, and each of them is a small miracle! But often people forget about it, and then – chimneys smoke, shots sound, animals die … To remind people of the beauty of our planet, today we are holding our Ecolyat Holiday!
Yes, our planet is huge. And, even for a whole life, a person cannot go around it all, from edge to edge. Only by loving his native nature, a person will be able to love the whole world.
Nature is the house in which we live,
And forests rustle in it, rivers flow and splash.
Under the blue sky, under the golden sun,
we want to live in that house forever.
Nature is a house adorned with labor,
Do you know, answer, answer the price of such a house?
What will happen if the roof is under fire in it,
What will happen if we break the walls in it?
Nature is a house in which day after day
Flowers and bread grow, children laugh all around.
And this house and laughter are one, one for all,
There is no other house in the whole world.
– Guys, who knows what day July 5 is?
That’s right, July 5th is World Environment Day! Ecologist’s Day.
In our time, the science of “ecology” is intensively developing. Its name comes from the Greek words “oikos” – “house” and “logos” – “science”. People of different ages and professions should have an idea about ecology and remember about the inseparable connection between all organisms on Earth, about the huge impact a person has on nature and how important it is to take care of it.
At the beginning of the 21st century, humanity has fully felt the global ecological crisis, which clearly indicates the pollution of our planet.
It is likely that man has crossed the permissible ecological limits, which ultimately endangered the existence of modern civilization. We can say that a person has approached a limit that cannot be crossed under any circumstances.
One careless step and humanity will “fall” into the abyss. One thoughtless move and humanity could disappear from the face of the earth. pollution problems in a particular environment.
Environmental problems arise more and more often due to human influence on nature.
Environmental scientists study how changes in the environment affect the lives of animals, plants and humans. Our teams also conducted their own small investigations and tried to understand the problems that arise in a particular environment.
Let’s listen to them. So, squad 1 (water pollution problem)
– squad 2 (air pollution problem)
– squad 3 (soil pollution problem)
-4 detachment (Rare plant species)
PROTECTION OF POSTERS
– Guys, today the funny fairy-tale heroes of “Ecolyat” – friends and defenders of Nature – came to our holiday. They will help you make friends with Nature, understand and love it.
So welcome Ecolyata!
EXIT ECOLYATE
I-Naughty
I-Tikhonya
I-Clever
I-Herringbone
900 04 Host : They were born in the forest, they know everything or almost everything about it. Together they protect and protect the forest, take care of their inhabitants. They have many friends, buddies and just acquaintances and they would like to make friends with you.
Herringbone : And, we came to us not empty-handed, but with tasks.
Quiet: As I told you, I love flowers, and I suggest you solve riddles about them.
1. In the meadows of the sister – a golden eye, white cilia. (Chamomile)
2. The little blue bell hangs, it never rings. (Bell)
3. The balloon grew white, the wind blew – the balloon flew away. (Dandelion)
4. What blooms without flowers? (Fern)
5. Both needles and deadwood are cleared by streams, and first appears at
thawed.
.. (Snowdrop)
6. Even at night the Ant will not miss his house:
Let lanterns illuminate the path until dawn.
White lamps hang on large poles in a row. (Lily of the valley)
Presenter: Well done guys!
Tikhonya : Ah, I would like to dwell in more detail on the cornflower, which is included in the Red Book of Yamal. Your attention to the screen!
Cornflower presentation
Presenter: Guys, tell me, please, so that flowers grow in the forest, what do they need? That’s right, rain.
Usually everything is quiet before the rain, let’s hear this silence.
Z Al quiets down. THE NOISE OF RAIN
Herringbone: Ah, I suggest you play the game “Rain ” And suddenly the first droplets began to fall from the sky (with the finger of the right hand we hit the palm of the left hand), and now a fine rain has already begun (we hit with two palm fingers).
It gradually intensifies (hit with three fingers), it intensifies (with four fingers) and turns into a downpour (hit with five fingers). It pours and pours (beat your hands as hard as possible), and then the rain starts to subside (4 fingers) and becomes quieter (3 fingers) and quieter (2 fingers), but some droplets stubbornly fall, hear (1 finger), and the rain stops pouring. The sun came out, the rainbow smiles at everyone and everyone is in a good mood. The hall became quiet.
Narrator: And the rain stopped in the forest and the sun came out. And, please tell me, what appears in the forest after the rain?
Clever Girl : Ah, there are mushrooms in my magic Basket. You must solve riddles about mushrooms.
They wear red berets,
They bring autumn to the forest in summer.
Very friendly sisters
Golden (chanterelles)
Growing at the edge of the forest
Red-haired girlfriends
And their name is (wolves)
Pale with a thin stem.
They don’t walk along the path,
But they crowd in the clearing
Poisonous (toadstools)
Everyone knows the mushroom in the district
This evening, like old times,
In the dark, dark thicket of the forest
9 0004 First I lit the lantern (fly agaric)
Along the forest paths.
Lots of white legs
Multicolored hats.
Noticeable from afar
Pack it up, don’t hesitate!
This is… (Russula)
Not honey mushrooms, not butter
And not white mushrooms
We walk in nice hats
Where there are pines and oaks (saffron mushrooms)
Near the forest on the edge, 0003
Like Parsley,
Poisonous (fly agaric).
There are many of us mushroom brothers,
In the morning on a warm summer day
We love to climb in a crowd
On a rotten old stump. (honey mushrooms)
Presenter : Well done! And, flowers and mushrooms and much more you can see in the forest! All people, before entering the forest, must know the rules of behavior in the forest.
My friend when you enter the forest
Alone or with a crowd 0003
The law is simple for everyone.
If you want to listen to the sound of the forest,
So be quiet and don’t shout.
There are plenty of animals and birds around,
There is no reason to frighten them!
Naughty : Guys, I want to remind you once again the rules of behavior in the forest!
RULE 1: Do not break the branches of trees and bushes!
RULE 2: Do not pick flowers in the forest and meadow. It was the long-standing habit of picking flowers that led to the disappearance of many plants.
RULE 3: Do not take eggs from nests, destroy anthills, dig holes and disturb forest dwellers.
RULE 4: Don’t make a fire in the forest. Fireplaces are wounds in the ground cover of the forest. They take 15-20 years to heal.
RULE 5: Don’t leave a mess in the forest.
Remember: abandoned paper takes two years to decompose, a tin can takes at least 70 years! A plastic bag will lie for a very long time, since there are no bacteria on Earth that can destroy it.
Presenter: Look what our eco-children saw in the forest 03
Host: Our life and our future depend on each of us.
Do your best to prevent an environmental disaster.
Let’s live in harmony with nature, without violating its laws and orders, use its wealth wisely to save our planet for future generations.
Herringbone: The voices of the people of our planet in defense of nature are heard more and more demandingly.
And, we invite you to join these people
Naughty: Guys, we invite you all to take an oath Ecolyat, we ask everyone to stand up
ECOLATE Oath ON SLIDE
Presenter : Nature is our wealth. Preserving this wealth for future generations is our task and duty.
Look, my friend, don’t let us down!
Promise to be truthful and kind!
Don’t hurt a bird or a cricket,
Don’t buy a net for a butterfly.
Love flowers, forests, expanse of fields –
Everything that is called your Motherland!
Our event has come to an end. I hope that today we were able to convince you that nature, planet Earth must be constantly protected and protected. The living world around us is surprisingly large and diverse, and we know very little about it. Read more books about nature, such as “Forest Newspaper” by V. Bianchi, “Birds on Wires” by V. Peskov, books by K. Paustovsky, M. Prishvin and many others.
Man is a small universe. The natural way of life of a person, in accordance with the laws of nature, gives a person health and a long happy life, and the human community – peace and prosperity.
So let’s love and protect nature!
Take care of the earth. Take care
Skylark at the blue zenith,
Butterfly on dodder leaves,
Sun glare on the paths.
Playing crab on the stones,
Baobab shadow over the desert,
A hawk soaring over a field,
A clear moon over a calm river.
Swallow flashing in life,
Take care of the earth! Take care!
the latest news, why are they doing this
Eco-activists have become a threat to the world’s masterpieces of art. Museums around the world report attacks on paintings, statues and other historical heritage items. Radical activists are trying to attract the attention of the authorities and the public, acts of vandalism become known every day. How the protection of nature is connected with works of art – read in the material of Izvestia.
Why eco-activists attack paintings
The scandalous actions were initiated by the Just Stop Oil group. With radical actions, activists are trying to force the British government to cancel all licenses for the use, exploration, development and extraction of fossil fuels.
The idea was picked up in other countries. Conservationists who act in this way are united in the A22 Network, which now has 15 organizations around the world.
Conservation groups justify their actions by saying that the paintings are not damaged because they are protected by glass. As a rule, eco-activists try to glue themselves to the frames or pour some kind of liquid on the glass.
However, art historians rightly point out that in many cases the frame is also considered part of the picture. Moreover, disturbing news has already come from several museums that the actions of radicals are crossing the line of vandalism and harming works of art.
Eco-activists attacks on paintings — chronicle
One of the most high-profile cases was the attack on Van Gogh’s The Sower on November 4 at Palazzo Bonaparte in Rome. Three radicals from the Letzten Generation (“Last Generation”) movement doused the canvas with vegetable soup. Luckily, the painting was protected by glass.
The conservationists then glued their hands to the wall.
The Rome Public Prosecutor opened a criminal case. For damaging cultural heritage sites, activists can receive from two to five years in prison. Fortunately, all the damage was quickly repaired, and two days later the painting was put on display again.
The attack on Jan Vermeer’s painting “Girl with a Pearl Earring” in the Mauritshuis Museum in The Hague also caused a wide public outcry. Two radical activists splashed a red liquid onto the canvas, and one of them glued his hand to the wall. Both protesters were wearing T-shirts with the inscription “Just stop the oil.” Defenders of nature were arrested.
A painting by the French artist Claude Monet from the Haystacks series at the Barberini Museum in Potsdam, Germany, was doused with mashed potatoes. Four people took part in the action.
“People are starving, freezing and dying. We are in a climate catastrophe.
And all you’re afraid of is the tomato soup or the mashed potatoes in the picture,” one activist shouted.
All four participants were detained.
Canadian activists, through protests, tried to get the construction of the Coastal GasLink pipeline in the province of British Columbia in the west of the country cancelled. To draw attention to this issue, two girls doused maple syrup on Canadian artist Emily Carr’s Stumps and Sky on November 14 at an art gallery in Vancouver. The choice fell on this canvas, because it depicts the stumps that remain after deforestation. The activists then glued their palms to the wall and took several pictures.
A radical action within the framework of nature protection was also held in Australia. A group of environmental activists tried to deface a series of paintings by American artist Andy Warhol, “Campbell’s Soup Can”, exhibited at the National Gallery in Canberra. Pop art pieces stained the canvases with blue paint and wanted to stick themselves to the wall.
They were stopped and detained. Fortunately, the canvases were protected by glass.
In the Leopold Museum in Vienna, Gustav Klimt’s painting “Death and Life” was attacked. Radical environmentalists poured a black liquid on her, and one of the protesters glued himself to the frame.
Eco-activists at the Norwegian National Museum of Art, Architecture and Design tried the same thing. When trying to glue themselves to the frame of the painting “The Scream” by Edvarad Munch, they were caught by the guards of the institution, who stopped the girls. The girls also intended to hang a poster with a quote from UN Secretary General António Guterres “Fossil fuels are suffocating humanity.”
But the activists at the Natural History Museum in Berlin did not limit themselves to paintings. Women aged 34 and 42 glued themselves to a dinosaur skeleton. There was a hidden meaning in their action – the radicals thus sought to draw attention to the problem of climate change, which could lead to the extinction of the human species.
As an illustration of their position, the women unfurled a banner that read, “What if the government doesn’t have it under control?” An hour after the start of the action, the activists were detained. A criminal case has been initiated against them.
Actions of activists are not limited to vandalism in museums and galleries. Two members of the same “Last Generation” movement climbed the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, drawing attention to the problem of climate cataclysms. For the action, the girls chose the day the Berlin Wall fell – November 9th. They hung a poster on the landmarks with the inscription “We wish survival for all, on Unity Day we are all the last generation.”
Another subject of attacks and protests are financial institutions, which activists accuse of using the climate catastrophe for profit. So, on November 14, members of the Extinction Rebellion movement staged protests in more than 100 branches of one of the largest banks in the UK, Barclays. In most cases, activists put up incriminating posters, but acts of vandalism have also been recorded.
For example, in the city of Birmingham, protesters poured oil on several bank branches. On the facade of one of the buildings appeared the inscription in paint “Europe’s largest sponsor of fossil fuels.”
In Scotland, radical activists completely broke the glass of a bank building in Glasgow. With posters in their hands, they waited for the arrival of law enforcement officers. And in Aberdeen, buckets of orange paint were poured on the wall of the Barclays branch and the Silver Fin building, which will also become the headquarters of the Shell oil company in the future.
The reaction of museums to the attacks of environmental activists
Museum administrations did not ignore the wave of attacks on exhibits. The heads of 92 well-known museums, including the Louvre (Paris) and the Prado (Madrid), published an open letter in which they emphasized the importance of the problem of preserving cultural heritage. Art historians have pointed out that environmental activists often do not realize what harm they can do to works of art with their actions.
