Stick (Marvel)
Stick is a male character that features in Marvel Comics.
Contents |
Biography
Stick was the name taken by a male human who was said to had been born blind and lived on the street where he made his own way in life. (Daredevil: The Man Without Fear v1 #1) According to Stone, Stick may have been the reincarnated soul of the legendary warrior prince, Yamato-Take. He also stated Stick chose his name and his weapon because "the stick symbolized his feelings about his place in things. He used a weapon of simplicity and one that was born from the Earth. Not man-made, he said. From the Earth". (Daredevil: Ninja v1 #3) In 1919, By his mid-teens Stick who was in his mid-teens was apprenticed under the Ancient One and sought to retrieve a mystic artifact from the Japanese military in Shanghai, China with Stick wielding a bo-staff in the fight. Confronted by soldiers, they were rescued when a drunk Logan intervened. Impressed by Logan's bravery, military officer Ogun allowed the three to depart. Stick was tempted by Logan's wandering life, and the Ancient One predicted Stick would eventually stray from his current disciplined life, only to renew his dedication. On this day though the Ancient One entreated Stick to remain with him, reminding him he had a lot left to learn. (Wolverine v2 #113) At some point, he came under the tutelage of Master Izo where he took his student alongside the other members of the clan that resided at the Wall. (Daredevil v1 #500) He was known to have had a wife and child but he turned his back on them to commit to the Chaste's crusade. (Elektra: Root of Evil v1 #2) After World War II, the Chaste was able to recruit many former soldiers into their ranks, including an American named Drake. After training with them, Drake returned to America. Drake returned to the Chaste with his children, a boy named James and a girl. The Chaste began training James while expecting the girl to do the cleaning, but Stick recognized significant potential in the girl and didn't intervene when James secretly started training his sister. (Elektra v2 #19) Around fifty five years ago, the group cast a vote and removed Izo from leadership of the clan leading to him leaving their ranks willingly. (Daredevil v1 #500) Three years later, Stick 'discovered' that James was training his sister and pitted the brother and sister against the rest of the Chaste, telling them that the last to fall may stay among the Chaste, and the girl won. She trained hard for years until her anger got the better of her and she accidentally killed another initiate, causing Stick to kick her out, and she ended up in the ranks of the Hand. (Elektra v2 #19) Stick trained each of the initiates to the Chaste, and eventually all members of the Chaste's leadership known as the Seven were former trainees of Stick. (Daredevil v1 #188) Stick led the Chaste, training them in a remote home at the top of a nearly impenetrable mountain. They conducted their war with the Hand and searched for new warriors to train. At one point, Stick kicked one trainee out, and he became a Sensei in Japan, eventually training Elektra and telling her about the Chaste. (Daredevil v1 #190)
When she was 12 years old, Elektra Natchios went through martial arts training with her mentor being impressed at her skill and sent her for further study with the Chaste. In that time, her sensei was Stick with Elektra seeking to become their eighth member. Elektra was given menial duties with her being tasked with giving food to the group and went through brutal training but was never praised for her talents. One day, Stick had her go through a trial by the cliff side and cast her out from the group. (Elektra: Assassin v1 #1) In 1972, the Chaste fought the Hand in Luxembourg, and the girl Drake killed both her father in battle. (Elektra v2 #19) Around 18 years ago, Matt Murdock was blinded and received super-powers with Izo visiting the boy in the hospital where he then called Stick to inform him about the boy. (Daredevil v1 #500) Izo warned Stick that only one of two souls would be capable of taking down the Hand once and for all, and one of them was Matt Murdock. (Daredevil v1 #501) Stick and Stone argued about how to continue the cause of the Chaste, moving it forward to the future, as they sensed Elektra could have a darkness within her. Stick sensed another adept in America, a young Matt Murdock, who had been blinded in an accident but received super-sensory powers. Stick went to America to train the young man. ((Daredevil: The Man Without Fear v1 #2) After Matt's accident, Stick showed up in his hospital room as Matt cried from sensory overload. When Matt sensed Stick, Stick smiled and told him that was good, then he rushed from the room. (Daredevil v1 #500)
He made a call to his fellow members of the Seven with Four making their way to New York. A number of Genin of the Hand later found Stick where they attempted to eliminate him but he killed them. He later met his fellow Chaste members at the apartment of Matt Murdock to discuss the threat of the Hand. (Daredevil v1 #187) Stick's pupil Daredevil arrived wounded and fell unconscious due to his hyper-senses overloading due to exposure to radiation thus forcing Matt to recuperate in an isolation tank. Whilst Murdock was healing, he communicated with him in order to teach him to recover from his wounds. At that point, the Hand sent a resurrected Kirigi to kill Stick. By his side though were the rest of the Chaste with Shaft, Claw and Stone who took down the assassin. With Kirigi defeated, he told his comrades to get the body destroyed to prevent him from being resurrected again. (Daredevil v1 #188) Afterwards, Natasha Romanoff was fatally wounded but Stick used his abilities to save her. At that point, further Hand assassins arrived in overwhelming numbers with Claw dying by their hands. To save Daredevil and Romanov, Stick alongside Shaft sacrificed their lives in order to defeat the remaining Hand. In his last moments, he asked Stone to take Matt Murdock and Natasha Romanov to safety. (Daredevil v1 #189)
After his death, his staff remained in the hands of Matt Murdock who kept it in his home that was all he had of is former master. (Daredevil: Ninja v1 #1)
Using the power of the Iso-8, the Collector brought Stick back to life to use him as a pawn in his Contest of Champions in Battlerealm, where people summoned by the Maestro under the Collector's supervision fought those summoned by Punisher 2099, the summoner of the Grandmaster. Stick managed to convince one of the Grandmaster's players, the Sentry, to work together and form an escape plan. (All-New, All-Different Marvel Point One v1 #1) During the final fight between both teams, Sentry and Stick planned on combining their energy powers and attempt to open a portal out of Battlerealm. However, their plan was cut short by Punisher 2099, and both were killed by his Molecular Disintegrator. (Contest of Champions v1 #5) Soon after Stick's death, Maestro and Gallows overthrew their masters and seized the power of the ISO-Sphere. (Contest of Champions v1 #6) When Maestro was trying to create life combining protoplasm with the power of the ISO-Sphere, he seemingly brought back to life his world's Rick Jones. (Contest of Champions v1 #7) In reality, Stick had managed to transport his life energy into the lifeless body. Impersonating Jones, Stick manipulated Maestro, leading to his eventual downfall. When Stick convinced Maestro to confront the contestants under his control, he revealed his true nature, and used his powers to bring back the Sentry's life energy from the Symbioids. While the contestants and the Sentry kept Maestro busy, Stick directed Outlaw to snatch the ISO-Sphere. With the power of this item, Outlaw wished the Contest of Champions to end, thus transporting the contestants back to wherever they wanted to be, which included Stick returning to his world. (Contest of Champions v1 #10)
Overview
Personality and attributes
His staff symbolized his feelings about his place in things. It was this reason that he took it as his own name. (Daredevil: Ninja v1 #3)
He was noted for being an extraordinary man with a fiery inner beauty in his soul. (Elektra: Root of Evil v1 #2) Stick was described as a noble warrior who was a saint that spoke with ugly words. (Elektra: Assassin v1 #1) It was said that he had turned his back on his life and gave up so much to fixate on his concept of justice. (Elektra: Root of Evil v1 #1) This was shown in the fact that he abandoned his wife and child to focus on the Chaste's mission. Despite that decision, deep within his memory that experience broke his heart thousands of time when he thought of that moment. (Elektra: Root of Evil v1 #2)
It was said that once Stick talked then he never stopped. (Daredevil: The Man Without Fear v1 #1)
He came to regard his master Izo as a disgrace due to his drinking and gambling habits. (Daredevil v1 #500)
Afterwards, he came to train many members of the Chaste. (Daredevil v1 #188)
Stick was noted for being a teacher and master to Matt Murdock where he taught him martial arts. It was shown that he was a harsh mentor who often called Murdock a young 'punk' who only thought with his fists. (Daredevil v1 #176) Despite that, he felt that he had the skill to match the Chaste and succeed in their fight against the Hand. (Daredevil v1 #188) It was this reason that he felt that Murdock had a great destiny ahead of him. Upon meeting him, he found Matthew to be undisciplined, indulgent and emotional. Stick claimed to had taken a chance with Matt Murdock and trained him to be a warrior. (Daredevil: The Man Without Fear v1 #1)
Powers and abilities
Stick was a human being who was said to had been born blind. (Daredevil: The Man Without Fear v1 #1)
He was able to feel the air allowing him to see other people and objects as a result. Through concentration, he was able to smell a target and feel its shape. This allowed him to wield weapons such as a bo staff or even use a bow and arrow. (Daredevil: The Man Without Fear v1 #1) It was this trait that allowed him to train Matt Murdock to better control his hyper-senses. (Daredevil v1 #188)
He was able to speak directly into the mind of another person. (Daredevil v1 #188)
This was achieved through the simple matter of moving energy around. (Daredevil v1 #189)
Such was his skill that he was able to stop a sword with both hands during a mid-swing by clasping it between his palms. (Daredevil v1 #188)
Stick was shown to wield a bo staff that appeared as a walking stick but used it as a weapon when he found himself in battle. (Daredevil v1 #176) He used a weapon of simplicity that was born from the Earth itself. (Daredevil: Ninja v1 #3)
Notes
- Stick was created by Frank Miller where he made his first appearance in Daredevil v1 #176 (November, 1981).
- The character of Splinter of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles was created as a homage to Stick. [1]
Alternate Versions
- In What If? Daredevil Vs. Elektra v1 #1 (2009), an alternate What If world was shown where Daredevil was killed rather than Elektra. Stick was a member of the Chaste who had fought a shadow war against the Hand and was responsible for training Matt Murdock. After Murdock's death, he returned where he informed Elektra of the fact that Daredevil had been resurrected by the Hand as an evil warrior who took the name of the Advocate. Stick was later murdered by his former student with the Advocate taking his head and hanging it on the wall with others they he had killed as he became the new leader of the Hand.
- In Ultimate Comics Avengers 3 v1 #1 (2010), an alternate version of Stick was shown to reside the Ultimate Marvel Earth designated as Earth-1616. This version was similarly responsible for having trained Matt Murdock but after leaving him he found another young man named Ray Connor who had experienced a similar accident that imparted him with super-human hearing. He trained Connor who later ended up taking the mantle of Daredevil. Stick and Connor were later attacked by Vampire X who turned them into undead vampires where they were later killed.
- In Daredevil: End of Days v1 (2012), it was believed that a figure known as 'Mapone' that was the last words Daredevil said in an alternate future prior to his death was perhaps a reincarnation of Stick. It was thought that this reborn Stick was to serve as a mentor to Tim Urich who was the new Daredevil. However, it was revealed that this was Mapone Romanov who was the daughter of Matt Murdock and Natasha Romanov who had become the new Stick.
- In All-New, All-Different Point One v1 (2015), a version of Stick was taken by the power of the Collector and Maestro for the Contest of Champions in the Battlerealm.
- In Spider-Gwen v2 (2015), the profile of the alternate version of Matt Murdock of Earth-65 revealed a different history of that world's Stick. Stick was mentioned as being a vigilante in Hell's Kitchen and saved the life of a young Matt Murdock whose parents were killed by agents of the crime boss Silvermane. He would take Matt as his apprentice but ultimately perished in a battle against the Hand whereupon the ninja cult trained Murdock as one of their own.
In other media
Television
- In Spider-Man, Stick made an appearance in a flashback sequence in the 1994 animated series in the episode "Framed" in a non-voiced role. He was shown as a martial artist that found the recently blind and orphaned Matt Murdock where he began training the boy as a mentor. Murdock eventually learnt to make use of his new senses and trained to be a skilled fighter leading to him becoming the costumed vigilante known as Daredevil.
- In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Stick made a number of appearances in the shared continuity setting.
- In Daredevil, the character made an appearance in the setting of the live-action Netflix television series starting from the episode "Stick" where he as portrayed by actor Scott Glenn. He stated that he was born blind but trained himself in martial arts and meditation techniques that allowed him to survive over the years. Stick was involved in a mysterious shadow war in the world and sought soldiers for his cause. During his travels, he heard of a recently orphaned Matt Murdock whose father had died but left him a sizeable inheritance and was being cared for at a convent. At the age of 9, the boy had suffered from an accident whereby chemicals fell on his eyes that made him blind. However, he had gained advanced hearing abilities that were akin to echolocation allowing him to see despite the loss of his sight and this trait growing stronger as he grew older. This ability proved difficult for the boy to control with priests and doctors unable to help him which was when Stick arrived. He took a payment to help the boy and decided to train him as a soldier for the coming war. After one session, Murdock gave Stick a bracelet made of paper as a sign of his devotion to which his master decided to end the training. This was because he concluded that Matt Murdock was looking for a father figure and too young to be the soldier that Stick needed. In addition, Stick felt that attachments were a weakness and that soldiers needed to be devoid of love in order to survive. Twenty year later, he was in Japan battling a shadow criminal organization that had taken child that was a weapon called the Black Sky. However, the child was put on a freight ship heading towards New York and decided to meet his old student Matt Murdock that was a masked vigilante in Hell's Kitchen. Murdock resented Stick for leaving him as a child but agreed to help Stick so long as he promised not to kill anyone. Despite promising, Stick attempted to kill the child with an arrow that Murdock stopped but his elderly mentor later killed Black Sky later. Upon learning of this, Matt Murdock went into a rage and beat his master who was impressed with his former student and later departed. He later met a shadow individual who asked if Murdock would be ready for their needs to which Stick replied that he did not know.
- In Defenders, Stick returned in the live-action television series where he was once again portrayed by actor Scott Glenn.
- In Hit-Monkey, Stick appeared in the setting of the animated television series in the episode "Legend of the Drunken Monkey".
Films
- In Elektra, Stick made an appearance in the setting of the live-action film where he was portrayed by actor Terence Stamp. Unlike the comics, he seemingly had no connection to Daredevil. He was shown as the leader of a clan of white uniform ninjas that were ancient enemies of the Hand and he trained his warriors through the use of staffs. Stick was a master of the art of Kimagori that could be used to discern of the future. With this skill, he was able to resurrect the slain warrior Elektra where he began training her. Though she was his most powerful student, he felt that she was not the best and that she was filled with anger that caused her to kill. This poison and violence led to him sending her away from the clan as he deemed it not their way but he felt her heart of pure that could only be tempered in time. Elektra later sought him out after Mark Miller and his daughter Abby Miller were pursued by the Hand. Stick and his warriors were instrumental in stopping Elektra from being killed by Kirigi. He then revealed to Elektra that Abby Miller was the fabled Treasure that he along with his warriors fought to keep away from the Hand.
Video games
- In Daredevil, Stick appeared as a supporting character in the Game Boy Advance video game.
- In Marvel: Ultimate Alliance, Stick was mentioned in the video game by Daredevil when explaining his own origin.
Appearances
- Daredevil v1: (1981)
- Elektra: Assassin v1:
- Daredevil: The Man Without Fear v1:
- Wolverine v2:
- All-New, All-Different Marvel Point One v1:
- Contest of Champions v1:
External Links
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