Monthly Archives: April 2015

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Daredevil and Writing Christian Characters

Matt Murdock (aka Daredevil) as seen in the new Netflix series. Played by Charlie Cox.

A few weeks ago, Marvel Comics released the 13-episode series Daredevil on Netflix. My longtime readers won’t be surprised when I say that it was this show–the first of five that Marvel is releasing exclusively to the streaming service–that made me finally sign up for Netflix. I’ve made it no secret that I love superheroes, comic books, and the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

(If you’d like to read my official review of the series, go to my Examiner page here).

One of the things I find most interesting about Daredevil is he is one of only a few Christian superheroes that I know of (Nightcrawler from X-Men is another). He’s Catholic, to be specific. I was curious to see how his faith would be handled in this series since Hollywood has a track record for presenting Christians as hypocrites, loons, or both. I thought they might gloss over his faith, at best.

I was pleasantly surprised to see that his faith was an integral part of his character. He unabashedly identifies himself as Catholic, even saying that it’s what keeps him going most of the time. But most importantly, his faith isn’t simplified. In fact, it makes him a complicated character. Conversely, he’s not the squeaky-clean, nigh-perfect Christian character usually presented in faith-based movies.

(WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD!)

Matt has endured much tragedy. He was blinded as a boy after shoving a man out the way of a truck, which then accidentally dumped chemicals on him. His father, a mediocre boxer, was murdered by mobsters because he refused to throw a fight. He spent the next several years in a Catholic orphanage dealing with his radar-like super-senses (a “gift” of the chemical bath) until he was trained to fight by a skilled but amoral blind old man, who eventually abandoned him. Is it any wonder he adopted the faith of the orphanage? He needed it to go on. It spurred him to become a lawyer so he could help clean up Hell’s Kitchen.

But Matt quickly learned the limitations of the law. He told the story of hearing a man in the next-door apartment sexually molesting his eight-year-old daughter. Because of his super-senses, he was the only one who knew about it. The mother didn’t believe it, and, as he said, the father was “smart” and managed to convince Child Protective Services he was innocent. So, one night, having gotten sick of it, he put on a mask, tracked the father down, and beat him up, threatening to make the next one worse if he ever touched his daughter again. “I could sleep better after that,” he said.

This was his first night as a vigilante, which by definition is someone who operates outside the law to enforce some form of justice. It goes counter to what Matt normally would stand for as a lawyer. Yet it doesn’t. As Matt states in a courtroom speech, the law concerns itself with facts and not necessarily truth. It can only act based on the evidence that is presented. Plus, as Matt learns while trying to take down his archenemy Wilson Fisk (aka Kingpin), cops and judges can be bought or bullied to offer criminals protection. This brought Matt to a crossroads. The only way to stop Fisk seemed to be killing him, but as he confessed to his priest, such an act would damn his soul. This was only one of the many spiritual struggles he had concerning the morality of the often brutal tactics he used to enforce his vigilante justice.

What was brilliant about it was it all seemed realistic and believable. I’ve heard of many people in real life who’ve wrestled with huge moral issues (though, admittedly, they weren’t costumes vigilantes…so far as I know…). At one point Matt was willing to risk damning his soul if it meant saving his city. Ultimately, he found another way, but it may not be the perfect solution (that’ll be revealed in season 2). This struggle is presented with great respect. The show’s creators remember that religion is a large part of many people’s lives. It shouldn’t be mocked or ignored. (I also admit that putting characters in moral dilemmas is something I enjoy and used to do a lot in my own stories).

On the other hand, Matt would probably be criticized by many Christians (and perhaps fellow Catholics) because he isn’t perfect. Besides his questions of morality, he has (small?) vices like swearing and possibly pre-marital sex (it’s never shown and details aren’t offered, so the audience is left to decide). Yet at no point did I question the authenticity of his faith. It reminded me that things like cussing don’t always mean a religious person has a weak or superficial faith. Legalism never helps anyone.

What do you think? Did you see the series? How should Christian characters be written in fiction?

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‘Marvel vs. DC’ movie coming in 2020!

Author’s Note: I originally posted this today on Examiner.com, but they put the kibosh on it and took it down inside of five minutes. I guess they have no appreciation for April Fool’s Day jokes. Regardless, here it is.

In an unprecedented move, Disney and Warner Bros. have struck a deal to adapt the epic crossover comic book miniseries DC vs. Marvel for the big screen. Published in 1996 and written by Ron Marz and Peter David, with art by Dan Jurgens and Claudio Castellini, the four-part story saw characters from both publishers clash to save the multiverse. Kevin Feige and Christopher Nolan are executive producers with David S. Goyer slated to write the script and Bryan Singer directing. This announcement was made with a trailer created by super-fan Alex Luthor.

“Despite being competitors, DC and Marvel have had some classic crossovers,” said Feige. “Since both companies are building cinematic universes, it only seemed logical to have them crossover.”

Bryan Singer jumped at the chance to direct this massive film. “Since I’ve directed both Superman and the X-Men, I think I’m the only guy in Hollywood qualified to handle characters from both companies,” he said.

The comic book featured over a dozen bouts like Superman vs. Hulk and Captain America vs. Batman. Half were determined by the creators while others were decided by fan votes, which is something that will also be done for this film.

“This is for the fans, so we want them to be involved,” said Nolan. “When the movie’s website is launched, it will feature a page where they can cast their votes on the more high-profile matches. We freely admit that they might know better than us.”

Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, and the rest of cast of Avengers will be joining Henry Cavil, Ben Affleck and Gal Gadot in this epic war of worlds.

“I could so take Bat-fleck,” Downey said. “He looks all mopey and sad. Plus, I’ve got better toys.”

Ben Affleck was unavailable for a retort.

Adding to the scope of the film, Marvel is in talks with 20th Century Fox to allow the X-Men and Fantastic Four to be part of the massive crossover.

“Since both of those franchises have tampered or will tamper with the fabric of reality, it made sense story-wise to include them,” said Feige. “This would allow us to sort of include them in the MCU without having them in the MCU. Negotiations have been tough, but I expect we’ll have a deal hammered out soon.”

DC is also considering adding the likes of Grant Gustin (“The Flash”) and Stephen Amell (“Arrow”) to the mix because of their respective shows’ immense popularity. Given the nature of the story, it’s definitely possible.

While all the main players are set, the studios have yet to cast Axel Asher, aka Access, the character who will serve as the bridge between these worlds.

“He was just a regular teenager until a bum told him he was next in line to inherit special interdimensional powers,” said Goyer. “I love that about him. It’s as much his story as it is about the huge fandom-fueled brawls.”

Several actors have apparently auditioned for the coveted role, including Josh Hutcherson (“The Hunger Games”), Taylor Lautner (“Twilight”), Channing Tatum (“G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra”) and, interestingly, Liam Hemsworth (“The Hunger Games”).

“I’d love to be in a movie with my little brother!” said Chris Hemsworth, who plays Thor. “We always competed with each other growing up.”

Don’t expect to see this crossover clash in theatres for a while, though, since most of these actors are contracted for other films.

“These actors all have a lot on their plates, so we’ll have to wait for everything to align,” said Nolan. “But it will be worth the wait.”

The question on everyone’s mind, though, is will Stan Lee have a cameo?

“The man will be almost a hundred years old by then!” said Singer. “But I think he’d be honored to be part of the film, even if he’s carted in on a wheelchair.”

“Marvel vs. DC” is slated to be released April 1, 2020.