OP (and AYRT): Don't worry, I figured out which anon you were right away.
Your first paragraph? Is exactly what I was trying to say. Thank you. Misguided is the right word, here. I don't disagree that Jack made some poor choices with respect to his son. But I'd also like to point out that he has very few resources, either monetary or people-wise, which I think is the other thing the face-stitching episode is supposed to demonstrate. I don't think the show ever portrays him in any kind of positive relationship except with his son, so he has no one to help him figure out how to parent. (I'm assuming his mother is dead by the face-stitching scene, by the way.) And so little Matt Murdock has lessons in violence, poor self-care, and taking too much upon himself before he even loses his sight. Jack doesn't have the tools to realize that this is what he's teaching. Just, bleh.
Your second paragraph? I guess I can see it. My head canon is that Jack desperately tried to shield Matt from his anger, and also that he never knew his mother had shared her "Murdock men have a devil in them" theory with Matt. Which certainly doesn't contradict anything you said there, but my further head canon is that Jack never discussed his childhood abuse with Matt. He's trying to leave all that behind him, and out of their relationship entirely. Which is why, if Matt ever did catch a glimpse of "the devil" in his father in their one-on-one interactions, it was immediately followed by his dad sequestering himself to punch a wall for a while, or something, turning the violence in upon himself. (Which is still pretty traumatizing for a child.)
Of course, all of this is head canon, and your interpretation of what the show has given us works, too. And the show is never going to give us a Matt with children, because that's not the genre of the show. Which is why I'm loving the other conversation this prompt turned into. :)
Re: Jack Murdock's father abusive?
Your first paragraph? Is exactly what I was trying to say. Thank you. Misguided is the right word, here. I don't disagree that Jack made some poor choices with respect to his son. But I'd also like to point out that he has very few resources, either monetary or people-wise, which I think is the other thing the face-stitching episode is supposed to demonstrate. I don't think the show ever portrays him in any kind of positive relationship except with his son, so he has no one to help him figure out how to parent. (I'm assuming his mother is dead by the face-stitching scene, by the way.) And so little Matt Murdock has lessons in violence, poor self-care, and taking too much upon himself before he even loses his sight. Jack doesn't have the tools to realize that this is what he's teaching. Just, bleh.
Your second paragraph? I guess I can see it. My head canon is that Jack desperately tried to shield Matt from his anger, and also that he never knew his mother had shared her "Murdock men have a devil in them" theory with Matt. Which certainly doesn't contradict anything you said there, but my further head canon is that Jack never discussed his childhood abuse with Matt. He's trying to leave all that behind him, and out of their relationship entirely. Which is why, if Matt ever did catch a glimpse of "the devil" in his father in their one-on-one interactions, it was immediately followed by his dad sequestering himself to punch a wall for a while, or something, turning the violence in upon himself. (Which is still pretty traumatizing for a child.)
Of course, all of this is head canon, and your interpretation of what the show has given us works, too. And the show is never going to give us a Matt with children, because that's not the genre of the show. Which is why I'm loving the other conversation this prompt turned into. :)