I think that Matt's Catholicism also gives him an intense, devout sense of his own martyrdom being beautiful and him being doomed to it no matter what he does, as well as a sense that he's willing to dive headfirst into suffering because it is almost a form of love for him--to do so much, to take on what must be done.
As a lapsed Catholic, this thought speaks to me on such profound levels. It makes so much sense wrt Matt's philosophies and faith. It's also something that's been baked into him, though. Or something that he grabbed onto in the orphanage? Because he's not particularly Catholic as a child. But as a child, when he still had his sight, he was already a tiny hero and maybe the Catholicism gave him a better reason for it, or grounded him or something. There's a lot of suffering-for-others in the bible and with Matt, landmark moments in his life reflect the same. It's like every time he does something good, something bad happens. He saves a life, he loses his sight. He keeps his father on his feet during that last fight, to paraphrase Frank Castle, he loses his father. He finally learns to control his senses, Stick leaves him. It's like there's some sort of equivalent exchange pattern set up, like suffering is expected and inescapable. Maybe you're right that he sees death as fate, and he's accepted martyrdom as the best, most beautiful outcome he'll pay for doing what needs to be done.
Slight segue, there's another comment here about some of the themes in Defenders being (found) family, love and sacrifice. How Stick had a chance to kill Elektra and he freezes because in spite of thinking she's a monster, he still loves her. And Elektra kills him. Love is what gets Stick killed. The same thing 'kills' Matt later. DD and Defenders have managed to take such beautiful themes like love and sacrifice and family and twist them into very complicated, unexpected knots that don't work in conventional ways. Frank and Matt? Idek what to call them but yeah, they feel necessary to each other. Karen and Foggy? Besties? Worsties? Idk. Are the Defenders friends? Teammates? Workmates? Idk! Honestly it's the most amazing and annoying thing that idk how to label these relationships lol. But I do love, like someone else said here, that Matt probably has a better understanding--and is better understood, by the anti-heroes than anyone else on these shows.
Re: Friends and enemies and Matt
As a lapsed Catholic, this thought speaks to me on such profound levels. It makes so much sense wrt Matt's philosophies and faith. It's also something that's been baked into him, though. Or something that he grabbed onto in the orphanage? Because he's not particularly Catholic as a child. But as a child, when he still had his sight, he was already a tiny hero and maybe the Catholicism gave him a better reason for it, or grounded him or something. There's a lot of suffering-for-others in the bible and with Matt, landmark moments in his life reflect the same. It's like every time he does something good, something bad happens. He saves a life, he loses his sight. He keeps his father on his feet during that last fight, to paraphrase Frank Castle, he loses his father. He finally learns to control his senses, Stick leaves him. It's like there's some sort of equivalent exchange pattern set up, like suffering is expected and inescapable. Maybe you're right that he sees death as fate, and he's accepted martyrdom as the best, most beautiful outcome he'll pay for doing what needs to be done.
Slight segue, there's another comment here about some of the themes in Defenders being (found) family, love and sacrifice. How Stick had a chance to kill Elektra and he freezes because in spite of thinking she's a monster, he still loves her. And Elektra kills him. Love is what gets Stick killed. The same thing 'kills' Matt later. DD and Defenders have managed to take such beautiful themes like love and sacrifice and family and twist them into very complicated, unexpected knots that don't work in conventional ways. Frank and Matt? Idek what to call them but yeah, they feel necessary to each other. Karen and Foggy? Besties? Worsties? Idk. Are the Defenders friends? Teammates? Workmates? Idk! Honestly it's the most amazing and annoying thing that idk how to label these relationships lol. But I do love, like someone else said here, that Matt probably has a better understanding--and is better understood, by the anti-heroes than anyone else on these shows.