Matt Murdock’s ordinary acts
A while ago, I wrote a few tweets tagged #OrdinaryActs, and the idea was that these are little things superheroes do to blend in, to make it seem like they have ordinary lives. For example:
“Clark Kent grabs a cardboard sleeve for his coffee. Details matter. #OrdinaryActs”
“Peter Parker joins The Bugle’s softball team. He strikes out in the first inning; misses an easy catch in the third. #OrdinaryActs”
We know a hot cup of coffee wouldn’t affect Clark, and we know Peter has excellent hand-eye coordination, but these are everyday moments where they could play up being ordinary.
And then I watched the Daredevil Netflix series and saw that Matt Murdock does these kinds of things too. Even though he has heightened senses and is not in total darkness, he pretends at complete blindness when he is around people in his everyday life.
Small things, like reaching out to touch a door frame or missing someone’s hand for a handshake. Relying on his cane as he walks down the sidewalk, but we know he can toss it and run, full-speed, if he wants to.
I love seeing details like that, where Matt acts that way on purpose as part of his disguise.
It’s a reversal: He stops pretending when he puts on the mask.