Realizing
that Marvel has too much for me to only talk about in periodic write-ups, here’s
a new regular feature: Marvelous
Wednesdays! The MCU has a real way with
depicting relationships between a superhero and their nonpowered friend. Jessica and Trish, Steve and Bucky in the
first Captain America, Peggy and
Jarvis (although, in their case, the “super” part isn’t required,) and here,
Matt and Foggy. Much love for these two,
who might get the deepest examination of this type of relationship. Some Foggy-Matt-related Daredevil spoilers, including season 2.
The
early episodes of the series quickly and clearly set up Matt and Foggy’s
dynamic. They’ve been through the
trenches of law school together and are now ready to take on the world as
defense attorneys looking out for the little guy. They’re quite the “little guys” themselves;
even though they know their stuff and aren’t afraid to mess with the big dogs,
their operation looks decidedly
ramshackle, what with their tiny, bare offices, their sole employee, and their
zero dollars. Still, they’re undaunted
by what they don’t have and instead focus on what they can do. Both give each other
the sort of hard time that only best friends can, but both also know how to
buckle down and give it their all when it comes to helping out someone in
trouble.
However,
Matt and Foggy are different from the other duos mentioned above in a key
way: at the start of the series, Foggy
doesn’t know that Matt puts on a mask at night and fights gangsters. He’s completely in the dark about Matt’s
superpowers, and when he accidentally discovers the truth in the middle of
season one, it’s rough. He’s of course hurt by all the secrets Matt
has kept from him, he’s naturally concerned for Matt’s safety, and he worries
about the drive within Matt that makes him dish out such a brutal,
self-determined brand of justice. The
revelations knock him over, and it takes time for them to get to any sort of
good place again.
Even as
Foggy struggles to reconcile Matt’s secret life, however, he can’t stop
caring. He gives Matt raw diatribes on
how much his ever-present worry for Matt is tearing him up, but he still rushes
in whenever Matt is hurt, dragging his bleeding friend home and helping to
patch him up. He puts himself in
incredible danger at times to make sure Matt is safe. Part of it is simply the depth of their
friendship, but I imagine that part of it is also the fact that Foggy can’t
shake the impression he’s developed over the years of Matt being slightly more
in need of looking after. Not that Foggy
ever really patronized Matt or treated him with kid gloves due to his
disability, but it’s clear in the little things that he’s accustomed to
“helping out.” Matt holds Foggy’s arm
when they walk down busy sidewalks together, and Foggy frequently serves as his
informal audio describer, filling him on visual details like someone’s facial
reactions. Although Matt’s powers
essentially nullify his blindness and then some, I think Foggy’s gut still
thinks of Matt as that guy, the one who needs an extra hand. (In truth, I think any friend of a superhero
would display much the same level of concern, but I think this particular
detail gives the show more room to explore it.)
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