The Defenders

In the comics, Luke's thing is "when it comes to Harlem / everyday people, everything is pro bono. But if you want me to do something bigger and/or crazier, I'm gonna need a check." That could definitely work here. Even Jessica runs a for hire business, yet forgoes issues with money if the person really does need help.

Defenders seems to be kind of easing into the concept, introducing the idea that Luke needs to find a way to satisfy his desire to help people and also take care of himself at the same time, and something needs to be done with Pops' shop anyway.

I also like the idea of all the characters starting one big business and/or network investigating, protecting, defending and or helping people who need help.

edited 28th Aug '17 1:18:22 AM by KnownUnknown

Fair. He was talking to Claire about getting on his feet. That could be the lead up to Heroes for Hire, though it wouldn't probably just be Luke and Danny; it'll probably include Misty and Colleen for the reasons windleopard gave.

Also, imagine the guilt Foggy must feel at the end of the season; he gave Matt the suit, knowing that he was going to use it, with the hope that after the events going on, he'd be able to put Daredevil behind him.

edited 28th Aug '17 1:26:33 AM by ITNW1989

They pretty much already set up the Heroes for hire concept when Claire gets on Luke's case for some sort of job. And she herself is apparently now working at a shelter? And technically both Matt and Jessica are already for hire, even though the clients of Matt don't know that he is a hero.

edited 28th Aug '17 1:29:44 AM by Swanpride

Not a superhero anyway

How *does* Matt stay afloat, anyway? He was doing his legal case-load pro-bono. Is he paying rent with money he stole from drug dealers and gun runners?

I think he says "most of it" is pro bono. Given how much of a hero reputation he seems to be acquiring as a lawyer, donations are a possibility.

Plus his loft is dirt cheap and he canceled his lease on the office. There's a bit of discussion on the headscratchers page that goes into more detail.

I guess the money he got from his father is enough to just keep him afloat.

...From Battlin' Jack? I assume most of that was used up long ago, it's not like he was rich enough to get out of the orphanage, and he had to pay for law school somehow.

I would think that when Matt takes on a case pro bono and then wins his clients millions of dollars, they could probably throw him a little food money as a courtesy, whether or not he asks. And Nelson & Murdock might have been bankrupt by the end, but that doesn't mean Foggy and Matt were. They did get paid at least once by Wesley, and articling students get paid— probably paid pretty well at a firm the size of Landman & Zack. So even if Matt's operating at a loss right now, he might be a ways from being out on the street. Figuratively speaking, not in the red-costume sense.

Or not. Whatever makes good drama. If he comes out of his coma and makes it back to his old life only to realize that he has nothing left, that wouldn't surprise me either.

Well, it was apparently enough money this education was no issue whatsoever, and I somehow expect him having some sort of stipend too, considering how well he did and being blind and an orphan on top of it (not that there is anything wrong with it, but there is financial aid for those groups being able to study). And considering that he owns his apartment and certainly has a very low electric bill (no lights, no TV, little use for a computer except for work) and has no use for a car, his basic costs should be manageable.

Btw, pro bono doesn't necessarily mean that Matt gets nothing at all. It really depends from where he gets those cases. The stuff he got from Foggy, he certainly does get paid for, but by the law firm, not the client.

Columbia's Ivy League, and while it's possible Matt had a full ride between scholarships for being blind, Catholic, and in fact pretty damn smart and eloquent, I figured if he had money just lying around then Nelson & Murdock wouldn't have been in the trouble it was in.

So there could be something left of that fight money, but I would imagine not quite enough to live off of by itself for very long, that's all I'm saying. Like you mentioned, pro bono means you take the case with no promise of money from your clients going in, but that doesn't necessarily mean you don't get paid, whether that's out of the settlement, a referring firm, or various charitable foundations set up to support exactly this kind of work.

edited 30th Aug '17 2:57:29 AM by Unsung

Well, Nelson and Murdock had high overhead cost...the rooms with all the bills connected to them, but above all they had to make enough to also pay a salary for Karen, Foggy and Matt. Currently Matt is working on his own from home, which really makes it easier to make enough to cover your needs.

I finally watched this in full! I thought it was fine. It didn't wow me or anything, but it didn't upset me much either. I do feel The Hand ultimately came off as overhyped, particularly due to Alexandra, who thrives on Informed Ability.

I liked Danny in this. I didn't necessarily hate him or anything in Iron Fist, I just found it hard to get in this. Honestly, of The Defenders, the only one who annoyed me at all at times was Jessica, but that's just because of her abrasive attitude when they really did need her. Plus intentional and all and she comes back, so it's a whatever type deal.

Really, I think this show suffers due to The Hand more than anything else. Which is a shame. Back in Daredevil Season 1, I was hyped for more Hand thanks to Nobu. I didn't mind having Gao as another member of The Hand, even though she felt like her own thing, and I did like Bokuto or whatever his name is in Iron Fist as an Affably Evil addition. Daredevil Season 2 made me less into them though and these three new additions with The Fingers harmed the rest for me, especially Alexandra. Which is a shame. The Japanese guy aside (he sucks and speak English already), Alexandra and the African guy seemed like cool concepts. I wish the African guy was introduced in Luke Cage somehow.

edited 5th Sep '17 2:46:57 PM by Prime_of_Perfection

I gotta say, the supporting cast deserved better. Like, if this were a regular season of Daredevil (2015), Karen would have insisted on being in on the action, rather than shelter at the precinct. Also, some acknowledgment that Claire knows Matt and used to be in a relationship with him would have been great (although I'm more forgiving for that since I suppose it'd be a little confusing for new viewers if Claire was introduced as one of Matt's exes when Karen and Elektra are also here).

Also, did Matt really have to stay behind in the pit to die? Something tells me he could've gone back up to the surface with the others.

I haven't watched The Defenders in a while but I kind of agree about the supporting cast. Foggy and Karen were written to be rather annoying here. And yeah, I agree about Karen but I feel like she would just get herself into trouble...again. Although, the show reinforced that Claire, Colleen, and Misty Knight are some of the best supporting characters (not just FEMALE supporting characters at that) of any superhero show.

Like HYDRA they become overhyped and like that group they might be a shell of their former selves.

I'd shift roles between White Hat and the Japanese Finger. The African Finger was far more interesting in his screentime and had a way cooler fighting syle that we didn't get to see much of.

They should have captured some nobody, who still almost broke them by talking. Murakami should've been Nobu's disciple instead of the other way around, and Sowande should've gotten more screen time. Seriously, we didn't get to see his fight scene with Luke? We were robbed.

I'd note I'm also quite fond of Sowande's Hannibal Lecture-ing during his captivity. The bit he tells Stick about how he broke and shattered members of the Chaste physically and mentally for centuries is great. There's a great casual cruelty to it, as if he does this on a weekly basis.

I heard something recently that sums up well, IMO, why Alexandria sucks. It's not because she has weakness, but it's because that's all she is. She's never an actual threat. Just someone who is dying whose leadership is being questioned all the time. And lost Stick when he was captured. She does nothing to ever show any actual menace and just gets killed off. Weakness is all she offered.

That's a good summation of her issues, yes.

I think a big factor too is that she's all set up and no pay off. We get to see her vulnerabilities, her flaws, her humanity. And that's great if we're peeling back the layers of someone that is already established as a monster. But then we never see a scene like when Kingpin smashes a guy's head in with a car door or the Purple Man has a girl murder her parents.

Or if we're seeing all of her flaws up front so that we sympathize with the awful things she's going to do in the future the way Breaking Bad does.

Sowande ends up being a more interesting villain. We see less of him, but what we do see has more impact than Weaver's character.

I think what they should have done with Alexandria was have her fighting off all the Defenders at once (which was repeatedly implied to be within her capabilities) until she starts coughing up blood and they can escape. That would lead the other Fingers to realize she's Secretly Dying. She can still get ganked by Elektra, maybe in that very same episode.

That would have worked. It's a good way of showing just how fearsome she is, while making it clear how lucky they are that she's not at full health.

Her being able to even beat up Luke would have really raised her Bad Ass red.

I think she was meant to be like Alexander Pierce from HYDRA. The political figure who is in charge, but isn't a physical fighter.