September 2022 – Page 3 – Portrait of Justice

Written by C Hues

September 2, 2022

The following contains spoilers for Daredevil, Season 1. Proceed with caution.

In Daredevil, Season 1: Episode 13, the letter X carries several themes throughout the episode. It is primarily used as a signal of death, but also reveals multiple meanings as applied to various characters. X’s found throughout the episode are usually a harbinger of destruction and foreshadow the demise of different characters.

In Daredevil, Season 1: Episode 13, the incessant use of the letter X conveys copious meanings regarding myriad characters. One definition for the letter x is “cross”,[1] and a cross is seen over the grave of Ben Urich in the opening of the episode.[2] While this cross is shown, the song “Many Rivers to Cross” by Jimmy Cliff[3] plays. The lyrics are as follows, “Many rivers to cross / But just where to begin, I’m playing for time / There are times I find myself / Thinking of committing some dreadful crime”.[4] This denotes a double meaning for the word cross. Wilson Fisk commits “some dreadful crime” by murdering Ben Urich in the penultimate episode of the season (along with countless other crimes throughout the season), but the lyrics also delve into Matt Murdock’s psyche and the strife he has of crossing a moral line if he decides to murder Fisk.[5] Throughout several episodes, friends and enemies alike (such as Stick, and the Russian mob boss that Kingpin betrays) tell Daredevil that he must “cross” a line and murder Fisk so that he can save Hell’s Kitchen.[6] In the episode “Speak of the Devil”, Matt goes to see a priest to try to convince himself not to murder Fisk, but he contemplates murdering him when he discovers that he has taken Elena’s life (when she refused to be bullied into moving out of her apartment, which Fisk needed to be vacated for his business purposes).[7] “Many Rivers to Cross” also contains the lines, “Many rivers to cross / And it’s only my will that keeps me alive”,[8] which reflect both Daredevil and Kingpin’s circumstances and are a callback to previous episodes. Kingpin’s last name, “Fisk”, is a surname that means “Fish”[9] and shows his ability to survive Hell’s Kitchen. Towards the end of the episode, Kingpin specifically says that Daredevil deserves to “drown in [Hell’s Kitchen’s] filth” and “doesn’t deserve a better tomorrow”.[10] However, Daredevil’s surname, Murdock, also shows that he is a survivor and will not drown in the city’s filth. Daredevil’s last name, Murdock, is of Irish Catholic origin and means “Sea Warrior”, “Sea Ruler”, and “Mariner”.[11][12][13][14] Daredevil has “many rivers to cross”, but because he is a “Sea Warrior”, he will not “drown in [the city’s] filth” as Kingpin wishes.

The X in the episode also takes on another meaning of cross, which is in a more religious sense. X can also be a symbol for “Christ.”[15] When Kingpin is finally arrested for his crimes, he is taken in the back of a police squad car. In the car he sits with two officers and tells them his interpretation of the Good Samaritan parable. The dialogue is as follows,

Kingpin: I was thinking about a story from the Bible.

Officer 1: Did I tell you to open your mouth?

Officer 2: Let him talk. Don’t mean nothin’.

Kingpin: I’m not a religious man…but I’ve read bits and pieces over the years. Curiosity more than faith. But this one story…There was a man. He was traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho…when he was set upon by men of ill intent. They stripped the traveler of his clothes, they beat him, and they left him bleeding in the dirt. And a priest happened by…saw the traveler. But he moved to the other side of the road and continued on. And then a Levite, a religious functionary, he…came to the place, saw the dying traveler. But he too moved to the other side of the road, passed him by. But then came a man from Samaria, a Samaritan, a good man. He saw the traveler bleeding in the road and he stopped to aid him without thinking of the circumstance or the difficulty it might bring him. The Samaritan tended to the traveler’s wounds, applying oil and wine. And he carried him to an inn, gave him all the money he had for the owner to take care of the traveler, as the Samaritan, he…continued on his journey. He did this simply because the traveler was his neighbor. He loved his city and all the people in it……[sighing] I always thought that I was the Samaritan in that story. It’s funny, isn’t it? How even the best of men can be…deceived by their true nature.

Officer 1: What the hell does that mean?

Kingpin: It means that I’m not the Samaritan. That I’m not the priest, or the Levite. That I am the ill intent…Who set upon the traveler on a road that he should not have been on.[16]

During most of Fisk’s speech, the camera is entirely focused on him. However, when he says the lines, “But then came a man from Samaria, a Samaritan, a good man”, then the camera switches focus to Matt Murdock,[17] in an entirely different location. This is done by the director to allow the audience to understand that Murdock is the antithesis of Fisk. Fisk is an evil man who believes that he is good, but Murdock is a good man who struggles with the belief that he may actually “have the devil in him.”[18] In the original bible passage, Jesus clarifies to a lawyer that he tells the parable of the Samaritan to convey that it is maintaining the law of God to act as the Samaritan did.[19] Matt upholds the law during his day job as a defense attorney (one of the few uncorrupted by Fisk), but he also fulfills God’s law by going out of his way as Daredevil to help the poor and oppressed people of Hell’s Kitchen. Murdock is meant to represent the Good Samaritan, the man who Fisk fooled himself into believing he was. Interestingly, Fisk does not describe himself as one of the robbers who beat and preyed on the man traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho. Fisk describes himself as the “ill intent” that the robbers held in their hearts; evil incarnate which is symbolized by the frequent usage of X throughout the episode.[20] The parable of the Good Samaritan is found in Luke, Chapter 10.[21] X can also mean “10”[22] as in roman numerals. Right after Kingpin tells his interpretation of the parable, he has several police officers murdered on the road to the prison and escapes captivity (at least briefly). Notice that immediately after, the camera pans on a fan in the shape of an X. A little later, the audience sees Vanessa waiting for Fisk to show up in time to leave the country together. The camera focuses on the helicopter blades, which form the shape of an X.[23]

When Fisk discusses finances with Leland, the dialogue and action in the scene reveal several patterns regarding the letter X. X can also mean “stock exchange”,[24] which Leland brags that he is involved in and “move[s] money around for pricks like [Kingpin] all the time.”[25] He also notes that “finances” is his job.[26] Further, the letter X can be symbolic for “24” or mean “the 24^th in a series”.[27] When Fisk lets Leland know that he is on to him, the latter reveals that he has Hoffman in his pocket to snitch on Fisk as a sort of insurance. Leland tells Fisk that “Hoffman never left the city after he murdered his partner in the hospital. I scooped him up, squirreled him away for a rainy day. If I don’t check in every 24 hours, Hoffman gets dropped off to the Feds.”[28] X can also be a symbol for “electricity”;[29] Leland uses a taser to electrocute Fisk when the latter attacks him. However, Kingpin’s sheer strength and incredible willpower enable him to endure the assault and kill Leland by throwing him several stories below into an empty elevator shaft. Immediately after Kingpin kills Leland for his betrayal, there are two pipes above Kingpin which form the shape of an X.[30] Here, X is a mark for death, but also reflects the “cross” definition—and further symbolizes double crossing.[31] This is a technique used in the film The Departed, which focuses on the Irish mob in Boston as they double cross each other while being investigated by an undercover cop.[32] Leland double crosses Kingpin and is murdered for it, Ben Urich is double crossed by another writer at the Daily Bulletin (who reports his movement to Kingpin and gets him murdered), Hoffman double crosses his partner and later does the same to Fisk (which leads to the latter’s arrest), the city’s few honest police are double crossed by their own and murdered so that Fisk can temporarily escape, and Fisk double crosses the people of Hell’s Kitchen by pretending to be their savior (while plotting their deaths, bullying them into doing what he wants, stealing from them, and otherwise destroying their lives).[33]

Fisk wears black clothing throughout most of the episode, which symbolizes the death and destruction that he engenders throughout Hell’s Kitchen. In the penultimate episode of the season, he wears black before he murders Ben Urich.[34] He wears black immediately before he kills Leland and is also wearing black right before he has his henchmen (police on his payroll) murder other officers to free him. The black clothing ties into the theme of X as a mark of death. When Kingpin is eventually exposed as the criminal he is and numerous arrests are made of those connected to him, the shots of all arrested reveal that they too are wearing black clothing. The boss of Foggy’s former girlfriend is also arrested, and he is taken out of a black car by the authorities.[35]

The theme of X can be applied to Daredevil as he represents the “unknown”;[36] the “man in the mask”[37] is an enigmatic figure with even more mysterious motives to the people of Hell’s Kitchen (at least initially). Daredevil also represents the retribution and karmic justice that is delivered to Fisk for the pain and destruction that the latter sowed on Hell’s Kitchen. Just as Fisk had his men intercept his car on the road and stopped the police from reaching their destination (to take Kingpin to prison), Daredevil intercepts Fisk when he is riding in the truck en route to Vanessa. He throws his billy club into the window and causes the vehicle to crash.[38] When Kingpin confronts Daredevil, the dialogue is the inverse of “Speak of the Devil”, as Fisk and Murdock essentially switch lines.

Kingpin: I wanted to make this city something better than it is. Something beautiful. You took that away from me! You took everything! I’m gonna kill you!

Daredevil: Take your shot.[39]

In the song, “Many Rivers to Cross”, one line reads, “My woman left me and she didn’t say why”.[40] Just as Fisk deprives Ben of his “woman” when he murders him and leaves Mrs. Urich a widow, Daredevil returns the favor to Fisk by beating him in the street before he can reach Vanessa. She is forced to leave Fisk as he lays bloodied and defeated by Daredevil.[41]

Daredevil, Season 1: Episode 13 substantiates that X is a sign of death. However, X has several definitions that define many characters in different ways. The letter X shows up in the form of shapes, numbers, references to bible passages, and in a variety of other methods. X is used most prominently to contrast the sinister ways of Wilson Fisk with the heroic deeds of Daredevil.

[1] X. “Dictionary.com.” https://www.dictionary.com/browse/x. Accessed September 2, 2022.

[2] Daredevil. Season 1, Episode 13. TV Network: Netflix (originally), Disney Plus (currently). Premiere Date: Apr 10, 2015 Genre: Drama. Executive producers: Drew Goddard, Jeph Loeb, Erik Oleson, Jim Chory. Starring: Starring: Charlie Cox, Elodie Yung, Deborah Ann Woll, Elden Henson, Rosario Dawson. https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/daredevil

[3] “Many Rivers to Cross”. Written by Jimmy Cliff. Originally performed by Jimmy Cliff. LyricFind.com. Universal Music Publishing Group.

[4] Ibid.

[5] Daredevil. Season 1, Episode 12. TV Network: Netflix (originally), Disney Plus (currently). Premiere Date: Apr 10, 2015 Genre: Drama. Executive producers: Drew Goddard, Jeph Loeb, Erik Oleson, Jim Chory. Starring: Starring: Charlie Cox, Elodie Yung, Deborah Ann Woll, Elden Henson, Rosario Dawson. https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/daredevil

[6] Ibid. Season 1.

[7] Ibid. Speak of the Devil.

[8] “Many Rivers to Cross”. Written by Jimmy Cliff. Originally performed by Jimmy Cliff. LyricFind.com. Universal Music Publishing Group.

[9] Fisk. https://www.ancestry.com/name-origin?surname=Fisk Ancestry.com

[10] Daredevil. Season 1, Episode 13. TV Network: Netflix (originally), Disney Plus (currently). Premiere Date: Apr 10, 2015 Genre: Drama. Executive producers: Drew Goddard, Jeph Loeb, Erik Oleson, Jim Chory. Starring: Starring: Charlie Cox, Elodie Yung, Deborah Ann Woll, Elden Henson, Rosario Dawson. https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/daredevil

[11] Murdock. www.behindthename.com. https://surnames.behindthename.com/name/murdock

[12] Murchadh. www.behindthename.com https://www.behindthename.com/name/murchadh

[13] Murdock. https://www.ancestry.com/name-origin?surname=murdock Ancestry.com

[14] Murdoch. https://www.ancestry.com/name-origin?surname=murdoch Ancestry.com

[15] X. “Dictionary.com.” https://www.dictionary.com/browse/x. Accessed September 2, 2022.

[16] Daredevil. Season 1, Episode 13. TV Network: Netflix (originally), Disney Plus (currently). Premiere Date: Apr 10, 2015 Genre: Drama. Executive producers: Drew Goddard, Jeph Loeb, Erik Oleson, Jim Chory. Starring: Starring: Charlie Cox, Elodie Yung, Deborah Ann Woll, Elden Henson, Rosario Dawson. https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/daredevil

[17] Ibid.

[18] Ibid. Season 1, Episode 1.

[19] https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke%2010&version=NIV. Luke Chapter 10, verse 25-37. Accessed September 2, 2022.

[20] Daredevil. Season 1, Episode 13. TV Network: Netflix (originally), Disney Plus (currently). Premiere Date: Apr 10, 2015 Genre: Drama. Executive producers: Drew Goddard, Jeph Loeb, Erik Oleson, Jim Chory. Starring: Starring: Charlie Cox, Elodie Yung, Deborah Ann Woll, Elden Henson, Rosario Dawson. https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/daredevil

[21] https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke%2010&version=NIV. Luke Chapter 10, verse 25-37. Accessed September 2, 2022.

[22] X. “Dictionary.com.” https://www.dictionary.com/browse/x. Accessed September 2, 2022.

[23] Daredevil. Season 1, Episode 13. TV Network: Netflix (originally), Disney Plus (currently). Premiere Date: Apr 10, 2015 Genre: Drama. Executive producers: Drew Goddard, Jeph Loeb, Erik Oleson, Jim Chory. Starring: Starring: Charlie Cox, Elodie Yung, Deborah Ann Woll, Elden Henson, Rosario Dawson. https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/daredevil

[24] X. “Dictionary.com.” https://www.dictionary.com/browse/x. Accessed September 2, 2022.

[25] Daredevil. Season 1, Episode 13. TV Network: Netflix (originally), Disney Plus (currently). Premiere Date: Apr 10, 2015 Genre: Drama. Executive producers: Drew Goddard, Jeph Loeb, Erik Oleson, Jim Chory. Starring: Starring: Charlie Cox, Elodie Yung, Deborah Ann Woll, Elden Henson, Rosario Dawson. https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/daredevil

[26] Ibid.

[27] X. “Dictionary.com.” https://www.dictionary.com/browse/x. Accessed September 2, 2022.

[28] Daredevil. Season 1, Episode 13. TV Network: Netflix (originally), Disney Plus (currently). Premiere Date: Apr 10, 2015 Genre: Drama. Executive producers: Drew Goddard, Jeph Loeb, Erik Oleson, Jim Chory. Starring: Starring: Charlie Cox, Elodie Yung, Deborah Ann Woll, Elden Henson, Rosario Dawson. https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/daredevil

[29] X. “Dictionary.com.” https://www.dictionary.com/browse/x. Accessed September 2, 2022.

[30] Daredevil. Season 1, Episode 13. TV Network: Netflix (originally), Disney Plus (currently). Premiere Date: Apr 10, 2015 Genre: Drama. Executive producers: Drew Goddard, Jeph Loeb, Erik Oleson, Jim Chory. Starring: Starring: Charlie Cox, Elodie Yung, Deborah Ann Woll, Elden Henson, Rosario Dawson. https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/daredevil

[31] The Next Time You Watch The Departed, Pay Attention To The Xs. Cinemablend.com. Eric Eisenberg. September 27, 2020. https://www.cinemablend.com/news/2555487/the-next-time-you-watch-the-departed-pay-attention-to-the-xs . Accessed September 2, 2022.

[32] Ibid.

[33] Daredevil. Season 1. TV Network: Netflix (originally), Disney Plus (currently). Premiere Date: Apr 10, 2015 Genre: Drama. Executive producers: Drew Goddard, Jeph Loeb, Erik Oleson, Jim Chory. Starring: Starring: Charlie Cox, Elodie Yung, Deborah Ann Woll, Elden Henson, Rosario Dawson. https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/daredevil

[34] Ibid. Season 1, Episode 12.

[35] Ibid. Season 1, Episode 13.

[36] X. “Dictionary.com.” https://www.dictionary.com/browse/x. Accessed September 2, 2022.

[37] Daredevil. Season 1. TV Network: Netflix (originally), Disney Plus (currently). Premiere Date: Apr 10, 2015 Genre: Drama. Executive producers: Drew Goddard, Jeph Loeb, Erik Oleson, Jim Chory. Starring: Starring: Charlie Cox, Elodie Yung, Deborah Ann Woll, Elden Henson, Rosario Dawson. https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/daredevil

[38] Daredevil. Season 1, Episode 13. TV Network: Netflix (originally), Disney Plus (currently). Premiere Date: Apr 10, 2015 Genre: Drama. Executive producers: Drew Goddard, Jeph Loeb, Erik Oleson, Jim Chory. Starring: Starring: Charlie Cox, Elodie Yung, Deborah Ann Woll, Elden Henson, Rosario Dawson. https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/daredevil

[39] Ibid.

[40] “Many Rivers to Cross”. Written by Jimmy Cliff. Originally performed by Jimmy Cliff. LyricFind.com. Universal Music Publishing Group.

[41] Daredevil. Season 1, Episode 13. TV Network: Netflix (originally), Disney Plus (currently). Premiere Date: Apr 10, 2015 Genre: Drama. Executive producers: Drew Goddard, Jeph Loeb, Erik Oleson, Jim Chory. Starring: Starring: Charlie Cox, Elodie Yung, Deborah Ann Woll, Elden Henson, Rosario Dawson. https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/daredevil

Month: September 2022

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Daredevil, Season 1, Episode 13: X

Daredevil, Season 1, Episode 13: X