It’s not that uncommon to walk between the worlds of DC Comics and Marvel on the big screen these days, but one of the first to do it was Terence Stamp. The English actor played General Zod in Superman (1978) and Superman II (1980), and later played Stick in Elektra (2005). In many ways, Stamp blazed a trail for actors in comic book adaptations for years to come.
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Stamp was firmly established as DC star before he took on the role of Stick. Zod made a brief appearance in Superman, then became the main villain in Superman II. Stamp’s portrayal of the Kryptonian warlord was lauded at the time and is still celebrated today — no small feat in the comic book genre, where many early adaptations are laughed at in hindsight. Stamp later contributed to a BBC Radio special called Superman on Trial, and in 2003, he even returned to the franchise to play Jor-El in Smallville.
With all that time as a Kryptonian, Stamp could have easily been typecast out of any Marvel Comics adaptations. However, even at 67 years old, Stamp couldn’t be kept out of the fight. In 2005, He played the blind martial arts master Stick in the Daredevil spinoff Elektra. He is front and center from the beginning of the movie, reviving Elektra Natchios (Jennifer Garner) from the dead and training her in an ancient, mystical discipline.
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Stick is central to that story, and is a major character in Daredevil’s mythos in general. If things had gone a little differently, Stamp could have been signing on for another years-long ride with sequels and spinoffs. Sadly, Elektra was a critical flop and was not a commercial success, either. Meanwhile, plans for a Daredevil sequel never materialized, with Ben Affleck saying at the time that “wearing a costume was a source of humiliation for me and something I wouldn’t want to do again soon.” This left no chance for Stick to even meet his disciple.
Despite that, one could now make the case that Stamp’s portrayal of Stick is canon in the MCU. The franchise is now treating many older adaptations as alternate realities in its multiverse, including Elektra. Garner reprised her role in Deadpool & Wolverine, meaning Stamp was out there somewhere under the watchful gaze of the TVA.
Stick’s Abilities and Comparison
Stick’s power can fluctuate greatly depending on which comic book or adaptation you’re looking at, but it’s fair to say that the version played by Stamp is one of the most powerful ever. He starts the movie off by reviving Elektra from the dead and goes on to teach her that she could do the same by mastering the martial art Kimagure. It also provides practitioners with a form of precognition, allowing them to see their enemies’ moves ahead of time. That’s part of the explanation for how a blind man can fight in this adaptation.
For comparison, the MCU version of Stick we met in the 2016 Netflix original series Daredevil displays no such esoteric power. In fact, the very first time we meet this character — played by Scott Glenn — he loses a fight to Matt Murdock. At the same time, the comic book versions of Stick have displayed some incredible abilities we haven’t seen on screen yet, including chi manipulation and astral projection.
Matt Murdock is returning to our screens on March 4th in Daredevil: Born Again on Disney+, but so far, there’s no hint that Stick will be appearing in the new series. As the MCU explores more and more alternate realities, there’s a non-zero chance we could see Stamp play Stick again at some point. If not, his legacy in the world of comic book adaptations will still be secure.
