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Lore Corner: Heather Glenn may be in a tricky spot in Daredevil: Born Again, but it's nothing compared to her Marvel Comics counterpart
Don't get us wrong, Dr. Glenn is still very much in a dark spot in Daredevil: Born Again - just maybe not as dark as "your boyfriend kinda caused your dad's death"
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- Lore Corner: Heather Glenn may be in a tricky spot in Daredevil: Born Again, but it's nothing compared to her Marvel Comics counterpart
Major spoilers for Daredevil: Born Again follow.
Greetings Popversians, and welcome to Lore Corner! Each week, video producer Ashley V. Robinson and staff writer Grant DeArmitt are going to take you deep into the pre-existing lore behind some of pop culture's most exciting adaptations, such as Marvel's return to the streets of Hell's Kitchen in Daredevil: Born Again. Enjoy!
We're just about half-way through Daredevil: Born Again season 1 as of this writing, but there are still plenty of characters that surprise us. One of those characters is Dr. Heather Glenn, played by Margarita Levieva. A therapist by trade, Glenn has become the series primary romantic interest for Matt Murdock (relationship with Karen Page aside) and has proven to be a stabilizing force in the chaotic life of our hero...
...and our villain?
Yes, there's a rocky road ahead for the brilliant Dr. Glenn, despite the assistance that she provides others. And yet, we can't help but wonder if her story on Daredevil: Born Again will get as dark as the one set out for her in the original Marvel Comics. Because to be quite frank, the latter appears to be way darker. See what you think for yourself, though, as we answer the question Who is Heather Glenn?, the answer to which requires us to first ask...
Who is Heather Glenn in Daredevil: Born Again?
We meet Dr. Heather Glenn in what has been, so far, one of the cutest moments in an otherwise bleak TV series. A friend of Matt Murdock's new law partner, Kirsten McDuffie, Glenn was told that she would be meeting a potential new client for her therapy practice. Matt, meanwhile, was informed by Kirsten that he would be meeting a potential new legal client. Upon meeting up, the two realize they've been set up for a blind date.
Grumpy though they both are at first, the date goes well, and Matt asks Kirsten for Dr. Glenn's number. A romance is kindled, and Heather very quickly becomes an important part of Matt's life. She is one of the few people with whom we see him talk about his murdered best friend, Foggy Nelson, and Matt's time with her are some of the happiest moments in the show.
The thing is, though, that Heather Glenn does find a new client not far into Daredevil: Born Again. Or rather, clients. At the end of episode 2, Dr. Glenn opens her office doors to none other than Wilson and Vanessa Fisk, who are seeking counseling for their (VERY) troubled marriage. This is a dicey situation already, but gets even more dangerous when Heather asks Vanessa, in a moment of privacy, whether she feels safe in her marriage.
Needless to say, Wilson Fisk is not happy when he finds out his therapist is asking those kinds of questions.
Who is Heather Glenn in Marvel Comics?
All that to say, the Dr. Glenn that appears on Disney+ is just slightly more lucky than the woman that inspired her, the Heather Glenn of Marvel Comics. First appearing in Daredevil #126 by Marv Wolfman and Bob Brown, Heather and Matt have a chance meeting during one of Matt's investigations, and a romance quickly kindles. Over the course of their time together, Matt actually proposes to Heather at one point, but their relationship (among other things) is a doomed one. Let us explain.
This Heather Glenn is not a licensed psychiatrist, rather, she is the wealthy heiress of Glenn Industries, a company run by her father, Maxwell Glenn. And while she doesn't have the same, tricky relationship with the Fisks as her MCU counterpart, her life is upended by another vile character known to MCU fans: Zebediah Killgrave, AKA the Purple Man. Killgrave uses his powers of mind control to manipulate Maxwell Glenn into doing some pretty evil things, until he is sent to prison by Daredevil. Consumed by guilt, Maxwell Glenn commits suicide.
Already on the rocks, Matt and Heather's relationship takes a much darker turn when Heather learns of her partner's vigilante alter ego. And yet, even after finding out the truth, Heather and Matt stay in an on-and-off relationship, culminating in a massive fight between the pair. Heather reveals that, during the tumultuous time, she had sought comfort from relationships with other men, and this leaves Matt furious (despite the fact that Matt was also seeing other women over the course of their relationship).
Refusing to hear any more, Matt storms out of Heather's life and, unfortunately, serves as the last straw on her already weary camel's back. The loss of her father, her normal life, and now her love interest (admittedly toxic though their relationship was) proved too much for the young woman, and she committed suicide.
What happens to Heather Glenn in Daredevil: Born Again?
To be honest, we don't expect Dr. Heather Glenn of the MCU to fall victim to the same depression that meant her demise in the comics. However, we're also pretty concerned that being therapist to Wilson and Vanessa Fisk might not be the only threat looming over Daredevil's new romantic interest. We'll explain why.
Toward the middle of episode 2, we find Dr. Glenn at a book signing (fun little aside: Her book's title is "Live Without Fear," clearly a reference to Daredevil's comic book nickname, The Man Without Fear). It's at this signing that we see the first meeting between her and Fisk's new right-hand man (Buck Cashman, played by Arty Froushan), and get the first inklings that Matt Murdock's latest flame will have some sort of dealings with his greatest rival. But, what has us even more concerned is something that happens before that.
Just before Cashman is revealed to be at the signing, Dr. Glenn gets a visit from a young, nervous fan. He asks her to sign his book, saying that it helped him a lot, and the way the camera lingers on him tells us he's got something strange going on. The moment might pass innocuously for the casual viewer, but Daredevil die-hards will no doubt have noticed the young fan's face and gotten a chill.
That's because this young fan is played by none other than Hunter Doohan... the actor cast as serial killer Muse.
Dardevil: Born Again airs new episodes every Tuesday night on Disney+.
Consider this a meta post-credits scene for Marvel fans - the four key articles you need to read next to continue the thrills:
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