Ha yeah, I don't know anything about fighting, but it did always seem strange to me how rarely Matt and Frank tried to avoid those punches and kicks. Which I guess was supposed to make them seem tougher.
I watched those guys sometimes on Netflix and the 'gritty realism' wasn't very realistic and could take me out of it
The first time I got punched in the face for real was a revelation
-- not only can it hurt (sometimes it doesn't exactly *hurt* so much as ring your bell and disorient you), you really do see stars, or your vision blurs albeit briefly. There are flashes of light and darkness.
(Disclaimer: I'm a lightweight. Bigger dudes tend to do much more damage to each other).
If you get hit in the head repeatedly for any length of time it makes you kinda sleepy and dumb.
The first time I fought a guy in the ring was also a revelation. Going from training to facing someone that was trained and highly motivated to make me unconscious was a game changer
-- only one thought went through my head by the second round -- "Holy **** fighting is really *tiring*!" -- and I was in great shape. When you're inexperienced you forget how to breathe and you stiffen up.
So you get past inexperience and can go the distance -- that's still not accounting for repeated head trauma and bodily injury from weapons.
So to bring it back to Punisher and Daredevil -- none of those fights should last that long with the kind of damage being dealt out, and radioactive super powers or not, Matt should probably be punch drunk from repeated head trauma by the beginning of Season 2. Punisher should be dead early on.
As for their career longevity -- I once had the opportunity to train under and speak with Razor Ruddock. He fought Tyson in 1991 (rematch); they went twelve rounds and Ruddock survived the fight without being knocked out in spite of a
broken jaw and his eye swollen shut.
It's fair to call that
superhero-level toughness. I watched that man hit a heavy bag in his fifties and it was still frighteningly powerful.
By his own account, neither he nor Tyson
were ever the same after that fight.
That doesn't bode well for our Netflix heroes who get pounded on all season long without a break or even proper medical attention.
I get that these are comic book heroes, but a more plausible approach to certain situations could make them even more compelling, if we're going for some level of 'realism' -- or just put 'em in spandex and have at it!
Anyway, sorry for the tangent. The only thing I geek out over more than comic-book heroes and toys is combat sports.
