Did Matt really need to stay behind to deal with Elektra at Midland Circle? Honestly, something tells me we could've had a much better ending if Matt had returned to the surface with the other three, or the other three went back for him after the building fell. Like a, "no one gets left behind" thing.
Of course, I know Matt would never have left that pit of his own free will because he'd never willingly abandon Elektra to die. But Jessica could easily have just knocked him out and carried him. And after the cables were cut, Jessica, Luke and Danny, between the three of them, could have hauled Matt the rest of the way up the shaft. Matt would have felt guilty about leaving Elektra behind, once he woke up, but it wouldn't have been anything new. If that climactic fight was supposed to give him some sort of closure with Elektra, well, honestly, he really should have found his closure already by that point. Once Elektra killed Stick right in front of him, that should have told Matt that she was never going to be the person he kept trying to convince her to be.
If anything, the real reason Matt had to stay down there and die was to set up Born Again material for season 3 of Daredevil. But The Defenders was supposed to be about all four of them equally, not just Matt. The show's finale is structured around the narrative needs for Daredevil and that's kinda unfair to everyone else. It makes it look like Matt was the real hero of the show, and the others were just along for the ride.
Of course, I know Matt would never have left that pit of his own free will because he'd never willingly abandon Elektra to die. But Jessica could easily have just knocked him out and carried him. And after the cables were cut, Jessica, Luke and Danny, between the three of them, could have hauled Matt the rest of the way up the shaft. Matt would have felt guilty about leaving Elektra behind, once he woke up, but it wouldn't have been anything new. If that climactic fight was supposed to give him some sort of closure with Elektra, well, honestly, he really should have found his closure already by that point. Once Elektra killed Stick right in front of him, that should have told Matt that she was never going to be the person he kept trying to convince her to be.
If anything, the real reason Matt had to stay down there and die was to set up Born Again material for season 3 of Daredevil. But The Defenders was supposed to be about all four of them equally, not just Matt. The show's finale is structured around the narrative needs for Daredevil and that's kinda unfair to everyone else. It makes it look like Matt was the real hero of the show, and the others were just along for the ride.