Shadow and Bone on Netflix: Why does Kaz Brekker wear gloves?

If, in preparation for Netflix’s Shadow and Bone, you’ve only read the trilogy whose first book shares the show’s title, you’re going to be missing some key Grishaverse background. But never fear: We’re here to introduce you to one of the main characters from Six of Crows, who also makes an appearance.

Disclaimer: We refuse to spoil you on exactly what Kaz Brekker and his gang are up to during the show’s timeline. So, don’t ask. Just know that it fits perfectly, in the most genius sort of way.

Ok. Now that that’s handled.

Kaz is both exactly who you’d expect him to be when you hear the phrase “gang leader” and someone wholly unexpected at the same time. He’s tough—ruthless, even. Known as “Dirtyhands” or “The Bastard of the Barrel,” he’s someone you don’t want to mess with but definitely want to do business with if you’re looking to score some extra kruge.

Shadow and Bone on Netflix does Kaz Brekker right

One thing you’ll notice about Kaz Brekker is he’s never without his cane or his black gloves. The cane makes for a great weapon, which we get to see in Shadow and Bone Season 1.

But Kaz has a disability, so he needs his cane for more than just smacking people down and adding to his already threatening demeanor. Author Leigh Bardugo has talked about how she didn’t even realize she was writing Kaz’s disability as a way of “coming to terms” with her own:

"I think this book was my way of creating a character who had not only accepted the pain he was in and the injury that he had but he had used it to mark part of his legend."

Bardugo also said it was “a pretty big deal” for her to see the cane on set for the first time.

The question becomes, of course, whether or not Kaz’s appearance in Shadow and Bone will be the disability representation viewers need. Without having needed a mobility aid myself, I’m not sure I’m the right person to comment. Given how overall well-adapted the story is and the connection between Bardugo and this character, though, I’d like to hope it’s at least a step in the right direction.

Here’s what I actually can comment on: Kaz’s gloves. They’re also “part of his legend,” to borrow a phrase from the interview linked above. Most people see a guy who regularly gets his hands dirty, so to speak, while constantly keeping them covered up. It’s part of how he earned the “Dirtyhands” moniker and, to those unfamiliar with The Crows’ leader, might be easy to overlook.

But Grishaverse readers know Kaz isn’t just the gang leader you see on the surface. The fact that there might be something more than meets the eye is apparent on the screen, as well, if you’re willing to look for it.

We’re hoping for a Shadow and Bone Season 2 that could potentially—just speculation here—tell Kaz’s full backstory the way Season 1 showed us Alina, Mal, and even the Darkling’s histories through flashbacks. So, rather than spoil you on the full characterization of Kaz Brekker, here’s just a little taste of what you might learn if you pick up a copy of Six of Crows, devour it, then do the same with Crooked Kingdom.

Kaz Brekker can not stand to be touched, skin to skin; he feels sick at just the thought of it. It’s why he wears the gloves, and it’s why Freddy Carter’s performance as Kaz in Shadow and Bone is so utterly brilliant. Or, well. There are many, many reasons, but this one certainly stands out.

Look at the way Carter holds himself apart from others and has an air of discomfort, which he’s trying and failing to hide, whenever he’s in close quarters. Even in the production still of Kaz, Inej, and Jesper laying next to each other on the ground (above), Kaz creates distance between himself and his companions, who are aligned shoulder to shoulder.

It’s a clear, physical acting choice from Carter, and it works in a very meaningful way. Regardless of how much swagger he brings to the role of Kaz—and there’s a delicious abundance of it—he also works to maintain that constant unease around others.

As someone who doesn’t exactly have an aversion to touch on the level of Kaz’s, yet has always been judged for not being a particularly snuggly/huggy person, I can say that I was emotional just seeing that, yes, the Kaz in Netflix’s Shadow and Bone wears his signature gloves. Then, seeing Carter’s embodiment of all the discomfort we saw through Kaz’s eyes in the books…

It’s a lot to handle. A lot in a good way, yet still a lot.

At the very least, this one important aspect of the character makes its way to the screen through Freddy Carter’s perfect embodiment of Dirtyhands in Shadow and Bone, even without the background being explained. And to anyone wondering, yes, that portrayal that makes it clear that Carter simply is Kaz? The actor has read the books and knows how important that aversion to physical touch is for his character:

"It’s something so important and so integral to who he is, and actually, you know, it’s a pretty excellent metaphor for how he feels about being near and trusting and sort of connecting to other people. It’s sort of…it’s a very physical representation of that distance. So for me it was actually incredibly useful as a sort of way in…"

You don’t need to learn the full story (but, oh, is the why of it all heartbreaking) to know there’s some inner turmoil when you’re streaming the show. And that’s huge.

It’s amazing how things that are so small—a pair of gloves, a cane, a tiny bit of extra space between bodies in a scene—can have such a great impact on whether or not a book adaptation really gets the story. But those details are everything, and it’s very clear that the people involved in creating this series knew it.

Is Kaz all bad or just misunderstood? How did he become a gang leader in the first place, and what’s with the “revenge” look when Pekka Rollins is mentioned?

That’s also impossible to explain without spoiling everything. But all it should take is some of that unspoken communication with Inej (Amita Suman) for Shadow and Bone viewers to know that the Bastard of the Barrel isn’t as heartless as he’d like to let on.

Shadow and Bone is now streaming on Netflix.