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The Matchstick Key is one of the many Keys.

History[]

In 1915, the key was kept inside the Vault of Shadows by Chamberlin Locke. Through a crafty scheme by Chamberlin's son, John Locke, John procured the key among many other keys as weapons to turn the tide of World War I.[1] Shortly after enlisting into the Allied in Belgium, John ambushed a German camp, where he used the key to incinerate Willem Veidt.[2]

In 1927, Mary Locke brokered a deal with Roderick Burgess and gave him the Matchstick Key, which Burgess then gave to his mistress, Ethel Cripps.[3]

On June 4, 2016, a fire broke out in Burgess's old home at 12:03 AM. According to reports, some teenagers teens found a key in Ravenscroft and used it to unlock a door on the property, but instead created a fire that left a Matchstick Key-shaped silhouette emblazoned on the remains, implying the key they used was the Matchstick Key.[4] The key's current location after the fire is unknown.

Netflix Adaptation[]

The history of the key is unknown, however at some point in time, it became the property of Mark Cho.[5] Cho would then hold the key for an undisclosed amount of time in a safe behind a framed photograph in his house.

When Mark learns of Rendell Locke's death, he gathers all documents pertaining to Keyhouse Manor, and stabs himself with the key. This causes him to combust into flames, burning his entire house — and the documents — to the ground.[5]

Matchstick Key in Episode 4

Dodge unleashes the Matchstick Key.

Before long, the key is discovered by a teenage boy. It is eventually stolen from around his neck by Dodge, who proceeds to murder the boy via subway train.[6] She uses it against the Locke family, and holds Bode Locke hostage in a circle of flames, to try to intimidate him to hand over the Head Key. Failing to retrieve the key, and revealing she can't steal it from Bode, she changes her strategy and gives the key to Sam Lesser, who uses it to escape prison.[7]

While revealing the history of the Keepers of the Keys to Tyler and Kinsey, Ellie Whedon explains that when the Keepers split the keys, the Matchstick Key was given to Mark, who was the only one who knew where all the other keys were hidden at the Keyhouse. As a result, when Mark learned that Dodge was back and after the keys, he used it to commit suicide.[8]

Following Sam's death at the hands of the Ghost Key,[9] the key falls into the possession of Bode Locke who finds it in the yard days later.[8] Bode later attaches the key to one end of a lightsaber and uses it to attack Dodge's shadow; this causes the shadow to explode.[10]

While at the beach at the end of the summer, Tyler uses the Matchstick Key to light a fire in front of Jackie Veda who forgets about the key's magic moments later.[11]

While searching Eden Hawkins' head for answers, Kinsey comes under attack by mannequins and uses the Matchstick Key to destroy one of them. When one grabs on to Scot as they are climbing out, Kinsey tosses him the Matchstick Key and he uses it to destroy his attacker.[12]

At Winterfest, Tyler uses the Matchstick Key to start a fire in order to remind Jackie of the magic before offering her the chance to use the Memory Key to keep her memories of it.[13]

After Erin Voss is murdered by Dodge, Duncan uses the Matchstick Key to burn her belongings in order to cover up Erin's disappearance.[14]

Following the creation of the Demon Key, Tyler carries the Matchstick Key to school to protect himself just in case and has Logan and Jackie take it from him to prove that they aren't possessed. After Jackie is revealed to be possessed by a demon, Tyler uses the Matchstick Key to create a line of fire to hold the demon back so that he and Logan can escape.[15]

During the final battle at Dodge's cliffside house, Duncan uses the Matchstick Key as a torch to cut through Dodge's vault door and get the Demon Key.[16]

Uses[]

The key can be used to create fires when inserted into a door or touched to an object. Furthermore, any living thing stabbed with the key will combust.[2]

By touching the key to a vault door and moving it around in a circular motion, Duncan was able to use it like a welding torch.[16]

Trivia[]

  • The Matchstick Key does not initially appear in the graphic novels; it was created specifically for the Netflix adaptation.
  • The Matchstick Key appears to possess powers that are similar but not exact to the Splody Key, a key that only appears as part of Bode's Guide to the Known Keys journal. The difference being that the Matchstick Key causes fires, while the Splody Key causes explosions.

Info[]

References[]

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