Kingpin (Marvel Cinematic Universe)


 * NOTE: This article is about the incarnation of the Kingpin from the Marvel Cinematic film series. The mainstream version can be found here: Kingpin.

"I've done things that I'm not proud of, Vanessa. I've hurt people and I'm going to hurt more. It's impossible to avoid for what I'm trying to do. But I take no pleasure in it, in cruelty. But this city isn't a caterpillar. It doesn't spin a cocoon and wake up a butterfly. A city crumbles and fades. It needs to die before it can be reborn."

- Wilson Fisk to Vanessa Marianna

Wilson Grant Fisk (also known as Kingpin) is one of the main antagonists of the 2015 Marvel TV series Daredevil, serving as the main antagonist of the first season, a minor antagonist in the second season and later returns as the main antagonist of the third season. He is an extravagant, powerful, and rich megalomaniacal businessman interested in the future of Hell's Kitchen. This leads to a conflict with Matt Murdock, also known as Daredevil, who is his own arch-nemesis.

He was portrayed by Vincent D'Onofrio who also played Private Gomer Pyle in Fullmetal Jacket, Edgar the Bug in Men In Black, Vic Hoskins in Jurassic World, Carl Rudolph Stargher in The Cell and Galen Burke in Rings.

Early Life
Wilson Fisk was born to a caring mother and an ambitious, yet cruel father in 1963. His father would run for the city council of Hell's Kitchen, hoping it would make him and his family rich. However, it backfires, forcing his father to have his drinking habit become more powerful and will usually result in beating up individuals, sometimes his wife. One day, Wilson has enough and kills his father with a hammer. His body parts are then chopped every night for the next week in a river.

Fisk then moved to a farm for a few months, before returning to Hell's Kitchen.

Dealing with the Russians
Years later, Fisk became a powerful businessman, as well as a crime lord and built his organization with Chinese, Japanese, and Russian mobsters. However, the russian mobsters are targeted by the blind vigilante Daredevil which, despite not putting Fisk's business at risk, starts to become problematic. With his right-hand James Wesley, Fisk discusses how to deal with the Russians' failure. Furthermore, both are annoyed with the Russians as one of the two brothers who lead the Russian starts to grow obstreperous. Fisk sends Wesley to the russians and on his orders, Wesley offers the two brothers to take over their business so that their enterprise can continue. While at an art gallery, Fisk meets the owner Vanessa Marianna and falls in love with her. He later returns to the gallery to ask Vanessa out for dinner. During the dinner, Fisk tells Vanessa that he grew up in Hell's Kitchen and hoped to leave when he was young. He reveals to her that he came back to the city because he realized that the city was a part of him and that he wanted to make it a better place. Their dinner is interrupted when Anatoly Ranskahov, one of the russian leaders, arrives at the restaurant to accept Fisk's deal. Embarrased, Fisk tells Wesley to bring Ranskahov to the car while he leads Vanessa out of the restaurant. After he brings Vanessa back to her gallery, he apologizes.

Vanessa tells him that she's dissapointed because that while she realised that there was something special about Fisk, she now is no longer sure that that is a good thing. Before she enters her gallery, she tells Fisk that she is unsure about how she feels. Fisk then catches up to the car in which Wesley and Ranskahov are sitting. Furious at Ranskahov for ruining his date with Vanessa, he opens the door and drags Ranskahov outside. He brutally beats up Ranskahov and murders him by smashing his head with the car door. After killing the russian, Fisk tells Wesley to collect what's left of him and send it to his brother. Wesley claims that doing so will start a war with the Russians but Fisk merely replies that he is counting on it. Indeed, Ranskahov's death leads to a gang war. Fisk has multiple hideouts of the Russians blown up. He sends a group of corrupt police officers to kill Anatoly's brother, Vladimir, but Daredevil gets to him first and saves him from the officers. Fisk then meets with Wesley, whom he tells that their next move will be letting the police do 'their job', as this is what he is paying them for. Corrupt officers then continue to search for Vladimir, torturing a russian mobster who was injured during one of the explosions for information before killing him.

After Daredevil, who is interrogating Vladimir in an abandoned warehouse, is besieged by the police, one of the corrupt cops calls Wesley, who alerts Fisk. Fisk claims that he wants the thing done quickly and tells Wesley to order the police to storm the warehouse and kill everyone inside. However, Wesley claims him that Ben Urich, an investigative reporter, is at the crime scene and must not suspect foul play. Fisk then orders Wesley to reach out to all their contacts in the media, as he wants everyone in Hell's Kitchen to witness what is about to happen. Meanwhile, Daredevil learns from Vladimir that Fisk is working with the Chinese but is attacked by Vladimir before he can learn more.

Dealing with the "hostage crisis"
While the 'hostage crisis' in the warehouse continues, Fisk and Wesley watch the news from Fisk's limousine to remain up to date. While a SWAT unit arrives outside the warehouse, Fisks uses a radio and a secure channel to contact the radio of the police officer Daredevil captured. By doing so, Fisk is able to make contact with Daredevil. Fisk claims that it is time they spoke, as "the man in the mask" has been asking about him. Daredevil wants to hear Fisk say his name, but Fisk tells Daredevil to go first. Fisk further claims that the two of them are more alike than Daredevil thinks. He claims that both of them want to save the city, only that Fisk is trying to do so on a scale that really matters and that not everyone deserves a happy ending. Daredevil tells Fisk that he will hunt him down and that Fisk will be punished for what he did, but Fisk is confident that this will not happen. Fisk tells Daredevil that his part in the drama has come to an end and tells Daredevil that Daredevil will be blamed for the bombings, as he is a fugitive who is accompanied by a known gangster and is holding a police officer hostage. Fisk then inquires whether Vladimir is still alive, and Vladimir confirms it while calling Fisk a 'fat shit'. Fisk then offers Daredevil to spare him if Daredevil kills Vladimir. However, Daredevil replies that Fisk's offer only confirms that Vladimir is important to his business and that Fisk must be afraid what information the Russian can spill. Fisk in turn concludes that this means that Vladimir has not yet told him anything. He once more tells Daredevil that his part in the story will end the same night. He then nods to Wesley, who calls a corrupt SWAT sniper, who has secretly climbed the roof of the warehouse Daredevil is hiding in. The sniper starts shooting the police officers on the street and the attack is attributed to Daredevil as the shots came from his direction. On the radio, Fisk then tells Daredevil that he only did what Daredevil forced him to and that the two will not speak again before cutting the contact. He then tells Wesley to order their 'friends' to roll the tape. The tape is revealed to be video footage of Daredevil taking down the (corrupt) police officers who were about to shoot Vladimir earlier. This makes Daredevil seem even more guilty. When the SWAT storms the building, they also kill the captured officer and make it seem like Daredevil's the murderer. Fisk's men don't capture Daredevil and Vladimir, however, who escape in a sewer tunnel.

In the sewer, the wounded Vladimir chooses to stay behind, as he knows that Fisk owns the police and the judges, thus preventing him from being subjected to a fair process. Vladimir tells Daredevil that the only way of stopping Fisk would be killing him. Before the two separate, Vladimir tells Daredevil that a man called Leland Owsley is managing Fisk's money and that Daredevil can get intel on Fisk from him.

Sending Nobu against Daredevil
Fisk contacts the media and holds a press conference, going public with his 'big dream' about making Hell's Kitchen a better place. During this press conference, Fisk is accompanied by Wesley, Owsely and Vanessa, who seems to have forgiven him. Fisk's plan for the city includes buying up city blocks in Hell's Kitchen, offering large sums of money to the owners to convince them to sell. However, some of the people living in the apartments are fighting eviction. Murdock and his company are representing these people at court. With Wesley, Fisk talks about their new plans, including the death of Detective Hoffman to tie up loose ends. Wesley tells Fisk that his approval ratings are high. The two are interrupted by a furious Nobu, the leader of the Hand - Fisk's japanese criminal associates. Nobu claims that he was promised a city block in return for helping Fisk in his operations. Fisk, visibly uncomfortable, tries to appease Nobu, telling him that he needs more time for aquiring the block Nobu has chosen. Nobu tells Fisk that even he has people he has to answer to and that. after the setback at the docks where Nobu's operation was disrupted by Daredevil, he cannot tolerate more mistakes. Fisk manages to convince Nobu to help him in taking down 'the man in the mask', as Daredevil has proven quite problematic. Fisk asks Nobu whether a fighting specialist from his organization can be dispatched to kill Daredevil and Nobu claims that he knows such a specialist. Fisk advises Nobu to draw Daredevil out by making him angry and thus prone to mistakes.

Having seen the press conference, Daredevil and his friends realise that Vanessa must be special to Fisk, and Murdock visits the art gallery to find out about Fisk. While there, he talks to Vanessa who introduces him to Fisk, who is suddenly entering the gallery as well. Matt and Fisk shake hands and Vanessa tells Fisk that Matt was looking for art and might need help from a 'man of taste'. Fisk humorously tells Matt to buy whatever the lady tells him to but Matt then advises that the two of them should not be talking, as they are on the opposite side of a tenency case - Matt is representing those whose landlords have sold their apartments to Fisk but who do not want to leave their homes. Fisk agrees and, before leaving, tells Matt that seeing the city to his fullest potential is very important to him and that their differences will surely be settled to a mutual benefit. After leaving, Matt realizes that Fisk truly cares for Vanessa. Fisk later has Elena, a leader of the people rallied up against Fisk, killed by Nobu which draws Daredevil out to avenge her while also ridding Fisk of an enemy. On television, Fisk is interviewed about her death and feigns ignorance and anger about the old woman's death. Fisk also rallies the people up against the criminals of the city, naming Daredevil as one of the paramount threats for Hell's Kitchen. Meanwhile, Daredevil follows the tracks of Elena's killer to a warehouse where he is attacked by Nobu's specialist, who is revealed to be Nobu himself. After Nobu has been defeated during the battle and seemingly been burnt to death, the weakened Daredevil is approached by Fisk, Wesley and some of Fisk's henchmen.

Fisk thanks Daredevil for dealing with Nobu, claiming that he had become an issue. Fisk claims that in a perfect world, Fisk and Nobu would have taken each other out but that it is not a perfect world yet. Fisk reveals that he had Elena killed only to bait Daredevil, but that his options were limited by necessity. Daredevil tells Fisk that he will kill him and Fisk invits him to take a shot. Daredevil attacks Fisk but due to the wounds the took in the fight against Nobu, he is slower and weaker than normal. Daredevil manages to slice Fisk's chest but does not injure him due to the latter's body armor. Enraged by the ruined suit, Fisk severely and brutally beats up Daredevil. When Daredevil lies on the ground, Fisk orders Wesley to shoot him. Daredevil is able to escape, however, by jumping out of the window and into the river. Fisk orders his men to surround the dock and kill Daredevil, should he resurface. Wesley asks what they should do with Nobu and Fisk tells him to let Nobu burn. Despite this, Matt manages to return home.

Losing the trust of his associates
In a better part of the city, Fisk meets with Madame Gao, the leader of the Chinese triads working for Fisk and the remaining member of their original partnership.

Gao asks Fisk about Nobu's death and, despite Fisk originally denying part in it, reveals that she knows that Fisk is responsible. However, she does not further comment the issue. However, she demands to know when she will become the object of Fisk's interest, like the Ranskahov and Nobu. Fisk claims that opposed to the others, Gao always had his respect. Gao responds by claiming that Fisk is not the person he was when their plans started, as his connection to Vanessa is preventing him from fully committing him to their cause. She tells Fisk that he has to choose, and implores him to choose wisely. Before she leaves Fisk, she tells him that others might very well chose for him should he take too long.

Back at his headquarter, Fisk urges Owsley to speak with Gao to reassure her that everything is fine. Oswley however shares her thoughts about Vanessa and thinks that her relationship with Fisk is problematic. He agrees to speak with Gao nonetheless but does not seem to be too convinced. Meanwhile, the person who killed Elena is found dead. Daredevil attributes the murder to Fisk who is covering his tracks.

While searching for a rest home for Ben's confused wife, Ben and Karen Page arrive at a rest home for confused people where they meet Fisk's mother. She reveals that her son is a good boy and visits her every weekend. She also tells them that Fisk wasn't at fault for what he did. Karen asks her what exactly Fisk did and learns that Fisk killed his father. Meanwhile, Fisk is present at a gala where talks to the people who have donated to his cause. He once more tells the people that he has plans for a brighter future for Hell's Kitchen. He then talks to various of the donors while accompanied by Vanessa. Leland is also among the people, who tells him that he took care of Gao.

However, during the gala people suddenly start dropping to the floor, poisoned by the champagne. Vanessa is one of those. Fisk is able to catch her before she hits the ground. He immediately brinks her into a hospital, accompanied by some of his guards and Leland and Wesley. When the doctors take Vanessa with them, Fisk tries to go with them but is stopped by a nurse. He then waits for information on her status. Wesley and Owsley look at him and Owsley confides in Wesley, telling him how worried he is about Fisk as he does not seem able to lead them anymore. The two also think that Gao is behind the poisoning. Fisk has a special doctor flown in to save Vanessa. He also implores Wesley to find whoever was behind the poisoning and tells him that he wants to look into the culprit's eye while he is soaking the floor with their blood. He claims that, should Vanessa recover, she must be sent far away from him to keep her safe. Moments later, he is called by the doctor and permitted into the room. There, he promises an unconscious Vanessa that the people who did this to her will suffer. He then leaves the room to call Wesley who does not answer, as he has been shot by Karen whom he kidnapped earlier.

Wesley's death
Fisk is present when Vanessa wakes up. He apologizes, claiming that he is responsible for her condition and that he should have foreseen that Vanessa would get in the crossfire. When he tells Vanessa that he will make preparations to get her out of the country to get her to safety, Vanessa refuses as she wants to be with Fisk. Before leaving her sickbed, Fisk tells Vanessa that he will make 'them' suffer for what they've done and Vanessa replies that she expects nothing less.

Outside the room, Fisk is told about Wesley's death. He immediately heads to the crime scene and, after arriving, furious about the death of his friend, beats up one of his men for not accompanying Wesley to wherever he was headed. Although he beats the man unconscious, Leland prevents him from beating the man to death. He tells Leland to leave, intending to mourn for his friend alone.

Fisk later visits his mother and takes her from the home she is living at, claiming that it is not safe there. To make sure no one comes near his mother, he plans to bring her to Italy. He also attempts to help his mother remember why she called Wesley hours before his demise, but Fisk'S mother cannot remember. When Leland returns to Fisk and tells him that he did not find anything on the poisoner, Fisk tells his men to spread the word that he is offering good money to whoever has information on the traitor in his ranks.

The same night, Fisk is informed that Ben Urich is about to publish his past on the internet. Fisk breaks into Urich's home and waits until Ben comes home. Once Ben has arrived, Fisk makes his presence known to him. Fisk admits that he made mistakes but also claims that he tried to learn from them. He claims that he has come to have a conversation with Urich and promises to speak the truth. After a short conversation, Fisk wants to know whether Urich was alone when he visited Fisk's mother. To protect Karen, Urich claims that he was indeed alone. Fisk then asks Urich whether he also was behind the death of Wesley. Urich is perplexed, having no idea who Wesley is. Fisk believes him but then coldly tells him that Ben went after his mother and that that is nothing, Fisk can forgive. He then jumps up and furiously strangles Urich to death.

Downfall
The next night, Fisk meets with Leland and talks to him about the financial issue of their project. The talk comes to Gao, who has fled the country and returned to China. Fisk then hands Leland a paper, telling him to take a look at it as there seems to be some irregularities on his accounts.

Leland reassures him, claiming that he is pushing Fisk's money around all the time to keep investigators off their backs. Fisk notices Leland sweating and his hand shaking and asks, what is going on. Leland realizes that Fisk knows that he is the traitor and, knowing better than denying it, admits it. Fisk then links Leland's betrayal to Wesley's death but Leland denies having anything to do with the murder. From Leland's reaction when asked about the poisoning, Fisk realizes that the poisoning at the gala was also Leland's and Gao's work and that the real target was Vanessa, not Fisk himself. Leland attempts to blackmail Fisk into letting him go, revealing that he has one of the corrupt policemen who took money from Fisk as a hostage and that the officer will be surrendered to the FBI should Leland not make it back. Leland also demands half of Fisk's money.

However, Fisk refuses and instead strikes Leland right across the face. Leland stumbles back and draws a taser from his pocket and although he is able to electrocute Fisk, the big man remains on his feet. Leland is forced to back into a corner, where an outraged Fisk throws him down an elevator shaft. Fisk then tells one of his men to sweep the city, find the corrupt officer and put a bullet in his head before he can talk to the FBI, as the man could crumble his entire operation.

Eventually, Detective Hoffman is found and Fisk is alerted. He sends in one of his teams, telling them to leave no survivors. Just before the team can kill Hoffman, he is saved by Daredevil. Hoffman is brought to the police, where he testifies against Fisk and yields every information he has on him. Through Hoffman's evidence, the corrupt policemen employed by Fisk are arrested, as well as his contacts in the media. With one strike, Fisk is rendered powerless. Even a senator is taken into custody.

In his penthouse, Fisk watches the media coverage of the various arrests. Vanessa pressures him to flee with her but Fisk claims that it is too late for that. Before a FBI team storms the apartment, Fisk tells Vanessa that she has to do something for him. It is not revealed what exactly he told Vanessa, other than that it is extremely important. While he is arrested by the FBI, Fisk also proposes to Vanessa. Fisk is then thrown into a FBI van and driven off. While the van is driving, Fisk tells the FBI agents sitting in the back with him, that the situation reminds him off a bible story. He then recalls the story of the Good Samaritan. After finishing the story, he tells the men that he always considered himself the Good Samaritan but that he is now aware that he deceived himself, that he truly is the ill intent who sent the traveler on a road he should not have been on.

On a bridge, the van is stopped by Fisk's men, posing as a SWAT team. The men kill the policemen guarding the convoy and attempt to bust Fisk out of the van. Inside the van, one of the agents guarding Fisk is revealed to be one of Fisk's men and shoots the other agent. Fisk enters the van of his men but leaves some behind, telling them to take out anyone who attempts to follow him. The incident is immediately broadcast by the media.

At one of his warehouses, Fisk changes vehicles and instead climbs into the back of a truck. From there, he calls Vanessa and strongly implores her to leave should he not be with her in twenty minutes. He also tells her that, should he not be able to join her, they will only be separated temporarily and that nothing can separate them. That moment, the truck is attacked by Daredevil who causes it to crash. Fisk crawls out of the truck, only to be greeted by Daredevil. Daredevil swiftly takes out Fisk's remaining man. Fisk attempts to flee through a side alley but is pursued by Daredevil. Cornered, Fisk angrily screams that he wanted to transform the city into something beautiful and that he will kill Daredevil for taking that away from him. The two then lunge at each other and start to fight. Overpowered, Fisk grabs a metal rod to fight Daredevil and, eventually, is able to gain the upper hand. He smashes Daredevil to the ground and starts smashing him with the rod, angrily ranting about that he is the savior the city deserves. However, Daredevil gets back up and, claiming that this is his city, beats Fisk up. Defeated, Fisk claims that Daredevil will not be able to make a difference before he is knocked out by Daredevil with a final strike. He is then arrested by an arriving police officer. The next day, the newspapers reveal the story of Fisk's defeat.

Imprisoned
Fisk, now locked away in Ryker's Island, manages to use his wealth and cunning nature to effectively take over the prison, ordering guards and prisoners to accommodate him. On arrival, he was given a white prisoner's outfit and ignored everyone else's insults, instead staring at a wall and plotting his return.

While alone in the gym one day, he meets new arrival Frank Castle.

Abilities
"It's the clever man who plays the fool..."

- Madame Gao (about Kingpin).


 * Exceptional Intelligence: Fisk is an extremely smart and sophisticated individual, using his intelligence to outsmart enemies easily.
 * Brute Strength: Kingpin or rather Fisk possess tremendous and savage powerful physical strength in levels that no one can even imagine. Using his strength, he managed to go out against Punisher, Daredevil and even to kill enemies with his own bare hands easily.
 * Leadership: Fisk is probably a leader from birth. He uses his intelligence, influence and manipulations to make every criminal to work for him and do whatever he says.
 * Influence: Fisk is described as a king, and as the one who rules over the entire crime world in NYC and Hell's Kitchen, because of the reason that he has such incredible influence.
 * Manipulations: Fisk is an extremely manipulative and devious individual, managing to manipulate Punisher into killing a prisoner for him, and even to manipulate criminals into working for him.
 * Master Gunman: The Kingpin is a top-skilled man in guns and marksmanship, having such great knowledge about weapons. Using this knowledge, he is able to use guns and other hot weapons to kill enemies.
 * Business Skills: Kingpin is a really powerful and skilled businessman, who uses manipulations, tactics and strategies to do deals in the right way he chooses.
 * Intimidation & Interrogation: Using his tremendous strength and his frightening big physical appearance (later won the nickname "King Kong"), Fisk was able to intimidate and interrogate every enemy of his easily in order to obtain precious information.
 * Speed: Fisk is an extremely fast individual, using his speed to fight against Daredevil.
 * Master Tactician: An excellent manipulator, Fisk has managed to cause a fair deal of the criminal activity of Hell's Kitchen for years without revealing his identity to the public. Even when he revealed himself, he fooled the public into rooting for him and viewing Daredevil as a terrorist. Whilst in prison, Fisk was able to maneuver himself from being a first-time inmate to being almost in control of the whole prison he was incarcerated in within a mere matter of months by eliminating his competition. Hence, Fisk was even able to persuade fellow inmate Frank Castle to kill a rival powerful prisoner for him, despite the fact that the Punisher usually went out of his way to avoid making deals with criminals.
 * Expert Combatant: Fisk, despite having no formal combat training, is a very formidable opponent due to his size and pure muscle, with his immense brute strength allowing Fisk to lift a grown man into the air with a single arm, to beat men to death with only a few hits, to bench press an extreme amount of weight on a prison barbell, and to toss Daredevil around a small alley. Hence, Fisk was able to fight the highly trained Daredevil almost to a standstill in their second duel. Fisk also used his great strength to knock down and overpower Frank Castle, though it should be noted that the latter was limited at the time by having his hands and legs cuffed together, as well as him still not having yet fully recovered from his numerous wounds.
 * Multilingualism: Fisk is fluent in English, Mandarin, and Japanese.

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