Fans will exaggerate their feelings about their favorite characters and defend them regardless of what they do, and this writer includes himself in that statement. Our bias comes from the admiration we have for the heroes and villains and everyone in between. Sometimes, it’s because we can relate to the things they do or how they overcome adversity. Then there are dirty, dastardly, and deplorable characters like Marvel's Mayor of New York, “The Kingpin” Wilson Fisk.
Wilson Fisk is a villain who doesn’t get the same respect that antagonists like Lex Luthor do. Granted, Luthor does things on a grander scale with tougher nemeses and goals. Nevertheless, you can’t discount how far the Kingpin has come. He started with less than most (almost nothing) and overcame obstacles to overachieve in life. Thankfully, the creative team for Daredevil: Born Again understands this better than most.
WARNING! SPOILERS FOR DAREDEVIL: BORN AGAIN AHEAD!
"You... never stopped being Kingpin."Commissioner Gallo to Wilson Fisk
The thing about Fisk is that he never really loses, and Daredevil: Born Again highlighted this. Throughout his time in Marvel Comics, he’s been sent to jail, blinded, and recently possessed by one of the Seven Deadly Sins (Daredevil by Saladin Ahmed). But no matter what is thrown this way, he comes out of it. He either has a contingency plan or finds a way to bribe or murder his way out of the situation. It's infuriating, but this makes him a fantastic villain, and it's proven in the season finale of Daredevil: Born Again.
Wilson Fisk won. I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop and for Matt Murdock to expose him, but that moment never came. He is still New York’s Mayor, his Anti-Vigilante Task Force is still killing innocent people, and the Fisks (Vanessa and Wilson) end their night of terror eating a nice dinner in a place where laws don’t matter (the Red Hook Port). He also declared martial law in New York, set an 8pm curfew, killed and kidnapped anyone with power that could oppose him, and made vigilatism illegal in New York.
"Send everyone who's not completely onboard...home."Wilson Fisk
For those of us who want Fisk to be defeated, there's good news. A lot of Daredevil: Born Again is similar to what he did leading up to the Marvel Comics event, Devil’s Reign. The things Wilson did in that series were intense but entertaining. It leads to some great fighting and a storyline that shows how cold-hearted he is and the lengths Daredevil will go to protect New York. Even then, Wilson loses because he goes too far and still gets away, thanks to a Krakoan law.
Wilson Fisk is not a good person. At least when it comes to people like Victor von Doom, they believe in something. Doom assumes that his ideas are the only way to save the world. Yes, he’s gone about them deviously, but it’s all for the greater good. He wants people to be happy (for selfish reasons, of course).
Wilson Fisk says that he loves New York and that everything he does is for the city, but it’s not. He admitted as much in the season finale of Daredevil: Born Again. He's a selfish jerk. It will be great when he’s eventually taken down because he has a long way to fall. This is only a taste of what the creative team has in store, and this writer can’t wait to see what’s next in season 2.
Stay tuned to Bam Smack Pow’s social media pages on Bluesky, Instagram, and Twitter for more Daredevil: Born Again news, opinions, and rumors as they come out.