The Daredevil: Born Again trailer didn’t waste any time showing fans what’s happening in the series. Not only do we see that Matt Murdock (Daredevil) hasn’t lost a step, we know that the foreshadowing at the end of Echo wasn’t misleading. Wilson Fisk did run for Mayor of New York City and he won.
Some of you may be wondering how a known criminal gets voted in. First, to this writer’s knowledge, he was never convicted in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Since this isn’t connected to the Netflix universe, there's a chance he was never sent to prison. Second, even if he was, Fisk is clever enough to weasel his way into power. That was proven when he became Mayor of New York in Marvel Comics.
Like any competent villain, Wilson Fisk knows how to take advantage of a situation. During Secret Empire, Hydra Cap had one of his lackeys use the Darkforce to black out New York. While the heroes searched for ways to return things to normal, Wilson kept citizens fed. It was something people never forgot. That memory was part of the platform he ran on when he decided he needed to become Mayor of New York.
As time went on, Fisk learned that being mayor wasn’t what he thought. He saw that the people he dealt with were dirtier than the criminals he employed. They were rich beyond words and had control over the world from behind the curtain. Even Bullseye would turn his nose up at them. At least he did his own dirty work.
Being used didn't stop Wilson. He adjusted to the challenges and started to find his footing. He still had issues with the Stromwyns (Quinn and Una) but he learned to maneuver around them when he could. Unfortunately for Fisk, his downfall was the same as every evil comic book character. He let his emotions get the best of him.
The funny thing about The Kingpin’s story here is he was finally happy. He was mayor and could have finagled that position to become President of the United States. He even found a woman he loved who understood him and his life (Typhoid Mary). There may have been a chance that this was the role he was born to play. The problem was (and always will be) Daredevil.
No matter how hard he tried, Wilson Fisk couldn’t get past his issues with the Man without Fear. It leads to him outlawing vigilantes and bringing in villains to become the law against superheroes. Eventually, Wilson gets too big for his britches and tries to mind-control New Yorkers to remain in power. And that was his undoing (this all happens in Marvel Comics Devil's Reign).
There’s no telling how much of the Marvel Comics story will be used in Daredevil: Born Again. There are influences from the source material in the trailer and there will be more when the series is released. What they are remains to be seen. Stay tuned to Bam Smack Pow to see how much Marvel Studios takes from the comic and what causes Wilson Fisk’s inevitable defeat.
Do you think Wilson Fisk will stay Mayor throughout Daredevil: Born Again? Did his interaction with Maya Lopez in Echo change him for the better? Let us know on the Bam Smack Pow Bluesky, Instagram, and Twitter.