Draft:Wilson Fisk (Marvel Cinematic Universe)

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Wilson Fisk, also known as Kingpin, is a supervillain portrayed by Vincent D'Onofrio in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) media franchise, based on the character of the same name created by writer Stan Lee and artist John Romita Sr. for appearances in Marvel Comics publications.

Fisk is introduced as a powerful businessman and crime lord whose interests in the future of Hell's Kitchen brought him into conflict with Matt Murdock, seeking to expose his activities as both a lawyer, and as the masked vigilante Daredevil.^[1][2][3]

Years later, Fisk is shown to have a history with the vigilante

As of 2022, the character has appeared in three television series set in the MCU: The Netflix series Daredevil (2015–2018) produced by Marvel Television, and the Disney+ miniseries Hawkeye (2021) and Echo (2024) produced by Marvel Studios. The character will return in the upcoming multi-season Disney+ series Daredevil: Born Again (2025).^[4]

D'Onofrio's performance as Fisk was critically praised, and he was nominated for a Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor on Television in 2016.

Fictional character biography

Early life

As a boy, Fisk and his mother were abused by his father,

Battling Daredevil

Fisk grew up wanting to make

Incarceration

Eight months later, Fisk works to gain control of the inmates while being visited by his lawyer

Vincent D'Onofrio, who was cast as Wilson Fisk in June 2014,^[2] stated that he hoped his portrayal of Fisk was a new way to look at the character, and that it would be the definitive portrayal of the character.^[5] "Our Fisk, he's a child and he's a monster," D'Onofrio said. "Every move that he makes and everything that he does in our story comes from his foundation of morality inside himself."^[6] Cole Jensen plays a young Wilson Fisk.^[7]

DeKnight detailed that "Fisk has very many different aspects so it's not all, "I want to conquer the city and make a lot of money". In our story, we tell the story of how he met his wife Vanessa and how they fell in love". He also said that "if you're looking for a juicy, multi-faceted crime drama, Wilson Fisk was the obvious choice to play the antagonist ... [he] really felt like the right yin to the yang for Matt, and for what we wanted to do this season."^[8] Concerning Fisk not being called Kingpin during the first season, like he is in the comics, DeKnight explained that "I think there is a, dare I say, critical mass where things get a little bit silly. You know if in the last five minutes we went, "Oh they called him Daredevil! Oh they called him Kingpin!" It's a little too much. Also there was no real natural way to get to Kingpin. It felt a little off. There is a point down the line to get there."^[9] Discussing Fisk's fighting style, compared to Daredevil's, series stunt coordinator Philip J Silvera said that, "I feel like they're almost two sides to the same coin. They're both doing things for their city. And it's a tricky thing with their two characters. I think when you get the Fisk character to a certain point, it just becomes pure rage, and all thought process is out the window. ... The brutality is just relentless with him. When he gets into this mode, he just keeps going until he's done. And that's it. He will drive for you. That is the Kingpin, that is D'Onofrio. He's a very smooth, calculating individual, but when you bring the rage out in him, he's like a bulldozer."^[10]

Maslansky explained that "Wilson Fisk has a specific look. His choices reflect the man he is and the man he's become. As with Matt Murdock's costumes, I was influenced by the comics with the same stipulation that they feel authentic and modern. We dressed Fisk in current style, embracing a slim silhouette. It's classic and consistent. His clothing was custom-made by a highly skilled tailor, Michael Andrews who's well versed in modern design details." Significant props used for Fisk in the series are his father's cufflinks, on which Maslansky said, "[Fisk's father] would have bought them in the 1950s or '60s—a mid-century design. We searched for the perfect vintage cufflinks. We finally landed on a sterling silver pair with interesting negative space. We knew from reading ahead we'd need many duplicates. I redesigned them, adding more detail—a tiger's eye stone and a portion of it cast in gold. They retained a mid-century look, enhanced to become unique in the world."^[11]

Critical reception

D'Onofrio's performance as Fisk received critical praise, being highlighted as one of the best-received aspects of Daredevil and Marvel's Netflix television series as a whole. Alex Abad-Santos of Vox called him "the single best thing about [the series]' first installment".^[12] Jeet Heer, writing for The New Republic, described the MCU's take on the character as "Brought to life with a shy dignity and subdued menace.",^[13] while Matt Patches from Esquire commented that the show "Takes time to nuance the character, unheard of for a villain in the MCU. Fisk is a romantic, an idealist, a fighter, and not terribly different than his costumed opponent.^[14] Speaking on his performance in the final season of the series, Mark Hughes of Forbes wrote that the actor left him awestruck through his performance, stating that it was "A role I'd previously thought was nearly impossible to fill because I couldn't imagine any actor capturing the delicate balance between cunning villainy, secret vulnerabilities, and sheer larger-than-life presentation required to really get the character right. D'Onofrio not only proved me wrong, he actually managed to improve upon a character who already had decades of exceptional stories in the comics featuring many iconic arcs."^[15]

Awards and nominations

In 2015, D'Onofrio was nominated for a