Warning: This article contains spoilers for Daredevil: Born Again.There’s still one major Kingpin mystery that we hope is addressed in theMCUbefore the end ofDaredevil: Born Againseason 1. As well as marking the return of Charlie Cox’s Matt Murdock,Daredevil: Born Againalso brought back Vincent D’Onofrio’s Wilson Fisk, the primary antagonist of the originalDaredevilseries, but the Kingpin has seen quite the transformation. Following his experiences inHawkeyeandEcho,Wilson Fisk became Mayor of New York CityinDaredevil:Born Again, which raises huge questions that Marvel Studios still needs to answer.
Matt Murdock and Wilson Fiskhave been archenemies since 2015’sDaredevilseason 1, though they’ve agreed to a tenuous truce, as both appear to have turned their back on their alter egos inDaredevil: Born Again. While the events leading up to Matt Murdock’s retirement as Daredevil, including Foggy Nelson’s tragic demise, have been well-documented,Wilson Fisk’s backstoryhasn’t been explored in so much detail.Marvel Studios needs to explain this gap in Kingpin’s timeline, however, and this could make Wilson Fisk an even more terrifying villain.
Daredevil: Born Again Hasn’t Explained How Wilson Fisk Got Out Of Prison
Wilson Fisk Was Incarcerated At The End Of Daredevil Season 3
While Wilson Fisk was imprisoned at the end ofDaredevilseason 1, he gained new influence in season 2, and officially manipulated his escape in season 3. Kingpin’s schemes brought several high-profile FBI agents into his employ inDaredevilseason 3, which allowed him to swiftly gain new power and eventually get himself released from prison, but this was all undone inDaredevilseason 3’s finale.The epic three-way battle between Wilson Fisk, Daredevil and Bullseye culminated in the former being incarcerated again, thanks to the testimony of Ray Nadeem, but Marvel has now reversed this major development.
Vincent D’Onofrio returned to the MCU in 2021’sHawkeyeseries, with no mention of his incarceration or how he might have escaped. It wasn’t untilDaredevil: Born Againepisode 3, “The Hollow of His Hand,” thatFisk suggested he had been on the wrong side of the law and a jury making the wrong decision, just as he suggested they did in the trial of Hector Ayala’s White Tiger. This implies his prison stay is still MCU canon, but Marvel Studios is yet to reveal exactly why the Kingpin still isn’t behind bars, even though this demands explanation.
Wilson Fisk Being Elected Mayor Is Confused By His Criminal Backstory
Image via Disney+
While it might somewhat reflect the current real-world state of affairs to have a convicted felon elected into office in the MCU, Wilson Fisk’s crimes have been very extreme, very public and very frequent. He has been imprisoned twice, has committed countless murders, including that of his own father, manipulated the FBI and was the boss of New York’s biggest crime syndicate. This means it’s pretty shocking to see him take up office as the Mayor of New York City, so if Marvel is expecting us to truly believe this story, there is some serious explaining to do.
Wilson Fisk began his campaign to become New York’s Mayor in Marvel Comics’Secret Empireevent in 2017, which saw HYDRA take over the United States. Fisk fought to protect New Yorkers from HYDRA, earning their respect, but Fisk still needed to fix the election to win the position of Mayor in 2018’sDaredevil #595.
It simply doesn’t make sense that a man as frequently-convicted and as overtly-violent as Wilson Fisk would be elected into office unless there was some huge change to his character between the events ofDaredevilseason 3 andHawkeyethat we haven’t seen on-screen.Hawkeyesaw Fisk still running his criminal gangs in New York, including the Tracksuit Mafia, whileEchosaw police officers back away in fear of the Kingpin. Marvel must tell us how Fisk went from striking fear into the hearts of the police to running New York City.
Why Could Wilson Fisk Have Been Released From Prison After Daredevil Season 3?
Marvel Studios Still Has The Chance To Explain Wilson Fisk’s Escape From Prison
Marvel Studios surely has somereasoning for Wilson Fisk being released from prisonlegitimately and being able to run for the position of Mayor of New York City.It’s possible that not everything from the Defenders Saga has been brought into the MCU’s canon, but this would just confuse the timeline even more, especially since the deal made between Kingpin and Matt Murdock inDaredevilseason 3 is important, and its impact is still being felt. If, then, Wilson Fisk’s incarceration is properly canon to the MCU, it seems there’s one clear course of action Marvel could take.
Daredevil: Born Again Kills Off Another Major Character From The Original Show In Order To Bring Kingpin Back As A Street-Level Villain According To Major MCU Theory
We all want Wilson Fisk to become Kingpin again in Daredevil: Born Again, and a wild new theory provides a tragic explanation for how this can happen.
We still haven’t really explored what went on during the five-year-long Blip after Thanos snapped his fingers inInfinity Warand before the Avengers brought everyone back inEndgame. There was speculation thatDaredevil: Born Againcould explore this practically-unseen period in the MCU’s timeline, and this could still happen to provide an explanation for how Fisk got out of prison. TheBlip could have changed everything for Kingpin, so it would be great to see this actually get addressed in the MCU before he becomes a bona fide villain once again.
