Kingpin could be revealed as the reason behindThunderbolts*’s mysterious asterisk, as a newMarvel Cinematic Universetheory connects the Daredevil villain to the team. Vincent D’Onofrio’s Wilson Fisk is one of the best live-action villains among all superhero adaptations. It comes as no surprise that Marvel Studios brought him back as soon as it could, with the villain already appearing in multiple projects. The character will next show up in2025’sDaredevil: Born Again, bringing himface-to-face with Charlie Cox’s Matt Murdock for the first time since they returned to their Marvel roles.
Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige has revealed that Cox’s Daredevil will be one of the faces of the MCU’s street-level heroes. That could also mean that D’Onofrio’s Kingpin will have an overarching role in that side of the franchise, which is supported by his appearances in the Disney+ seriesHawkeyeandEcho. 2025 could be a big year for the character, asMarvel has a major storyline planned for Kingpin inDaredevil: Born Again, which could lead to the villain being a surprise member of thecast ofThunderbolts*, explaining the movie’s asterisk.
Kingpin’s Rise To Power Will Happen In Daredevil: Born Again
Wilson Fisk Is After A Different Kind Of Power
The MCU is setting up Kingpin to be a villain not only to Daredevil, but all street-level Marvel heroes that are based in New York City. The reason for that isDaredevil: Born Againis set to follow Wilson Fisk’s run to become the Mayor of New York City. That arc was first teased at the end ofEcho. The MCU series had Fisk watching a news report about how there was no clear frontrunner in the NYC mayoral race. More than that, one of the TV anchors said that voters wanted a “fighter” and an “outsider” for a candidate.
D’Onofrio described Kingpin’s mind after watching the news, saying, “If I want to be all-powerful, this is what I’m going to do.”
By the end of the report, Kingpin was leaning in as ominous music played, showing that he wanted to join the mayoral race.In the comics, Fisk did end up becoming New York City’s Mayor, which will play out inDaredevil: Born Again. Speaking withThe Hollywood Reporter, D’Onofrio described Kingpin’s mind after watching the news, saying, “If I want to be all-powerful, this is what I’m going to do.“Daredevil: Born Againset photosconfirmed that Kingpin will become mayor, as police officers with emblems that read “Anti-Vigilante Task Force New York City - Mayor Fisk,” were spotted.
How Mayor Fisk Could Be The Reason For Thunderbolts*’s Asterisk
Kingpin And The Thunderbolts Share A Comic Book Connection
Kingpin’s MCU storyline could lead to more appearances in other projects, and withThunderbolts*’s reveal of Avengers Tower, the movie will at least be partially set in NYC, which could allow Fisk to come in. After becoming NYC’s Mayor in the comics, Wilson Fisk set out on a war against vigilantes. That led tothe creation of Kingpin’s Thunderbolts squad. The villain first sends the team to take out the Punisher, who returns to the MCU inDaredevil: Born Again, eventually evolving the scale of his plans for the Thunderbolts.
Marvel Comics' Devil’s Reign arc is rumored to be in play for Tom Holland’sSpider-Man 4, though no official comments about the possible story have been shared.
During the comics' Devil’s Reign event, Kingpin created the Thunderbolts Units. Aside from having assembled his own supervillain squad, the units are police task forces that assist in the fight against super-powered threats, which could be the natural evolution of the squad seen in theDaredevil: Born Againset photos. According to a new MCU theory, the Thunderbolts* asterisk could be indicating that the team has a temporary name, with the characters forming a new squad by the end of the film after it is revealed that Kingpin now owns the Thunderbolts, and they do not want to be involved.
What The Thunderbolts’ Name Could Change To
The First Thunderbolts* Trailer Teased What It Could Be
There is one name that makes the most sense for the team if it is not called Thunderbolts by the end of the film. Marvel Studios’Thunderbolts*could fade to black and then reveal the team’s new title, “Dark Avengers.” There is a comic book precedent for the name, as 2012 marked a surprise shift for the Thunderbolts comics' run. Issue #175 revealed thatthe Thunderbolts had been renamed to Dark Avengers. The same could happen in the MCU, revealing that the asterisk in the film’s title is due to the name being temporary.
The firstThunderboltstrailer makes that alternative more likely, as it revealed thatValentina Allegra de Fontaine seemingly bought Avengers Tower. If the Thunderbolts team is already operating out of the Avengers' first HQ, thenit would make sense for the more violent squad to be named Dark Avengers. Adding to that, the absence of the Avengers has been felt as the MCU struggled since 2019’sAvengers: Endgame. With Marvel setting up the Young Avengers and a new main Avengers team, theThunderbolts’s possiblename change could be part of an initiative to have multiple Avengers teams in the MCU.
Thunderbolts*
Cast
Thunderbolts follows seven disillusioned individuals who find themselves trapped in a perilous situation. Tasked with a daunting mission, they must face the most shadowy aspects of their histories to survive and achieve their goals.
