The crime boss who thinks he is the hero
Wilson Fisk is a big man with a quiet voice and a terrifying temper. When we meet him in Marvel's Daredevil, he is the hidden power behind New York's criminal underworld, rebuilding Hell's Kitchen in his own image after the alien attack on the city. Developers, gangs, police officers and politicians all answer to him without saying his name out loud.
The twist is that Fisk believes he is saving the city. He sees himself as a builder, not a gangster, and he can be awkward and almost tender with the people he loves. That contrast is what makes him unsettling. One moment he is nervously buying art for a date, the next he is beating a man with his bare hands.
His titles in order
- Marvel's Daredevil (series, recommended)
- Hawkeye (series, recommended)
- Echo (series, optional)
- Daredevil: Born Again (series, recommended)
Hawkeye and Echo give him supporting roles in other heroes' stories. Born Again puts him back in the spotlight opposite Matt Murdock.
His rise, fall and return, spoiler-light
The first season of Daredevil is essentially Fisk's origin as a public figure. His romance with Vanessa, an art dealer, humanizes him, while his rivalry with a masked vigilante slowly pulls his empire into the light. Later seasons show how he can run things even from a cell.
Hawkeye brings him back in its final episodes as the man pulling the strings behind the Tracksuit gang. In Echo, he plays a paternal and dangerous figure in the life of Maya Lopez, a deaf fighter who once worked for him. The series is her story, but his scenes carry real weight. Born Again then aims higher: Fisk enters politics and becomes mayor of New York, and his new power brings him back into conflict with Matt Murdock in a very different setting.
Enemies and allies
His great enemy is Daredevil (Matt Murdock), a lawyer by day who becomes the one obstacle Fisk cannot buy or scare off. Foggy Nelson, Matt's partner and best friend, is on the opposite side of every legal fight with him. Vanessa is the person Fisk trusts most, and their relationship is one of the strangest love stories in Marvel's TV shows.
Vincent D'Onofrio as Kingpin
Vincent D'Onofrio plays Fisk in all four series, and for many fans he is the definitive live-action Kingpin. He uses stillness, a halting delivery and sudden bursts of rage to make Fisk feel unpredictable. Outside Marvel, he is known for playing Private Pyle in Full Metal Jacket, the alien-possessed farmer Edgar in Men in Black and Detective Robert Goren in Law & Order: Criminal Intent.
What order to watch
Watch Marvel's Daredevil first, at least the first season, since it is Fisk's best material and the foundation for everything after. Hawkeye, which we rate recommended, comes next. Echo is optional; watch it if you want his role in Maya's past. Then move to Daredevil: Born Again, which we rate recommended and which continues his rivalry with Matt directly. Find more Hell's Kitchen faces in our MCU character directory.