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Among Marvel’s villains, few have as fearsome a reputation as Kingpin. He may be Daredevil’s greatest villain, but Wilson Fisk has been wreaking havoc throughout the Marvel Universe for decades. He’s one of the world’s greatest criminals and has been in some amazing stories. Few villains are as well defined as Kingpin is, and while his threat doesn’t always seem great, he’s much more dangerous than meets the eye.
Because of the Daredevil movie and Netflix show, casual fans have a certain view of Kingpin. The comic book version of Kingpin is much more multifaceted and has been involved in all kinds of things over the years.
8 Bullseye Isn’t Only His Assassin
When people think of Kingpin, they also think of Bullseye. The master assassin is one of the deadliest men on the planet, and his ability to use anything as a weapon makes him dangerous to many heroes. Kingpin likes to make sure his enemies are taken care of, so he keeps Bullseye on retainer, sending him up against any foe who Kingpin needs taken out of the way.
While Bullseye is Kingpin’s most iconic henchman, he’s not the only assassin Kingpin uses. Typhoid Mary has worked for Kingpin many times, among multiple others. Bullseye has been in many of Kingpin’s most iconic stories, but thinking that he’s the only person that Kingpin uses to kill is a mistake that many casual fans have made.
7 He’s A Mountain Of Muscle
Kingpin is a giant of a man. He’s amazingly strong for a normal human and can easily fight it out with even super-strong heroes. He works out constantly, and his great physical strength helped him work his way up the ladder of the criminal underworld. It’s also made it easy for him to intimidate others, as his massive size makes him very scary.
The late Michael Clark Duncan played Kingpin in the first Daredevil movie, an actor known for being both big and very strong. Likewise, Vincent D’Onfrio plays the MCU version of the character. He’s big but nowhere near as strong as the comic version. It’ll be interesting to see how he’s portrayed in the MCU in the future.
6 He’s An Extremely Skilled Fighter
Being strong is great, but even the strongest people can lose fights if they aren’t skilled. Kingpin doesn’t have that problem. Coming up through the ranks, he learned a lot about fighting, but that was only the beginning. As he got bigger, he took up sumo wrestling, learning to use his bulk and uncanny strength in the best possible ways. Kingpin’s fighting skill, combined with his muscles, has made him a formidable foe for everyone he faces.
Most portrayals of Kingpin that casual fans know about show Kingpin as more of a bruiser than anything else. The character is an amazing fighter, and that skill has come in handy over the years as he often battles the most skilled heroes around.
5 He’s Lost His Title Of Kingpin Of Crime More Than Once
Kingpin is one of the greatest criminals in the Marvel Universe, but that doesn’t mean that he’s always kept his title as the kingpin of crime. Many criminals want his position, and over the years, Kingpin has been forced out of his role as the world’s greatest crime boss. Sometimes, it’s because he’s been arrested, and others have swooped in to fill the vacuum. Other times it’s because he was deposed by other criminals.
The Kingpin that casual fans are used to is the unbeatable crime lord. While he’s been beaten by Daredevil, he’s still the crime lord of all crime lords. In the Marvel comics, he’s lost that position and had to claw his way back more than once, something that most casual fans wouldn’t imagine for him.
4 He’s Helped The Heroes On Occasion
Kingpin is not a good person, but he realizes that there are things that are bad for business. For example, when Hydra took over the United States, Kingpin was actually part of the resistance against them. He helped out the heroes and smuggled supplies into New York City after Hydra cut the city off from the rest of the country. While he definitely did it for his own benefit, Kingpin will help his foes when it suits his purposes.
To casual fans, Kingpin is merely a ruthless mob boss. Thinking of him helping someone like Daredevil or Luke Cage would seem completely out of character. While it doesn’t make him a good guy by any stretch of the imagination, Kingpin understands working toward the greater good, especially when the greater good benefits him.
3 He’s As Much A Spider-Man Villain As He Is A Daredevil Villain
In the minds of casual fans, Kingpin is a Daredevil villain. This isn’t far from the truth, as his most iconic stories have all involved ol’Hornhead. The two have made perfect foils for each other but Daredevil isn’t the only hero that Kingpin fights. In fact, he isn’t even the first Marvel hero Kingpin went up against. That distinction belongs to Spider-Man, who battled the Kingpin for years before Daredevil did.
To comic fans, Kingpin is one of Spider-Man’s most iconic villains. While some casual fans will remember Spider-Man fighting Kingpin in the ’90s animated series, that show isn’t nearly as popular as other Kingpin appearances in the intervening years. Kingpin has battled Spider-Man almost as much as he has Daredevil, especially in recent years.
2 He’s A Devoted Family Man
Kingpin is a brutal crime lord, willing to do anything to get his way and make himself richer. However, he’s also a man who loves his family more than just about anything. His wife Vanessa is one of the most important people in his life. While casual fans have gotten a glimpse of this in Into The Spider-Verse, it’s not considered an iconic part of his character. Instead, it is often played as yet another symptom of his lust for power and control.
Villains can tug readers’ heartstrings, and there have been several times over the years that Kingpin has done so. Kingpin’s devotion to family makes perfect sense, as mob bosses are known for their love of family. The fact that comic Kingpin is as into family as he’s been shown is very different from other portrayals.
1 He’s Become Mayor Of New York In The Comics
Villains in comics and in other media go in very different directions. Comics are a continuous medium; Kingpin has existed for decades. Fans that read his first appearance are old now, and keeping a character static for decades doesn’t make good stories. Kingpin has been through many changes, and while he’s basically stayed in the same lane throughout his existence, he recently took on an entirely new role.
Kingpin became mayor of New York. He’s used this position to strike more efficiently at the heroes of the Marvel Universe, and it was one of the most significant changes to the character ever. Running for mayor isn’t something casual fans would think Kingpin would do, but it’s not out of the realm of Kingpin’s skills. Crime bosses and politicians aren’t all that different.
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