Draft:Wilson Fisk (Marvel Cinematic Universe)

• Comment: Per previous decline. S0091 (talk) 22:21, 23 December 2021 (UTC)

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Wilson Fisk
Marvel Cinematic Universe character
First appearance	"Into the Ring" (voice only) "Rabbit in a Snowstorm" Daredevil (April 10, 2015)
Based on	Kingpin by Stan Lee     John Romita Sr.
Portrayed by	Vincent D'Onofrio Cole Jensen (young)
In-universe information
Alias	The Fat Man The Big Guy The Head of Organized Crime
Nickname	Uncle (by surrogate niece and nephew)
Title	Kingpin
Affiliation	The Hand Tracksuit Mafia FBI (Fisk Task Force) Sloan Limited Union Allied Confederated Global Investments Vancorp Fat Man Auto Repair Red Lion National Bank
Family	William "Bill" Fisk (father) Marlene Vistain (mother) William Lopez (surrogate brother)
Spouse	Vanessa Marianna (wife)
Children	James Wesley (surrogate son) Benjamin "Dex" Poindexter (self-perceived "new James Wesley") Kazimierz "Kazi" Kazimierczak (surrogate nephew; adoptive son) Maya "Echo" Lopez (surrogate niece; adoptive daughter)

Wilson Fisk, more commonly known by his FBI designation Kingpin, is a fictional character 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. In the MCU, Fisk is a powerful businessman and crime lord whose interests in the future of Hell's Kitchen brings him into conflict with Matt Murdock, seeking to expose his activities as both a lawyer, and as the masked vigilante Daredevil. Following his initial apprehension, and the subsequent fall of the criminal empire he attempted to amass in secret, he quietly regained his stronghold on New York's underworld during the five-year period known as the Blip, now opposed by the masked vigilante Ronin (former S.H.I.E.L.D. agent and Avenger Clint Barton) due to Murdock being one of the Blip's victims, through reassuming his alliance with the Tracksuit Mafia and his surrogate nephew and niece Kazi and Maya Lopez, and his partnership with Eleanor Bishop thereafter, putting him at odds with Eleanor's daughter Kate, and Barton, her mentor.

To date, D'Onofrio has appeared as the character in two projects, the Netflix series Daredevil (2015–2018) produced by Marvel Television, and the Disney+ series Hawkeye (2021) produced by Marvel Studios.

Casting and characterization

Vincent D'Onofrio, who was cast as Wilson Fisk in June 2014, 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. "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." Cole Jensen plays a young Wilson Fisk.

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." 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." 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."

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."

Fictional character biography

Daredevil

See also: Daredevil (TV series)

As a boy, Fisk and his mother were abused by his father, Bill Fisk, until he killed him with a hammer. His mother, Marlene Vistain, helped him cover up the murder.

Battling Daredevil

Further information: Daredevil (season 1)

Fisk grew up wanting to make Hell's Kitchen a better place, where there are no people like his father, and planned to buy the entire neighborhood, demolish it, and build a new and better Hell's Kitchen. In 2015, he received opposition from Matt Murdock both a lawyer and a vigilante, and began to lose the trust of his allies after he began seeing Vanessa Marianna, and after his surrogate son and best friend James Wesley is killed by Karen Page. His dealings are exposed to the FBI by a whistle-blower that Murdock protected, and when he attempts to escape custody he is defeated in combat by Murdock as Daredevil and incarcerated at Ryker's Island.

Incarceration

Further information: Daredevil (season 2)

Eight months later, Fisk works to gain control of the inmates while being visited by his lawyer Benjamin Donovan. When the Punisher, Frank Castle is sent to Ryker's Island, Wilson Fisk manipulates him into killing a rival inmate who happened to have knowledge of Castle's family's murder, and later orchestrates Punisher's escape, after firstly having him massacre an entire cell block of prisoners.

Going back to prison

Further information: Daredevil (season 3)

In 2017, Fisk cuts a deal with Ray Nadeem and the FBI to become their informant in exchange for a house arrest deal at the Presidential Hotel and for Vanessa to not be incriminated for Wilson Fisk's crimes. When he starts swaying some of the FBI to his side including Benjamin "Dex" Poindexter, those in his service giving him the designation Kingpin. After a video of Nadeem posthumously testifying against him leaks at his wedding to Vanessa, he gets into a three-way fight with Daredevil and Dex. He shatters Poindexter's spine but is defeated by Murdock. He accepts a bargain to return to Ryker's Island and not harm Matt's loved ones in exchange for Vanessa's safety from prosecution.

Hawkeye

See also: Hawkeye (2021 TV series)

Rebuilding his criminal empire

Further information: Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame, and Black Widow (2021 film)

In 2018, the alien warlord Thanos and his children began a full-scale invasion of Earth, bringing them into conflict with the planet's protectors, the Avengers. During these events, Thanos successfully managed to amass all six Infinity Stones--each essential to retaining balance between different elements of reality, into a device intended to harness their collected power, the Infinity Gauntlet. These efforts culminated in The Snap, an event which saw Thanos snap his fingers to eliminate a randomized half of all living organisms in order to control the planet's overpopulation, causing a five year time period during which prominent government powers were inactive and society was in a state of disarray. It is revealed that Wilson Fisk was among those who survived The Snap, and used this period in time to quietly rebuild the criminal empire he had lost since his and Vanessa's incarcerations. He reallies himself with the Tracksuit Mafia and their leader William Lopez, who has a daughter named Maya whom Fisk had met as a child some time ago. Using the Tracksuits as pawns, he reorganizes their operations and uses them to carry out further criminal activity from within a remote base of operations, doubling as an auto shop named "Fat Man Auto Repair".

Battling Ronin

Further information: Echoes (Hawkeye)

During this time, Clint Barton, a former agent for S.H.I.E.L.D. in addition to being a surviving Avenger, had lost his entire family due to Thanos' actions. Struck with grief and rage, he turned to vigilantism, taking on a new costumed identity as "Ronin", and embarking on a global effort to indiscriminately eliminate surviving criminal factions and organizations out of disgust for their survival among the casualties of the Snap. Realizing how this initative put his reputation as New York's crime lord in jeopardy, Fisk dispatched an informant to alert Barton of the Tracksuits' operations and hideout, while excluding mention of Fisk's leadership of the group. Barton, as Ronin, infiltrated Fat Man Auto Repair and killed every residing member of the Tracksuit Mafia within, including William Lopez, which traumatized and deeply angered Maya. Disturbed by this loss, Maya made it her mission to pursue and kill Barton out of vengeance for the death of her father, with her childhood friend Kazi Kazimierczak (Fisk's informant) assuming leadership of the Tracksuits as a result of William Lopez's demise.

Partnering with Eleanor Bishop

Further information: Partners, Am I Right? and So This Is Christmas?

Following the Blip, and the subsequent return of the deceased half of Earth's population, it is revealed by Christmas 2024 that Wilson Fisk has successfully regained his stronghold on New York City's criminal underworld that he had once held prior to his apprehension by Daredevil. Upon learning of Clint Barton's redemption and the return of the Ronin persona to the city, Fisk strikes a pact with Eleanor Bishop, head of Bishop Security, in order to extend his connections and strengthen his protection from having his empire compromised. Unbeknowst to Fisk, Eleanor's daughter Kate Bishop / Hawkeye is being mentored by the reformed Barton, and is assisting him in further dismantling the Tracksuit Mafia. Rattled by Barton's investigation, Eleanor hires Yelena Belova / Black Widow through Valentina Allegra de Fontaine to hunt and eliminate Barton before her connections to Fisk and role in the murder of Armand Duquesne III can be uncovered, privately meeting to Fisk to request an end to their partnership while threatening him with releasing records she had made of their correspondence. Belova obliges, choosing to pursue Barton as an act of revenge for his perceived involvement in the death of her sister-figure and Barton's colleague, Natasha Romanoff / Black Widow. In response to the threat, Fisk dispatches Kazi to have Eleanor killed later that night, on Christmas Eve, reluctantly ordering him to kill Maya as well after realizing Barton had told her of their role in her father's death. After Kazi's attempts to kill Eleanor are intercepted by the Tracksuit Mafia, Fisk, dressed for a then-planned Hawaiin vacation, arrives on the scene himself with the Tracksuit Mafia. While attempting to talk with Eleanor, Fisk is set upon by Kate, who he easily pushes aside before she sets off an explosion by his feet with trick arrows. Fleeing the scene, Fisk is met by Maya, having just reluctantly killed Kazi, who shoots him in the face, blinding him.

Critical reception

D'Onofrio at the 2014 Toronto Film Festival

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". 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.", 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. 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."

Awards and nominations

In 2015, D'Onofrio was nominated for Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for his performance as Fisk in Season 1, at the EWwy Awards. He was again nominated for a Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor on Television in 2016. The actor was also nominated multiple times at the IGN Awards for "Best TV Actor" and "Best TV Villain", as well as "Best Dramatic TV Performance" in 2015 and 2018, respectively.

External links

• Wilson Fisk / Kingpin on the Marvel Cinematic Universe Wiki

This page will be placed in the following categories if it is moved to the article namespace.

Categories:

• American male characters in television
• Daredevil (TV series)
• Fictional characters from New York City
• Fictional crime bosses
• Fictional murderers
• Fictional patricides
• Fictional prison escapees
• Fictional prisoners and detainees in the United States
• Hawkeye (2021 TV series)
• Marvel Cinematic Universe characters
• Psychopathy in fiction
• Superhero television characters
• Television characters introduced in 2015

Category:Drafts about fictional people Category:Marvel Cinematic Universe drafts