Back in 2015, 12 years after Michael Clarke Duncan played Wilson Fisk, a.k.a. Kingpin, in the Daredevil movie, Vincent D’Onofrio succeeded him in the villainous role for Netflix’s Daredevil series. Although that show ended up being cancelled after three seasons, like leading man Charlie Cox, D’Onofrio was looped into the main Marvel Cinematic Universe continuity, first reprising Kingpin in Hawkeye, and both men are confirmed to return for Echo and Daredevil: Born Again. D’Onofrio recently opened up a bit about what we can expect from Kingpin in those two upcoming Marvel TV shows, which included calling his character a “crazy motherfucker.”
Naturally the actor wasn’t able to delve into specifics about what’s ahead for Kingpin in Echo and Daredevil: Born Again while appearing on Inside of You with Michael Rosenbaum, but he did drop an f-bomb while explaining what it’s been like for him playing this character in “normal situations,” much like he did in the Daredevil days:
I have to say the part that I’m playing now that I started on Netflix – the Daredevil show – he’s a crazy motherfucker, this guy. He’s so, like, real and emotional. He’s like a big baby and a fucking monster at the same time. … On the Netflix show as well, we had the opportunity to put him in somewhat normal situations. He fell in love, he got married. In the new stuff we’re doing, he’s in normal situations as well. … In Hawkeye – in Hawkeye not so much – but in Echo, which is not out yet, which precedes the new Daredevil: Born Again show, he’s in positions like he was at Netflix, where he’s the same guy, but he’s in a very normal position. And to play him in a normal environment like you or I would be in, is just batshit fucking crazy. It’s like so fucking hard to do and so fucking crazy. And the shit that’s going on in my mind when the camera’s rolling is just fucking batshit stuff.
While Vincent D’Onofrio’s Kingpin is nowhere near the towering monstrosity the character’s depicted as in the comics, he’s certainly not someone to be trifled with either physically or mentally. There’s a reason this man is one of New York’s most notorious crime lord, if not at the top of the proverbial food chain, and while he usually delegates to his underlings when it comes to handling the messier aspects of his “business,” he’s not afraid to get his hands dirty when the situation calls for it.
And as we saw in Daredevil, D’Onofrio’s version of Wilson Fisk has trouble dealing with these “normal situations,” or everyday life, if you will. Sure, he managed to find happiness by falling in love with art gallery owner Vanessa, but even then things ended up going off the rails for him that put stress on his relationship. Again, we don’t know what specifically awaits Fisk in Echo and Daredevil: Born Again, but there’s no denying that “crazy motherfucker” is a pretty apt description for him.
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When Disney+ subscribers left off with Wilson Fisk at the end of Hawkeye, Maya Lopez, his surrogate daughter, shot him after learning that Fisk manipulated Clint Barton, who was going by Ronin at the time, into killing her father, William Lopez, so he could take control of the Tracksuit Mafia. Since the camera panned upwards before Maya pulled the trigger, it was initially unclear if the shot was fatal. It’s since been revealed that she shot him the eye, as D’Onofrio’s Fisk will wear an eyepatch during Echo. It’s unclear if he’ll still have that eye covered up in Daredevil: Born Again or if it will somehow be healed.
Daredevil: Born Again doesn’t have a set release date yet, but along with Vincent D’Onofrio and Charlie Cox returning, the Born Again cast includes Jon Bernthal reprising The Punisher and Sandrine Holt taking over the role of Vanessa. As for Echo, that cast includes Alaqua Cox and Zahn McClarnon returning to their respective roles, along with newcomers like Chaske Spencer and Tantoo Cardinal. The miniseries is now expected to premiere sometime in January 2024, and unlike Disney+’s other MCU shows, all its episodes will be released at once rather than a weekly basis.