Kingpin returned in Kingpin in Netflix's Daredevil, depicting him as a brutal crime lord who showed no remorse when hurting or killing anyone who irked him or got in his way. Fisk is notorious for his ferocious strength and rivalries with several heroes in Marvel Comics, but Netflix's portrayal of the character made him intimidating for a whole new audience.

While Netflix's Daredevil series had some references to the MCU, it wasn't officially part of the universe. Fisk made his MCU debut in 2021's Hawkeye, but it was unclear if it was the same Kingpin as before or a different version, with later announcements and Daredevil: Born Again's story cementing the Netflix and MCU Kingpin as one and the same. That made his story slightly confusing beforehand, especially as he wasn't nearly as violent and ruthless as his Netflix depiction in some initial MCU releases. Fortunately, Born Again brings back the brutality he was missing from his last two appearances.

Hawkeye And Echo Made The MCU's Kingpin Seem More Vulnerable Than Netflix's

In Hawkeye, Kingpin still holds a reputation as an intimidating, powerful businessman. He works with Kate Bishop's mother, who is clearly afraid to go against Fisk in any way. However, Fisk doesn't live up to his reputation in this series, as he's defeated by Kate in a one-on-one fight. While Kate can't handle his strength, she uses her wits to blow up her arrows, knocking him out. It's a clever way of taking him down, but an amateur vigilante arguably should not have been able to defeat Kingpin so easily.

Following their fight, Kingpin is then shot in the eye by Maya. He's easily dispatched in this series, even though he survived the shot and returns in Echo. However, Echo still focuses on his more vulnerable side by exploring his efforts to reconnect with his former protégé, focusing the story on his repeated failed attempts to bring her back to his side. When Maya digs into his psyche with her powers in the Echo finale, Fisk is also seemingly unable to deal with confronting his past, fleeing the confrontation and appearing to give up on chasing her down.

Daredevil: Born Again's Finale Reestablished Wilson Fisk As A Powerful, Brutal Villain

Daredevil: Born Again started with Kingpin in a completely different place. He wanted to do things by the book as the mayor of New York City, helping people through legal means. However, that went out the window rather quickly, as he became more agitated with bureaucracy and was reminded of how much he enjoyed his dominant nature. Torturing and imprisoning Vanessa's former lover, Adam, was only the start.

The way Kingpin kills Commissioner Gallo in the Daredevil: Born Again season 1 finale is by far the most brutal death in the MCU, and rivals the shocking death in the Netflix series when Kingpin decapitates someone with a car door. It's impossible to not be terrified by Fisk after Gallo's death, especially since he now has the police under his belt. I'm thrilled that Marvel has focused on just how intimidating Kingpin can be again, and I can't wait to see how Daredevil and his crew take him down in Daredevil: Born Again season 2.

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