A secret threat looming in the shadows throughout the the Kingpin AKA the mayor of New York City is the greatest villain facing Marvel’s heroes within the current continuity, with the threat of his vile actions outmatched only by his longevity.
In Thunderbolts #3 by Matthew Rosenburg with art by Juan Ferreyra, the Kingpin has charged a group of heroes turned vigilantes—similar to DC’s Suicide Squad—with taking down the King in Black. Among the going through with their suicide mission, the team uses an illusionist named Figment to make it seem as though they carried out the task, seemingly tricking the other heroes of the world of Fisk’s efforts against the Lord of the Abyss.
In the end, the Kingpin doesn’t care whether or not the Thunderbolts launch a strike against the King in Black, only that it appears as though they do. Fisk knows from the start the Thunderbolts won’t stand a chance against Knull, he just needs to put on the appearance of helping so that when Knull is eventually stopped, he can reap some of the reward for his defeat. The plan is to bomb Knull with Sentry’s body knowing it will fail, the problem is that this plan will not be without a hefty casualty count. The power stored within Sentry is that of a thousand exploding suns, his corpse is less than that but still had the energy comparable to multiple nuclear blasts at least.
Fans know from previous King In Black issues that those under Knull’s control are still alive and can be restored, plus there are assuredly thousands more people in hiding throughout the city. Fisk is willing to kill every person in the city he claims to love and one he was elected to protect, for nothing more than political points.
Launching a facade strike force knowing their mission would fail while willing to kill thousands of innocent lives in the process makes the Kingpin the most despicable villain to date within Marvel Comics. Instead of using his resources to actually try and help save the world, Wilson Fisk chooses the selfish route and once more proves his villainy. The worst part of Fisk’s latest actions is he will most likely face no consequences for them and will continue on as the mayor and kingpin of New York City once the God of the Symbiotes is finally vanquished. This makes the Kingpin a threat way more frightening than Knull in the King In Black.
