History Characters / MarvelComicsTheKingpin

** One of the top villains of the Marvel Universe, and has served as the Big Bad for many arcs across multiple comics, particularly Daredevil's series. While he's nothing compared to the likes of, say, ComicBook/{{Thanos}}, ComicBook/DoctorDoom, ComicBook/{{Ultron}}, ComicBook/{{Magneto}}, ComicBook/RedSkull, or ComicBook/NormanOsborn, he's the classic BigBad for "street level" superheroes like Daredevil and Punisher.

* KnowWhenToFoldEm: The Kingpin is intelligent and ambitious, but he also knows his place. He's not going to pick a fight with truly global threats like Characters/DoctorDoom or [[Characters/MarvelComicsMagneto Magneto]], and for the most part is content to run the New York underworld rather than take over the world. His willingness to take on groups like Hydra and the Hand stems from him viewing them as rival criminal organisations and so something he can deal with (although he was [[BullyingADragon sorely mistaken in the case of Hydra]], who ''are'' a global threat). Someone with the raw destructive power of Doom, on the other hand, is not someone Fisk wants to take lightly.

** One of the top villains of the Marvel Universe, and has served as the Big Bad for many arcs across multiple comics, particularly Daredevil's series. While he's nothing compared to the likes of, say, ComicBook/{{Thanos}}, ComicBook/DoctorDoom, ComicBook/{{Ultron}}, ComicBook/{{Magneto}}, ComicBook/RedSkull, or ComicBook/NormanOsborn, he's the classic BigBad for "street level" superheroes like Daredevil and Punisher. As of now, he's the mayor of New York City and naturally comes across a lot of the superhero community in some form or another.

* {{Pride}}: Easily his greatest flaw, outstripping even his greed. Fisk needs to be in control and to dominate those around him, and he can't take being slighted or thwarted in any way. He also can't resist gloating and torturing enemies to feel powerful, even

* CompositeCharacter: In ''WesternAnimation/SpiderManTheAnimatedSeries'' and ''ComicBook/UltimateMarvel'', he takes on Roscoe "The Fixer" Sweeney's role as the gangster who has Matt Murdock's father Jack murdered. In ''Film/Daredevil2003'', he is combined with Slade as the henchman who personally kills Jack.

* RaceLift: In the comics he was white but in the live action ''Film/{{Daredevil}}'' movie he's black, played by the late Creator/MichaelClarkeDuncan. Duncan also voiced the Kingpin in ''WesternAnimation/SpiderManTheNewAnimatedSeries'', where he's again black. Notably, Stan Lee originally considered making the Kingpin a black man but was concerned about the racist connotations of DarkIsEvil played through skin tone.

* ScaryBlackMan: As depicted by Michael Clarke Duncan in ''Film/Daredevil2003'' and ''WesternAnimation/SpiderManTheNewAnimatedSeries''.

The first actor to play him was [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spider-Man_(1967_TV_series) Tom Harvey]], who voiced him in the ''WesternAnimation/SpiderMan1967'' series. He was played by Creator/JohnRhysDavies, in his first live-action appearance in ''The Trial of the Incredible Hulk'', a sequel telefilm to ''Series/TheIncredibleHulk1977''. He was voiced by Roscoe Lee Brown in ''WesternAnimation/SpiderManTheAnimatedSeries'', where he was a recurring villain almost to the level of BigBad. He was portrayed by Creator/MichaelClarkeDuncan in the 2003 ''Film/{{Daredevil}}'' film, and reprised the role in ''WesternAnimation/SpiderManTheNewAnimatedSeries''. In 2015, he [[Characters/MCUKingpin entered]] the Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse as the main villain of ''{{Series/Daredevil 2015}}'', where he is portrayed by Creator/VincentDOnofrio. In 2018, he made his animated film debut in ''WesternAnimation/SpiderManIntoTheSpiderVerse'', voiced by Creator/LievSchreiber. He also made an appearance in ''VideoGame/SpiderManPS4'', voiced by Creator/TravisWillingham.

* DebtDetester: If there is a group people that Fisk hates almost as much as folks who have slighted him, are people he owes a favor to. Fisk is usually pretty quick to find a way out of the debt, even on a good day. On a bad day, however, the debater might find himself worse off than before.

!!! '''Notable Aliases:''' The Brainwasher

* YourSizeMayVary: He's always drawn as huge and intimidating but some artists can get carried away with how much so, drawing him to look closer to eight feet tall than his official height of 6'7, and he can go from being just over a head taller than Matt to looking like a mountain next to him.

* EnemyMine: He and Daredevil have allied several times, against other organisations like The Hand, against gangsters like The Owl, and in order to escape prison. These alliances almost inevitably end in a betrayal by one or both parties. A notable -- non-canon -- example was [[spoiler:the inter-company crossover where he apparently sided with ComicBook/RasAlGhul against Spidey and ComicBook/{{Batman}} to save Vanessa. The heroes didn't know it at first, but Fisk was actually helping them, proving to be even more of a [[TheChessmaster Chessmaster]] than Ra's, only revealing his true loyalties in the end.]]

* LightningBruiser: When Spidey, Daredevil and other heroes had their first fights with him, what surprised them most was how damn fast he was, especially considering how he looks like a FatBastard. He's also [[Acrofatic extremely agile]] for his size.

* WickedPretentious: While Fisk tries to pass himself off as a SelfManMan with refined tastes as part of his VillainWithGoodPublicity image, but in reality, he's still a thug at his heart.

* EvilSoundsDeep: Sounded this way when Michael Clarke Duncan played him. Vincent D'Onofrio, [[Creator/JimCummings1952 Jim Cummings]], and Creator/DavidSobolov also provided [[GutturalGrowler gruff, gravelly voices]] for him.

* NormalFishInATinyPond: Zigzagged. Fisk is undoubtedly ''very'' powerful, intimidating and influential and is one of the bigger threats many unpowered or mid-level street heroes face but he's ultimately just a very intelligent gangster in a world of superpowered beings, many of whom are so far above Fisk in power it's like comparing a fly to an elephant, and it's made clear that any of the superheroes and villains in question could stomp him to pieces if they were ever so inclined as seen with Fisk's [[CurbStompBattle hopelessly one-sided fight]] with an extremely pissed off Peter Parker. Fisk is a huge threat in the confines of a more grounded setting with street level heroes but he doesn't have a hope of competing above that as evidenced by the times when he gets on the wrong side of such heroes and villains like Hydra and pays dearly for his arrogance.

* LightningBruiser: When Spidey, Daredevil and other heroes had their first fights with him, what surprised them most was how damn fast he was, especially considering how he looks like a FatBastard.
* LuxuryPrisonSuite: Every single time he is thrown in prison, no exceptions.

* MightAsWellNotBeInPrisonAtAll: He is still fully capable of running a criminal enterprise from inside prison and once even tricked ComicBook/IronMan into eliminating a competitor on the outside for him. He's able to do so because he still had enough information on the wider criminal underworld to make deals and manipulate the authorities.

* {{Pride}}: Easily his greatest flaw, outstripping even his greed. Fisk needs to be in control and to dominate those around him, and he can't take being slighted or thwarted in any way.

* RealMenEatMeat: Averted. He's as tough as they come and he's a vegan.

* CompositeCharacter: In ''WesternAnimation/SpiderManTheAnimatedSeries'', he takes on Roscoe "The Fixer" Sweeney's role as the gangster who has Matt Murdock's father Jack murdered. In ''Film/{{Daredevil}}'', he is combined with Slade as the henchman who personally kills Jack.

*** To elaborate, when Fisk got in an unarmed fight with Spider-Man in "Back In Black," and Peter made it plain that for once, he ''wasn't'' pulling his super-powered punches, he effortlessly dodges every blow that Fisk throws at him, then almost kills him with two punches, only barely leaving him alive - and promising to come back and finish the job if Aunt May died.

* {{Acrofatic}}: Subverted technically, played straight visually. Kingpin is big and wide, yet is agile enough to fight Spider-Man and Daredevil hand to hand. However, Kingpin himself said that very little of his body mass is actually fat, so we can assume he's replaced all the fat he ''used'' to have with muscle. Confirmed by Daredevil who compared hitting Kingpin to hitting a brick wall. (Some sources say that his bulk is only 2% fat, even though [[ArtisticLicenseBiology that's impossible]].)

Fisk began his life as a poor child in New York City, bullied by his classmates due to his obesity. Fisk began training himself in physical combat, using his new-found strength to intimidate the bullies into joining his gang. He was eventually discovered by crime lord Don Rigoletto. Fisk became Don Rigoletto's bodyguard and right-hand man. Eventually, Fisk killed Don Rigoletto and took control of his criminal empire, immediately becoming one of the most powerful figures in New York's underworld. Kingpin enjoyed a long tenure in his new position, but he had made enemies such as the Maggia crime syndicate and the terrorist group [[Characters/MarvelComicsHydra HYDRA]]. The two groups teamed together to oppose Fisk, causing him to flee to Japan. There, he started a spice business in order to regain his wealth. After earning enough money, Fisk returned to New York and started gang wars, in an attempt to bring down the Maggia. With the criminal world in chaos, Fisk was able to step in and take back control.

** Fisk also made the mistake of picking a fight with HYDRA as if they were a rival criminal organization. They're actually a highly vindictive global terrorist organization. They completely wipe out his bank accounts, destroy many of his front businesses across New York, and [[RefugeInAudacity blow up his office.]]

* EvilVersusEvil: He's waged war against the Maggia crime syndicate and the terrorist group HYDRA.

* KnowWhenToFoldEm: The Kingpin is intelligent and ambitious, but he also knows his place. He's not going to pick a fight with truly global threats like Characters/DoctorDoom or [[Characters/MarvelComicsMagneto Magneto]], and for the most part is content to run the New York underworld rather than take over the world. His willingness to take on groups like HYDRA and the Hand stems from him viewing them as rival criminal organisations and so something he can deal with (although he was [[BullyingADragon sorely mistaken in the case of HYDRA]], who ''are'' a global threat). Someone with the raw destructive power of Doom, on the other hand, is not someone Fisk wants to take lightly.

* NoHoldsBarredBeatdown: Gave one to Daredevil in "Born Again" and was on the receiving end of one from him in Brian Michael Bendis' run (though that was after putting up a very good fight for most of the battle), and he's also been on the wrong end of several from a ''very'' pissed Spidey in ''Back in Black'' and since then, no writer in 616 has tried to sell Kingpin as a physical threat to Peter. He also suffered an organizational one when he picked a fight with HYDRA, who pretty much tore his entire criminal empire to pieces.

* DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu: During the ''ComicBook/{{Inferno}}'' storyline, a bunch of demons invaded Fisk Tower and his goons were having trouble dealing with them. Annoyed with their failure, he showed them how it was done by ''slugging one in the face'', forcing it and the others to run.

Wilson Fisk, otherwise known as the Kingpin, is a fictional crime boss, supervillain, and ArchEnemy of Comicbook/{{Daredevil}}, while also an antagonist to Franchise/SpiderMan and ComicBook/ThePunisher. His over-sized appearance and personality are based on Creator/SydneyGreenstreet, a Hollywood actor famous for his roles as criminal masterminds in films such as ''Film/{{The Maltese Falcon|1941}}''. Created by writer Creator/StanLee and artist John Romita, Sr., he made his debut in ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' #50 (July 1967). His nickname, Kingpin, is a reference to the title of crime boss in mafia slang nomenclature. He ranked tenth on IGN's list of top one hundred comic book villains in 2009.

* PragmaticVillainy: Shows this often, especially in ''WesternAnimation/SpiderManTheAnimatedSeries'', where he helps Franchise/SpiderMan often when the alternative would be letting New York (or the world) be destroyed. As he tells Landon:

* RoguesGalleryTransplant: Perhaps the most successful example of this trope. Started out as a rarely used Franchise/SpiderMan villain, then was promoted to Daredevil's ArchEnemy.