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After Daredevil: Born Again’s Season 2 Finale, I Really Wish That Was Kingpin’s Ending in the MCU
Daredevil: Born Again Season 2 was a big improvement over Season 1, including the best finale episode of any Marvel Disney+ series (according to certain ratings). Thanks to some strategic “leaks” about production, Marvel fans are even more hyped for what’s to come in Daredevil: Born Again Season 3. That includes (SPOILERS for Born Again Season 2) Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox) sitting in a jail cell for his vigilante “crimes” as Daredevil, while his former teammates from the Netflix Defenders squad – Jessica Jones (Krysten Ritter), Luke Cage (Mike Colter), and Iron Fist (Finn Jones) try to protect their friend/ and the city.
However, there is one confirmed storyline for Daredevil: Born Again Season 3 that is already proving to be divisive. That would be the return of Wilson Fisk/Kingpin (Vincent D’Onofrio), who has been spotted on set sporting a very different look for the character, and suggesting all kinds of new ways the character can go next.
…But here’s the thing: I don’t want Wilson Fisk’s story to continue at all in Daredevil Season 3. Especially when we already got such a great ending to Kingpin’s arc in the MCU.
Daredevil & Kingpin Had A Perfect 3-Round War
If you step back and look at it, Matt Murdock/Daredevil and Wilson Fisk/Kingpin have arguably the greatest hero vs. villain saga in the entire MCU. Looking at it a bit closer, Daredevil and Kingpin actually had a perfect three-round war, which culminated with the Season 2 finale of Daredevil: Born Again.
Season 1 of the Netflix Daredevil culminated with “The Devil of Hell’s Kitchen” officially taking up the hero persona of “Daredevil” to take down the Kingpin in a street fight, after being unable to get at Fisk legally. Season 2 of the show focused on The Hand as the big bads Daredevil had to take down (with help from Punisher and Elektra); Season 3 brought the focus back to Daredevil and the Kingpin, in a final brutal brawl (with Bullseye in the mix) that many fans considered to be a fittingly epic end to the Netflix series.
When Daredevil: Born Again premiered, it was clear that the show was just struggling to realize a cohesive vision for what Daredevil would be in the MCU, including a finale episode that put off a Daredevil vs. Kingpin showdown until Season 2. Now Season 2 of Born Again has delivered that third-round bout – this time with the battle occurring across both sides of Matt Murdock’s identity. The “lawyer” had a verbal joust with the “mayor” inside a courtroom, while “Daredevil” and “Kingpin” eventually brawled their respective ways to the center of the courthouse, in parallel “Hallway Fight” sequences.
Best of all, Born Again finally recaptured the greatness of the original Netflix series, letting Charlie Cox and Vincent D’Onofrio’s dramatic acting chops provide a dramatic conclusion that was so much richer than any superhero fight sequence could be. It was a much better arc and ending than any MCU villain has arguably gotten – so why are we stepping on it? Just to keep with the same storylines running for the sake of it?
The MCU Needs to Learn How to Build Up To Great Comebacks
Against all odds, Daredevil: Born Again gave us another ‘Daredevil vs. Kingpin’ story arc that was bigger in scope, and at least equal to (if not better than) the best finales of the Netflix series. It would’ve been a perfect way to end Wilson Fisk’s arc, while also allowing Born Again to truly step into a whole new era, where Matt and Co. don’t have to worry about Kingpin for the first time. And it would’ve risked nothing: The Kingpin being dethroned and exiled from New York would’ve been the perfect way to keep the character in limbo for at least a few years, until fans would’ve really been in a place to appreciate seeing him onscreen again.
Marvel Comics has made the surprise return of a long-missing and/or “dead” villain a time-honored tradition of its brand. So why does the MCU seem to have such a hard time with the topic? Marvel Studios tends to either lean into a villain as a major character who is ever-present for a certain arc (Winter Soldier, Thanos), or kill them off/ignore them after one (maybe two) instances of supervillain mayhem (Ronin, Zemo, Justin Hammer, Whiplash, Aldrich Killian, Hela, Ultron, Killmonger, Vulture, Red Skull… the list goes on). And therein lies a major problem with the franchise.
Like the comics, the MCU needs to find the balance of moving villains – especially primary antagonists or rivals to franchise heroes – in and out story arcs, with significant time stretches between when they resurface, where, and how. Seeing Kingpin pop up in Hawkeye (and to a lesser extent, Echo) was a genuine surprise and thrill that not only gave those shows a boost but also created hype for whatever came next from Daredevil’s (and Spider-Man’s and Punisher’s) corner of the MCU, where Kingpin’s influence would be felt. Seeing Wilson Fisk in Born Again Season 3, walking the streets looking like a tragically old hipster, doesn’t hit quite the same.
Daredevil: Born Again is streaming on Disney+. Let us know your picks for Marvel villains we need in Daredevil: Born Again Season 3 on the ComicBook Forum!
