Published Apr 2017 by Marvel
Written by Matthew Rosenberg
Art by Ben Torres
Cover by Jeff Dekal
28 pages, full color

WILSON FISK BUILDS A BRAND-NEW EMPIRE!

The KINGPIN has done bad things. Deplorable things. He has cheated the law. He has blackmailed rivals. He has killed. But that's all in the past. The Kingpin is back in the city that he loves and ready to make his mark as a titan of legitimate industry, but needs to rekindle his public image. When Wilson Fisk makes disgraced journalist SARAH DEWEY an offer she can't refuse, the spiraling saga of crime and betrayal begins anew. Don't miss the start of Kingpin's ongoing series, written by breakout writer MATTHEW ROSENBERG and illustrated in the heavy noir stylings of BEN TORRES, as Manhattan's criminal mastermind returns to the Big Apple with honorable intentions, but no one in his circle remains pure on his climb back to the top.

Everyone who's anyone in the Daredevil franchise is getting a solo comic these days, and perhaps no character is more deserving of the spotlight than Wilson Fisk. The former Kingpin of Crime is once again trying to claw his way back to the top of Marvel's criminal underworld. That's not exactly a new predicament for Mr. Fisk, and if his quest to rebuild his criminal empire were the main thrust of the book, it might not have much to offer readers. Fortunately, there's more to the equation than that.

Kingpin #1 immediately shows that while this is a comic about the Kingpin, Fisk himself isn't necessarily the main protagonist. That honor instead falls to Sarah Dewey, a down-on-her luck reporter who's approached to pen Fisk's authorized biography. That invites all sorts of questions about Fisk's true motives and whether Dewey can associate with a known crime lord without sacrificing her already tarnished soul in the process. Thus begins an intriguing dynamic as the two characters slowly warm to each other and Fisk begins opening up on his troubled background.

The dynamic between Fisk and Dewey is very much the driving force of this first issue. Writer Matthew Rosenberg paints Dewey as a damaged, self-loathing character cut very much from the same cloth as Jessica Jones, and one who's unhappy to realize she's finding a kindred spirit in Fisk. As for the Kingpin himself, Rosenberg portrays him as an oddly pleasant fellow who manages to keep his sadistic tendencies buried deep. He's almost likable, yet the reader is always aware that it's merely a matter of time until the Kingpin resurfaces. Initially there's a worry that Rosenberg might borrow too liberally from the Daredevil Netflix series in his portrayal of Fisk, especially with Fisk's manservant Wesley suddenly returning to the spotlight. But that concern doesn't pan out. The script avoids the clipped speech and antisocial qualities of Vincent D'Onofrio's Fisk, instead presenting him as a magnanimous socialite with a heart of darkness. The comic is very much its own beast.

Tonally, Ben Torres art is a great fit for Rosenberg's script. It's dark and moody, but a little more understated than books like Daredevil and Bullseye. Torres' page layouts keep the script humming along and the energy high even when the script becomes very dialogue-heavy.

If Bullseye can have his own comic, Wilson Fisk certainly deserves one, too. Fortunately, it looks like Kingpin will do the trick. This first issue offers a quiet but captivating look at a fallen villain and the woman he chooses to tell his story. It's a solid start for Marvel's latest villain-focused comic.

In Kohler’s Gym, a reporter Sarah Dewey is watching a boxing match with some locals; the man she thought would win the fight gets beaten and they say she must not have gotten her Pulitzer for sports reporting. The Kingpin’s agent Wesley approaches her and strongarms her into meeting with Kingpin. At his mansion, the Kingpin is practicing his martial arts and afterwards tells her he’d like her to write his biography. Aware of his reputation, she refuses but agrees to come to a dinner function the next evening.

He sends a dress to her apartment that evening, which she finds inappropriate but wears to the function, where Kingpin introduces her to the governor. She grows irritated when he exchanges insults with others without introducing her, and bumps into Matt Murdock, District Attorney. Their conversation takes a sharp turn when he learns she is there as Fisk’s guest, and they part tensely. Another patron also chides her for being chummy with Fisk, but she protests she’s only there to get to know him. She leaves in anger but later that night, Fisk visits her in person to apologize and they go to a donut shop together. He admits he has committed crimes but says he has served his time, and writing this book will help put that life behind him.

He walks her back to her apartment, chatting sympathetically about her recent divorce. They are accosted by a man with a knife; Fisk gives him money and his watch, which seems to surprise and impress Sarah. They agree to speak again the next day. That night she contemplates a check her gave her, and because her own phone has been deactivated, uses a pay phone to call her ex-husband to discuss her new job. There she realizes that the man who accosted them in the park has died via a drug overdose, and the watch her stole from Fisk is no longer on his wrist.

Why Kevin Feige decided to bring Kingpin into the MCU

It’s long been debated whether Netflix’s now-cancelled Marvel shows — e.g. Daredevil, Jessica Jones, and the like — exist within the wider Marvel Cinematic Universe. Despite a few subtle mentions of “the Incident,” there weren’t any real crossovers…until recently. Firstly, we saw Vincent D’Onofrio’s character Wilson Fisk, aka Kingpin, appear as the final villain in Hawkeye. Then Daredevil himself, Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox), showed up as Peter Parker’s lawyer in Spider-Man: No Way Home.

During the Hawkeye episode of Marvel Studios: Assembled, executive producer Brad Winderbaum explained why Kingpin was not simply a fun cameo, but necessary to include:

We were all on a call, me and [Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige] and Trinh, and we were talking about the Tracksuit Mafia and the criminal organization behind this story, and we needed a really big threat, like something that, you know, would make Eleanor Bishop shake in her boots and Hawkeye, you know, get a little bit afraid. It had to be someone powerful.

Kevin Feige knew there was only one option: “When you talk about organized crime in the Marvel universe and you talk about the seedy underbelly of New York City, there is one primary character that comes to mind,” he said, hinting at Wilson Fisk.

Still, everyone was a little shocked and surprised at the idea. Was it possible to get Vincent D’Onofrio to join in? When Fiege is overseeing things, anything is possible. “Kevin threw out the idea that ‘What if this could be Kingpin?’” Winderbaum remembered. “And I think all of our jaws just kind of dropping our Zoom meetings, and we’re kinda like, ‘Wait, you’re joking, right? This can’t be serious. Are you serious? This is… You really think that there’s a chance that we can actually get Vincent D’Onofrio, who plays Kingpin in Daredevil in the series, as a cameo for a couple of scenes? Like, he is our big boss?’ And Kevin made a call to Vincent.”

Ultimately, D’Onofrio was more than down to get involved. “He said ‘I want to bring you into the MCU’ and I’m not gonna say no to that,” the actor said. “That’s pretty awesome.”

And it was pretty awesome, but also controversial. In the Hawkeye finale, Fisk was seemingly shot by Echo. But since it occurred off-camera, we can assume he’s not dead. Perhaps his MCU story follows the same path as the comics, where Fisk get blinded.

With these crossovers, it’s clear that Marvel Studios wants to bring the stars of the Netflix shows into the MCU. Because of course, if Daredevil and Kingpin are now in the MCU, Iron Fist, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and the Punisher can follow. It may just be a matter of time.

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