History ComicBook / TheKingpin

** Being a street-level BigBad, Kingpin has never quite lost his connection to SPider-Man and is still seen as a regular part of his RoguesGallery, unlike a lot of other examples of his trope, but the comics repeatedly make it clear that his beef with Daredevil is more [[ItsPersonal personal.]]

* BetterTheDevilYouKnow: Spider-Man, Daredevil, and the Punisher are usually hesitant to take out Fisk permanently. They know that there'll just be chaos without him. In fact, in one story, the Kingpin was legitimately out of the crime business, but he was asked back to New York City in order to help calm the chaos of myriad gang wars.

* EvilPowerVacuum: A common {{Handwave}} used by writers especially in cases where Kingpin tussles with the likes of The Punisher whose lack of no-kill rule makes Kingpin's survival problematic, to justify his JokerImmunity:

** When Spider-Man or Daredevil help to take down Fisk, it almost immediately turns worse, as less-refined, less-humane and less-subtle underbosses scramble to take the top spot Kingpin used to occupy. The Marvel superhero community has more or less accepted that they simply can't take down the Kingpin without causing a massive gang war that would keep the entire hero community occupied with trying to contain the damage. To put it in perspective, even ''ComicBook/ThePunisher'' has no intention of killing the Kingpin because of the potential fallout.
** The effects of the Kingpin's fall reverberate throughout ''VideoGame/SpiderManPS4''. While initially the police, New Yorkers and Spidey himself celebrate Fisk's arrest, Fisk (and an irate J. Jonah Jameson) point out that now that the top spot is empty, every two-bit hood or wanna-be gangsta will be out on the street trying to carve out their own territory. This does come to pass, and worse yet at least two supervillains take advantage of Fisk's defeat to set their own much more destructive plans into action. By the mid-point of the game, even Spider-Man grimly notes that for all his evil, Fisk genuinely loved New York and would never have tolerated the heavy devastation inflicted on the city, however Mary Jane reminds him there was no way he could condone Kingpin "godfather-ing" his way around the city, and as bad as the fallout was, it's both manageable and survivable.
** Discussed multiple times in ''ComicBook/UltimateSpiderMan''. Initially Robbie Robertson says this to a young Peter who wonders why no one has gone against him. Robertson explains the Bugle ''did'' and Fisk sued them and bought company stock. He then tells Peter, half-heartedly, that perhaps if not for Kingpin someone worse would come. In later issues, when Daredevil recruits Spider-Man to work in his team to outright assassinate Fisk, Spider-Man parrots Robertson's views but Daredevil points out that this isn't always the case since once Hitler did, so did the Third Reich. In any case, when Fisk "dies" Post-Ultimatum, it doesn't lead to the replacement of someone worse, though the likes of Scorpion and Prowler do intend to take his crown.

* NeckSnap: Fisk made his final ascent to power when he snapped the neck of his boss, Don Rigoletto. In fact, this is usually his preferred method of killing someone when he does it personally.

* CompositeCharacter: In ''WesternAnimation/SpiderManTheAnimatedSeries'', he is the criminal employer and later murderer of Matt Murdock's father, Jack, In the comics, this role belongs to Roscoe "The Fixer" Sweeney.

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 Sydney Greenstreet, a Hollywood actor famous for his roles as criminal masterminds in films such as ''Film/TheMalteseFalcon''. 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.

** After Wilson Fisk failed to kill Peter Parker and instead near-fatally shot Aunt May, he was still unconcerned about any collateral damage. After all, Peter Parker is "a chump." It turns out rather badly for him when Spidey shows up and informs him [[WorfHadTheFlu he was deliberately holding back every single time they fought.]] Cue beat-down.

* RevengeBeforeReason: In ''Born Again'', his underlings kept calling him out on it -- [[TooDumbToLive this was a mistake]], but they were right and his revenge scheme blows his plans to move into legitimate business out of the water, as they result in him being publicly exposed as a crime lord. In ''Civil War'', he has a sniper try to kill Spider-Man, but it is Peter's Aunt May who is accidentally shot. Spider-Man [[CurbStompBattle beats the hell out of him]], and warns the crowd if Fisk or anyone tries something that again (or if May dies),he'll come back and ''kill'' them.

* RevengeBeforeReason: In ''Born Again'', his underlings kept calling him out on it -- [[TooDumbToLive this was a mistake]], but they were right and his revenge scheme blows his plans to move into legitimate business out of the water, as they result in him being publicly exposed as a crime lord. In ''Civil War'', he has Spider-Man's Aunt May shot, to goad Spidey into a fight so he could show all the goons in prison he was still in charge -- Spider-Man [[CurbStompBattle beats the hell out of him]], and warns the crowd if he or anyone tries something that again he'll come back and ''kill'' them.

** Much of the conflict in ''VideoGame/SpiderManPS4'' stems from Spidey and the police deciding Fisk is not, in fact, NecessarilyEvil. As he's arrested and taken away, a furious Fisk warns that he helped keep order, and that soon the people of New York will wish he was still around. He's right, and for much of the game Spider-Man not only has to contend with ambitious members of Fisk's organization trying to gain some power and Fisk loyalists, but also a new organisation known simply as the Demons that take advantage of Fisk's fall to seize weapons and cause chaos. By the end of the game, even Spidey admits that maybe things would've been better with Fisk still in charge, because the guys now [[TheUnfettered running around are nowhere near as restrained]].

* NebulousCriminalConspiracy: Fisk is currently running The Hand. They are responsible for training Daredevil's girlfriend ComicBook/{{Elektra}} and his newer enemy Lady Bullseye up as assassins, and are a magical cult led by demons who worship another demonic creature called The Beast, who recruit members by killing them and resurrecting them as either undead ninja or, if they are named superheroes/ villains, brainwashed killing machines. The Hand started off as politically motivated rebels before being taken over by a more even cult called the Snakeroot, who generally form the Hand's elite.

** Much of the conflict in ''VideoGame/SpiderManPS4'' stems from Spidey and the police deciding Fisk is not, in fact, NecessarilyEvil. As he's arrested and taken away, a furious Fisk warns that he helped keep order, and that soon the people of New York will wish he was still around. He's right, and for much of the game Spider-Man not only has to contend with ambitious members of Fisk's organisation trying to gain some power and Fisk loyalists, but also a new organisation known simply as the Demons that take advantage of Fisk's fall to seize weapons and cause chaos. By the end of the game, even Spidey admits that maybe things would've been better with Fisk still in charge, because the guys now [[TheUnfettered running around are nowhere near as restrained]].

* LargeAndInCharge: He's 6'7 and while he weighs close to 400lbs, it's more muscle than fat.

* HadToComeToPrisonToBeACrook: In one storyline Fisk was originally sent to prison for larceny, after one of his dad's scams went south and his bulk prevented him from following his father up a fire escape. Once he comes out, he's got "connections" and uses what he's learned to begin building his criminal empire.

** During the "Death of Jean DeWolff" storyline, Spider-Man visits The Kingpin in his skyscraper office, seeking information that would lead to the capture of The Sin-Eater, a serial killer responsible for the murders of several people, including Spider-Man's friend, the police captain, and a judge. Fisk has no information to impart, and merely comments that he did not care for DeWolff, or Judge Rosenthal, as they were both honest people, "and honest people ''bore'' me." But Fisk did express his regret at the murder of a priest, as killing men of the cloth seriously upsets the populace, making cities harder to control, and his manner suggested that that sort of thing repulsed even The Kingpin on a personal level.

** Kingpin's evolution into this [[UnbuiltTrope is pretty ironic]] when one sees his first appearance in ASM #50-52. Kingpin initially made his move to unite the mob and control organized crime because Peter went "Spider-Man No More!" and he cited Spider-Man's power vacuum as the perfect opportunity for him to move in and take over the mob, and also noting he would never have been able to come to power had Spider-Man still been active as a known threat.

** Much of the conflict in the recently released ''VideoGame/SpiderManPS4'' stems from Spidey and the police deciding Fisk is not, in fact, NecessarilyEvil. As he's arrested and taken away, a furious Fisk warns that he helped keep order, and that soon the people of New York will wish he was still around. He's right, and for much of the game Spider-Man not only has to contend with ambitious members of Fisk's organisation trying to gain some power and Fisk loyalists, but also a new organisation known simply as the Demons that take advantage of Fisk's fall to seize weapons and cause chaos. By the end of the game, even Spidey admits that maybe things would've been better with Fisk still in charge, because the guys now [[TheUnfettered running around are nowhere near as restrained]].

He was voiced by Roscoe Lee Brown in ''WesternAnimation/SpiderManTheAnimatedSeries'', were 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 entered the Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse as the main antagonist of ''{{Series/Daredevil 2015}}'', where he is portrayed by Creator/VincentDOnofrio. In 2018, he makes his animated film debut in ''WesternAnimation/SpiderManIntoTheSpiderVerse'', voiced by Creator/LievSchreiber. He also makes an appearance in ''VideoGame/SpiderManPS4'', voiced by Creator/TravisWillingham.

** Before his appearance in Frank Miller's run of Daredevil, Fisk made just 19 appearances in Spider-Man, the majority being in Lee-Romita's run after which he was PutOnABus for some 80 issues or so. The vast majority of his overall appearances has been in Daredevil comics. Creator/StanLee noted that in retrospect he makes much more sense as a Daredevil villain. His rationale was that a villain whose facade is a [[CorruptCorporateExecutive businessman]] works better with a superhero who, as a day job, is a lawyer instead of a journalist. Furthermore it got to the point that in live action film licensing issues before Marvel got the rights back, Kingpin was officially a ''Daredevil'' character. Both of Kingpin's live-action appearances have seen him as an exclusively Daredevil villain and Marvel has been reluctant to have Spider-Man fight a non-powered rogue on the big screen (for the obvious fact that the need for spectacle, effects and budget, would be better served with Spider-Man fighting exclusively super-powered foes).

Wilson Fisk, otherwise known as the Kingpin, is a fictional crime boss, supervillain, and ArchEnemy of ''Comicbook/{{Daredevil}},'' while also a regular antagonist to ''Franchise/SpiderMan'' and ''ComicBook/ThePunisher.'' His over-sized appearance and personality are based on Sydney Greenstreet, a Hollywood actor famous for his roles as criminal masterminds. 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.

* BigBad: 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}} or even Doctor Doom, 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.
** The 90's Spider-Man cartoon version could easily qualify as well, being directly involved in nearly every major threat to Spider-Man (the creations of both Hobgoblin and Green Goblin, the Spider-Slayers, Insidious Six, Rhino, Shocker, his attack on the crashed shuttle being the catalyst for bringing the symbiote in Spidey's life, etc.)

* ClassicVillain: As Spider-Man's nemesis. Who better to counteract a short, skinny teenager than a towering, middle-aged body builder? This still works in many ways with Matt, as a blind athletic lawyer who isn't really that handicapped is opposed by a sighted but grotesquely fat gangster who isn't nearly as out of shape as he looks.

* CurbStompBattle: Kingpin had always assumed that since he ''usually'' fought near-equally with Spider-Man, that he was capable of eventually taking the web-head down. And then he was stupid enough to have Spider-Man's aunt shot "as a message." Spider-Man invaded the prison where [[MightAsWellnotBeInPrisonAtAll Fisk was living like a king at the top of the status-pyramid]], and confronted the Kingpin. After sitting through the Kingpin's TheReasonYouSuckSpeech, Spider-Man proceeded to kick the ever-living shit out of the Fat Man. The Kingpin never laid a finger on Spider-Man, and Spidey made it ''crystal clear'' to everyone watching the fight that the Kingpin never had a chance at all of doing so.

* DependingOnTheWriter: He has been the subject of flip-flops of epic proportions: either he thinks drug dealing is rock bottom, or he's single-handedly keeping about half the world's drug barons in business.

* 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.

* RoguesGalleryTransplant: Perhaps the most successful example of this trope. Started out as an A-list Franchise/SpiderMan villain, then was promoted to Daredevil's ArchEnemy. Even Creator/StanLee noted that in retrospect he makes much more sense as a Daredevil villain. His rationale was that a villain whose facade is a [[CorruptCorporateExecutive businessman]] works better with a superhero who, as a day job, is a lawyer instead of a journalist. Furthermore it got to the point that in live action film licensing issues before Marvel got the rights back, Kingpin was officially a ''Daredevil'' character.

* EvenEvilHasStandards: When the Red Skull offers the Kingpin an alliance to bring a deadly drug to the streets, the Kingpin refuses to have anything to do with the Nazi. He then defeats the Skull in hand-to-hand combat, sparing his life only if the Skull promises to never come near the Kingpin's territory again. Whatever else, Fisk is an American and despises the Skull as much as anyone.

* BadassNormal: The Kingpin has no superhuman powers. However, he is incredibly strong and durable, possessing remarkable strength concealed by his FatBastard appearance. He is a master of jujitsu, hapkido, and unsurprisngly, sumo wrestling. He has been shown to be strong enough to hurl people across a room, rip limbs from people (demonstrated under a handshake), crush a man's skull with his bare hands, leave imprints in concrete walls after punching them and even crush one of Spider-Man's web shooters without making any great effort. One Daredevil comic also showed that the door to his private vault doesn't have a lock. It's just so damn heavy that no other non-powered person could move it. He's basically the heavyweight champion of normals in the Marvel Universe, and one of the premier heavyweights ''period'', able to take on a lot of other tough fighters in hand-to-hand combat, from Spidey to Daredevil to ''Captain America''.[[note]]It should be noted however that the only reason he can hold his own with Spiderman is that Spidey normally holds back to avoid seriously injuring or killing normal humans. When Spiderman ''doesn't'' do this, he absolutely curb stomps Fisk (in the normal comics) or kills him with a single punch (in the Ultimate universe).[[/note]]