It might not be too late for Disney+ to bring back Netflix's best iteration of a Marvel villain, the evil mastermind Kingpin from the ill-fated Daredevil, starring Charlie Cox as the lawyer vigilante Matt Murdock. His performance was highly praised, as was the rest of the cast, which included Rosario Dawson as the nurse Claire Temple and Deborah Ann Woll as the lawyer Karen Page. But the actor that really stole the spotlight from his very first appearance was Vincent D'Onofrio, who played crime lord Wilson Fisk a.k.a. The Kingpin.
In the comics, Wilson Fisk is one of Marvel's most iconic villains. He's both Daredevil's archnemesis and a prominent member of Spider-Man's gallery of classic rogues. Fisk's greed is only rivaled by his extraordinary size and strength, and his unbridled brutality lets him intimidate fellow villains who could easily zap him out of existence. Incidentally, Netflix's live-action adaptation of Wilson Fisk mirrored that grandiosity: Although the Marvel Cinematic Universe thrives on the big screen, with famous villains such as Loki (Tom Hiddleston) and Thanos (Josh Brolin) influencing the overarching narrative across several movies, D'Onofrio's portrayal of Kingpin proved to be so fascinating that he outclassed most big-screen antagonists. Unfortunately, Marvel's partnership with Netflix officially ended in early 2019 with the cancellation of all its Defenders-related properties. Now, Marvel has started its own Disney+ division, this time with a high degree of interconnectivity between the shows and the movies. However, the characters that appeared in the Netflix shows have shown no signs of returning.
With Marvel's Disney+ shows focusing on various specific corners of the MCU, Kingpin can return to appease the loyal fanbase that Vincent D'Onofrio's terrifying yet charming performance helped build over at Netflix. Unlike several one-note MCU villains, Kingpin demonstrated a fair balance of viciousness and charisma that would help Marvel's Disney+ shows create a strong mythos of their own. Besides, Kingpin's crime empire corresponds with the New York-based Vincent D'Onofrio has ed the idea of Charlie Cox's return as Daredevil and has also echoed his fans' for Kingpin, so the actors' motivation to make a comeback is definitely not a problem. The biggest hurdle for this to happen would be Netflix's will to let Disney take over the totality of their shared creation.
Kingpin's last appearance in Daredevil season 3 left his final fate open-ended. The towering crime boss was last seen being taken away to prison after his high-octane defeat at the hands of Daredevil, taking his knowledge about the hero's secret identity with him. Along with Dex Poindexter's eventual transformation into the iconic Marvel villain "Bullseye", Fisk's future was left up in the air. Everything is in place for Disney+ to keep him on the role, but in case it isn't possible, Vincent D’Onofrio has already ed the wrestler Big Show as Marvel's new Kingpin. Unfortunately, a recast would mean that Disney+ would drop every connection to Netflix's Daredevil and Defenders and start from scratch.
Justifiably, Kingpin's return would go against Daredevil's arc at the end of season 3, considering that the devil-horned vigilante would be wrong in believing that criminals could reform after being thrown in prison and returning with little difficulty. Still, another hero such as Hawkeye or even the inexperienced Ms. Marvel could take on Kingpin on the small screen, thus opening up more narrative possibilities. Not only would this expand the MCU and let D'Onofrio keep wearing the emblematic white suit, but also give Daredevil and the Defenders an opportunity to explore different paths if they ever the Disney+ shows.
