Marvel Studios' Kingpin is now "enlightened" and has new goals says Vincent D'Onofrio
Not all change is for the better, however - and fans shouldn't expect a significant change in the character's moral center
Ever since Vincent D’Onofrio returned to the iconic Marvel villain of Kingpin, fans have been eager to see how the character would evolve since his (re-)introduction to the MCU. Echo sees Wilson Fisk indulging in his most violent, primal tendencies, but a scene late in the series hints that he might not be quite as menacing in the future. Don't worry - that doesn’t mean he’ll become a good guy, though, according to the actor.
Note that there will be spoilers for Echo going forward.
A scene in the final episode of Echo sees Maya Lopez use her powers to heal Fisk’s childhood trauma, particularly his relationship with his father. That relationship has been at the heart of the character since he was introduced in Daredevil, culminating in him brutally killing his father. The impact of having this trauma healed isn’t fully explored in the Disney+ show, but a final scene with the character shows him contemplating a run at public office, leaving fans wondering if Kingpin had changed for the better.
“I don’t think he’s changed,” explained D’Onofrio in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter. “I think he’s enlightened. I haven’t seen a lot of the episodes of Echo. So, in my mind, after everything goes down with Maya, he gets on a plane, and the news is playing on the plane. It says, ‘New York is going to be looking for a new mayor soon,’ and as he’s watching it, a light bulb goes on.”
D'Onofrio stops well short of giving any details about how Kingpin has changed, despite his new goals and ambitions. When asked if the character’s rage would subside when he returns in future projects like Daredevil: Born Again, the Full Metal Jacket actor played coy. “That question is boxed up in a lot of other stuff, and I can’t open that box.”
An enlightened Kingpin sounds like a daunting prospect for the heroes of New York, but it also gives some interesting material for D’Onofrio to portray in the future. It sounds like we won’t see the impact that Echo has had on Fisk until a future Marvel project.
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