Fans everywhere are excited aboutDaredevil’supcoming return to live-action, but many are all asking the same question: How could New York City electthe Kingpin as mayor? As odd as that sounds, that’s not an original direction for the Marvel Cinematic Universeas Daredevil’s greatest enemycanonically became mayor.
During Charles Soule’s run onDaredevil, Matt was briefly imprisoned in a Hand prison and by the time he got out, Daredevil discovered that Wilson Fisk had been elected mayor. InDaredevil #595by Soule and Stefano Landini, Foggy revealed that Fisk waited until the last moment to announce his candidacy, then hit the campaign trail hard.
Despite waves of protests and op-ed pieces about his time as the Kingpin, Fisk managed to sway voters by running as an independent and not taking political donations. However, Matt later discovered inDaredevil #605thatKingpin actually fixed the election to win.
Kingpin Canonically Took Control of New York City as Mayor
And He Made Full Use of His Political Powers
Wilson Fisk, of course, is a known criminal throughout New York. But with enough money and influence in the right places,Kingpin has managed towhitewash his various criminal exploits. No matter how many times he’s been exposed by Daredevil, Spider-Man, or other Marvel heroes, nothing has ever stuck to him permanently. Even when he was acting Mayor, his criminal past was brought up, but a combination of his silver tongue and intimidation tactics kept too many from questioning his authority.Some Marvel citizens even liked Kingpin as mayor, valuing the ‘strength’ he brought to the office.
However, Kingpin’s time in office didn’t last forever. After discovering that Daredevil did something to make Fisk forget the hero’s secret identity, Kingpin outlawed superheroes and even had numerous ones arrested. Luke Cage decided to run against Fisk to end the law while Fisk was growing increasingly unstable, kidnapping the Purple Man to recover his memories. After recovering his memories, Kingpin attempts to kill Matt, only to kill his twin brother instead.Kingpin is forced to abandon his office and leave the country with his wife, Mary, while Luke wins the election and revokes the law that outlawed Marvel’s heroes.
Kingpin’s Time as Mayor Was Short, But Interesting
It Established a Dangerous New Normal For Daredevil
The idea of a criminal being elected to office isn’t that hard to imagine, but seeing Kingpin become the most powerful person in New York City was a strange sight. That being said, it was a fascinating change to the usual dynamic between Fisk and Daredevil. The Kingpin was more protected than ever and had the weight of an entire system behind him, the same system Matt Murdock spent so much of his life devoted to.It really forced Daredevil to reassess what he was fighting forand how he was going to deal with his nemesis having an untouchable status.
But not every status quo change lasts forever. Someone as impulsive and violent as Fisk was always going to do something that would force him to leave the office. Still, his time as New York City’s Mayor showed just how damage he could do as a huge part of the political machine. When fans see Fisk become mayor in the newDaredevilshow, be aware that things are certain to get a lot worse.
