Daredevil: Kingpin’s Best Grudge Matches from the Comics

It’s easy to underestimate Wilson Fisk. He is, after all, a large man, with a body shape often associated with laziness and poor health. Moreover, despite his “Kingpin of Crime” title, Fisk often relies on underlings to do his dirty work, letting Typhoid Mary, Sandman, and James Wesley enforce his will so he can keep his hands clean.

But as Daredevil: Born Again‘s second season proves, anyone who underestimates the Kingpin’s physical prowess does so at their own peril. The Kingpin can hand out a beating, and was happy to do so to Daredevil and others who crossed his path. That quality isn’t unique to Vincent D’Onofrio‘s interpretation of the character. It comes right from Marvel Comics, which features several instances of the Kingpin punishing people with his fists alone.

Vs. Spider-Man (The Amazing Spider-Man #51, 1967)

Wilson Fisk wastes no time proving his physical might, beating up some gangland figures during his first appearance in Amazing Spider-Man #50, written by Stan Lee and penciled by John Romita. But it was his second appearance in the very next issue that truly cemented Fisk’s reputation as a powerhouse fighter. That’s when he watches Spidey web up some of his goons and declares, “Stay back! I’ll handle him myself.”

Of course, Spidey’s enhanced reflexes and spider-sense make him the faster man. But when an overconfident Peter lets himself get too close, Fisk delivers a wallop of a punch right into Spidey’s midsection. The dazed wall-crawler can’t get away, giving Fisk time to grab him by the leg and slam him into a wall. Even though his final victory comes with the help of knockout gas, Fisk proves that he can go toe-to-toe with any superperson.

Vs. Captain America (Captain America #147, 1972)

Like Spider-Man, Steve Rogers has super-strength, making him more than a match for any non-super-powered human. And yet, when he and the Falcon discovered that Wilson Fisk had taken control of Hydra in Captain America #147, written by Gary Friedrich and penciled by Sal Buscema, Cap found himself barely hanging on in a fight against the Kingpin.

Buscema is at the height of his powers illustrating the battle between the two titans, cramming the combatants into tight panels to emphasize the brutality of their brawl. Cap leaps out of the way of a rampaging Fisk, who obliterates the wall in front of him. Before Steve can even center himself, Fisk hurls him across the room and grabs a pole to finish the job. Despite a well-placed kick, Cap can’t get away from Kingpin, who begins to squeeze the life out of the Sentinel of Liberty… until Falcon distracts Fisk with his bird Red Wing, allowing Steve to get away.

Vs. Daredevil, Round One (Daredevil #171, 1981)

These days, most people know Kingpin as the arch-enemy of Daredevil. It’s a well-earned designation, as Fisk has done more to ruin Matt Murdock than any other superhero. Yet, the two didn’t cross paths until more than a decade after Kingpin’s debut, finally meeting in Frank Miller‘s Daredevil #171. For the first two-thirds of the issue, Matt’s undercover as “Shades” (apparently he’s a man without creativity), a thug looking to join Kingpin’s crew. But when Fisk threatens to catch Shades rummaging around secret files, Matt switches to his familiar diabolical duds and the fight is on.

At first, it looks like Daredevil will easily outclass his opponent. The first page and a half of the fight consists of nothing but Daredevil getting in his blows and then leaping away before Fisk can land a counter-attack. But when Wilson does finally deliver a punch, it’s all over for DD. Unlike most of the entries on this list, Fisk wins the bout, and only delegates the job of killing Daredevil because he must quickly pay a ransom and free his beloved wife Vanessa. Fisk’s underlings don’t do the job right and Matt gets away, leading to many, many more fights between Daredevil and the Kingpin.

Vs. the Red Skull (Captain America #378, 1990)

Midway through his legendary decade-long run on Captain America, writer Mark Gruenwald had super soldier Steve Rogers join the war on drugs. The “Streets of Poison” arc does contain some of the reactionary politics that you might expect, but it also includes some incredible moments, such as Cap getting doused with cocaine, pretending to be the Punisher, and pummeling Daredevil. But one of the most memorable moments comes when Wilson Fisk and the Red Skull fight it out. After stripping down to their underwear, of course.

Penciler Ron Lim has a blast staging the fight scene, making Red Skull every bit the sniveling weasel that he is while portraying Fisk as a human brick wall. As in most of his grudge matches, Fisk has trouble keeping pace with his adversary. And even though his punches threaten to level the Skull, he never lands them clean enough to knock the Nazi out. Out of ideas, Fisk plays the one card he has left, flopping on top of Red Skull and refusing to move until the fascist yields.

Vs. Black Panther (Black Panther #528, 2012)

For as much as they must inevitably return to the status quo, superhero comics do shake things up from time to time. Case in point: the period in which Wilson Fisk became the head of the ninja clan the Hand, while T’Challa left the mantle of the Black Panther to Shuri and became the protector of Hell’s Kitchen, which was left unattended after Daredevil became possessed by the Beast. So when Kingpin sends his ninjas to conquer Wakanda, Black Panther, along with pals Falcon and Luke Cage, travels to the Hand’s home base of Shadowland to deal with Fisk himself.

Black Panther #528, written by David Liss and illustrated by Michael Avon Oeming, sees the two finally face off, and much to T’Challa’s dismay. Fisk’s time with the Hand has allowed him to address his greatest deficiency, finally giving him speed as impressive as his strength. These abilities combined, Fisk makes short work of Black Panther, who only escapes the Kingpin’s clutches by sneaking a Kimoyo bead onto his enemy. The bead pumped Fisk with enough electricity to stop the onslaught and allow Black Panther to get away, this time.

Vs. Punisher (Punisher MAX #21, 2012)

If there’s anyone who Fisk hates more than Daredevil, it’s Frank Castle. Daredevil’s Catholic guilt and belief in the law lets Fisk keep up the pretense that he’s a civilized member of society. The utterly broken Castle has no such illusions, and will use every dirty tactic available to him to take down the Kingpin. Mainline Marvel comics can only hint at the cruel depths to which the combatants will sink, but the Mature Readers Max line allows creators to depict the battle in all its stomach-churning glory.

Such is the case with Jason Aaron‘s run on Punisher MAX, a 22-part alternate reality series. Working with penciler Steve Dillon, Aaron draws a comparison between Castle and Kingpin, portraying them both as sociopaths who view even their families as means to an end. The two wage comically nasty war against one another for nearly two years, finally coming together for a final showdown at Frank’s former suburban home. The bout is marked by lots of absurd violence, as when Frank uses a dead man’s head to hit Fisk in the crotch. But there’s a real sadness to the final moment, when the Punisher finishes the job, while a vengeful Vanessa, who hates her ex-husband for allowing their son to die, watches on.