Summary
There is no doubt that Tom Holland’s Spider-Man in theMCUhas had a chaotic teenage experience. After being brought into a larger community of heroes byTony Stark in theMCU’sCaptain America: Civil War, the longtime Sony-owned Marvel hero became part of the Avengers, helping to stop Thanos and his army in bothAvengers: Infinity WarandAvengers: Endgame. Yet before and after that, he had a series of personal missions through his ownSpider-Manfilms that drove his character forward and made him a beloved member of the MCU. As with any hero, Peter was often defined by his villains, often tech-based villains like Michael Keaton’s Vulture or Jake Gyllenhaal’s Mysterio. Yet as the hero is set to turn a new corner in his life, a new type of villain is needed, particularlyDaredevil’sKingpin.
Yes, Wilson Fisk should be the next villain Spider-Man faces. While many know Fisk in theMCUthanks to Vincent D’Onofrio’s performance in projects likeDaredevil,HawkeyeandEcho, longtime Marvel fans will know the Kingpin of Crime and Spider-Man have a long comic book history together as well, serving as longtime rivals as Kingpin maintains control of the criminals of New York City. With Peter’s identity erased from everyone’s minds and his isolated world forcing him to embrace Spider-Man more, having a chilling, powerful gangster like Fisk as his next antagonist would be the perfect way to elevate Tom Holland’s role asPeter Parker in the nextSpider-Manfilm.
Peter Parker and Wilson Fisk in the MCU Thus Far
Both characters have had a wild ride in theMCUso far. Tom Holland’s Spider-Man was first recruited by Tony Stark to help bring inCaptain America during the hero civil war, and later, under Iron Man’s guidance, he would learn what it means to be a hero. After helping stop the criminal Vulture and his gang of weapons manufacturers, Peter found himself in space, helping Tony Stark fight Thanos until Thanos eventually won, erasing Peter and half of the universe.
Peter would return after the Avengers snapped everyone back in the Blip, five years after his disappearance. Helping the Avengers stop Thanos, Peter returned to school, alongside his best friend Ned and romantic interest MJ. After a summer vacation was hijacked by a series of attacks that ultimately tied back to Mysterio, he returned home to find his identity revealed to the world. A failed spell to erase his identity as Spider-Man from the world with Doctor Strange brought the villains of other Spider-Men to his world,including the deadly Green Goblin(Willem Dafoe), costing him a personal loss and forcing him to erase Peter Parker’s identity from the world, making his loved ones forget who he is in order to prevent a multiversal collapse.
Meanwhile, Wilson Fisk has had an equally dynamic run in the MCU. Beginning inDaredevil, the shadowy criminal was a wealthy business person who ran a crime syndicate with other mob bosses within New York City. A troubled man who, as a child, was forced to end his abusive father’s life, Wilson began making big moves to control the city while also courting his love, Vanessa, butcame into conflict with Matt Murdock’s Daredevil, eventually losing his war and being imprisoned due to a combination of Daredevil and the legal workings of Murdock, Foggy Nelson and Karen Page.
Years later he would return, looking to make a comeback in the wake of the criminal organization The Hand failing to destroy New York. However, a returned Matt would work to destroy Fisk’s image as an honest business person once more, leading to an all-out brawl between himself, Fisk and the new villain, Bullseye. While not much is known what happened to Fisk during the Blip and the years that followed, Hawkeye revealed Fisk ran the Tracksuit Mafia,an organization Clint Barton took onduring his tenure as The Ronin during the Blip. Fisk also helped raise Maya, aka Echo, making sure she trained to be one of the toughest soldiers in his crew while treating her like a daughter. Yet when it was revealed he had arranged her father’s death, Maya shot Fisk, but he would survive.
Tracking Maya down to her home, Fisk tried to get her to join his operation and help run things, but her decline made him angry, and he attempted to destroy her family,but Echo used her newfound abilitiesto make him relieve his childhood trauma with his father, in an effort to erase his darkness. Troubled by the experience, Fisk returned to New York, determined now to pursue a political career instead.
Spider-Man vs Kingpin
A battle between Spider-Man and Kingpin seems inevitable. The hero is now living in New York City in his own small apartment, and is focusing on becoming a friendly neighborhood spider-man once more. However, if Fisk succeeds in becoming the Mayor of New York City, a battle between Fisk and the vigilante heroes seems inevitable.Whatever happens in the upcomingDaredevil: Born Againseries, Fisk will soon have a hand in the operations of New York once more, which eventually will come into conflict with a more focused Spider-Man.
Each villain who has come before has tested Peter in new ways. Green Goblin, in particular, in the last film, represented both the chaos and danger of a hero’s life and the responsibility those with power have to help those who can’t help themselves. Fisk represents a whole different villain, a man with no powers or abilities, but influence and true power instead.As Daredevil could attest, the power Fisk wields can turn every corrupt official in the city against the web-headed hero, forcing Spider-Man to confront the darkest aspects of humanity. With a political rise on the horizon, Fisk would force Peter to fight not only an ordinary man, but the will of the people themselves, as Fisk gains more control over the city. Fisk’s terrifying role in theMCUcould make him the perfect villain for Peter Parker to face next in a future Spider-Man film.
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Spider-Man
Spider-Man is one of the biggest names in entertainment today. The superhero first appeared in the Marvel comic Amazing Fantasy #15 before becoming a leading figure in the Marvel comic-book universe.Spider-Man has also featured in numerous films and a plethora of video games, most notably Insomniac Games' Spider-Man (2018) and Spider-Man: Miles Morales.
