Warning: This article contains SPOILERS for Daredevil: Born AgainVincent D’Onofrio’s Wilson Fisk is back in the MCU, but Kingpin’s got a subtle new look that’s actually a lot deeper than it may seem. The newly elected mayor of New York City is a major part of Daredevil: Born Again having previously returned for a smaller role in Hawkeye and as the chief antagonist in its spin-off Echo in 2024. And here, he’s a totally different prospect.
Daredevil: Born Again is an excellent meditation on the nature of vigilantism and man’s capacity for violence, and makes Fisk far more of a parallel to Charlie Cox’s Matt Murdock than in previous seasons. Both men are defined by their violent pasts and their apparent desires to move past them, which fundamentally alters Born Again and brings Daredevil to the MCU timeline with definitive difference (as was always promised). Part of that is a new look for Kingpin, and there’s a very good reason for it.
Why Kingpin Is Smaller In Daredevil: Born Again
First off, in Born Again, Fisk actually IS smaller. He’s less of the exaggerated figure he was in Netflix’s first three seasons of Daredevil, which had prompted D’Onofrio to put on a significant amoutn of weight. He revealed to Popverse that he knew he had to change his look to match the character:
I knew that I would have to put on weight to do it, I put on about 40 pounds or so for that first Netflix show. I never stopped exercising and doing my normal exercises and stuff. I bulked up and got….let’s face it…lovely and fat, which I thought was amazing. I loved it, because I could eat all the carbs and dairy I wanted. The three seasons took almost five years, and that was intense. I kept that weight on for all that time. In between I was doing Jurassic World and Magnificent Seven. I was saying to directors, ‘My guy is going to be a big dude.
They did start making these amazing suits that NASA makes and they contour to all your muscles, and they just extend your actual muscle form to bigger. It’s really nice and they’re really light.
It seems likely that Fisk would be wearing a similar suit for Born Again, but D’Onofrio looks notable trim enough that I suspect he’s not wearing much or any padding. And that technical aspect would only be part of why Fisk looks smaller in Daredevil: Born Again. In-universe, Fisk has lost weight, and changed his physique. As Matt Murdock notes to him when the pair face-off in the diner: “your step is lighter. You’ve lost weight… gained muscle.” Fisk takes that as an invitation to fight, which he rejects, but it’s an important line for a different reason: Born Again uses Matt to highlight Fisk’s change, because it matters.
Kingpin is defined by his physicality: he’s big, muscular – a trained, ferocious boxer with the ability to tear men apart on a whim. But that image doesn’t fit with the refined, mayoral candidate. It seems Fisk has consciously changed his look to reflect the new era of his life. The safer era. A safer Fisk, in effect.
Daredevil: Born Again Subtly Makes Kingpin Look Less Imposing
Not only has D’Onofrio not gained the weight back that he consciously chose to add for Netflix’s seasons of the show, but he’s also framed differently in Born Again. In previous appearances, scenes were constructed to make him tower over other characters, often seating his enemies so he could loom over him, or subtly shooting him from lower angles.
Whether it’s a conscious thing throughout or not, Daredevil: Born Again makes Kingpin look less like a monstrous hulk. He’s normalized, and recontextualized visually to not seem so alien in his size. Yes, he’s still huge, but he’s no longer as remarkable for the same reason, and that’s also why his wardrobe early on in the show is notably different.
Notably, in the first episode, there is one scene where Fisk looks huge: he stands atop his building as Born Again episode 1 ends, with Matt Murdock looking up at him from the street. It’s a stark reminder of the power dynamic that still exists, despite how Fisk is presenting himself now. And it’s a hint that the current dynamic still includes Fisk seeking further power.
The prospect of a legitimate Fisk is arguably more terrifying than the image of an unhinged brawler. There are already signs that the mayor’s extremist views on crime (or at least crime that he has no control of), and vigilantism are seeping into the public consciousness. And when that reaches its extreme point, Kingpin will have something far more dangerous than fear: he’ll have enthusiastic support and validation. Perhaps enough, even, to mount a legitimate war.
Wilson Fisk Isn’t Wearing His White Suit In Daredevil: Born Again, And That’s Very Important
As well as his notably smaller frame, Kingpin’s new look leaves his trademark white suit behind. Mayor Fisk favors darker suits, more elegant and, notably, a lot less showy. Fisk adopted the white look in Daredevil season 3 as a symbolic rebirth of his image after his reconnection with Vanessa. The stark contrast of the purity of his white look and the devil aesthetic of Daredevil was also a conscious thing, as Fisk sought to ruin Murdock’s reputation.
At the same time, the white suit was a contradiction in terms: a surface level look deeply at odds with his internal motivations. That way, it became a symbol of Fisk’s power: almost a mockery and perversion of what white usually represents. You might think that him continuing that symbolism of purity in Daredevil: Born Again would make sense, given his apparent moral make-over once more, but the ostentatious look is not one of a serious, political man.
In Born Again, Fisk has cast off his Kingpin costume, adopting a more conventional look to blend in with society, not to make any sort of statement about his intent. It’s a clever change, and the fact that he continues to own his iconic look but consciously rejects it as an option to wear in Daredevil: Born Again season 1 should give you further hint of its importance as a symbol.
Crucially, there’s also room for Fisk to return to his old life: his suit isn’t just a relic he’s kept for nostalgic reasons, it’s an alternative that remains at his disposal should he need it. He’s not Kingpin now, but we’re supposed to understand that he could well be again. Just as Born Again episode 1 ends with Matt Murdock framed in red, this is all a big hint of what’s to come.
Daredevil: Born Again Includes A Major Hint Of Where Fisk’s Story Will Go
Fisk may have remodeled himself as a legitimate politician and a weapon in New York’s favor, but we already have a big hint that he’s not quite as removed from his past as he might claim. Matt Murdock’s suspicion of him, and the threat that he will keep tabs on him are well-placed, because Fisk is still a violent monster.
In Daredevil: Born Again episode 2, as Fisk discusses the desk in his new office, the camera captures his hand in close-up, revealing fresh injuries on his knuckles. They clearly aren’t scars, suggesting Fisk is still actively using his fists, and it’s such a loaded shot that the suggestion is definitely that someone was on the end of those punches. The injuries are more consistent with punching something hard – like a skull – than him training on even a heavy bag in a gym.
It’s a subtle but powerful image: Fisk marvelling at the majesty and importance of his desk, in a well-tailored suit, while his knuckles give away the fact that he’s clearly still suppressing everything that made him Kingpin. He can remove his costume, but there are signs he’s still there in Daredevil: Born Again.
