Vincent D’Onofrio, renowned for his portrayal of the notorious Wilson Fisk, aka Kingpin, in the Marvel series Daredevil, has shed light on a significant limitation regarding his character's future in the Marvel universe. In a recent episode of the Happy Sad Confused podcast with Josh Horowitz, D’Onofrio revealed that due to complex ownership issues, Wilson Fisk is restricted to television appearances only, ruling out any potential feature films featuring the character.
"The only thing I know is not positive," D’Onofrio stated, emphasizing the challenges Marvel faces in utilizing his character in movies. "It's a very hard thing to do, for Marvel to use my character. It's a very hard thing to do, because of ownership and stuff." He further clarified that even a standalone Wilson Fisk movie seems out of the question, casting doubts on his participation in upcoming MCU projects like Spider-Man: Brand New Day and Avengers: Doomsday. This news could also impact any future plans for a Daredevil movie featuring Charlie Cox, where D’Onofrio's presence as the villain would be anticipated.
D’Onofrio first brought Wilson Fisk to life in the 2015 Netflix series Daredevil, which ran for three seasons and concluded in 2018 with nearly 40 episodes. His performance has been critically acclaimed, and he continues to delve deep into the character's psyche. In a recent interview with IGN, D’Onofrio discussed the influences behind his portrayal, citing the humility and realism of actors like Harrison Ford and Gary Cooper in action scenes as key inspirations.
"Anytime they were in a fight, or they were holding a gun, they looked nervous," D’Onofrio noted, reflecting on the performances that shaped his approach to Fisk. "They carried their own humility into the action scenes with them. And I always thought that that was the way to go. That made it look real to me. Gary Cooper in Sergeant York, when he takes aim, when he becomes the sniper, it's the humility in his eyes that you see. It's amazing. I think that helps action stuff a lot. We're all very conscious of that."
Currently, fans can catch D’Onofrio reprising his role as Wilson Fisk in Daredevil: Born Again, which is airing weekly on Disney+ and is set to conclude its first season on April 15, 2025.
