Kingpin's Spider-Man Reference In Daredevil: Born Again, Explained

Contains spoilers for "Daredevil: Born Again"

In the second episode of the highly anticipated "Daredevil: Born Again," Wilson Fisk (Vincent D'Onofrio) is now the acting mayor of New York City. From the beginning, Fisk was clear that vigilantes would no longer be tolerated in his Big Apple. As "Born Again" takes place in the Marvel Cinematic Universe — which is chock full of alien invaders, interdimensional threats, and costumed superheroes — vigilantes seem like the least of New York's worries. Fisk, however, is a man who knows how to hold a grudge. Not only does he call out Daredevil (Charlie Cox) and the Punisher (Jon Bernthal), but he names one other street-level Marvel hero that is bound to get a rise from fans: Spider-Man.

"We don't need a gun-toting vigilante who wears a skull on his chest, or a man who dresses in a spider outfit, or a guy who wears devil horns to save us," Mayor Fisk says during a press conference. It's here that we begin to see that the Kingpin has plans in motion, and he will not be opposed by anyone. Not cops, not lawyers, and certainly not costumed heroes in masks. Considering that Tom Holland's Spider-Man has been in the MCU almost as long as Cox's Daredevil and D'Onofrio's Kingpin, it shouldn't be a surprise that Fisk would call out the wall-crawler by name.

On the other hand, up until now, Spider-Man has been far more than a simple street-level crusader. As a one-time Avenger and Iron Man's (Robert Downey Jr.) protege, Peter Parker's role in the MCU has always been a bit high-profile. But "Daredevil: Born Again" confirms that the tide has changed, and there may be a greater history here that, as with Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner), we may be unaware of.

At the end of "Spider-Man: No Way Home," Peter sacrificed his happiness to fix a problem he caused. With Doctor Strange's (Benedict Cumberbatch) help, he effectively erased everyone's memory of his secret identity. But what actually happened is that everyone forgot that Peter Parker existed at all. Having lost his family and his true love, Peter chose a life of solitude and moved into the heart of New York to become a more down-to-earth, friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. No doubt, along the way, he encountered some of the Kingpin's goons, be it the Tracksuit Mafia, Echo (Alaqua Cox), or some of his other villainous operators. More than likely, he's been on Wilson Fisk's radar for quite some time.

With Fisk now the mayor of New York, Spidey may not be target number one on his hit list, but he's clearly on the Kingpin's mind. Daredevil and the Punisher are easier targets as neither is super strong or as agile as Spider-Man, but that doesn't let Peter off the hook. It's possible that "Born Again" (however it ultimately plays out) will have a hand in Tom Holland's next solo picture too. After all, it's been rumored that "Spider-Man 4" may feature two fan-favorite Marvel heroes, one of which is Cox's Daredevil. Previously, Matt Murdock appeared in "No Way Home" (though he's likely forgotten those events due to Strange's memory spell), so it would be about time for these two heroes to team up and save their city.

Whether the MCU expands any further on Kingpin's history with Spider-Man or not, Wilson Fisk and the web-slinger have a long comic book history to pull from. In fact, the truth about Marvel's Kingpin is that he was actually a Spider-Man villain first. Arriving on the Marvel scene in "The Amazing Spider-Man" (Vol.1) #50, the infamous "Spider-Man No More!" story, Fisk thinks himself free to take over New York when it's announced that Spidey has retired. Of course, Peter soon returns to his superheroics, eventually thwarting many of the Kingpin's schemes. Over the years, Spider-Man proved a constant thorn in Fisk's side, and the two were heated rivals — though Daredevil quickly became his archnemesis.

Nevertheless, things were personal between them. Perhaps the most personal things ever got between Spider-Man and Kingpin was shortly after Marvel's original "Civil War." After Peter Parker reveals his identity to the world (and before he makes a deal with the devil to erase that choice), Fisk puts a hit out on Peter's loved ones, and his Aunt May is soon shot. Beyond enraged, "The Amazing Spider-Man" (Vol. 1) #542 shows Spider-Man as he confronts Fisk in prison without his mask. The brawl ends with Peter mercilessly beating Fisk in front of all the inmates, leaving him within an inch of his life. Peter vows that if his aunt dies, Kingpin will follow her to the grave.

Outside of the comics, Kingpin has appeared in various Spider-Man cartoons. In fact, the Michael Clarke Duncan version from the 2003 "Daredevil" movie even shows up in MTV's "Spider-Man: The New Animated Series." However, we've never seen the pair square off in live-action. Hopefully, "Daredevil: Born Again" is a tease for a greater MCU story.