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Quote1 You'd have to be a Daredevil, to dare to challenge me! Quote2
ā€”Kingpin[src]

History

As a boy, Wilson Moriarty was influenced by his father, who sought employment as a mob criminal. When older, Wilson assisted his father in robbing banks and jewelry stores, culminating in one robbery where his father escaped but Wilson, hampered by his already-considerable weight, was captured by the police. In adulthood, Wilson emulated his father's goal and climbed one position of seniority within the mob, adopting the surname Fisk and alias "Kingpin". He had his police file destroyed, removing all record from his earlier arrest. He unfortunately arranged for the unfortunate murder of his father, still an aspiring but minor criminal, and declared that he did this because "Sacrifices must be made".[1] He maintained a strained relationship with his wife, Vanessa, who was well aware of his activities, until she left him after she was held hostage when one of his schemes went off the rails.[2] Their son, Richard, continued to work for him.[3]

The Kingpin saw Spider-Man as a threat to his organization, and blackmailed Norman Osborn into having him eliminated. Osborn hired Spencer Smythe, an expert in robotics, to carry out Fisk's demand in exchange for a hover chair for his disabled son Alistair. Kingpin managed to keep his involvement unknown and Osborn claimed he wanted Spider-Man captured because he believes he is a criminal. Spencer's robots failed miserably to destroy the wall-crawler, the battle resulting in an explosion at Oscorp in which Smythe seemingly perished.[4] Kingpin found Spencer alive in the wreckage, and placed him into cryogenic suspension,[5] using the opportunity to tell Alistair that Spider-Man killed his father. Kingpin supplied Alistair with resources to build more robots to avenge his fathers death, but they failed to destroy Spider-Man once again. Kingpin then forced Alistair to continue working for him until he is able to do so.[6]

Norman eventually became frustrated with the Kingpin's hold over him, and arranged for the Hobgoblin to assassinate him. Under the guise of Wilson Fisk, Kingpin was unwittingly saved by Peter Parker who pushed him out of the way of Hobgoblin's blast. Norman subsequently fired the goblin for his failure. The Hobgoblin was curious as to why Norman wanted Fisk dead and discovered that Fisk was in fact the Kingpin. Hobgoblin told Kingpin about Osborn's motives and offered to work for him instead, his first mission being to kidnap Norman's son Harry. Hobgoblin, fascinated by the Kingpin's power and desiring it for himself, betrayed Kingpin when he refused to pay him and went back to Norman. Osborn supplied him with better weaponry[7] which allowed Hobgoblin to defeat Fisk. Hobgoblin then declared himself the new Kingpin of Crime. However, Fisk confronted Norman and teamed up to take down the goblin. They coaxed Spider-Man into fighting Hobgoblin, rescuing Harry and allowing Fisk to reclaim his position.[8]

The Kingpin later assembled the Insidious Six by having Doctor Octopus, Chameleon, Scorpion, Shocker, Rhino and Mysterio freed from prison. He first instructed them to defeat Spider-Man.[9] They succeeded but after unmasking him and identifying him as Peter Parker, they concluded that he wasn't the real Spider-Man due to his poor performance (the real reason being him losing his powers). Kingpin also instructed them to defeat his rival mob boss Silvermane, but Spider-Man eventually defeated them and saved him. The six them separated and left Kingpin's command.[10]

In a bid to cover up his criminal activities, Kingpin took Alistair's suggestion of framing Peter Parker (who was working for Richard at the time), instructing Richard to do so. Parker was incarcerated but his lawyer, Matt Murdock, was aware of Fisk's identity as the Kingpin and cleared his name. Murdock sought revenge on Kingpin for his involvement in his father's death, and Daredevil (his alter ego) teamed up with Spider-Man to defeat him. Although the crime lord escaped, Richard was convicted and Spider-Man discovered the identity of the Kingpin.[11] Kingpin blamed Alistair for his son's incarceration, and decided to turn him into a human cyborg with the help of Herbert Landon, who would become his new lieutenant. Alistair was programmed to destroy Spider-Man, but his human mind resurfaced after learning that Kingpin had kept his father in suspension. Alistair rescued his father and fled.[5]

Soon after, the Kingpin became interested in the time dilation portals created by Dr Johnathon Ohnn, and set up a lab for him to carry out his research. However, Ohnn rebelled and preceded to try and take down Fisk, but he and Spider-Man failed. Ohnn inadvertently left one of his portals open, which widened and threatened to destroy the entire Earth. Kingpin temporarily teamed up with Ohnn and Spider-Man to help close it. Kingpin managed to get his hands on the portal technology which the Hobgoblin had retained, but lost it for good.[12]

The Kingpin later sought to acquire a serum that would allow him to create an army of super soldiers, the same serum that once created Captain America. He managed to capture John Hardesky, the only remaining individual with knowledge of the formula, by infiltrating S.H.I.E.L.D. with help from the Chameleon and Doctor Octopus.[13] Hardesky revealed the formula after Kingpin also captured his daughter Felicia, who was subsequently forced to take the serum and was transformed into the Black Cat. Hardesky infiltrated Landon's lab, where he erased the formula before escaping with Felicia and Spider-Man.[14]

The Kingpin eventually attempted to take over the world by seeking the "Doomsday Weapon", assembling the Insidious Six again. However, he failed after the Red Skull's son Electro overpowered him.[15]

Attributes

Powers

None

Abilities

In his battle with the Daredevil, he was able to match the veteran fighter.[1] Also, it is stated that only two percent of his body mass is made up of fat with "three-hundred fifty pounds of muscle."[12] The Kingpin is a criminal genius and a highly skilled planner and organizer. He employs numerous henchmen, scientists, and even superhumans, almost all of whom are fiercely loyal to him due to dedication, fear, or both.

He is also has a mastery of technology, being able to break into the law enforcement computer system and eradicate all records of his previodu criminal history.

Paraphernalia

Equipment

Walking cane: The Kingpin possessed a diamond-tipped walking cane.

Weapons

In his battle with Daredevil, the Kingpin used his cane as a duelling weapon, which also contained a direct-contact electroshock weapon at its base.

Transportation

The Kingpin mainly travelled by limousine and occasionally by helicopter.

Notes

Trivia

  • In the episode The Man Without Fear, it's revealed that his original last name was Moriarty, possibly in reference the Sherlock Holmes antagonist of the same name.

See Also

Links and References

References

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