Marvel Fans Debate If Daredevil Needs Kingpin Every Season as Other Villains Wait in the Shadows
As Daredevil: Born Again pushes deeper into Season 2, one thing has become crystal clear… Matt Murdock just can’t seem to shake Wilson Fisk.
The latest run of episodes once again puts the Man Without Fear on a collision course with Kingpin, and while that rivalry is iconic, fans are starting to ask a fair question… Is it time to let Daredevil face someone else?
Across fan discussions, especially online, there’s a growing mix of appreciation and fatigue when it comes to Fisk’s constant presence. One fan summed it up perfectly on Reddit, saying:
"I like Kingpin and the performances they have going. But seasons 1 and 3 of Netflix Daredevil were versus Kingpin. It looks like seasons 1, 2, and possibly 3 of Born Again will be versus Kingpin. Daredevil has other enemies. I'm curious if they'll let Kingpin step back someday."
It’s not hard to see where that feeling comes from. The Netflix era leaned heavily on Fisk, and now Born Again is walking a similar path. That said, not everyone is ready to push the crime boss out of the spotlight.
Someone else wrote: "Kingpin should always be present, that's his whole thing – no matter what Daredevil does, the system is rotten to the core, which lets Kingpin get away every time. Plus, he is 50% behind the show's success.”
"However, I agree some episodes should be him hiring other villains, or absent from New York while other villains take the spotlight kind of a thing."
That idea feels like a middle ground fans could rally behind. Keep Fisk looming in the background while letting other threats rise to the surface. After all, Daredevil’s rogues gallery is deeper than the show has explored so far.
Another fan echoed that sentiment, pointing toward the long game, saying: "It probably is time to move beyond the character. I’m good with him staying a background presence and returning occasionally, if the show enjoys a good long life. But not every season should center on him."
That opens the door to some seriously cool possibilities. Names like Mr. Fear and Typhoid Mary are already being thrown around as potential big bads for future seasons. "Mr Fear and Typhoid Mary desperately need to be main villains for at least one season," said someone else.
There’s also some lingering frustration about how certain characters have been handled so far. "I was hoping Muse would be a fantastic villain like he was in the comics, but we got Te-Muse instead," someone else said.
"My long-shot hope is that Heather fully becomes Lady Muse and sticks around more long-term as a villain, that's the only way I could maybe accept them killing Muse so quickly last season," replied another user.
Interestingly, there may already be a shift coming. Charlie Cox, who plays Matt Murdock, recently hinted that the show could be heading in a different direction, teasing that season 3 "feels like we've shed the skin of the Mayor Fisk era. It feels like it's a new book, a new dawn a little bit."
If that holds true, Daredevil might finally get the breathing room he needs to square off against new enemies.
For now, though, the war with Kingpin isn’t over. With Bullseye also in the mix and the stakes ramping up after episode 4’s ending, Season 2 is still very much Fisk’s playground.
New episodes of Daredevil: Born Again are dropping weekly on Disney+, and whether you’re all in on Kingpin or ready for something new, get ready for how this season comes to an end.