Vincent D'Onofrio: Wilson Fisk's Movie Rights Complicate Daredevil: Born Again

Vincent D’Onofrio, the actor behind the iconic Hell's Kitchen villain Wilson Fisk, recently shared some disheartening news for fans hoping to see his character on the big screen. During an appearance on the Happy Sad Confused podcast with Josh Horowitz, D’Onofrio revealed that due to complex ownership issues, Marvel is unable to feature his portrayal of Fisk in any movies. "The only thing I know is not positive," he stated. "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."

D’Onofrio further clarified that his version of Fisk is restricted to television appearances only, dashing hopes of a standalone Wilson Fisk movie or his inclusion in upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe films like Spider-Man: Brand New Day and Avengers: Doomsday. This limitation could also impact potential future projects, such as a Charlie Cox-led Daredevil movie, where fans would expect to see D’Onofrio reprise his role as the villain.

D’Onofrio first brought Wilson Fisk, also known as Kingpin, to life in the 2015 Netflix series Marvel’s Daredevil. Over the course of three seasons and nearly 40 episodes, his performance garnered widespread acclaim from both fans and critics. D’Onofrio’s thoughtful approach to the character is evident in how he draws inspiration from classic performances. In a recent interview with IGN, he discussed the influence of actors like Harrison Ford, emphasizing the humility they brought to action scenes. "Anytime they were in a fight, or they were holding a gun, they looked nervous," D’Onofrio explained. "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's portrayal of Fisk in the ongoing first season of Daredevil: Born Again, which is airing weekly on Disney+ and set to conclude its finale on April 15, 2025.