Kingpin: The New Thanos of the Marvel Cinematic Universe

MCU's Kingpin Build-Up Mirrors Thanos' Infinity Saga Setup

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is setting up a new villain to take Thanos’ place, and it is surprisingly not Kang. Kingpin might seem like just a crime lord from New York City, but he actually draws plenty of similarities to the Mad Titan. The character was first introduced in Daredevil but made his official MCU Kingpin debut in Hawkeye. Wilson Fisk is a powerful businessman and crime lord who has great influence in New York City, as Hawkeye showed how his influence affected characters like Clint Barton and Maya Lopez.

vincent d'onofrio as wilson fisk kingpin in hawkeye

Though Kang is the obvious villain being set up as the Multiverse Saga’s final battle, Kingpin is the one who feels more like a successor to Thanos in the current MCU timeline. There are plenty of parallels between the two characters already in terms of personality and influence. Especially since Kingpin is confirmed to play a role in upcoming MCU projects, it’s safe to say that he will be sticking around for a while and there is time to build up his reign.

Echo Vincent D'Onofrio as Kingpin on his plane looking worried

Why Kingpin Is The MCU's New Thanos

Though Thanos was always the ultimate threat of the early MCU, he didn’t actually make his proper villain introduction until Avengers: Infinity War. Up until that point, he either made cameo appearances in mid and post-credit scenes or was mentioned by other MCU characters. Despite not making a full-fledged appearance until Infinity War, Thanos already felt established because of all of the Infinity Saga build-up.

thanos in the avengers post-credits scene

With how the MCU is utilizing Kingpin, he is set to follow a similar trajectory, with several smaller MCU appearances slowly building his legacy. Kingpin's villainous endeavors are made even clearer in Echo, which appears set to lead into his storyline in Daredevil: Born Again, with rumors of him even appearing in Spider-Man 4. These early appearances are effectively building up Kingpin’s legacy until his proper villain debut, just as Thanos was set up for his proper Infinity War introduction.

Echo holds a gun up to Kingpin in Hawkeye

How Echo Proves Kingpin Can Be The MCU's New Thanos

Echo goes some way to flesh out Kingpin's MCU goals and story, as the Echo season 1 post-credits suggest Wilson Fisk will be running for New York City mayor in the franchise's future - and given he becomes the mayor in Marvel Comics, it very much appears he might just win. This looks to be the setup for Daredevil: Born Again, and allows Fisk to continue to amass even more power, becoming a consistently more threatening figure in the current MCU villain roster. Not only is this formula similar to Thanos steadily collecting power on his own terms with the Infinity Stones, but it also reflects the way in which the audience were shown the character - as viewers grow more and more aware that Kingpin is a major issue that Marvel's live-action heroes are going to struggle to contend with.

Echo and Fisk Inside Kingpin's Mind

Kingpin's Marvel Comics Mayor storyline saw him attain the role by rigging the vote, which could set up a suitable drama for Daredevil: Born Again by giving Matt Murdock a reason to use his superhero alias and his civilian lawyer skill sets.

Kingpin sports a white suit in Daredevil