More than three months after its Disney+ premiere, Daredevil: Born Again is still under fire from fans, as Kingpin actor Vincent D’Onofrio defends Wilson Fisk’s portrayal in the reboot series after a fan criticized the character’s ‘nerfed’ handling. Daredevil: Born Again offered a nine-episode first season, reviving Charlie Cox’s blind hero Matt Murdock from the canceled shadows of Netflix’s hit series, alongside D’Onofrio’s return as the white-suited crime boss.
Since the Netflix show remained outside the MCU’s continuity, the Born Again series was designed to bring Daredevil, Kingpin, and The Punisher into the canon timeline. Despite the mixed reception and being beaten by Agatha All Along’s impressive viewership numbers, Daredevil: Born Again helped Disney’s profits boom, and fans of the Netflix run loved seeing the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen return alongside the oppressive Kingpin. Unfortunately, some fans are still finding Disney’s lighter tone hard to digest, after the gritty and violent original series set a standard for the street-level vigilantes, even though Kingpin delivered the goriest, jaw-splitting MCU scene to date in Born Again.
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Daredevil: Born Again's Vincent D'Onofrio Defends Kingpin's 'Nerfed' Performance
Replying to a Marvel fan on Twitter, D’Onofrio was quick to defend Kingpin’s direction in Born Again, after the character was accused of being “nerfed like the Hulk.” The fan also highlighted Disney’s “track record of ruining reboots,” after the Netflix writers did a fantastic job with the original series. D’Onofrio disagreed with the fan’s points, saying, “My performances have been called many things but never nerfed…I don’t play the part just for you and you don’t watch tv just for me.” Previously, D’Onofrio revealed a big change he made to playing Kingpin in Born Again, proving the actor and co-stars Cox and The Punisher’s Jon Bernthal had a significant say in the show’s creative choices and character development. A back-and-forth between D’Onofrio and the fan ensued, where the former blamed the writing of the character instead of the actor’s performance, to which D’Onofrio replied that he was in control of his character’s performance.
Looking at Wilson Fisk’s future in the MCU, D’Onofrio once revealed which character he’d like Kingpin to face off against, and thanks to an upcoming project’s recent casting confirmation, that wish may come to fruition. Spider-Man: Brand New Day announced Bernthal was cast alongside Spider-Man’s Tom Holland in the fourth film centering around Peter Parker, and if The Punisher is confirmed, that means it could also feature, or at least pave the way for, a Daredevil and Spider-Man union against Kingpin. Fisk is a notorious enemy of the web-slinger’s in the comics, which all but confirms the characters will cross paths at some point in live-action franchise.
Daredevil’s MCU reboot series is currently filming seasons virtually back-to-back, and a recent bout of Born Again season 2 set photos confirmed one character’s surprising return after the events of season 1. Behind-the-scenes shots have also given fans a glimpse of Matt’s black suit, but the fandom will have to bide their time until March 2026 to see the new threads in action. Furthermore, D’Onofrio’s Fisk will also be returning for the second season, alongside The Defenders star Krysten Ritter, who is confirmed to return as private investigator Jessica Jones.
Daredevil: Born Again
- Release Date
- March 4, 2025
- Network
- Disney+
- Showrunner
- Chris Ord
- Directors
- Aaron Moorhead, Justin Benson, David Boyd, Jeffrey Nachmanoff
- Writers
- Jesse Wigutow, Jill Blankenship, Thomas Wong, David Feige, Grainne Godfree
- Franchise(s)
- Daredevil, Marvel Cinematic Universe
Cast
-
Charlie CoxMatt Murdock / Daredevil -
Vincent D'OnofrioWilson Fisk
WHERE TO WATCH
Source: Twitter