Daredevil: Born Again Can Set Up MCU's Next Thunderbolts Leader

Daredevil: Born Again, the first Marvel Studios-produced Daredevil story in the MCU, can set up the Thunderbolt’s leader. While it took a while for the MCU to bring in the Thunderbolts compared to the Marvel Comics Earth-616 chronology, it made sense for the franchise to explore a team of supervillains after Avengers: Endgame as the Avengers have taken the back seat momentarily. With Harrison Ford cast as Thunderbolt Ross for Captain America: New World Order and Val putting together a team, the MCU has clearly set up the Thunderbolts’ arrival.

Considering how rarely Marvel introduces new characters or concepts for a one-time appearance only, the Thunderbolts are expected to return after the MCU’s Phase 5. In fact, if the MCU’s Thunderbolts are to be similar to the comics, then the team of Marvel villains and antiheroes will be a recurring force in the MCU – very much like the Avengers or the Guardians of the Galaxy. As such, the Thunderbolts can have new different leaders depending on the story.

Wilson Fisk Can Lead The MCU’s Thunderbolts In The Future

While Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ Val and Harrison Ford’s General Ross are expected to lead the MCU’s Thunderbolts team at first, Wilson Fisk could lead the team of supervillains and anti-heroes at some point in the near future. With Vincent D’Onofrio’s Fisk now part of Marvel Studios’ MCU, all Daredevil canon debates considered, it’s safe to say that the Kingpin will have a significant role in Phase 5 and beyond. Wilson Fisk will return in Daredevil: Born Again, but Marvel Comics’ history shows that the Kingpin is much more than just a Daredevil villain. In fact, Wilson Fisk has already led the Thunderbolts in the comics.

As part of the Mayor Wilson Fisk storyline, which saw Fisk elected as mayor of New York with an anti-superhero platform, the Kingpin connected with Baron Zemo to assemble a new Thunderbolts team that would answer to Fisk. During that arc, Wilson Fisk had a more Norman Osborn-type of role – a seemly reformed supervillain that was now using his power and influence to play the game from the shadows. As mayor, Wilson Fisk became an even more formidable villain for characters like Spider-Man and Daredevil, a storyline that the MCU can adapt with Born Again or future Kingpin appearances.

How Wilson Fisk & The Thunderbolts Can Connect In The MCU

At first, having Wilson Fisk as the Thunderbolts’ leader would not work as the MCU has yet to properly introduce the Marvel supervillain team. Thunderbolts (2025) will serve as an origin story for the Thunderbolts, with Val and Thunderbolt Ross likely acting as the leaders of the group. However, if the Thunderbolts are to be a recurring MCU team, having Fisk as the next leader would work. The MCU doesn’t have its own Norman Osborn, and it isn’t clear whether a Spider-Man-related character would be allowed to appear in multiple non-Spider-Man MCU movies given the Sony deal. As such, Fisk can replace Osborn in the MCU.

By adapting the Mayor Fisk storyline in Phase 5’s Daredevil: Born Again, the MCU would have a Wilson Fisk far different from the Netflix Daredevil series. As mayor, Fisk would have the power to assemble his personal team of superheroes, which could be the next phase of the Thunderbolts' operation. Stories like Dark Reign and Dark Avengers would work perfectly in a post-Avengers: Endgame MCU if not for Norman Osborn’s absence. Still, the MCU can capture the essence of those stories with Wilson Fisk as the powerful behind-the-scenes figure pulling the strings of groups like the Thunderbolts instead of Norman Osborn.

Next: Does The MCU's Wilson Fisk Know Matt Murdock Is Daredevil?