With speculation towards both party's introduction into The MCU still running rampant, a lot of attention has been given to Daredevil and The Kingpin. This beyond epic rivalry has now become legendary, as it was quite masterfully presented in Netflix's Daredevil series which was unjustly canceled not too long ago.
Even though non-comic fans are fairly familiar with Matt Murdock and Wilson Fisk's animosity, they may be unfamiliar with just how detailed their history is in the comics themselves. Not only is it slightly more layered, but their hatred might be even more intense on cellulose as opposed to celluloid.
Spider-Man Was Kingpin's Foe Before Daredevil
Though Spider-Man: The Animated Series featured Kingpin, not everyone knows that the character made his debut as a villain of the week for The Wall-Crawler. Debuting in The Amazing Spider-Man #50, Kingpin was a threat unlike any that Spidey had faced up to that point.
Whereas the majority of Spider-Man's foes were two-bit crooks in costumes, Kingpin's imposing frame and organized crime roots made him more dangerous than the likes of The Vulture or The Shocker. Though they've faced off since the Stan Lee days, Kingpin doesn't take Spider-Man as seriously as he does Daredevil.
Daredevil Reinvigorated The Kingpin
After years of drawing the book, Frank Miller brought The Kingpin into his run on Daredevil, taking Daredevil's nemesis from lame to cool. Had the character remained in Spider-Man's world, he'd perhaps have languished, but the grime-laden Hell's Kitchen of The Marvel Universe was a place that The Kingpin could thrive.
Initially, Kingpin only returned to New York after living in Japan in order to save his sainted wife Vanessa, but when she seemingly died, he returned to his life of crime. Daredevil's encounters with Fisk in the early days of their rivalry were brief but showcased a hefty amount of potential.
Daredevil Saved Kingpin's Wife Vanessa
No matter how frustrating it may be to follow Matt Murdock's life, he is a good man at the end of the day, a fact proven when he showed he did something nice for his nemesis. After discovering that Vanessa was still alive, Daredevil saved her from The King of The Sewers.
Later that night, Daredevil returned her wedding ring to The Kingpin, letting him know that his wife was OK. Granted, he mostly did this to gain information, but in another world, they have ended their contentious relationship here.
How Kingpin Discovered Daredevil's Identity
"Born Again" is an iconic Daredevil story, a fact only strengthened by Kingpin's involvement. The plot to ruin Matt Murdock's life throws The Man Without Fear into a downward spiral, but the steps that Kingpin took to know his identity truly prove why he's Daredevil's most dangerous enemy.
Kingpin offered a reward to anyone who could give him information as to who Daredevil is. After Matt's old flame Karen Page, having become addicted to heroin, gave her pusher Daredevil's true identity in exchange for the drug, word got to Kingpin fast, setting his plan to destroy Daredevil's personal life in motion.
When Daredevil Finally Broke Kingpin
Five years after Kingpin ruined Daredevil's life, The Man Without Fear returned the favor. In the "Last Rites" storyline, which was written by Dan G. Chichester, Daredevil had enough of Wilson Fisk's evil schemes and decided to ruin his life by spreading a rumor that he was involved with Hydra.
Speculation ran wild and before he knew it, The Kingpin of Crime found his empire crumbling to dust and he had to go on the run. It wasn't a particularly kind move on Daredevil's part, but after the years of torment that The Kingpin subjected him to, fans mostly understood his actions.
Kingpin Funded Daredevil's Strangest Nightmare
"Guardian Devil" was strange, to say the least. When a baby in Matt's care was suspected to be the Antichrist, Matt's life descended into a living hell once again, with the nadir of this trial being when Bullseye, who was hired to kidnap the baby, killed Karen Page when she protected the hero.
At the end of the story, it was revealed that Mysterio was behind the whole thing, wishing to one-up Daredevil before dying of cancer. The Master of Illusion informed Daredevil that Wilson Fisk financed his plan, so the death of Karen Page is yet another victory for Daredevil's nemesis.
Kingpin Refused To Allow Daredevil's Identity To Leak
While a few writers, including "Guardian Devil's" Kevin Smith, helped bring Daredevil into the new millennium, Brian Michael Bendis made the biggest splash. The beginning of his epic run saw a low-level goon named Sammy Silke discover that Kingpin's whole crime ring knows Daredevil's secret identity.
It's stated that the reason why no one has leaked the fact that Matt Murdock is Daredevil to the press is because Kingpin tells his empire not to, something that annoys Silke. Silke then critically wounds Kingpin before leaking the truth, throwing Matt's life into turmoil like never before.
Daredevil Became The Kingpin
The first half of Bendis' Daredevil run does not have a happy ending, as Daredevil finally takes the ultimate plunge into darkness. Daredevil confronted a returning Kingpin, engaging in an ugly brawl that neither really won.
Though Daredevil's iconic costume was damaged, his body sore, and his life in tatters, he ultimately emereged the victor before declaring himself the new Kingpin in front of all of Hell's Kitchen's criminals. Though he gained a physical victory against Kingpin, in the eyes of the reader, Daredevil was no winner.
When Daredevil Had To Turn To Kingpin
Years later, after confessing in court that he was Daredevil, Matt Murdock began a new life in San Francisco, with his stories under Mark Waid becoming far more upbeat. That said, when Matt's friend Foggy Nelson was diagnosed with cancer and the villain The Shroud started harassing Matt and his friends, he turned to The Kingpin for help.
Matt begged Kingpin to protect his friends, but Kingpin chose to attempt to ruin Daredevil's life again. Unlike most Daredevil stories, Waid's run ends with a happy ending, as Daredevil defeated Kingpin and walked away from the experience a better man.
Kingpin Became Mayor And Made Daredevil's Life Even Harder
In the mid-2010s, Kingpin took control of New York itself, becoming the city's mayor. Under Wilson Fisk's mayoral campaign, vigilantism was outlawed, although Fisk allowed Spider-Man to continue his superhero career in order to spread distrust among the street-level superhero community.
While his reign hurt all of New York's non-Avengers heroes, Fisk maintained his usual passion for ruining Daredevil's life. This is on display in Chip Zdarsky's excellent Daredevil run, with the accidental murder of a criminal leading to Fisk and the police making The Man Without Fear public enemy #1.