Summary
Wilson Fisk, or Kingpin, is one of the most peculiar villains in Marvel. Unlike most of the world-ending, galaxy-eating, and god-killing enemies in Marvel, Kingpin is no more superpowered than someone like The Punisher. He’s just a human being. Still, that doesn’t mean he’s a pushover. He’s Daredevil’s arch-nemesis, after all, and even runs in with Spider-Man from time to time — even killing the web-slinger inSpider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.
Fisk finallymet Clint Bartonin the MCU in theHawkeyeseries. This is also the same Kingpin that Netflix’sDaredevilseries employed, so he is a bit more grounded in reality. Still, what exactly is Kingpin capable of? He’s certainly not just a crime lord in New York who tussles with the smaller capes. The list of powers he has in the source material makes him one of the mosttroublesome villainsfor all the human-level heroes.
Updated July 23, 2025 by Blaise Santi:It’s been an exciting time for fans of Wilson Fisk, given that the character just appeared in Disney+‘sDaredevil: Born Again, with Vincent D’Onofrio already set to reprise his role in the second season, which is currently filming.
As Mayor Fisk, D’Onofrio showed audiences a much more reserved side of the notorious Marvel Comics villain, though by the season one finale, it’s clear that there’s still a lot of violence to be done by the character. For an idea of a few other tricks that Kingpin has up his sleeve in the comics, take a look at these three extra “powers” that the criminal emperor employs.
1Peak Human Speed
His Size Doesn’t Slow Him Down
Obviously, Wilson Fisk is no superhero, and yet his feats of strength can be quite impressive even by Marvel’s standards. On many instances in the comics, Fisk is shown to have incredible speed, despite his massive size and physical strength. This has kept hima formidable opponent of speedsterslike Spider-Man, Black Cat, and even Deadpool.
His speed is even impressive to heroes like Captain America, who remarks in one comic that Fisk is as fast as anyone he’s ever fought before. That says a lot coming from a literal super-soldier, but it just goes to show that even though Fisk is powerless, he’s not defenseless.
2Emotional Manipulation
No One Can Say Fisk Is Truly Heartless
It’s not uncommon forMarvel Comics villains to be capable of some pretty savage emotional manipulation, but Wilson Fisk might be the best of the best. Perhaps it’s best exemplified by Vincent D’Onofrio’s performance, but Fisk is far from a callous person. His deep empathy for the people he cares about and, at times, misplaced compassion make his cruelty all the more horrific.
He even exercises this adeptness of emotional manipulation toward actual heroes, from Maya Lopez to mutants like Emma Frost. Some would argue that it’s Fisk’s emotional depth that allows him the ability to truly dig underneath the skin of his enemies, which, more than any kind of gadgets or strength, is his real superpower.
3Immense Wealth
Nothing Is Too Expensive For NYC’s Kingpin
Just like in the real world, wealth is a superpower all on its own in the Marvel universe. We know that wealth can buy Tony Stark the resources he needs for his Iron Man armor, but for Wilson Fisk, that wealth is used to make others do his bidding. Not only is Fisk’s wealth completely ludicrous, but it allows him so much extra power even when he’s not the literal mayor of New York City.
Some official sources claim that Fisk has a personal wealth equivalent to Wakandan royalty, while oneSpider-Mancomic reveals that Fisk hired Dormammu - yes, Dormammu - to kill Peter Parker. What’s most impressive about Fisk’s incredible wealth is that it’s all earned. He was not born into rich family, and instead seized his power and money through sheer strength and determination.
4Ownership Of The Assassins Guild
A Team Of Vigilantes At Fisk’s Disposal
Kingpin has many henchmen at his disposal as a criminal overlord in the Marvel universe. However, in a 2013 issue of “Scarlet Spider,” it was revealed that Fisk took control of the Assassins Guild,an anonymous vigilante teamconsisting of heroes like Candra, Belladonna, and Flower.
The Assassins Guild spends most of their time hiding in the shadows, but have been worthy adversaries to the X-Force and heroes like Wolverine, Gambit, and Scarlet Spider. Though characters like Deadpool have easily dispatched Assassins Guild members, there are still hundreds of them at Fisk’s disposal now that he owns them.
5Obliterator Cane
He Can Make Anything Disappear
Also known as the Disintegrator Cane, Wilson Fisk often carries arounda walking stick that doubles as a secret weapon.When the Obliterator Cane is used, Fisk can fire a 300-watt laser beam, enough to completely vaporize small objects, such as a handgun. In other comic book installments, the Obliterator Cane has also fired a toxic gas.
The Obliterator Cane has sometimes been seen to contain a direct contact taser rather than a laser beam, which Fisk has used in battle against Daredevil. However, this iconic weapon has yet to appear in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. But maybe now that Fisk is running for mayor of NYC, he could get access to some top weapons manufacturers.
6Peak Human Strength
He’s No Hulk, But He Out-Benches Any Human
With size comes strength, and Kingpin is easily one of the strongest humans in Marvel. Hislift record (presumably an overhead press) stands at around 650 pounds (295 kg). Truth be told, this is impossible for any human being in the real world, because the current overhead press record is onlyaround 470 pounds(213 kg). It seems Kingpin is cheating a bit there with what is humanly possible.
Regardless, there’s no doubt that Kingpin ismuch stronger compared to hishuman enemieslike Daredevil. He can even open a bank vault door with one hand and lift a heavy log table, and use it as a weapon. Of course, there’s also the fact that he cantrade blows with Spider-Man, who has superhuman strength and can easily lift a truck.
7Increased Human Durability
Fisk Has A Built-In Bulletproof Vest
Another odd thing about the Kingpin’s almost-mutant physicality is his musculature. Despite what his physique implies, heonly has around nine pounds of actual fat in his body. The rest is muscle. Standing attwo meters tall, Wilson Fisk is nearly450 pounds (204 kg) of muscle. This gives Wilson Fisk an astounding amount of durability.
As stated above, he can trade and withstand blows from Spider-Man. Hisincredible muscle acts as padding, shielding him from injuriesthat would have incapacitated lesser men. Against sharp weapons or even bullets, Fisk also has added protection as his muscles can supposedly limit the degree of penetration and minimize his wounds. That’s just how it works for him, even though it’s bordering on superhuman.
8Multiple Martial Arts Master
He Can Hold His Own In A Fight
Of course, all that bulk would be nothing if Wilson Fisk didn’t use it properly or pair it with skill. Thankfully, he’s also one of the most accomplished hand-to-hand combatantsin Marvel. Fisk is trained in several martial arts disciplines, particularlysumo wrestling, judo, and hapkido. Also, despite his weight, he’s still agile and can evade attacks from superhuman enemies.
It’s pretty obvious in Fisk’s fights against Daredevil that the two are evenly matched, with Kingpin sometimes gaining the upper hand against his opponent with enhanced senses and reflexes. As a flex of his own, Wilson Fisk even took on eight of the top human martial arts masters from all over the world and defeated all of them in 17 seconds.
9Genius Intellect
You Can’t Outsmart This Mastermind
If he had some engineering know-how, gadgets, and a cave, one could easily mistake Wilson Fisk for Batman. Because in addition to excelling in peak human physicality, he’s also frighteningly intelligent.
It’s not clear how high his I.Q. is, but genius-level starts at around 140 points. Fisk uses this level of intelligence criminally to maintain and expand his organized crime empire. There are times when he has even managed to outwit some of the establishedgenius spiesof Marvel.
10Heightened Willpower
His Mind Is A Fortress
Kingpin, apart from having top brains and brawn among Marvel’s humans, is also one of the toughest in the segment when it comes to mental fortitude. His willpower, much like his physicality, is almost superhuman, as he wasable to resist even some weak or low-level psychic attacks.
This does make Fisk more difficult to mind-control compared to other humans in Marvel. He notably resisted the Purple Man’s pheromone mind control, which could easily take over a hundred human beings. It’s worth noting that even Jessica Jones couldn’t resist the Purple Man’s mind control, and Fisk just shrugged it off.
