How Wilson Fisk Became Mayor of New York City

As the Kingpin, Wilson Fisk ruthlessly lorded over New York’s criminal underworld. For years, he tormented heroes like Daredevil and Spider-Man while keeping New York City’s most dangerous villains under his thumb. But during some of the Marvel Universe’s darkest days, Fisk seized an opportunity to become even more influential by starting a second career in politics. 

Despite his well-documented villainous past, Fisk launched a shockingly successful campaign to be elected Mayor of New York City. With the power of his new office, Mayor Fisk was able to take his years-long war against Marvel’s heroes to dramatic new heights. 

Now, let’s take a closer look at how Wilson Fisk became the Mayor of New York City. We’ll also explain how his election played out in Daredevil and Spider-Man’s worlds and how his hatred of heroes eventually led to his downfall, as explored in stories available on Marvel Unlimited.

HOW WILSON FISK WAS ELECTED

Wilson Fisk’s path into politics started with SECRET EMPIRE (2017), where an imposter Captain America took over the United States on behalf of Hydra. During Hydra’s attack, the villain Blackout used his Darkforce-manipulating powers to cut Manhattan off from the rest of the country with an impenetrable force field. Despite the best efforts of New York’s remaining heroes, the city descended into chaos as factions began fighting over an ever-dwindling amount of resources like food and medicine. 

When one gang attacked a group of civilians sheltering in a church, Fisk barged in, killed the gang’s leader, and told the civilians they were under his protection in SECRET EMPIRE (2017) #2 by Nick Spencer, Andrea Sorrentino, and Rod Reis. As he and his enforcers began passing out medicine, Fisk told everyone present to remember that he kept them safe when the crisis ended. 

Following Hydra’s defeat, Daredevil scored a major legal victory that infuriated Fisk. After an extremist group called the Munition Militia tried to attack New York, Daredevil defeated them and testified against them in court without revealing his secret identity in DAREDEVIL (2015) #22 by Charles Soule and Goran Sudzuka. Despite Fisk’s challenges, the higher courts ruled in Daredevil’s favor, which established a precedent for vigilantes to play a role in court without revealing their identities. 

While Daredevil was busy out of the country, a spiteful Fisk launched a last-second campaign as an independent candidate in New York’s mayoral election. Between the existing goodwill towards him from SECRET EMPIRE (2017) and his anti-vigilante campaign, Fisk’s campaign was well received. However, he still fixed the election to ensure he was the winner in DAREDEVIL (2015) #595 by Charles Soule and Stefano Landini.

MAYOR FISK AND DAREDEVIL

Once Wilson Fisk took office, he shocked Daredevil by pulling him in closer than ever. After Matt Murdock erased public knowledge of his secret identity, he began working as the city’s pro-vigilante district attorney. Despite his victory, the former Kingpin knew half of the city still did not trust him or approve of his anti-vigilante stance, so he asked Murdock to be his deputy mayor in DAREDEVIL (2015) #596 by Charles Soule and Stefano Landini. 

While Fisk viewed this as a way to win over skeptics, Murdock accepted the opportunity in order to keep close tabs on his rival. However, Fisk continued to target Daredevil and Manhattan’s other vigilantes, even as the serial killer Muse broke out of prison and began killing again. 

After defeating Daredevil in a fight and apprehending several heroes, Fisk staged a massive rally. During this rally, the Hand launched a massive attack on the city over Blindspot’s refusal to join them, and Fisk was struck down by dozens of arrows in DAREDEVIL (2015) #600 by Soule and Ron Garney. With Fisk in a coma and the police force decimated, Murdock began operating as the acting mayor and released the captured heroes to fend off the Hand. 

As Fisk recovered, Daredevil and his vigilante allies defeated the Hand and their leader, a demon called the Beast. When Fisk recovered, Murdock only agreed to let him return to office without protest if he stopped targeting vigilantes. 

Once Fisk accepted Murdock’s deal and resumed his mayoral duties, Murdock stepped down as deputy mayor in DAREDEVIL (2015) #605 by Soule and Mike Henderson. Although he still answered to his wealthy benefactors, the Stormwyns, Fisk embraced his role as a legitimate city leader, and he even teamed up with Daredevil to save the city from several villains.

MAYOR FISK AND SPIDER-MAN

Following his early dealings with Daredevil, Mayor Fisk turned his attention to his other rival, Spider-Man, and several of the web-slinger’s villains. Despite his other achievements, Fisk still desperately missed his beloved late wife, Vanessa, so he decided to resurrect his late wife by gathering two supernatural objects: the Tablet of Life and Time and the Tablet of Death and Entropy. 

With Boomerang serving as his primary agent, Fisk collected the tablets and their fragments in FREE COMIC BOOK DAY (THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN) (2018) #1 by Nick Spencer and Ryan Ottley. Once he had both tablets, Fisk recalled a demonic warning about reviving Vanessa, so he resurrected their late son, the Rose (Richard Fisk), instead in GIANT-SIZE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN: KING’S RANSOM (2021) #1 by Spencer and Roge Antonio. 

Around this time, Fisk also established the Thunderbolts as New York City’s official super-team. Initially, Fisk brought several villains together as the Thunderbolts to take down the Punisher in THE PUNISHER (2018) #13 by Matthew Rosenberg and Szymon Kudranski. 

When that group was defeated, Mayor Fisk assembled a new Thunderbolts team to fight the symbiote god Knull in KING IN BLACK: THUNDERBOLTS (2020) #1 by Rosenberg and Juan Ferreyra. Under the command of Taskmaster, this team featured a combination of newer villains with experienced criminals like Rhino, Mister Fear, and Batroc the Leaper. After rescuing Norman Osborn from the symbiote-infested Ravencroft Institute and trying to destroy Knull’s base with the Sentry’s explosive body, this group faked their deaths and manipulated Fisk into raising their pay.

DEVIL’S REIGN

Once Mayor Fisk realized his memories of Daredevil’s secret identity had been erased, he reignited his crusade against vigilantes in DEVIL’S REIGN (2021) #1 by Chip Zdarsky and Marco Checchetto. As his benefactors made plans for him to run for president, Fisk oversaw the passage of the Powers Act, which officially banned all vigilante activity in New York City. 

To help his hero-hunting Thunderbolt Units, Fisk reactivated his Thunderbolts and filled the team with more dangerous fighters, including Doctor Octopus, Agony, Electro (Francine Frye), and U.S. Agent (John Walker). Fisk’s forces captured heroes like Moon Knight and the Invisible Woman, while Doctor Octopus seized the Fantastic Four’s Baxter Building headquarters and Mister Fantastic’s technology. After evading capture, Luke Cage made an impassioned speech in support of heroes, and he began running against Fisk in the city’s next mayoral election. 

However, Fisk countered Cage by seizing control of Zebediah Killgrave, the Purple Man, and using his persuasion powers to manipulate the city into reelecting him. Although the heroes managed to rescue some of their allies, Doctor Octopus and his Octobots turned the city into a police state. 

After realizing the Purple Man’s children had tampered with his memories, Fisk used the Purple Man’s power to restore his mind and remembered that Matt Murdock was Daredevil. When he tried to confront the lawyer, he found Mike Murdock, Matt’s twin brother, instead and beat him to death in front of Kirsten McDuffie, a lawyer and close associate of Daredevil.

HOW WILSON FISK'S MAYORSHIP ENDED

Mayor Fisk’s time in office ended in DEVIL’S REIGN (2021) #6 by Chip Zdarsky and Marco Checchetto. After Fisk killed Mike Murdock, Daredevil and Elektra—operating as another Daredevil—confronted the mayor. As the Purple Man took control of numerous heroes and set them against the remaining free heroes, Fisk tried to leave New York with his new wife, the assassin Typhoid Mary. When the Daredevils stopped them, Murdock almost killed the enraged Fisk but stopped when Elektra reminded him he was not a killer. 

The heroes stopped Purple Man, which revealed Fisk’s true actions to the public, and Luke Cage easily won the election to become the Mayor of New York City as a result. Although the disgraced Fisk was taken into custody, he escaped with help from his son, Butch Pharris. Fisk rejected an offer from his benefactors to continue working in politics, passed his criminal empire on to Pharris, and tried to live a peaceful life with his new wife. 

Thanks to his wife’s status as a mutant, Fisk resurfaced in the mutant nation Krakoa, where he could claim citizenship through marriage. So, when the mutant-hating group Orchis launched worldwide attacks on mutants, Fisk became an unlikely ally to the X-Men. To protect her assets from Orchis, Emma Frost transferred her wealth and control of the Hellfire Club to Fisk, who became the new White King. 

After a few brief dealings with the criminal underworld, Fisk became possessed by the spirit of Greed. Once Daredevil exorcised the demon, Fisk seemed desperate to repent and turn over a new leaf after a life of misdeeds as the Kingpin.

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