Why Kingpin’s Mayoral Reign, Not Daredevil, Keeps Me Watching Daredevil: Born Again

I’ve got a confession: Daredevil bores me to tears. Matt Murdock, the blind lawyer turned vigilante, with his endless guilt trips and rooftop brawls, just doesn’t do it for me. I sat through the Netflix series, and now, with Daredevil: Born Again kicking off its run on Disney+,—the first two episodes dropped on March 4, 2025—I’m still not sold on him. Charlie Cox is fine, brooding and punching his way through Hell’s Kitchen, but Matt’s whole “man without fear” shtick feels like a broken record. What’s got me hooked, though, is Wilson Fisk. Kingpin. Vincent D’Onofrio’s towering, terrifying crime lord turned mayor of New York City. The guy’s a walking earthquake, and now that he’s officially in charge after winning the election in the premiere, I can’t look away. Fisk is the real reason I’m sticking with this show.

Let’s rewind a bit. I watched the original Daredevil series on Netflix years ago, expecting to get swept up in Matt’s crusade. Blind guy with super-senses fighting crime? Sounds cool on paper. But in practice? It’s a slog. Every episode was Matt beating up thugs, bleeding on a couch, and wrestling with his conscience like it’s some groundbreaking moral dilemma. I’d sit there, half-asleep, waiting for something to shake things up. The “Born Again” comic arc by Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli—which you can read about here—promised a darker, more personal story, and sure, it’s the inspiration for the new show. But even there, Matt’s just a punching bag who keeps getting back up. Noble, predictable, dull.

Then there’s Fisk. From the second D’Onofrio hulked onto the screen in the Netflix series, I was all in. He’s not just a bad guy—he’s a volcano. One minute he’s crushing a dude’s skull with a car door (Season 1, Episode 4—still gives me chills), the next he’s whispering about art or his wife Vanessa like some tragic poet. D’Onofrio plays him with this quiet, simmering intensity that erupts when you least expect it. He’s the best thing about the old show, no contest. And now, in Daredevil: Born Again, with the first two episodes out and Fisk crowned mayor, I’m buzzing to see what he does with that power. The guy’s gone from shadowy kingpin to public figure, and I’m here for every second of it.

Image Credit: Disney / Marvel Studios

The premiere episodes—I binged them the day they dropped—set the stage perfectly for Fisk to steal the show. Matt’s still licking his wounds, apparently done with the Daredevil gig after some vague “line was crossed” moment (they don’t spell it out, but Foggy’s death seems to be the kicker). He’s a lawyer now, sipping coffee, trying to play it straight. Fine, whatever. Meanwhile, Fisk’s out there winning elections. Episode 1 ends with him taking the mayor’s office, and Episode 2 has him flexing his new authority, talking about cleaning up the city while throwing shade at vigilantes like Spider-Man and the Punisher. It’s classic Fisk—hiding his claws behind a suit and a smile. ScreenRant’s recap nails how he’s gaslighting the whole city, and I’m obsessed with watching it unfold.

What makes Fisk so gripping is that he’s not just a cartoon villain. He’s got depth. He thinks he’s the good guy, saving New York by choking it. In the comics, especially “Born Again,” he’s the mastermind who dismantles Matt’s life—exposing his identity, torching his career—just because Matt’s a thorn in his side. Marvel’s character bio calls him a strategist, a businessman who bends the world to his will. That’s way more compelling than Matt’s “should I punch or pray?” routine. Now, as mayor, Fisk’s got a bigger sandbox to play in. Episode 2 shows him smoothing over permits and playing the populist card, but you can feel the menace bubbling underneath. I’m dying to see how he turns City Hall into his personal empire.

Image Credit: Disney / Marvel Studios

Matt, on the other hand, feels like he’s stuck in neutral. The first two episodes have him moping around his fancy new law firm, Murdock & McDuffie, dealing with some vigilante case involving a guy named Hector Ayala. He’s not even wearing the mask anymore—threw it away, they say. It’s supposed to be dramatic, this whole “I’m done being Daredevil” arc, but I’m not buying it. I know he’ll suit up again eventually because that’s what heroes do. It’s predictable as hell. Even in the comics, when Fisk ruins him, Matt just keeps trudging along, resilient but repetitive. I don’t care how much he suffers—I need something fresh, and he’s not delivering.

Fisk, though? He’s a wildcard. You never know what’s coming with him. In the Netflix days, there’s this scene in Season 3 where he’s under house arrest, plotting from a penthouse, and Matt breaks in. Fisk sits there, calm as anything, talking about power while Matt loses it. D’Onofrio’s got this way of making every word feel like a threat, even when he’s not yelling. In Born Again’s diner scene—Episode 1, I think—Matt confronts him, and Fisk doesn’t flinch. He’s mayor now, untouchable, and you can tell he’s loving it. That’s the kind of tension I crave, not Matt’s self-pity parties.

The show’s been a mess to get here—delays, rewrites, Marvel figuring out its TV game. IGN’s got the full scoop—but it’s finally rolling with nine episodes this season, and Fisk’s mayoral reign is the backbone. After Echo, where he took a bullet to the face and still came back swinging, I’m betting he’s not just sitting pretty in office. Posts on X say he’s already calling out vigilantes in his speeches, setting up a crackdown. That’s the Fisk I want—scheming, ruthless, turning New York against its heroes. If they let him run wild, this could be the MCU’s street-level Thanos, tying into Spider-Man or whoever else dares to cross him.

Image Credit: Marvel Comics

I’ll keep watching for Matt, I guess. Cox has a quiet charm, and I’m mildly curious how he’ll bounce back from whatever broke him. The MCU’s sprinkled him in before—Spider-Man: No Way Home, She-Hulk—so I get why he’s the headliner. But he’s not why I’m here. He’s the straight man, the setup for Fisk’s chaos. Episode 2 hints at Matt getting pulled back into the fight, maybe over this White Tiger guy, but it’s Fisk’s moves that have me on edge. Will he rig the system? Sic cops on vigilantes? Break Matt all over again? That’s the juice.

I want Fisk to push Matt to a breaking point where I care about him—where he’s not just the same old martyr. The comics did it by stripping him bare; maybe the show can too. But right now, Fisk’s the star. Mayor of New York, sitting on his throne, plotting who-knows-what. He’s the heartbeat of Daredevil: Born Again, the reason I’m not canceling Disney+ yet. Matt might be the title, but Fisk’s the draw. Two episodes in, and I’m already counting down to see how he burns it all down.