While the plot of Spider-Man: Brand New Day, the wall-crawler’s next Marvel Cinematic Universe film, is not yet revealed, many have wished to see the popular villain Kingpin in the film – but whether this will be possible looks uncertain following recent comments on the matter. While theories about the next Spider-Man film have seen every villain from Morbius to Mephisto rumored to feature, Kingpin arguably makes the most sense for the movie. However, whether the villain will even cameo in the upcoming MCU movie is currently unclear.
Spider-Man has some of the best villains in all of comic book media. The appeal of so many of these characters even led to Sony pursuing their own spinoff universe built around these supporting figures, although the Sony Spider-Man Universe appears to now be over, at least for the moment. Instead, the studio is focusing on Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse, and Spider-Man: Brand New Day, the latter of which is expected to be one of the biggest films of 2026. Unfortunately, not every popular villain may be eligible to appear.
Kingpin Seems A Perfect Choice For At Least A Cameo In Spider-Man 4
Vincent D’Onofrio’s Take On The Character Has Been Celebrated
While Wilson Fisk plays a major role in Daredevil: Born Again, he actually poses a threat to many more heroes in the comics. The character of Fisk first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man comics, and Kingpin has been a regular thorn in Spider-Man’s side ever since. This led to him being a major antagonist in the Fox Kids series Spider-Man, before becoming more familiar to non-comic readers as the main antagonist in the 2003 film Daredevil. Following this, the character became even more popular after he appeared alongside Charlie Cox in Netflix’s Daredevil, played by Vincent D’Onofrio.
Since then, audiences have grown to adore D’Onofrio as Wilson Fisk, hailing him as one of the best Marvel villains yet seen in the MCU. D’Onofrio provides one of the most unsettling performances ever seen in the MCU, giving his Fisk presence and charisma, all while teetering on the edge of madness and violence. With such powerfully restrained fury, many have hoped to see the character crossover into the larger MCU, even after short appearances in Hawkeye and Echo. The most common desire is to see Kingpin appear in the next Spider-Man film.
Vincent D’Onofrio’s Latest Spider-Man 4 Comments Make His Appearance In The Movie Seem Like A More Complicated Matter
Unfortunately The New Spider-Man Film May Not Be Able To Include Fisk For Contractual Reasons
Movie rights in Marvel have been a confusing topic for some time, with Hulk’s movie rights being constantly discussed. During a recent interview on the Happy, Sad, Confused, some similar details about Wilson Fisk were revealed when Vincent D’Onofrio spoke about the potential of him appearing in the next Spider-Man movie. D’Onofrio mentioned that “[i]t’s a very hard thing to do because of ownership and stuff”, making it sounds unlikely that his character could appear in Spider-Man: Brand New Day. Unfortunately, this reason also seems to apply to other Marvel movies as well.
D’Onofrio continued, explaining that “[r]ight now, I’m only usable for television series.” It appears that there are complex details concerning character iterations of Wilson Fisk in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In live-action films, the rights actually appear to be with Sony for the character. However, Disney owns the rights for TV. While Brand New Day is a co-production with Sony and Disney, the character existing on TV in Marvel could complicate how the rights work for the film, making it legally difficult to include D’Onofrio’s iteration of the villain.
Spider-Man 4’s Ties To The MCU’s Kingpin Story Mean It Could Be Strange If The Villain Isn’t At Least Referenced
There Is Simply Too Much Overlap Between Kingpin And Spider-Man In The MCU
Kingpin is a major force in New York City, where Spider-Man is located, after having been elected mayor in Daredevil: Born Again. His story has led to many rumors about Spider-Man: Brand New Day, as Kingpin’s work in the city will surely rub up against Peter Parker’s efforts. With Kingpin already calling out Spider-Man in the series, it seems that the pair would surely find themselves at odds with one another, which would lead into a perfect opportunity to feature Kingpin in the next film.
These contracts complicate that. However, it is important that Kingpin be at least referenced in the upcoming Brand New Day. The villain’s efforts to reform New York City, and to turn his consтιтuents against masked crimefighters logically must play an important part in the story of the new film. While it would be satisfying if Vincent D’Onofrio was able to appear, it is important that his shadow looms over the story in significant ways, as his own journey aligns with Spider-Man’s in many different ways.
Recent updates concerning the movie rights for Kingpin are disappointing, but the character is still fortunately an important part of Daredevil: Born Again, and will hopefully be there for several more seasons. However, seeing Kingpin and Spider-Man clash on the big screen is something that will arguably need to happen eventually. The character is an important Spider-Man foe, and if he cannot appear in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, then it is important that the studios figure out how to work together for the villain’s big-screen MCU future.
Upcoming MCU Movies
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Thunderbolts*
- Release Date
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May 2, 2025
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The Fantastic Four: First Steps
- Release Date
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July 25, 2025
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Avengers: Doomsday (2026)
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Spider-Man: Brand New Day
- Release Date
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July 31, 2026
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Avengers: Secret Wars
- Release Date
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May 7, 2027
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