This article contains spoilers for “Daredevil: Born Again” season 1, episode 9.
Back when “Daredevil” was still under Netflix’s purview and the rest of the Defenders Saga was still a mere twinkle in the Marvel Television overlords’ eyes, Wilson “Kingpin” Fisk (Vincent D’Onofrio) established himself as one of Marvel’s most terrifying live-action villains. D’Onofrio’s portrayal of the rising crime lord as a reserved and troubled man whose small twitches belie the storm that rages beneath his stony facade was immediately a large part of the allure, but it also didn’t hurt that the show captured Kingpin’s ruthlessness in a particularly bloody way.
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The most notorious of Fisk’s violent moments came in “Daredevil” season 1, episode 4, titled “In the Blood.” Here, Fisk decapitates Russian mobster Anatoly Ranshakov (Gideon Emery) by slamming his head repeatedly with a car door. The sheer brutality of the scene still ranks as one of the grisliest Marvel deaths ever — and it seems that “Daredevil: Born Again” has been all too familiar with its reputation, seeing as the show’s season 1 finale takes some pains to not only match but actually surpass it.
Kingpin’s car door murder in Daredevil season 1 belongs in the conversation of most ruthless Marvel live-action death sequences, and is even referenced on “Born Again” as an example of Wilson Fisk’s sheer monstrosity. Despite this, the “Born Again” season finale manages to one-up this gruesome moment with a death scene straight out of the infamous “The Viper and the Mountain” duel from “Game of Thrones.” Here, Kingpin slowly and extremely graphically crushes his long-time adversary Commissioner Gallo’s (Michael Gaston) head with his bare hands, while horrified minions watch in awe.
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The head-crushing scene is a reminder of Kingpin’s terrifying strength and ruthlessness
The camera spends plenty of time lingering on both poor Gallo’s fate and the spectators’ sheer disbelief, and is more than enough to dethrone the “Daredevil” season 1 car door scene as Kingpin’s bloodiest moment. The fact that this effort shows similar strength as the Mountain (Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson) when he crushes Oberyn Martell’s (Pedro Pascal) head with his bare hands on “Game of Thrones” might seem surprising, since Kingpin is usually a fairly grounded character. However, while the scene is as impressive as it is intimidating, it’s actually very much in line with Wilson Fisk’s existing feats.
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Because of Kingpin’s comparatively subdued conduct on “Echo,” it can be easy to forget the absolutely monstrous shows of strength and constitution he has displayed on “Daredevil” and “Hawkeye.” His bulk belies a powerhouse who’s able to punch through walls, turned skilled opponents into ragdolls, and lift adult men using just one hand. In “Daredevil” season 3 episode 2, “Please,” a man stabs Kingpin in the stomach while he’s benching a characteristically heavy weight — and the villain simply responds by throwing both the weight and the man on the ground like they’re nothing.
The “Born Again” finale’s revelation that Kingpin is both able and willing to physically crush an enemy is an efficient confirmation that he’s a world-class strongman as well as a criminal mastermind. “Daredevil: Born Again” season 1 has missed storyline opportunities during its run and occasionally comes across as something of an admirable salvage job. Still, by highlighting Daredevil/Matt Murdock’s massive weaknesses and Kingpin’s strengths, it certainly knows how to create tension between the two arch enemies.
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“Daredevil: Born Again” season 1 is streaming on Disney+.