10 Best Daredevil vs. Kingpin Storylines

By Mark Ginocchio /

2. €œGang War€ (Daredevil #170-172)

Frank Miller€™s impact on the world of Daredevil is immeasurable, but arguably his greatest contribution was the introduction of Wilson Fisk, the €œKingpin€ of crime, as Matt Murdock€™s chief adversary and antagonist. The €œGang War€ arc marked the very first time Daredevil and Kingpin locked horns. The storyline established a number of themes and dynamics that would go on to play key roles in future Daredevil/Kingpin confrontations, such as the cat and mouse game the two characters would endlessly play. €œGang War€ depicts a reluctant Kingpin enjoying the fruits of his €œretirement.€ But, as any mob boss can tell you, every time Fisk thinks he€™s out, somebody pulls him back in. In this instance, a number of rival gangs make a play to obtain Fisk€™s secret €œfiles.€ At one point, Murdock dons a disguise and tries out for Kingpin€™s gang to get the files for himself, only to be discovered and beaten senseless (and dumped into a sewer pipe) by the rotund crime boss. During one of the gang battles, Kingpin€™s wife, Vanessa, is presumed dead. By the end of the storyline, Kingpin just hands his files over to Daredevil, and tells him to do what he wants with them €“ that he€™ll just regroup and come back stronger and meaner than ever before. And thus, a rivalry that has endured for more than 30 years, is born. Meanwhile, Miller€™s decision to cast Kingpin as Daredevil€™s nemesis was a stroke a genius. It only makes sense for a superhero that spends his civilian life as an attorney defending the integrity of the law to be paired off with a villain who works the legal system and corrupts it to his benefit.