10 Comic Villains With The Best Motivations

8. The Kingpin

In many ways, the Kingpin, aka Wilson Fisk, is a typical American mobster. First introduced in The Amazing Spider-Man #50 by the legendary Stan Lee and the equally brilliant John Romita Sr, the Kingpin started out life as a scheming baddie who was constantly frustrated by Spider-Man. However, come the 1980s, rising star Frank Miller would forever alter how people perceived Wilson Fisk, by making him the arch enemy of the Man Without Fear, Daredevil.

Miller's run needs no introduction, but it is worth emphasising just how much he changed the character of the Kingpin during his stint on the book. Instead of being a simple schemer who was foiled by everyone's Friendly Neighbourhood Spider-Man, he became something altogether more sinister, resembling the real-life mafiosos of American history, and exemplifying corruption in the extreme.

Fisk was plenty of things, but by recontextualising the character in Daredevil's world - one that depicted a vastly different version of New York to the one seen in the House of Ideas' other comics - Miller conceived of one of Marvel's most effective supervillains. His motivation was greed, anger and love all rolled into one, and his status among New York's elite ensured he was pretty much untouchable.

Ultimately, Kingpin was made by the very city he looked to exploit. He was bullied by its children, adopted by its criminal underworld, and boasted a tenacity that saw him enact unspeakable atrocities against its citizens, even as he looked to leave the life behind with his wife, Vanessa.