Vincent D'Onofrio: Wilson Fisk's Movie Rights Issues Revealed

It turns out that fans of the iconic Hell's Kitchen antagonist Wilson Fisk, portrayed by Vincent D’Onofrio, might not see him on the big screen anytime soon. D’Onofrio himself recently shared on the Happy Sad Confused podcast with Josh Horowitz that the use of his character in Marvel films is severely restricted due to complex ownership rights.

"The only thing I know is not positive," D’Onofrio revealed. "It's a very hard thing to do, for Marvel to use my character. It's a very hard thing to do, because of ownership and stuff." He further clarified that his portrayal of Fisk is limited to television, dashing hopes of a standalone Wilson Fisk movie. "I’m only usable for television shows. Not even a one-off Wilson Fisk movie. It’s all caught up in rights and stuff. I don’t know when that would work out—or if it ever would work out at all."

This revelation effectively rules out D’Onofrio's appearance in any Marvel Cinematic Universe films, including the upcoming Spider-Man: Brand New Day and Avengers: Doomsday. This development could also impact plans for a potential Charlie Cox Daredevil movie, where Fisk would naturally be expected to play a significant role as the villain.

D’Onofrio first brought Fisk, also known as Kingpin, to life in the 2015 Netflix series Marvel’s Daredevil. The show ran for three seasons, concluding in 2018 with nearly 40 episodes. D’Onofrio's performance has garnered widespread acclaim from both fans and critics, and he has expressed a deep commitment to the character's development, drawing inspiration from legendary actors.

In a recent interview with IGN, D’Onofrio discussed the influences on his portrayal of Fisk, particularly admiring the everyman quality of actors like Harrison Ford. "Anytime they were in a fight, or they were holding a gun, they looked nervous," he said. "They carried their own humility into the action scenes with them. And I always thought that that was the way to go. That made it look real to me. Gary Cooper in Sergeant York, when he takes aim, when he becomes the sniper, it's the humility in his eyes that you see. It's amazing. I think that helps action stuff a lot. We're all very conscious of that."

Currently, Season 1 of Daredevil: Born Again is airing weekly on Disney+ and is set to conclude with its finale on April 15, 2025.