Marvel: Powers Kingpin Has In The Comics

Wilson Fisk, or Kingpin, is one of the most peculiar villains in Marvel. Unlike most of the world-ending, galaxy-eating, and god-killing enemies in Marvel, Kingpin is no more superpowered than someone like The Punisher. He’s just a human being. Still, that doesn’t mean he’s a pushover. He’s Daredevil’s arch-nemesis, after all, and even runs in with Spider-Man from time to time — even killing the web-slinger in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.

Spoiler alert for the MCUFisk finally met Clint Barton in the MCU in the Hawkeye series. This is also the same Kingpin that Netflix’s Daredevil series employed, so he is a bit more grounded in reality. Still, what exactly is Kingpin capable of? He’s certainly not just a crime lord in New York who tussles with the smaller capes. The list of powers he has in the source material makes him one of the most troublesome villains for all the human-level heroes.

Updated February 17, 2024, by Blaise Santi: Kingpin has continued to make waves in the Marvel Cinematic Universe with his recent appearance in Marvel’s latest Disney+ series Echo, which focuses on Fisk’s relationship with surrogate daughter Maya Lopez, who betrayed him at the end of the Hawkeye series. The character’s MCU screen time will only increase from there, as Vincent D’Onofrio is set to reprise his role in Daredevil: Born Again. With renewed interest in the character and his comic book origins, MCU fans might be interested in learning about even more powers that Kingpin has accrued throughout his publication history, even if they’re not superpowers.

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Ownership Of Assassins Guild

A Team Of Vigilantes At Fisk’s Disposal

See: Scarlet Spider Vol. 2, issue #19 (2013)

Kingpin has many henchmen at his disposal, as a criminal overlord in the Marvel universe. However, in a 2013 issue of “Scarlet Spider,” it was revealed that Fisk took control of the Assassins Guild, an anonymous vigilante team consisting of heroes like Candra, Belladonna, and Flower.

The Assassins Guild spends most of their time hiding in the shadows, but have been worthy adversaries to the X-Force and heroes like Wolverine, Gambit, and Scarlet Spider. Though characters like Deadpool have easily dispatched Assassins Guild members, there are still hundreds of them at Fisk’s disposal now that he owns them.

Obliterator Cane

He Can Make Anything Disappear

See: The Amazing Spider-Man Vol.1, issue #50 (1967)

Also known as the Disintegrator Cane, Wilson Fisk often carries around a walking stick that doubles as a secret weapon. When the Obliterator Cane is used, Fisk can fire a 300 watt laser beam, enough to completely vaporize small objects, such as a handgun. In other comic book installments, the Obliterator Cane has also fired a toxic gas.

The Obliterator Cane has sometimes been seen to contain a direct contact taser rather than a laser beam, which Fisk has used in battle against Daredevil. However, this iconic weapon has yet to appear in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. But maybe now that Fisk is running for mayor of NYC, he could get access to some top weapons manufacturers.

Peak Human Strength

He’s No Hulk, But He Out-Benches Any Human

See: The Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 1, issue #51 (1967)

With size comes strength, and Kingpin is easily one of the strongest humans in Marvel. His lift record (presumably an overhead press) stands at around 650 pounds (295 kg). Truth be told, this is impossible for any human being in the real world, because the current overhead press record is only around 470 pounds (213 kg). It seems Kingpin is cheating a bit there with what is humanly possible.

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Regardless, there’s no doubt that Kingpin is much stronger compared to his human enemies like Daredevil. He can even open a bank vault door with one hand and lift a heavy log table and use it as a weapon. Of course, there’s also the fact that he can trade blows with Spider-Man who has superhuman strength and can easily lift a truck.

Increased Human Durability

Fisk Has A Built-In Bulletproof Vest

See: Daredevil Vol. 2, issue #86 (2006)

Another odd thing about the Kingpin’s almost-mutant physicality is his musculature. Despite what his physique implies, he only has around nine pounds of actual fat in his body. The rest is muscle. So standing at two meters tall, Wilson Fisk is nearly 450 pounds (204 kg) of muscle. This gives Wilson Fisk an astounding amount of durability.

As stated above, he can trade and withstand blows from Spider-Man. His incredible muscle acts as padding, shielding him from injuries that would have incapacitated lesser men. Against sharp weapons or even bullets, Fisk also has added protection as his muscles can supposedly limit the degree of penetration and minimize his wounds. That’s just how it works for him, even though it’s bordering on superhuman.

Multiple Martial Arts Master

He Can Hold His Own In A Fight

See: Daredevil Vol. 1, issue #170 (1981)

Of course, all that bulk would be nothing if Wilson Fisk didn’t use it properly or pair it with skill. Thankfully, he’s also one of the most accomplished hand-to-hand combatants in Marvel. Fisk is trained in several martial arts disciplines, particularly sumo wrestling, judo, and hapkido. Also, despite his weight, he’s still agile and can evade attacks from superhuman enemies.

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It’s pretty obvious in Fisk’s fights against Daredevil that the two are evenly matched, with Kingpin sometimes gaining the upper hand against his opponent with enhanced senses and reflexes. As a flex of his own, Wilson Fisk even took on eight of the top human martial arts masters from all over the world and defeated all of them in 17 seconds.

Genius Intellect

You Can’t Outsmart This Mastermind

See: Web of Spider-Man, Vol. 1, issue #6 (1985)

If he had some engineering know-how, gadgets, and a cave, one could easily mistake Wilson Fisk for Batman. Because in addition to excelling in peak human physicality, he’s also frighteningly intelligent.

It’s not clear how high his I.Q. is, but genius-level starts at around 140 points. Fisk uses this level of intelligence criminally to maintain and expand his organized crime empire. There are times when he has even managed to outwit some of the established genius spies of Marvel.

Heightened Willpower

His Mind Is A Fortress

See: Marvel Team-Up Annual Vol. 1, issue #4 (1981)

Kingpin, apart from having top brains and brawn among Marvel’s humans, is also one of the toughest in the segment when it comes to mental fortitude. His willpower, much like his physicality, is almost superhuman as he was able to resist even some weak or low-level psychic attacks.

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This does make Fisk more difficult to mind-control compared to other humans in Marvel. He notably resisted the Purple Man’s pheromone mind control, which could easily take over a hundred human beings. It’s worth noting that even Jessica Jones couldn’t resist the Purple Man’s mind control, and Fisk just shrugged it off.

Multilingual Capabilities

He Speaks Everything Except ASL

See: Daredevil (TV series), Episode 108, “Shadows in the Glass”

In conjunction with his impressive intelligence, Wilson Fisk is also a citizen of the world. He’s a polyglot, meaning he can speak several languages with ease and fluency. Some of the most notable languages he can speak are:

English
Spanish
Mandarin
Japanese
Russian

Those are just the bare minimum of what he knows. It’s implied many times that he can speak more. This does make his business and crime deals easier, since he can gain the respect of foreign crime lords and gangs if he can speak their language.

Vast Criminal Connections

Fisk Is A Powerful Name In The Criminal Underworld

See: Daredevil Vol. 2, issue #78 (2005)

Speaking of a crime network, Wilson Fisk’s web of connections is one of the vastest in Marvel. He doesn’t exactly have the same strings to pull as someone like Doctor Doom or Nick Fury, but he maintains his grasp on New York City pretty well over the years.

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This takes a considerable amount of investment into crime partners, which Fisk has in spades. He has a main organization and also sometimes controls proxy or sister gangs to remain covert. He also has a global network which he can tap into for help or emergencies in the event that he gets cornered by his enemies or the authorities. It’s safe to say that the police or even the FBI in Marvel can’t do anything against him.

Hidden Weapons

He Doesn’t Need Them Often

See: The Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 5, issue #1 (2018)

One would think that Fisk’s bare hands would be enough as weapons, since they’re pure muscles and allow him to even break high-tech objects such as Spider-Man’s web-shooters. However, he still keeps surprises up his sleeve. such as his disintegrator cane mentioned above. But Fisk also has other weapons at his disposal.

As a last resort, Fisk also keeps a diamond stickpin in his suit that houses sleeping gas. Kingpin deploys this as his desperate trick against opponents, using it to blindside them. Truth be told, he doesn’t need these weapons most of the time due to all his henchmen and his various political and law immunities.

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