At some point, every aspect of mainstream culture became political. And I don’t mean “political” as in espionage thrillers or Tom Clancy’s stories – I mean the dumb kind of political, the one where both sides of the aisle throw insults at the other, hoping to make themselves heard. Before we were discussing “race swaps,” “whitewashings,” and all sorts of new buzzwords that come and go as soon as they enter the Twittersphere, we had movies that everyone agreed were just plain fun. They were not perfect, but they were entertaining enough to make you want to spend a couple of hours at the theater. At the end of the day, that’s all that matters for the good of the industry, isn’t it? That’s why, before the rise of Twitter (or X,) movies could get creative with their castings, and no one would bat an eye. I believe no casting choice proves this better than Michael Clarke Duncan’s Kingpin in 2003’s Daredevil.
Authenticity Over Everything
One reason why many fans feel that comic book movies aren’t as good as they were a decade ago has to do with the lack of authenticity the genre seems to be experiencing. A few years back, comic book movies were just that – films about comic book characters. Now, they often feel like parodies of themselves, which eventually results in the dreaded Marvel quip-fest seen in movies like Thor: Love and Thunder.
Daredevil was a trailblazing film released only a year after Spider-Man changed the rules for comic book movies. This allowed director Mark Steven Johnson to give fans a sincere approach to the characters they knew and loved from the comics. Did it work as intended? Maybe not, but it did result in Duncan’s casting as Wilson Fisk, an unlikely pick if there ever was one.
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A Towering Job for a Towering Man
A blessing in disguise that comes with being a trailblazer is that there’s no blueprint to reference for your job. Michael Clarke Duncan (The Green Mile, Armageddon, Planet of the Apes) created his take on the Kingpin from the ground up. Sure, we knew who Wilson Fisk was – especially those of us who loved the 90s Spider-Man animated series – but there was no previous live-action incarnation to refer to.
For many viewers, Duncan was still John Coffey. Seeing him as a villain was almost a blasphemy. And yet, he used that same sympathy to create a Kingpin that was equal parts menacing and human. That is something that would become an integral part of any future Kingpin adaptation – just look at how tragic his backstory became in Into the Spider-Verse.
Again, that honest, human take on the character comes with a genre that still feels the stories in comic books are worth telling as they are. There’s no deconstruction of Kingpin’s character in 2003’s Daredevil – just a heartfelt, powerful performance by one of the greats.
A Matter of Perspective
Any discussion of Duncan’s Kingpin has to address the Fisk-sized elephant in the room: in the comics, Kingpin is white. Curiously enough, Kingpin was previously played by an African-American actor, only not in live-action. Remember that iconic Wilson Fisk I mentioned from the Spider-Man animated series? Roscoe Lee Browne voiced the character, giving him that uniquely menacing tone that terrified 90s kids.
Still, Michael Clarke Duncan embodied a character that didn’t precisely resemble the Kingpin we know from the comics. At least, on the surface. Duncan, whose towering stature dwarfed any other actor, turned into a real-life Kingpin – someone who didn’t need special effects or CGI to look like what we’d expect someone like Wilson Fisk would look in real life.
Even talented actors like Vincent D’Onofrio, who’s now killing it as the MCU’s Kingpin, lack the presence Michael Clarke Duncan had – literally. Daredevil might not be a perfect movie by any means – but it gave us one of the best Marvel villains in any comic book adaptation.
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Tell us, do you think Michael Clarke Duncan did a good job as Kingpin in 2003’s Daredevil?
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