Actor Vincent D'Onofrio became a fan favorite within the Marvel fandom, thanks to his excellent portrayal of Wilson Fisk aka Kingpin in Netflix's Daredevil series, which ran from April 10, 2015 – October 19, 2018.
D'Onofrio reprised the role for 2021's Hawkeye and 2024's Echo but the Emmy-nominated actor made a slight change to his performance when the character joined the MCU, one that he's revealing will allow him to continue portraying the character for as long as Marvel wants.
"The only thing that could have held me back would be if I just had to keep on putting on all that weight and keep it on," said D'Onofrio in a new interview. "And so I don't have to do that anymore, so I'm in the best shape I've been in a long time."
He continued, "I love these new kinds of ways that they actually construct the muscle fat suits that I have to wear. I think they finally work and feel right and look good. That helps a lot because it's not the healthiest thing in the world to keep putting weight on and taking it off again. So yeah, I mean, as long as the powers that be will have me, I can't see not playing this part, it's so much fun."
D'Onofrio's next project is to reprise his role as the Kingpin in the upcoming Daredevil: Born Again Disney+ series. Filming on the TV show, which purportedly features Fisk running for mayor of New York City, will resume on Monday, following a massive revamp.
A new showrunner (The Punisher and Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan's Dario Scardapane), directors ( Moon Knight and Loki season 2 directors Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead) and a few familiar faces from the Netflix Daredevil series have been brought in to appease Kevin Feige, who reportedly was not impressed by early footage.
In addition, it's thought that Born Again's initial 18-episode order has been significantly reduced in the wake of the revamp. It's now thought that the show might consist of 8-12 episodes, with a midseason hiatus.
Currently, Born Again is without an exact release date but it's said to be part of Phase Five of the MCU, which ends on February 14, 2025, with Captain America: Brave New World. Phase Six is currently slated to begin on May 2, 2025, with Fantastic Four but that release date might be in danger if Marvel doesn't lock down the cast for Marvel's "first family."