Daredevil’s Vincent D’Onofrio Thinks Joker-Style Kingpin Movie Would Be Awesome

Todd Phillips’ Joker was a smash hit at the box office, there’s no denying that. In fact, it’s the highest-grossing movie to ever feature DC’s Clown Prince of Crime. It’s even more impressive when you consider the movie’s microscopic budget, at least when compared to comparable superhero tentpoles; at this point, it’s beyond safe to say Warner Brothers’ gamble certainly paid off. Crossing the aisle and looking at the library of characters Marvel has to offer, one could make the argument that Wilson Fisk is a comparable character. Though he’s not a deranged lunatic to the point of painting his face like a clown, he’s a master strategist that sits atop the seedy environment of a comic book underworld.

ComicBook.com recently had the chance to catch up with Vincent D’Onofrio, who gave us an impromptu tour of his home office over Zoom. When the topic of inspirations and art came up, the Daredevil star quickly pulled out a piece he recently commissioned by legendary comics artist David Mack. Surprisingly enough, the piece wasn’t of Kingpin, nor was it of any other Marvel character — it was one of Joaquin Phoenix‘s Oscar-winning role as the Joker. That’s when we asked — would a Kingpin movie in the vein of a micro-budget Joker work?

“Yeah, I mean, I think that’d be awesome,” D’Onofrio tells us. The actor has said time and time again he’s willing to return to the role many fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe adore, so we asked if he thinks that R-rated Kingpin movie could happen.

“I think there’s more to do with him, but you just never know it’s [Marvel] such an intense company,” he adds. “Because when I think of Marvel, I think of so many storylines, it’s like you think of DC, it’s the same thing. There are so many stories. I can’t imagine being in that chair trying to figure out which ones are the ones to be told next. And that’s how I look at it, as a creative person. I see it much bigger than just my part. I just see it as these huge opportunities.”

D’Onofrio ended up appearing in all three seasons of Daredevil, serving as the primary antagonist for both the first and third seasons while having a much more reduced capacity in the show’s sophomore outing, largely due to the introduction of Jon Bernthal’s Punisher.

In this case, Marvel Studios has yet to officially commission an R-rated movie, so the Joker-style Kingpin project might be some time away if it happens at all. The door is still open, however, as former Disney CEO Bob Iger previously said R-rated Marvel movies were possible, should the company be able to adequately communicate the film’s darker tone to movie-goers.

All three seasons of Daredevil are now streaming on Netflix while Joker can be seen on HBO Max.