Why Is New York Supporting Wilson Fisk as Mayor in Daredevil: Born Again?

After his menacing appearances in Hawkeye and Echo, the Kingpin of Crime has returned to his home turf in Daredevil: Born Again, a continuation of the Netflix Defenders universe where Vincent D’Onofrio first brought the character to life. The new Disney+ series partially centers on Fisk’s political ambitions as he campaigns for Mayor of New York City, running on an anti-vigilante platform that resonates surprisingly well with voters. The fact that Fisk is even a viable candidate is perplexing, given his well-documented criminal history and public acts of violence. Nevertheless, the first two episodes of Daredevil: Born Again carefully lay out how this brutish crime lord successfully sells himself as a champion of the people, gathering enough signatures to secure his place on the ballot.

WARNING: Spoilers below for Daredevil: Born Again Episodes 1 & 2

New York’s sociopolitical landscape in the MCU has deteriorated significantly since we last saw Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox) and his friends. The opening scenes of Daredevil: Born Again feature a telling conversation during Cherry’s (Clark Johnson) retirement celebration at Josie’s bar. His discussions with fellow officers expose a troubling trend: the NYPD has experienced a 30% reduction in personnel over recent years. Veterans are retiring early, and recruitment numbers are plummeting as citizens increasingly turn to vigilantes rather than official law enforcement for protection.

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This erosion of police presence has created a vacuum in public safety that Fisk cleverly exploits in his campaign messaging. By positioning himself as someone who can restore order to the city, he appeals to voters’ fears about crime and institutional failure. Interestingly, the series presents this decline in public services as a direct consequence of vigilante activity – a bitter irony considering Daredevil’s efforts to protect the city.

Further complicating matters is the widespread cynicism toward traditional politicians. In several scenes, journalist BB Urich (Genneya Walton) interviews citizens about the upcoming election, with many expressing the sentiment that politicians and criminals are all the same. This false equivalence makes it easier for voters to overlook Fisk’s criminal past, reasoning that at least he doesn’t pretend to be something he’s not. In the public’s jaded view, a known criminal might be preferable to a hypocritical politician, a distorted perspective that plays directly into Fisk’s hands.

Vigilante Culture Fuels Wilson Fisk Political Ambitions in Daredevil: Born Again

As Daredevil: Born Again underlines, the rise of vigilantism in New York has fundamentally altered how citizens perceive justice and authority. For instance, Daniel Blake (Michael Gandolfini), Fisk’s campaign assistant, points out that young voters particularly admire Fisk’s direct approach. Rather than navigating bureaucratic channels, Fisk simply acts decisively, a quality that resonates with a generation frustrated by institutional inefficiency.

This attitude mirrors the vigilante ethos that heroes like Daredevil embody: taking matters into your own hands when formal systems fail. Ironically, the very culture of bypassing official channels that Daredevil helped normalize has now primed voters to embrace a figure like Fisk, who promises to cut through red tape and deliver immediate results. In other words, The Man Without Fear’s fight for justice has inadvertently contributed to the public mindset that conventional methods are too slow and ineffective, an idea that Fisk masterfully explores.

Fisk’s anti-vigilante platform also taps into longstanding anxieties about superhero activity that have persisted throughout the MCU. From the Battle of New York to the events of Captain America: Civil War, public opinion has oscillated on whether enhanced individuals help or harm society. The Sokovia Accords represented a formal attempt to regulate superhero activity, reflecting genuine concerns about accountability and collateral damage. However, with the Accords officially repelled in the MCU, Fisk cleverly positions himself as the continuation of this regulatory impulse, promising to bring order to what many see as dangerous vigilante chaos.

The greatest tragedy of Daredevil: Born Again may be that Matt Murdock’s years of sacrifice to protect Hell’s Kitchen have inadvertently paved the way for his greatest enemy to gain unprecedented power through legitimate means. In fighting for justice outside the system, Daredevil has contributed to weakening the very institutions that might have prevented someone like Wilson Fisk from ascending to political leadership.

New episodes of Daredevil: Born Again premiere on Disney+ every Tuesday.

What do you think Wilson Fisk truly wants as mayor of New York City? Does his political campaign in Daredevil: Born Again make sense to you? Join the discussion in the comments!