All 8 Ways No Way Home Set Up Kingpin As Spider-Man 4’s Villain

Following the end of Spider-Man’s first trilogy in the MCU, there are a few ways in which Spider-Man: No Way Home has potentially set up Kingpin as a major villain for the currently untitled Spider-Man 4. As seen at the end of Marvel’s Echo, Wilson Fisk’s Kingpin has big plans for the city of New York where several heroes in the MCU operate, including Spider-Man himself. To that end, the soft narrative reboot Tom Holland’s Spider-Man received at the end of No Way Home could make Kingpin the perfect foe for the MCU’s resident Webslinger.

At the end of Spider-Man: No Way Home, Peter Parker received a massive status quo change, resulting from his sacrifice to reverse Doctor Strange’s multiversal spell which Peter himself inadvertently broke. Conversely, Kingpin is now looking to become New York’s mayor as seen in Echo’s post-credits scene. Keeping that in mind, here are 8 ways in which Kingpin has been set up as the best Spider-Man 4 villain.

8 Peter Parker Has A Relationship With Matt Murdock

Daredevil Should Still Know Who Spider-Man Is

Thanks to Mysterio who framed Spider-Man as his murderer and publically outed him as Peter Parker, No Way Home begins with the fallout and all the legal ramifications, though Peter Parker thankfully gets Matt Murdock as his lawyer who helps clear all the charges. However, the damage was already done with everyone knowing Spider-Man’s secret identity and holding large amounts of distrust.

Although Doctor Strange’s final spell made it so no one would remember Peter Parker going forward, Doctor Strange and Wong’s memory of Spider-Man in Multiverse of Madness suggests that Daredevil may also have a partial memory of the Wallcrawler, even if he doesn’t remember Peter. To that end, a team-up between Spider-Man and Daredevil to take down Kingpin would be incredibly exciting for Spider-Man 4.

7 Spider-Man Has Lost A Lot Of Public Support

New York Is Divided About Spider-Man

Seen before Spider-Man sought Doctor Strange’s help in No Way Home, the Webslinger had lost a lot of the public support he’d accrued as an Avenger. Public opinion turned against him once they knew the truth, and distrust towards a masked vigilante may likely remain even with the memory of Peter Parker being forgotten in the aftermath of No Way Home. This is something Kingpin could use in the future, especially if he wants to sway the public as he’s done in the past with Daredevil.

6 Kingpin Can Make J. Jonah Jameson A Key Weapon

The Daily Bugle Can Sway Opinions About Vigilantes

To that end, No Way Home firmly established the rise of the MCU’s J. Jonah Jameson and the DailyBugle.net. Generating massive amounts of negative rhetoric painting Spider-Man as a menace, public perceptions are being shaped against Spider-Man just as they always have in the comics. However, one could easily see Wilson Fisk’s Kingpin manipulating the media to make Spider-Man look even worse. It could even be as simple as Jameson giving his support and vote to Fisk when he runs for mayor as was teased in Echo.

5 Spider-Man Is More Independent And Grounded

He’s Not Exactly An Avenger Anymore

Although the Avengers he’s worked with in the past should still remember him as Spider-Man, Peter Parker is very much on his own now with limited support. Team-ups could still happen, but the status quo change for Spider-Man in the MCU has definitely aligned him more with how he typically operates on the page. To that end, this upcoming trilogy of Spider-Man films could see Peter finally being a New York superhero taking down criminals to a higher degree, which would undoubtedly get Kingpin’s attention.

4 Spider-Man Is Living In Manhattan

He’s Closer To Kingpin’s Operations

Rather than continuing to live in Queens, Peter got his own apartment at the end of No Way Home. Now, he’s living on his own right in the middle of New York in Manhattan. This means he’s much closer to Kinpin’s operations in Hell’s Kitchen and the surrounding neighborhoods as Fisk works to control the city’s entire criminal underworld.

3 A Symbiote Could Make Spider-Man As Brutal As Fisk

Venom Left A Piece Of Himself Behind

In the post-credits scene for No Way Home, Eddie Brock’s Venom was also brought to the MCU, though he never made it to New York to join all the other villains. Instead, he got drunk in Mexico before he and his symbiote were sent back, though a piece of Venom was left behind. As such, Spider-Man may have his own Symbiote Saga in the MCU, getting his all-black suit and becoming more aggressive and darker as a result. As such, some increased darkness on Spider-Man’s part would be very compelling considering Kingpin’s own proven brutality.

2 Spider-Man Would Be Directly Affected By Kingpin’s Mayoral Run

Fisk May Go To War With New York’s Vigilantes

With Fisk likely running for mayor and winning in the upcoming Daredevil: Born Again series, the effects of his new power could be felt in Spider-Man 4. Thanks to No Way Home positioning Spider-Man as a masked New York vigilante, the idea of Fisk going to war and looking to outlaw vigilantes in the city would of course affect the Webslinger. This could very well be how the MCU’s Kingpin finally becomes a Spider-Man villain, just as he is in the original comics.

1 Spider-Man Is Free To Make Alliances With Street-Level Heroes

Daredevil, Defenders, Young Avengers, And More

Fisk running for mayor would naturally affect several other New York-based heroes as well. With Spider-Man having been primed in No Way Home to be more active in New York, there’s a solid chance Peter Parker will find himself joining forces with Daredevil in Spider-Man 4 or any other heroes operating in the city. This could include the other Defenders whose stories were recently confirmed as MCU canon, The Punisher, and even members of the upcoming Young Avengers such as Kate Bishop’s Hawkeye or Kamala Khan’s Ms. Marvel.

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