Wilson Fisk has held the power in two seasons of Daredevil: Born Again, but that won’t be the case any longer in Phase 6 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Vincent D’Onofrio reprised his role as the all-mighty Kingpin in the MCU, starting in Disney+’s Hawkeye, before a short stint in Echo and finally returning as a lead in Daredevil: Born Again. Since Netflix’s Daredevil, Fisk has seen a shift in status, becoming an elected official as New York City Mayor, and he’s ruled with an iron fist across both seasons of the Disney+ show.
However, Daredevil: Born Again Season 2 saw Fisk’s power take a spiral, as New Yorkers rebelled against his Anti-Vigilante Task Force and Safer Streets Initiative. This ultimately saw Fisk being offered a deal by New York governor Marge McCaffrey to avoid being criminally convicted by self-exiling himself. After much resistance, Kingpin ultimately follows through on the arrangement, last seen on an unknown beach at the end of the finale. With a power vacuum now opening up in New York City, one of Fisk’s former allies has seized that opportunity.
A set photo from the currently filming Daredevil: Born Again Season 3, which will be the next live-action series in Phase 6 after October’s VisionQuest, has confirmed that Fisk’s political advisor and chief of staff, Sheila Rivera (Zabryna Guevara), will replace him as Mayor of New York City. The set photo, shared by @movietitan on Instagram, shows a promotional banner hanging from a building that references “our mayor Sheila Rivera.” The advertisement regards a “Rebuilding New York City” campaign from Rivera’s office, suggesting that Rivera was anointed as Fisk’s replacement at some point after Season 2’s end.
This change in power was also confirmed via a shot in the Spider-Man: Brand New Day trailer. The scene in question shows news footage of Rivera presenting Tom Holland’s Spider-Man with the Key to New York City.
This trailer sequence already had many suspecting that Rivera would be taking over for Fisk, seeing as this job is one typically reserved for the city’s Mayor. This does not mean that Fisk is totally out of the picture though, as other set photos have teased that a bearded Kingpin will make his way back to the Big Apple.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day is due for release on July 31, and Daredevil: Born Again Season 3 is likely to be released in 2027, meaning both projects will come out before the end of Phase 6 (which concludes with Avengers: Secret Wars in December 2027).
Wilson Fisk: New York Mayor No More
Unlike Wilson Fisk, Sheila Rivera seems more than happy to welcome vigilantes onto the streets of New York City. It is unclear whether Spider-Man: Brand New Day will unveil how Peter Parker dealt with the rise of the Anti-Vigilante Task Force, but Rivera’s gesture
A New York City mayor who is more lenient on masked vigilantes has interesting implications on Daredevil: Born Again Season 3, paving the way for new superpowered storylines. The most notable supergroup that can come out of the shadows now is the Defenders. Krysten Ritter, Mike Colter, and Finn Jones are all confirmed for the next season, making Daredevil‘s third MCU outing a pseudo-sequel to The Defenders.
The question remains as to whether Charlie Cox will be joining his old crew. The Devil of Hell’s Kitchen is behind bars, and there’s a good chance that he wants to do his own personal atonement while he’s stuck there. This could mean that Matt Murdock may not reunite with the Defenders right away.
Some have even speculated that the prison seen in Brand New Day‘s trailer could be the very same one that Daredevil finds himself in. Spidey could be swooping in to save Matt from an attack from The Hand and helping him to escape, though Cox is still unsure that he is in the wallcrawler’s next flick.
Regardless, Mayor Rivera being a vigilante advocate could aid Matt Murdock’s case in getting a reduced sentence, allowing him to go back to crimefighting a lot sooner.
