Marvel Studios Boss Addresses Why Kingpin Hasn't Been in a Spider-Man Movie

Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige has given fans hope about the possibility of Kingpin showing up in a Spider-Man movie.

For years, some of our favorite Marvel characters have been wrapped up in complicated rights issues. Although Disney owns the bulk of the Marvel universe, there are some characters who are tied up elsewhere. Spider-Man’s film rights are still owned by Sony, but are essentially loaned out to Marvel Studios for new live-action films and crossover events. The Hulk’s solo films belong to Universal Pictures, which is why there hasn’t been a new Hulk movie since 2008. And Kingpin is also apparently in some kind of legal purgatory.

Wilson Fisk actor Vincent D’Onofrio has expressed interest in playing the character in a Spider-Man film or even in his own spin-off movie, but has said it’s not possible. In 2025, he claimed his character is only permitted to show up in TV shows.

“It’s a very hard thing to do, for Marvel to use my character,” said the Daredevil: Born Again actor. “It’s a very hard thing to do, because of ownership and stuff. I’m only usable for television shows. Not even a one-off Wilson Fisk movie. It’s all caught up in rights and stuff. I don’t know when that would work out — or if it ever would work out at all.”

However, Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige suggests it’s not as big of a deal as people may think. When speaking with Josh Horowitz, Feige was asked whether or not Kingpin and Daredevil were ever considered for roles in Spider-Man: Brand New Day. Feige downplayed D’Onofrio’s concern over rights issues and stated that the characters were actually considered

“There are things to navigate like everything else,” said Feige. “We talked about all those characters at one point.”

Ultimately, it sounds like Feige could get the job done if the story demanded it. Will that ever happen? Who’s to say! It would be awesome to see Fisk and Spidey duke it out on the big screen, though. However, Feige has managed to not only usher in Spider-Man into the MCU despite rights issues, but he also managed to bring the X-Men, Fantastic Four, and Daredevil into the MCU after years of rights issues and different ownership. Maybe Feige will work his magic for New York’s notorious crime boss one day.

Cade Onder is a freelancer for IGN’s news team. He covers all things entertainment, including gaming, film, and more. You can find him on Twitter @Cade_Onder.