Warning! Spoilers ahead for Devil's Reign #2
In the latest issue of Marvel Comics' Devil's Reign, the Kingpin. While Iron Man initially came up with the idea to legitimately take down Fisk by running, it seems as though Earth's Mightiest Heroes have another candidate in mind who may stand a better chance. With many heroes being arrested one by one in New York, winning the race and removing Kingpin has become of the utmost importance for the Avengers as they try to survive.
After Kingpin realized that he no longer re Daredevil's true identity (thanks to his mind having been manipulated), he demanded that the Man Without Fear restore his memory and tell him in the first issue of Devil's Reign. When Daredevil refused, Fisk retaliated by g the Powers Act, outlawing all superheroes and vigilantes in the city of New York, and replacing them with his recently deputized Thunderbolts (many of them being villains). Furthermore, he's also begun to reveal all of the sensitive information he's collected over the years, exposing the Avengers' darkest secrets to the public to win their favor. As such, the Thunderbolts have begun to arrest heroes, forcing those who remain into hiding. Essentially, Kingpin has grown tired of feeling an absence of control in his city thanks to superheroes, and he's finally declaring war.
This brings things to Devil's Reign #2 from Chip Zdarsky and Marco Checchetto, seeing Iron Man, Captain America, Daredevil, Miles Morales, Luke Cage, and Jessica Jones all laying low in a secret basement facility underneath the old Avengers Mansion. While Iron Man was planning to run for mayor against Kingpin, this new issue sees him approached by the other heroes who tell him it's a bad idea. Instead, they believe Luke Cage stands a better chance of actually winning the race. Not only did Luke's recent speech strike a chord with the public, but he's also never worn a mask, always being an honest and open book the people can trust.
While Iron Man does concede to the rest of the Avengers' wishes, it seems as though he may be a little bitter. The other heroes aren't wrong though. Iron Man would be a much easier target for Fisk to take down and put in a bad light, turning voters against Stark when victory is absolutely essential. In contrast, it will be much harder for Kingpin to attack Luke Cage's character, especially after he empowered the people with his speech exposing Fisk's leadership of the city for what it really is: power over others with a grip that refuses to relent.
In any case, there's still going to be plenty of challenges and hurdles such as Fisk taking the Purple Man's powers of suggestion for himself to coerce the people's favor. Furthermore, it doesn't seem like the Avengers yet know that Kingpin is planning to run for the presidency (which of course comes with a whole new set of problems and dangers). Regardless, the Avengers' nomination of Luke Cage is a very smart move all things considered as Devil's Reign continues.
