Warning! Spoilers ahead for Spider-Woman #18
Marvel's Devil's Reign is underway with its main series and various tie-in issues, and it's become very clear that the Kingpin is a major threat to every hero who dares to defy his authority. Feeling an absence of control in the face of superheroes in his city, Mayor Wilson Fisk has signed the Powers Act, making all superheroes and vigilantes illegal, replacing the Avengers with his sanctioned Thunderbolts. However, his greatest weapon is the knowledge and secrets he's kept for years, allowing him to create devastating offensives against every hero who refuses to recognize his power in New York.
While the Kingpin has been mayor since 2017, the straw that broke the camel's back for Wilson Fisk in regards to superheroes was Daredevil. Discovering that the memory of Daredevil's secret identity had been erased from his mind along with his secret files, Fisk demanded that the Man Without Fear tell him who he was under his horned mask. While Daredevil naturally refused, Kingpin decided to unleash his final endgame on New York's heroes with his new law, new Thunderbolts, and several elaborate plans he's prepared to break every single one of them.
Thus far in Devil's Reign, Fisk has been making great use of the secret files he's logged and hidden away, filled with some of the darkest secrets about Marvel's heroes and using them as brutal ammo. For example, Kingpin had been tracking Spider-Man's movements for so long he was able to ascertain his connection to the Daily Bugle, sending his Thunderbolts to take some of the employees as hostages which instantly drew out the Webslinger. Additionally, Kingpin revealed that he knows everything about Elektra (including her attempt to recruit Daredevil to the Hand) before giving her file to Kraven the Hunter. However, one of the most recent examples of Kingpin's deadly plans at work is in Spider-Woman #18 from Karla Pacheco and Pere Pérez. Not only does Fisk release the former Skrull queen Veranke to go after Jessica Drew, he also gives her all the information he has on Spider-Woman (including information about her loved ones).
Spider-Man, Elektra, and Spider-Woman aren't the only ones Fisk has files on, and it's more than likely there will be more heroes Kingpin will be coming after as Devil's Reign continues. The wealth of information he's been sitting on is staggering, and the fact that he's finally using it all in this massive bid to fully control his city is impressive. Not only that, but it also doesn't bode well for the future should Kingpin gain the presidency as he hopes to do. If Wilson Fisk makes it to the Oval Office with all the leverage he has, what hope do the country's heroes have against the power and influence he'll have at his disposal?
As a result, it's become critically imperative that Luke Cage beat Kingpin in the mayoral election as it will hopefully allow New York's heroes to break Fisk's ever-tightening grip. Kingpin is making it clear in Devil's Reign that he is not one to be underestimated, and that his greatest weapon is the knowledge and secrets he's accrued over the years. As such, fans will have to wait and see if the Avengers even have a chance at gaining the upper hand as the event continues from Marvel Comics.
