A key weapon was swapped out in Daredevil: Born Again due to Vincent D'Onofrio's guidance.
Daredevil: Born Again underwent a major creative overhaul during production, with Marvel replacing its head writers and directors to pursue a darker, more serialized tone closer to the Netflix original. Despite the shakeup, D'Onofrio's return as Wilson Fisk (aka Kingpin) was never in question.
The actor has become a fan favorite in the role over the past decade and has openly committed to playing the iconic villain for the rest of his career.
Kingpin Actor Stood His Ground Over One Character Decision
On the Talk Daredevil Podcast, Daredevil: Born Again showrunner Dario Scardapane and executive producer Sana Amanat discussed their experience working on Season 1 of the show and recent events.
Amanat brought up how the returning actors like Vincent D'Onofrio and Charlie Cox "probably know these characters at this point now better than anyone," having portrayed their Daredevil characters since 2015.
She then remembered when D'Onofrio altered some of the story, telling the creative team that "Kingpin wouldn't kill the guy in his basement," instead, he would "torture him in his basement:"
"They know these characters so well, right? They probably know these characters at this point now better than anyone so you just have to trust some of their instincts. I remember when Vincent was like... We're talking a bit about Vanessa's affair that happened and it was very much him being like, 'Well, I wouldn't... you know what, Kingpin wouldn't kill the guy in his basement. He would keep the promise but Kingpin would torture him in his basement and I'm like, 'Oh my god, you have a dark mind.'"
Scardapane then remembered a more specific disagreement D'Onofrio had over the weapon used in Daredevil: Born Again, Episode 6, when Fisk gives Adam a weapon, acting as a "great equalizer."
Initially, the weapon was going to be a hammer, then a bat, but ultimately the Kingpin actor insisted, "No, it must be an axe:"
"I remember that discussion. And then also when he goes to confront Adam, we're like... Originally, it was a hammer, and then it was a bat, and Vincent's like, 'No, it must be an axe.' We're like, 'Okay...'"
Within the back-and-forth conversation, Amanat agreed that "a hammer might['ve] be too on the nose," which hints at a greater connection to the original Netflix series.
Why Kingpin's Hammer Would've Been "On The Nose"
In Daredevil lore, the hammer isn't just any weapon. It's the same object young Wilson Fisk used to brutally murder his abusive father in Season 1, Episode 8.
That traumatic moment has defined much of Fisk's psychological foundation, making the hammer a powerful symbol of his past.
The character even held onto it as a keepsake, later offering it to Maya Lopez in Echo as a twisted gesture of release (later leading to a Born Again tie-in).
Reintroducing it as his weapon in the rebooted series would risk feeling like an overly obvious callback rather than a meaningful character choice. For someone as calculating and image-conscious as Fisk, giving that same hammer to Adam might come off as more symbolic than practical.
Looking for more original Daredevil stars in Born Again? Check out the full cast list for the epic finale, including Deborah Ann Woll.
The Daredevil: Born Again finale premieres on Disney+ on Tuesday, April 15.
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