Although the star only appears for a few seconds in the new Daredevil: Born Again trailer, Marvel fans are already trying to work out who Michael Gandolfini could be playing in the upcoming Disney Plus show.
The new Daredevil trailer includes many first looks at new characters such as Muse and White Tiger, but Marvel Studios are still yet to confirm Gandolfini’s mysterious character. The actor appears towards the end of the clip walking down the street while Matt Murdock narrates "I was raised to believe in grace, but I was also raised to believe in retribution."
In the initial copyright listing for Daredevil: Born Again, Gandolfini is down as playing Daniel Blade. However, this is a completely new character who does not appear in the original series or Marvel comics. Nevertheless, MCU fans have come to the conclusion that the star could be playing one of three possible figures: a young Kingpin AKA Wilson Fisk, or one of Kingpin’s two sons.
"Teenage Wilson Fisk," suggested one fan on Twitter, while others seem to be certain he is playing Fisk’s long-lost son Richard Fisk, also known as The Blood Rose. "It be a major twist if it turned out he was Richard Fisk, son of Wilson Fisk," said one fan, "Calling it now he’s going to be Kingpin's secret son," added another.
It is possible that Gandolfini could be playing a younger version of Vincent D'Onofrio’s Kingpin. The star is no stranger to portraying younger gangsters as he took on the role of a teenage Tony Soprano in The Many Saints of Newark, a role originally played by his own father James Gandolfini.
In terms of Fisk’s sons, in the comics, the crime lord had a complicated relationship with his son Richard who turned out to be the red hood-wearing villain The Rose. Kingpin also had another son named Byron 'Butch' Fisk who has a more underdeveloped storyline in the comics, leaving room for Marvel Studios to really explore this role.
Whoever Gandolfini is playing, we are sure it will only add to the already fearsome line-up of some of Marvel’s toughest characters from The Punisher (Jon Bernthal) to the red mask-wearing Daredevil (Charlie Cox) himself. The cast also includes Deborah Ann Woll, Wilson Bethel, Kamar de los Reyes, and Elden Henson.
Daredevil Born Again premieres on Disney Plus on March 4, with episodes airing weekly. For more, check out our guide to all of the upcoming Marvel movies and shows coming soon.
