The Marvel Cinematic Universe is building up to a major crossover between its street-level heroes and the Kingpin of Crime. What would this look like?

Daredevil: Born Again will finally feature the long-awaited reunion between bitter rivals Matt Murdock, a.k.a. Daredevil, and Wilson Fisk, the Kingpin of Crime. With the Netflix Daredevil series now fully grafted into the canon of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the years-long superhero and supervillain rivalry is now carrying over into the larger franchise as the Kingpin returns with his sights set on becoming the new mayor of New York City.

Kingpin’s recent return to the MCU in series like Hawkeye and Echo shows that he has the potential to be an overarching villain for the street-level heroes of the franchise. As he gains more and more power for himself, Fisk becomes a threat to the entire city, the heroes of New York would be forced to band together to finally beat him once and for all. This could lead to a much-anticipated gang war event that could span several movies and series in the upcoming years of the MCU. Not only could this be a fitting ending to Kingpin’s arc in the franchise, but it could also go a long way in winning back fans who have grown tired of the current trajectory of the MCU.

The MCU Thrives At The Street-Level

Daredevil: Born Again will see the return of several Marvel Netflix characters for the first time in the larger MCU, including Vanessa Fisk, Bullseye, and Frank Castle, a.k.a. the Punisher.

The MCU has its fair share of street-level heroes and, while a trip down the cosmic road is always fun, Marvel seems to thrive when it embraces the opposite end of the superhero power spectrum. The Marvel Cinematic Universe has particularly enjoyed its street-level stories, though these are becoming few and far between in an age of gods, mutants, and eternal beings roaming the world. Nevertheless, one doesn’t have to look too far back to see that some of the MCU’s very best stories didn’t need to rely on supernatural entities, sci-fi adventures, or even Infinity Stones. All they needed was a worthy hero, a good story, and a villain worth fighting.

Netflix’s terrific Daredevil series is proof that the MCU’s street-level stories are what fans want. Gritty, grounded, and smartly written, the three-season superhero series is everything someone would want in a superhero show, as one man vows to take on the mob that controls his beloved city. Mainline MCU projects like Hawkeye and the Spider-Man films also benefit from keeping an element of realism in their storylines, though even these sometimes steer too far in the opposite direction. Even shows that deal with creatures from other dimensions, like Ms. Marvel, were at their best when they simply followed a superhero as they tried to keep their city from being overrun by crime. With so many other massive storylines eating up the MCU, it would be more than refreshing to slip back to basics for a good, street-level storyline.

A Gang War Storyline Is A Nice Distraction From The Multiverse

The Multiverse Saga is currently set to end with a two-part finale in Avengers: The Kang Dynasty and Avengers: Secret Wars in 2026 and 2027, respectively.

The MCU’s long-running Multiverse Saga has proven to be divisive with fans, many of whom question its quality in comparison with the highly acclaimed Infinity Saga that made up the franchise’s first eleven years. Many viewers have expressed exhaustion with the multiverse craze going around Hollywood both in and outside of the MCU. Marvel Studios would be wise to introduce an extraneous storyline that multiverse-tired fans can latch onto as they wait for the larger franchise to move on to something different. With so many projects making up Phases 4, 5, and 6, it wouldn’t take away anything from the Multiverse Saga to spend some time exploring other stories that don’t necessarily build up to The Kang Dynasty and Secret Wars.

Now is the perfect time for Marvel to begin focusing on other plotlines outside of the main multiverse story. With the recent controversy regarding Jonathan Majors leading him to be fired by the studio, the Multiverse Saga is in a state of rebuilding. Though Kang will reportedly remain in the MCU, Marvel may want to steer attention away from his storyline for a while as they reassess the direction of Phase 5 and Phase 6. Focusing on a group of street-level heroes who have little or nothing to do with the multiverse would be an excellent way of shaking things up in this period of instability. Moreover, with a classic and incredibly popular villain like Vincent D’Onofrio’s Kingpin set to become the Big Bad of such a crossover, fans would no doubt be ecstatic to see a street-level crossover as they wait for more news about the next two Avengers movies.

Who Could Be A Part Of Marvel’s Street-Level Crossover?

Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Iron Fist, The Defenders, and The Punisher were all officially made MCU canon after the release of Echo.

Daredevil certainly won’t be the only hero taking on Kingpin in an MCU Gang War. Vincent D’Onofrio insists that Kingpin will take on Spider-Man one day, perhaps in Spider-Man 4 or even Daredevil: Born Again. Spider-Man and Daredevil would be the perfect heroes to spearhead a battle against Mayor Fisk, finally giving fans the long-awaited team-up they’ve wanted ever since Matt Murdock first showed up in Spider-Man: No Way Home. However, they wouldn’t be the only New York-based heroes who would rise against Kingpin in a Devil’s Reign storyline. To face a villain this well-connected, they would need a new and improved Defenders lineup as backup.

With reports that Jon Bernthal’s Punisher is returning to the MCU, it seems likely that most or all of the Netflix heroes could return for another Defenders team-up. This would add not only Punisher, but Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist to the roster of heroes lining up to take Kingpin down once and for all. This time, however, they wouldn’t be alone in their efforts but might receive assistance from an Avengers or two as well. Heroes like Hawkeye and Kate Bishop have a history with Kingpin that might lead them to join this new version of the Defenders seeking to keep him from taking over the city. Maya Lopez’s Echo would also certainly have a claim to stake in the battle against Fisk, especially after the events of her Disney+ spinoff series. With heroes lining up for miles for their shot at the Kingpin, the MCU’s potential Gang War storyline isn’t lacking for popular characters.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is at a crossroads, as audiences wonder where the Multiverse Saga will go next. Embracing a street-level aesthetic that branches multiple different shows and movies in Phase 5 and Phase 6 would be a bold and ultimately wise move for the waning franchise as it tries to regain what made it so popular in the first place.