Daredevil: Wilson Fisk [Kingpin] (INFP)

Wilson Fisk was an interesting villain, one which we believed to be an INFP in spite of the popular INFJ opinion. We certainly considered INFJ for Wilson Fisk, but saw much stronger evidence for Fi, than Fe. Hopefully this makes sense. If you’re interested in checking out other character analyses from this show, make sure to visit Karen Page, Foggy Nelson, and Matthew Murdock.

Fi:

“There was a time when I believed that I was complete, that I needed no one to truly understand who I am.”

“I’ve spent much of my life alone. For many years, I pretended that this was the source of my strength. I told myself I had free will. And in that time, I achieved a great deal. But I was not fulfilled. I was longing for a connection that I could imagine, but I could not achieve. Searching and not finding.”

“That’s what makes you dangerous. It’s not the mask. It’s not the skills. It’s your ideology. The lone man who thinks he can make a difference. I’m glad we could talk. I- I respect your conviction even if it runs counter with my own.” – Fisk to Daredevil

“Not that I don’t admire what you’re trying to do, to change the world with nothing but desire and your own two hands, secure in the knowledge that you’re doing the right thing, the only thing. That’s something that I do understand. But we both can’t have what we want. So your part in this drama, by necessity, comes to an end.”

Wilson Fisk is a man of intense feelings and convictions. These drive his life, and isolates him from others. When speaking to Vanessa, he admits to her that it’s easy to “get caught up in what we’re doing, in who we think we are.” Fisk always had a desire, a longing to truly connect with someone. However, he isolated himself, and convinced himself that he didn’t need connection, that he didn’t need anyone to truly understand him. He saw solitude as his strength. This is in stark contrast to the high Fe users, or FJs, who strongly value connection and community.

Because his feelings are internalized, Fisk often presents himself as stoic. However, it doesn’t take long to realize the depth of his feelings, which he excels at introspecting on and expressing to others when he feels so compelled. Fisk also has a strong nostalgic streak, due to his connection to his personal feelings. This is obvious during his interactions with Vanessa, and in the objects which he clings to that remind him of his past. He strives to create a genuine connection with Vanessa, so he carefully shares personal facts about himself, and doesn’t try to keep the focus primarily on her.

Wilson Fisk respects conviction, even when it runs counter to his own. He expresses this directly to Daredevil, but also shares a similar sentiment with Ben Urich before killing him. Ultimately, Fisk sees the value and power in ideals, and respects those who possess them. He tells Daredevil that Daredevil’s ideology is what makes him dangerous, rather than his mask or his skills. He relates to Daredevil in the way that they are both lone men trying to make a difference.

Many believe Wilson Fisk to be an INFJ because of his ability to manipulate others, but it’s worth noting that he doesn’t do this through intuition, or via an intuitive sense of the person. He is able to manipulate people because he researches them thoroughly and then uses his general knowledge of human nature and emotions to take advantage of any weaknesses that he finds.

Ne:

“Problems are just opportunities that haven’t presented themselves.”

“Do you know what happens when you make a plan? Fisk has already thought of it, and he’s made it part of his plan.” – Karen Page

As a serious character, Wilson Fisk doesn’t display the stereotypical Ne humor or wit that is most often associated with Ne. Of course, neither of these things are innate Ne characteristics. (He’s also likely looping, since Fi-Si and Te are his most prominent functions.) However, Fisk’s Ne is in service to his Fi, meaning it’s helping him form and fulfill his dream for the saving the city. He has a personalized and specific image of his future, one in which he is looking down on the city that birthed him with Vanessa at his side.

Fisk is a big picture thinker, wanting to save the city, but “on a scale that actually matters.” He accounts for every possibility, every risk, and incorporates it into his plan, making him an extremely formidable foe. Fisk sees opportunities where ever he goes, and adapts relatively quickly. When Daredevil temporarily thwarts him in season 1, resulting in Fisk bring thrown in prison, it doesn’t take Fisk long to start seeing opportunities to leverage the other prisoners and start taking power in the prison.

Fisk has also shown that he is not necessarily completely married to whatever plans he has laid. This is most obvious when involving Vanessa. He willing goes along with what she thinks when she gives input on his plans. He does this even knowing full well, what she was suggesting was not the most ideal course of action.

A more specific indication that he is a Ne user can be seen in the way he communicates with others. Fisk often answers in excessively wordy ways. He’ll tell a story, or share a metaphor, basically taking a while to get to the point. This is typical of NPs.

Si:

“I try to learn from my mistakes.”

Wilson Fisk is fixated on the past and can’t move on from it on his own. Much of what he does ties back to his past in some way. In spite of his rocky past with his father, Fisk wears his father’s cuff links every day. Similarly, he finds himself drawn to “Rabbit In the Snow” because it reminds him of his past, when he had to stare at a white wall. Fisk puts the painting in his bedroom so that it can be the first thing he sees every morning when he wakes up. It’s not until Vanessa gets involved that Fisk feels encouraged to start becoming a new man. However, he’s unable to leave New York, not even for her. He sees the city as part of his identity, and refuses to move on from it, in spite of the darkness in his past and impending defeat from his enemies.

Fisk strictly follows a specific daily routine. He makes himself the same breakfast every morning, and eats it alone, overlooking the city. He puts on an identical black suit to the day before, and wears the same cuff links. In prison, after taking power, one of the changes he makes is to his breakfast, in an attempt to recreate what he’s used to.

Te:

Fisk is prone to extreme bouts of aggression when situations spiral out of his control. This is usually provoked by someone’s failure to complete a task or obey a command. Fisk doesn’t calmly dole out punishment to regain control and assert his authority. Instead, he flies into fits of rage, using excessive force to punish the person who has offended him. Oftentimes, the punishment is greater than the offense, resulting in an extremely bloody mess and even death.

For instance, one of the Russians interrupts his dinner with Vanessa, which not only breaks a well-known rule (about dealing with Wesley rather than directly with Fisk) but also embarrasses Fisk in front of Vanessa. Later that evening, Fisk brutally beats the man, and in the process, decapitates him with a car door. There are other instances throughout the show where he impulsively carries out extreme acts of aggression on those who offend him in some way.