Editor’s Note: The following contains spoilers for Daredevil: Born Again Episode 7.One of the best scenes in the entireDaredevilNetflix series is whenWilson Fisk (Vincent D’Onofrio)andVanessa (Ayelet Zurer)meet and discuss the “Rabbit in a Snowstorm” painting. This spawned arguably the most fascinating relationship we have seen in the MCU/Netflix TV originals. Each time we thought Vanessa would pull away from Fisk’s violent business affairs,she shocked us by not only embracing them but being a willing accomplice in his crimes, to the point where she was the head of the mob families while he was away healing following the events ofEcho.
However, it’s sad to say that maybe it’s time forthis power coupleto break up inDaredevil: Born Again. Simply put, Vanessa has outgrown Wilson and doesn’t need him anymore. She has become the boss that he once was, while he desires a more public lifestyle now. Furthermore, she is arguably the more respected of the two in the underground world, yet Wilson refuses to acknowledge that. She used to be everything to him, but now that he seems to have larger ambitions unknown to her, maybe it’s time for Vanessa to head off on her own.
Vanessa and Wilson Fisk Both Desire Power, but for Different Reasons in ‘Daredevil: Born Again’
What makes the conflict between Vanessa and Wilson so tense is how similar they are in what pushes them and how different their end goals are. Both of them want power and respect, though Fisk wants it for his public political career, to make the city the way he wants it, whereas Vanessa wants it for her underground empire. In the past, they used these cravings to work together, a united front against their enemies. But now,Wilson won’t tell Vanessa what his plans are, and shutting her out is a direct violation of her desires.
When Fisk first met Vanessa, his greatest asset to her was not only the life he could give her but also the fact that he gave her a way into the world that she could use to gain the respect she wanted.There was a symbiotic relationship at that timeas she supported him, and he gave her the tools to grasp her freedom. Yet, now, with Fisk stepping out of that world, he no longer provides that for her. In fact, it was her generation of capital that allowed him to fund his campaign, so she is now providing him with the tools he needs, andit may beVanessa knows the underworld better than himat this point.
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Vanessa Has a Stronger Grip on the Underworld Than Kingpin Now in ‘Daredevil: Born Again’
Originally, Vanessa was almost beholden to Wilson’s love to ensure she still had security and respect within the crime syndicate. However, with his disappearance, the underlings clearly prefer Vanessa now.Luca (Patrick Murney)is not only willing to betray Wilson with the bank heist in Episode 5, “With Interest,” where we can assume Vanessa is the “boss” mentioned, but he is also ready to kill the man with Vanessa’s permission.Luca no longer views Vanessa as Kingpin’s wife, but he fears her wrath if he were to kill Wilsonwithout her approval.
Fisk now finds his support and power in politics and the media, with characters likeDaniel (Michael Gandolfini),Buck (Arty Froushan), the police, andBB (Genneya Walton). In contrast, Vanessa doesn’t seem as interested in these political aspirations and feels far more versed in the criminal underworld where her allies are. Both have pros and cons, and it means thattheir worlds are becoming more and more separated, with Vanessa standing on her own in hers.
Wilson Fisk No Longer Treats Vanessa With the Respect She Deserves in ‘Daredevil: Born Again’
At the end of the day, the biggest issue for Vanessa and Wilson Fisk’s relationship is not that she has no more use for him. Vanessa does love Wilson, after all. No, the biggest problem is that Fisk isn’t treating her with the respect she deserves anymore, and that is a death knell in most relationships. He isn’t looping her into his grander plans, not even answering her question as to what his “larger ambitions” are, whichcould even include the presidency. In the past, he used to treat her like a queen, bludgeoning Matt in a prison cell because he threatened her, and the lack of focus on his cuff links, the specific ones she picked out for him in the Netflix original, suggestshe has forgotten about her influence on him.
Focusing on Fisk’s respect for Vanessa, and therefore how big of a threat he sees her as, is where Luca’s death in this episode, “Art for Art’s Sake,” is fascinating. At the end of the episode, Vanessa texts Luca Wilson’s location, but when he goes into the restaurant to kill him, Buck is waiting to execute the rogue mob boss, with Wilson never flinching. We could read this two ways. Either Wilson knew his wife was going to betray him, in which case it really is over between them, or, and this feels more likely,this was a set-up to get Luca killed, but on whose orders?
Even if it was Vanessa’s idea, it doesn’t feel like killing one of her supporters would be her first thought, so perhaps she feels she has no other choice. Therefore, it still doesn’t invalidate the fact that she and Wilson have grown apart, with Vanessa being ready to step out of his shadow. She has everything she wants from a materialistic viewpoint, and a split from Wilson’s goals would be greatly supported by the wider underworld. Overall,Vanessa is not the woman Fisk met in season 1 ofDaredevil, but a mob boss who deserves respect in her own right.
New episodes ofDaredevil: Born Againare released weekly on Tuesday on Disney+.
