Spider-Man: The Animated Series Episode Thirty-Four: The Sins of the Fathers, Chapter 7 - The Man Without Fear

The Man Without Fear

First Aired: September 28th, 1996

Synopsis: Spider-Man and Daredevil get away from the explosion at Fisktronics and with the data disc which can prove Peter Parker's innocence. The two split up to get away from guards, but not before Daredevil reveals to Spider-Man that philanthropist Wilson Fisk is the Kingpin. When Spider-Man returns to Matt Murdock's penthouse he sees a news item that his Aunt May was taken to hospital, and he rushes out to see her, although Matt warns him that Kingpin might expect this. For his part, Matt takes the disc to federal agent Susan Choi, who soon starts acting suspiciously, leading to police officer Terri Lee to start following her. At the hospital, Peter manages to sneak past some guards with Mary Jane's help and to see Aunt May, but the Chameleon, disguised as Anna Watson, knocks Peter and Mary Jane out with some gas. They're taken to Richard Fisk, who has been given the data disc by Choi. Terri contacts Matt about the latter.

Kingpin is so pleased with Richard's success that he tells Alistair Smythe about his origin. His father was a small-time crook who he wanted to work alongside, but once he was able to, his father abandoned him to the police to get away. He was sent to jail, which toughened him up enough that once he got out, he was able to rise to become the Kingpin quickly. He then created a new identity of Wilson Fisk and had his father killed so that there were no ties to his past. Meanwhile, Peter and Mary Jane are locked in an airtight chamber as Peter was last episode, but a police squad led by Terri Lee, as well as Daredevil, burst in and save them. Peter changes to Spider-Man, and chases Chameleon, who has the disc, to Kingpin's headquarters with Daredevil. Daredevil confronts Kingpin while Spider-Man fights guards, and then the two of them end up chasing after the Kingpin when he tries to escape - but he managed to swap places with Chameleon. Richard Fisk, Chameleon, and Susan Choi are arrested, and Peter's innocence is proven. Kingpin is disappointed with Alistair Smythe for suggesting that Peter should be framed, and fires him. Daredevil tells Spider-Man that he has to leave, but assures Spider-Man that he's got an ally in the fight against Kingpin.

Miscellaneous Notes:

• We see from the records Kingpin created that his original name was Wilson Moriarty. This is an original creation of the show - as is his whole origin, really - but I'll be damned if it doesn't work.
• On the topic of Kingpin's origin, he says that he used "[his] mastery of technology" to overwrite law records and erase his past. The Kingpin, a master of technology? Uh...sure, I guess that works.

Review: While I think that this episode is a slight drop in quality compared to the previous one - the in media res aspect of the previous one really worked for me, and a lot of the plot of this one revolves around the disc, which is a flashing neon McGuffin - I can't deny that it was still really enjoyable. Daredevil's just such a fantastic character that I find myself swooning whenever he's on screen, and I'm immensely disappointed to discover that this is his final appearance in the series. I'm really hoping he'll show up in a future series, because he really is just that damn cool.

Moving past him, the highlight of the episode is definitely Kingpin's origin, which manages to be surprisingly grounded and, dare I say, gritty? Kingpin forging a new identity and erasing his past is a cool and logical concept, and the ruthlessness of him having his father killed really sells the lengths he'll go to in order to protect his empire. While I doubt anything will come of it, Richard's trial echoes Kingpin's own, and Kingpin himself wonders whether Richard will end up having him silenced at some point in the future. It paints a picture of a family finding themselves utterly entwined in the criminal lifestyle, and it's absolutely compelling stuff.

The lowest point of the episode is by far Peter going to the hospital to visit Aunt May - it's drawn out a little too long, and when he finally does sneak into her room, they speak maybe three sentences to one another before Peter leaves. It's absolutely a scene put in there to get Peter to where he needs to be, but, eh, it's a minor flaw in the grand scheme of things. Overall, this was a great arc - one which has had consequences, too! - and I'll be lamenting the loss of Daredevil even as I look forwards to the next Kingpin encounter.