Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige has indicated that the appearance of Kingpin in a Spider-Man film is not as legally complex as actor Vincent D'Onofrio, who portrays the character, has suggested.
For years, the presence of certain Marvel characters in films has been complicated by rights issues. While Disney owns most of the Marvel universe, some characters are held by other studios. Sony Pictures retains the film rights to Spider-Man, though these are effectively licensed to Marvel Studios for crossovers and live-action features within the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Universal Pictures holds the rights to solo Hulk films, explaining the lack of a new Hulk movie since 2008.
Vincent D'Onofrio has previously expressed a desire to play Kingpin in a Spider-Man movie or a solo spin-off but stated in 2025 that the character was only permitted for television appearances. "It's a very hard thing to do, for Marvel to use my character," D'Onofrio said at the time. "It's all caught up in rights and stuff. I don’t know when that would work out — or if it ever would work out at all."
However, Feige, speaking with Josh Horowitz, downplayed these concerns when asked if Kingpin and Daredevil were considered for "Spider-Man: Brand New Day." Feige confirmed that the characters were indeed considered, stating, "There are things to navigate like everything else. We talked about all those characters at one point."
This suggests that if a story called for it, Feige could facilitate Kingpin's involvement in a Spider-Man film. Feige has a track record of navigating complex rights issues, successfully integrating characters like Spider-Man, the X-Men, the Fantastic Four, and Daredevil into the MCU despite previous ownership or licensing challenges. It remains to be seen if the notorious crime boss will eventually face off against Spider-Man on the big screen.