Kingpin (Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse)

“This was never your city. It’s mine.” (Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse)

Wilson “Kingpin” Fisk, voiced by Liev Schreiber, is the main antagonist of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. He aims to use a reality distorting device to unlock other dimensions, from which he wants to kidnap alternate versions of his deceased wife and child.

While Kingpin’s character oozes charm with his sympathetic motivation and Brooklyn accent, his selection this week hinges primarily on his character design. Into the Spider-Verse has been praised unanimously for its use of animation, and Kingpin is the epitome of this praise. Animation allows for cinematography and techniques that are undoable in live-action, and Kingpin’s variable screen-filling presence is something that could only be achieved through animation. His size changes dependant on the shot, which, much like many of the artistic techniques used in anime like Kill La Kill or Gurren Lagann, dictates more of a symbolic presence than a physical one. Kingpin’s unique and inspired design encapsulates the idea that animation allows for more versatile story-telling.