TW Meets Kingpin himself, Vincent D’Onofrio

By and photos copyright Owen Quinn

Forget Robert Downey Jr as Doomsday. Probably the hottest and best quality show Marvel are bringing out amid all the other crap ones, is Daredevil Born Again.

I was not a fan to be honest but I was alwasy impressed by the Kingpin. Played by actor Vincent D’onofrio, he is one bad ass villain. The take the new Reborn series took was good and Kingpin walked the line perfectly between a Trump like figure and his old evil self coming back to the surface using the law to further his ambitions. He would also play a big part of Echo but the brooding D’onofrio makes him stand out among the rest.

So, when Dublin Comic Con Summer 2025 announced he would be appearing for the weekend, I was in.

I first became aware of Vincent in Full Metal Jacket in his suicide scene. We discussed that as it was such a powerful scene, that the look on his face bfore he pulled the trigger is a very realistic portrayl of a mental breakdown and is almost demonic to watch. Since then he has gone on to appear in many movies and shows. Jurassic World, Law and Order, Men in Black and The Cell to name a few.

The first thing I thought when I saw him was that he had lost a lot of weight and went up to get a comic signed. I had booked a photoshoot with him later that day. At first, he came across as very shy but the more we chatted, the more he became animated. Maybe he wasn’t sure if this was going to be a busy event for him but busy is an understatement. His queues never stopped all weekend as fans flocked to meet him. Maybe it’s us Irish and the fact we love to chat but Vincent was far from shy by the end of the weekend.

I saw him chat to everyone personally and was high-fiving the kids who came to meet him.

We chatted about Belfast, how he lived there for six months while filming, Daredevil and the scene where he squeezed a guy’s skull like a watermelon in a hippo’s jaws. That scene was shocking and unexpected but vital in showing that Kingpin was back and no one was going to stand in his way.

I had a ball. Sometimes, you don’t know what to expect from Hollywood actors but Vincent is just so down to Earth, you literally could chat all day to him. He really surprised me and I am delighted that I got to meet him.

He is such a legend and I got to meet him. Let’s hope he comes again.

Awesome.