Wilson Fisk quotes from Daredevil: Born Again

Fisk

Courts fail, juries get it wrong. I should know. And now, a masked vigilante, a murderer, is allowed to roam the streets. And a veteran of the NYPD lies dead. These vigilantes are a threat to any society that's based on the rule of law. A man who wears a mask to cover his face… is a coward. These vigilantes, they are not heroes. And I ran on a promise, and the acquittal of Hector Ayala demands that I keep it. The rule of law must prevail.

Fisk

[To Daniel] I've been around a lot of... Let's just say, I know how unreliable people can be. I've learned that loyalty and courage, two qualities that are... not easily replicated. [...] In the fullness of time, you'll make a better man. That said, if you ever do anything like that again, it will be the last thing that you ever do.

Fisk

When I was a boy, I learned by watching my father. How to shake a man's hand. How to know when someone intends to cheat you. I learned the power of persuasion. How to move men's minds. Or break their bodies. But forgiveness? That wasn't a part of who he was.

Fisk

[To his Anti-Vigilante Task Force] You are the thin, dark line protecting this city. Remind them of that!

Fisk

I'm better than I was. I am. I am... And i-if I cannot be with you, Vanessa, I cannot be.

Fisk

You know, it's been said that keeping secrets can make us sick.

Fisk

In business, there's always a tipping point in a negotiation. We are in that place with this city. It just needs a little push... and they'll come to us with open arms.

Fisk

What are you going to do? Arrest me? You cannot. Kill me? You will not.

Fisk

You're wrong about me! You're wrong! I have done EVERYTHING for you! I've given you my heart and my soul! I've fought for you! And I stand here now, and I still fight! And I just wanted a better New York!

Vanessa

You left the bed I sat beside for months while you recovered. And for what? And now you walk in here and end a meeting with five families by simply standing in the doorway?

Fisk

You've kept them in line. They respect you.

Vanessa

The respect the money I make them. Protection makes people scared. Profit makes them loyal.

Matt

You're a real man of the people now.

Fisk

A rich man, by his very nature, is self-serving. A-A mayor, a mayor serves his city.

Matt

Ah.

Fisk

You don't seem entirely convinced.

Matt

Could you blame me? Considering you've tried to kill me a few times over the years...

Fisk

As you have.

Matt

No, no. Incarcerate, maybe. Kill? Never.

Fisk

I wonder if your darker half would agree.

Matt

That part of my life is over.

Fisk

Mm. Well, tragedy can transform a man. About your friend -- I had nothing to do with his death, I kept that promise.

Matt

Hm. But now the Kingpin is back.

Fisk

No. No, he's not. My time away, I... Well... Well, let's say I followed a road less-traveled. And at its end, I found a new man.

Matt

The mayor of New York.

Fisk

Mm, soon.

Fisk

I was told you tried to kill Benjamin Poindexter that night. It's hard... it's hard to come to terms with a violent nature. Hating the power it has over us.

Matt

I was raised to believe in grace. That we can be touched by the divine and transformed into a better person. So if you say to me that you're a new man, I say "fine". But you should also know I was raised to believe in retribution. So if you step out of line, I will be there.

Fisk

This caution that you're giving me, who's it from? Matt Murdock, or...? You liked being on that rooftop with Dex. You liked how it felt, didn't you? Giving no quarter, dispensing justice...

Matt

Just stay in your lane. I'll do the same.

Fisk

I'm going to be mayor of this town. And when I am, I will not tolerate people running around in silly costumes. The rule of law will prevail. And should you go back to any of your old activities, there will be consequences.

Matt

Well, then. It appears we really do understand each other.

Fisk

Mm, I love a man who rises above his nature. Good luck with that, Murdock.

Matt

Good day, sir.

Fisk

These meet-and-greets... Can't we push them?

These first few days are critical, optics are gonna matter. Establishing connections is how we set the tone with the stakeholders who can make or break your agenda. And let's be honest, a lot of these people absolute hate you.

Fisk

I'm used to that.

Fisk

The city is broken. I said I'd fix it.

Sir, the first hundred days are about settling in. Getting a feel for the office. Try anything big now, you're painting a target on your back.

Fisk

Good. Targets draw attention to problems.

You hired me because I know how politics work in New York City. And right now, it's all about maintaining the status quo.

Buck Cashman

So your advice for the newly-inaugurated mayor of New York City is that he do nothing?

It still makes no sense to me, this mayor thing. So you gave up your criminal empire for what? So you could have less money, less power? So you could kow-tow to an Italian sunovabitch in a cemetery?

Fisk

How are we gonna fix this issue?

Do you know who Samuel Vance was? No, of course you don't. Mayor Vance was the mayor of New York in 1874, he served for one month. It is my personal mission to make sure that your term is shorter than his. I see right through you, Fisk. You're not a mayor who loves this city, you're a whiny kid who wants everyone to love him. A monster trying to rewrite his legacy. Well, guess what? It's too late. Once a thug, always a thug. See you around, "Kingpin".