Mayor Wilson Fisk keeping the man his wife had an affair with trapped in an underground dungeon is the strangest sub-plot from season 1 of Daredevil: Born Again. It’s chilling because it’s clear that Fisk will never truly be free of his violent, controlling tendencies. Having Adam locked up also foreshadows how unhinged Fisk gets at the very thought of something coming between him and Vanessa.
When Vanessa discovers what’s going on, Adam begs her to let him go. He promises to leave all while not telling a single soul about their affair. Vanessa responds by pulling out a gun and shooting him four times.
Was it a sinister act of love that reaffirms her commitment to her husband? Was she showing mercy to Adam because she had no way of knowing if Fisk would leave him alone? Or is it possible that both things are true at the same time?
Absence Didn’t Make the Heart Go Fonder
After the events of the original Marvel’s Daredevil series, Wilson was shot in the face by former protégé and surrogate niece Maya Lopez (Echo). Vanessa stayed by her husband’s side as he recovered while single-handedly running his criminal empire. Once he recovered, Wilson left the hospital and New York City to travel to Tampa, Oklahoma to confront Maya.
Vanessa was surprised by Wilson’s disappearance but she was still committed to running his empire. When he finally returned to New York, he didn’t come back to her side. Instead, he isolated himself as he set his sights on becoming Mayor of New York City.
The distance Wilson was putting between them reminded Vanessa of her father, who abandoned her and her mother when she was younger. With those old wounds reopened, a lonely Vanessa connected with Adam, an artist. The two started a sexual affair with Adam having no clue Vanessa was married to Wilson.
Fisk Did NOT Take News of the Affair Well
At some point, Fisk found out about the affair. When he told Vanessa he knew she asked him not to kill Adam. He promised he wouldn’t.
And kept his word. He didn’t kill Adam. He just captured him and held him prisoner in a cage beneath Red Hook Port instead. Vanessa didn’t mention anything about kidnapping or imprisonment, so that’s ok apparently.
He would dine in front of Adam’s cell, while the man begged Wilson to let him go. At one point, he threw an axe into the cell and forced Adam to fight him. Unfortunately, Adam was no match against someone as savage as Wilson, who then beat him to a bloody pulp.
During couples therapy, which the Fisks pursued to deal with the fallout, Vanessa described Adam’s hands and the beautiful sketches he drew. It clearly irritated Wilson, and not just out of jealousy. Adam represented something Wilson Fisk isn’t and can never be: a man who creates beauty rather than fear or chaos.
Vanessa’s Choice
Eventually, Wilson felt bad about lying to Vanessa about Adam.
He brought her down to the dungeon and let her see what he had done. On the table in front of Adam’s cage, he placed a key to his cage and a gun. He wanted Vanessa to decide her former lover’s fate.
If she killed Adam, then she’s proven to Wilson that she loves him as deeply as he loves her. Letting Adam go would be rejection of their love no matter how she tries to rationalize her decision. She’s still putting another man over her own husband.
Adam apologized again for the trouble he caused. He swore to Vanessa he would disappear, and that he wouldn’t tell a soul about their affair or his kidnapping. Having made up her mind, Vanessa picked up the gun and shot Adam once in the stomach, twice in the chest then delivered the killing blow by sending a bullet to his skull.
What is Vanessa’s True Nature?
The actress who plays Vanessa, Ayelet Zurer, described her character’s decision to kill Adam reveals her “true nature.” But she doesn’t go into much detail on what this scene actually says about Vanessa. Ayelet preferred to let fans come to their own conclusions.
It may not seem like it, but killing Adam was an act of mercy. Vanessa might have believed Adam would keep his word but that didn’t mean Fisk trusted him. She knows her husband was incapable of truly forgiving her or leaving the affair in the past. Vanessa at least, gave Adam a quick death.
One thing that does become clear is how far Vanessa is willing to go to prove Wilson can trust her. Even before Adam came into the picture, Vanessa has gone out of her way to show she can thrive in Wilson’s world. That she accepts all parts of him, even the monstrous brutal side of the Kingpin’s personality.
While Daredevil: Born Again doesn’t do a deep dive into Vanessa’s abandonment issues, they do seem to be a driving force behind her relationship with Fisk. His blind devotion was probably a huge draw for her. When he withdrew his affection and isolated himself, Vanessa turned to the closest person who could fill that void.
Vanessa is not a simple character. She began this series as someone who wanted to be by Wilson’s side no matter what. She enabled his violent nature, but she usually didn’t act with violence herself.
Adam changed that. Her actions showed how far she’s willing to go to feel loved and accepted by Wilson. And she made the choice she could live with. Regardless of whether Vanessa was motivated by pity towards Adam or loyalty to Fisk, the outcome is the same. A man is dead so that a woman and her husband can have their happily ever after.
