As the Kingpin of Crime, Wilson Fisk has made some rather dangerous enemies. Superheroes such as Spider-Man and Daredevil have plagued the Kingpin for years. Yet no threat has ever been as personal to Fisk as his own son, Richard.
Richard Fisk was first introduced in the Amazing Spider-Man #83 by Stan Lee, John Romita Sr and Mike Esposito. During this storyline, it was presumed that Richard had committed suicide due to his father's life of crime. In truth, Richard had become the Schemer, a new crime boss who tried to usurp the Kingpin's role in the criminal underworld.
The Schemer targeted his father's entire criminal empire, stealing the Kingpin's henchmen and attacking all of his various headquarters. Naturally, Richard's crime spree attracted the attention of Spider-Man. The web-slinger pursued the Schemer every step of the way, even as Richard abducted his mother, Vanessa. The ensuing battle was a three-way brawl between the Schemer, the Kingpin and Spider-Man. Once Richard revealed his identity to his father, the Kingpin went into a catatonic state.
Richard's next attempt at becoming a masked criminal came in the Amazing Spider-Man #253 by Tom DeFalco, Rick Leonardi, Bill Anderson and Glynis Wein. This issue re-introduced Richard as the mysterious Rose, a new criminal who operated within the Kingpin's territory. The Rose underwent several criminal enterprises, such as fixing sports matches. Unfortunately for Richard, Spider-Man was there to foil these crimes.
Still, the Rose's main objective was to take down the Kingpin. Indeed, Richard was working with the Hobgoblin to undermine his father's empire. A gang war erupted during the Kingpin's absence from New York, with the Rose acting as a major player. The Rose went up against the Arranger, Silvermane, Hammerhead and the Blue Boys, making various alliances and enemies along the way.
Richard believed that though he worked with criminals, he was never really one of them. These feelings changed, however, when the Rose was cornered by a rookie police officer. A frightened Richard shot the officer down, making him realize just how much of a criminal he had become.
Richard also had to think of his mother, who was in a vegetative state. Vanessa's condition left her vulnerable to the Kingpin's enemies. When the Kingpin finally returned to New York, resolving the gang war, he also discovered the Rose's identity. Together, Wilson and Richard worked to get Vanessa the medical treatment she needed.
With the Hobgoblin's disappearance, Richard returned to his father's empire and gave up his old identity. Of course, Richard and his friend, Alfredo, still plotted to take over the Kingpin's empire. In order to fool his father, Richard had Alfredo undergo plastic surgery so that they would look exactly alike. Alfredo then planned to kill the Kingpin at just the right moment.
Yet, when Daredevil and Hydra took the Kingpin down, Richard's plan was completely unnecessary. Moreover, Alfredo betrayed Richard by claiming that he was the real Richard Fisk and became the new Kingpin. With nowhere to go, Richard took an entirely new career path. Since he had become accustomed to murder, Richard became the Blood Rose, a Punisher-esque vigilante who gunned down criminals. As the Blood Rose, Richard went after Alfredo and his whole operation. Alfredo trained to become the super-criminal called Gauntlet before both Richard and Alfredo were taken down by Spider-Man.
Richard later rejoined his father's criminal empire, descending into alcoholism and depression. The Kingpin's son made one last attempt at rebellion, teaming with Sammy Silke to assassinate his father. Although the Kingpin was brutally stabbed, he survived and went to Europe for medical help. In Daredevil #32, by Brian Michael Bendis and Alex Maleev, Vanessa found out about Richard's betrayal, shooting her son in cold blood. Ultimately, Richard Fisk's long, tense journey with the Kingpin ended the only way it could, with him killed by a member of his own family.