WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Devil's Reign #2, now on sale
Kingpin has been making waves in the Marvel Universe, effectively outlawing superheroes in New York City after gaining a level of authority as Mayor. It turns out he's been utilizing another villain as part of his plan -- and that it's not actually his own stroke of brilliance that led to his current power position.
Devil's Reign #2 by Chip Zdarsky, Marco Checchetto, Marcio Menyz, and Clayton Cowles reveals one of the major sources of Kingpin's powers is a captured Purple Man -- and his plan to take over New York City actually steals a lot of its potential from another villain plot.
Kingpin's plan relies on a secret weapon within his diamond cane: the finger of the Purple Man, lending Fisk some of that villain's nefarious mind-controlling power. Visiting Doctor Octopus, Kingpin finds Purple Man trapped inside a massive diamond, tethered to a device. He reveals the device allows Kingpin to influence and coerce the people of New York but not control them completely -- even specifically referencing a past storyline where Doom was able to briefly take over the world through a similar plan.
The Marvel Original Graphic Novel Avengers: Emperor Doom by David Micheline and Bob Hall saw Doom capture Purple Man and strap him into a more powerful version of the kind of device Doctor Octopus uses for Kingpin. Capable of resisting Purple Man's powers through sheer resolve, Doom was able to amplify Purple Man's powers to take control of humanity. For over a month, Doom ruled the planet as the undisputed king of the world, with the Avengers even serving as some of his best agents -- effectively enacting world peace under his sway. Wonder Man was in isolation during the effect however, and remained unaffected by the Purple Man's powers, allowing him to shatter Doom's control on some of the Avengers and stage a resistance.
Doom had the advantage over them throughout the story -- at least until the boredom of ruling the world began to seriously weigh on him. Desiring a challenge instead of briefings on farm subsidiaries across the globe, Doom allowed the heroes to shatter his hold over the planet. It's ultimately Doom's character flaws that set up his defeat, giving the heroes their only chance to restore the world to its proper place. But that might not be the case for Kingpin -- who's always been more concerned with spreading his influence and control over his enemies. He doesn't see his enemies as worthy adversaries so much as nuisances to be dealt with. In fact, it was his fury at Daredevil's apparent ability to change the world's (and more importantly his) memories that spurred him into action ahead of Devil's Reign.
Kingpin likely won't have such an easy-to-exploit weakness, giving the heroes less of a chance to stop his rise to power. It's less likely Kingpin will simply allow the heroes to win, as Doom once allowed. If the Avengers and their heroic allies want any chance to defeat Kingpin, it might be on them to discover the true source of his influence and power and find a way to remove it from his grasp. Otherwise, New York might just be the beginning of the Kingpin's ambitions.