Marlene Vistain, previously Marlene Fisk, was the mother of Wilson Fisk. She protected her son when he brutally murdered Bill Fisk, her husband and his father. In return for her love, Fisk took care of her for her many years of life and ensured she was well looked after in expensive nursing homes.
Biography[]
Enduring Wife and a Loving Mother[]
Marlene Fisk lived in Hell's Kitchen with her husband Bill and their son Wilson. Marlene was a loving mother and very protective of Wilson, being concerned of Bill mistreating their son. When Bill was running his campaign for the City Council, Marlene was checking through their bills and asked Bill how is he paying for all of that. Bill explained her that he took a loan but since bank would not consider his application, he got the money from Don Rigoletto. Marlene expressed her concern that Bill got mixed with the mobsters but Bill told Marlene that she does not know anything and once Bill joins the Council, it will no longer be a problem.
Bill, however, lost the election and Wilson returned home being beaten up by Bernie Walker, who was breaking Bill's campaign signs. Marlene comforted Wilson by giving him some Zuppa Inglese and when Wilson asked her was Walker right, Marlene told him not to listen to people like him. They were then joined by Bill who took a Zuppa from Wilson and demanded him to explain what happened, although Marlene tried to calm him, Bill refused to listen to her. Wilson told him how Walker was knocking down Bill's campaign signs and insulting him and when Wilson tried to stop him, he was beaten up. Bill then told Wilson to come with him and meet Walker, and although Marlene was concerned, she could not stop her husband.[2]
Bill's Death[]
One day, Bill told Wilson to sit in front of a wall and went to speak with Don Rigoletto about the loan. Marlene asked Bill why is he leaving that late at night but Bill said that Rigoletto cannot wait until tomorrow. Marlene got worried that situation with his loan had gotten worse and although Bill said that she should not be worrying herself, it did not stop Marlene. She continued to berate Bill for being reckless and getting himself in his family into problems but Bill suddenly lost his temper and slapped Marlene across her face.
When she fell on the floor, Bill started hitting her with his belt, screaming how she does not respect him and ignoring her pleas to stop. Suddenly, Wilson grabbed a hammer and after hesitating a bit, he hit his father across the head and continued beating until Bill died. Marlene embraced Wilson, telling him that everything will be okay and being secretly proud of him that he saved her from Bill. Looking at Bill's lifeless body, Marlene told Wilson to get her the saw, before she undressed Bill, gave Wilson his cufflinks and proceeded to dismember Bill's body. Marlene and Wilson carried the parts of his body and dumped it into the river over the whole week, while Rigoletto assumed that he skipped town to not pay the loan.[2]
Second and Third Marriages[]
- "Your husband, was that your first marriage?"
"Arthur? Lord, no, he was my third. Kept his name, thought it sounded like royalty. Always loved that. Martin was my second. Such a beautiful man. But confused by other men." - ―Karen Page and Marlene Vistain[src]
Marlene kept the hammer that Wilson used to murder Bill as a memento.[1] She decided that Wilson needed some time away from New York City, so she sent him to a farm to live with relatives. She then married a man named Martin, whom she found beautiful, but the relationship did not last as she realized he was attracted to men. Marlene then married a man named Arthur Vistain, whose surname she chose to take as it sounded like a royal name to her.[3]
Living in Saint Bénézet[]
- "He's such a good boy. Comes to see me every weekend. Gentle, sweet. Not like his father."
- ―Marlene Vistain to Karen Page[src]
By 2015, Wilson returned to New York City and covertly relocated his dementia-ridden mother to Saint Bénézet Retirement Care, creating a fake story that she had actually died a year after Bill.[4] One day, Vistain was approached by Karen Page and Ben Urich, whom she briefly mistook them for nurses before putting on her glasses. Page said that they wanted to talk about the life in Saint Bénézet to which she said that she was living there ever since her husband died. Vistain asked if Page and Urich were married but Urich said that although he had a wife, he and Page were not together.
Vistain then forgot about Page and Urich and while Urich was about to leave, Page wanted to talk about her marriages. Talking about Arthur and Martin, Vistain was asked about her first husband and she told Page that he was hard-working but also an alcoholic. Page asked Vistain about her children and Vistain told her and Page about Wilson who frequently visits her. Urich asked Vistain to specify was her son Wilson Fisk, and Vistain suddenly recalled the night when Wilson murdered Bill. Vistain told Urich and Page that Wilson is not a bad person and it was not his fault, as he only wanted Bill to stop.[3] Vistain was later called by James Wesley and she told him about Page and Urich who visited her and asked about Fisk.[5]
Forced to Leave[]
- "Do you remember what you talked about? Mother?"
"Such a beatiful day, isn't it?" - ―Wilson Fisk and Marlene Vistain[src]
As the danger was coming close, Wilson Fisk decided to relocate his mother from Saint Bénézet Retirement Care away from New York City. Driving in his limousine, Fisk explained to Vistain that Saint Bénézet was not safe enough and there were people who were threatening him. Vistain said that she liked living in Saint Bénézet, as they would brought her Zuppa Inglese every night, but Fisk told her that she can get the real Zuppa in Italy. Vistain then said that she does not know Italian and cannot watch TV but Fisk promised her to sort it out. Fisk then tried asking her about the last conversation with James Wesley but Vistain struggled to recall anything.[6]
While Fisk was serving his sentence in Ryker's Island, Vistain eventually passed away. Her property was given to Fisk as the closest relative and Fisk found the hammer she kept, reassuring that despite everything, his mother accepted him, no matter what he had done.[1]
Personality[]
- "The hammer. The instrument of my father's death. I thought that she had thrown it away. But she was proud of what I had done, of who I was. She accepted me, without shame."
- ―Wilson Fisk to Benjamin Poindexter[src]
Vistain was very caring of her son, way more than he husband, Bill Fisk, was. This caused her to intervene in Bill's actions against Wilson, thus having him abuse her for her intervention. Eventually, Wilson murdered Bill, but instead of being mad, she was understanding. She later remarried multiple times. As she got older, she became more spacey. She had trouble forming good sentences and often became distracted.
Facilities[]
- Fisk Residence: When married to Bill Fisk, Vistain lived in a house where she cared for her son.
Relationships[]
Family[]
- Father-in-Law
- Bill Fisk † - First Husband and Abuser
- Martin - Second Husband
- Arthur Vistain † - Third Husband
- Wilson Fisk - Son
- Vanessa Marianna - Daughter-in-Law
Allies[]
Appearances[]
In chronological order:
- Daredevil | Episode 1.08: Shadows in the Glass (flashbacks)
- Daredevil | Episode 1.09: Speak of the Devil (mentioned)
- Daredevil | Episode 1.10: Nelson v. Murdock
- Daredevil | Episode 1.11: The Path of the Righteous (mentioned)
- Daredevil | Episode 1.12: The Ones We Leave Behind
- Daredevil | Episode 3.06: The Devil You Know (mentioned)
- Daredevil | Episode 3.08: Upstairs/Downstairs (mentioned)
- Echo | Episode 1.04: Taloa (mentioned)
- Echo | Episode 1.05: Maya (voice)
Trivia[]
- In the comics, Mrs. Fisk was the mother of Wilson Fisk, who was constantly fighting with his father, over them being poor, when he was a child. She was also responsible for naming Wilson after former presidents, Woodrow Wilson and Ulysses S. Grant.