Introduction

The Running Kingpin meme showcases a blurry image of the character Kingpin from the animated film Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, humorously depicting moments when someone feels pursued.

Background

Running Kingpin refers to a visual reaction meme that captures the character Kingpin running towards the camera in a scene from the 2018 animated film Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. This image is often used in contexts where individuals are either literally or metaphorically being chased, similar to the Running Officer Earl meme format.

How It Began

The meme traces its origins back to December 14, 2018, when Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse premiered in the United States. In a pivotal scene, Kingpin is seen sprinting towards the protagonist, Miles Morales, while running alongside a building suspended in mid-air.

Meme Evolution

The meme began circulating online before March 25, 2019, when an unknown user posted it with the caption "Blow Job." The first known repost of the image was by Instagram user meme.reposting, which garnered over 80 likes within two months. Following this, various Instagram accounts, including notable ones like 52blunts and full_random_memes, shared the image. On April 5, 2019, another Instagram user, obamaworship, contributed to its popularity with the caption "me on my way to commit way crimes." The meme saw a significant boost on Reddit, particularly in the /r/dankmemes subreddit, where a cropped version of the image posted by Redditor Fuelz_Tron received over 32,800 upvotes in just nine days. The image continued to thrive across multiple Reddit and Instagram communities.