Excitement for Hawkeye is building steadily leading up to its November 2021 premiere, but the addition of Kingpin as the series’ villain would bring the MCU series to a whole new level. Kingpin was the primary villain of Netflix’s critically acclaimed Daredevil series, where he was played tremendously by Vincent D’Onofrio, but because that show hasn’t officially been made part of the MCU canon, the infamous villain has yet to formally appear in the franchise. Here’s why Hawkeye would be the perfect venue to bring Kingpin back.
Traditionally, Kingpin – real name Wilson Fisk – is portrayed as a gargantuan mob boss, who’s sheer physical strength is matched only by his tenacity and strategic prowess. As a New York resident primarily, he’s faced off against numerous Marvel superheroes over the years, with particular rivalries established against Spider-Man and Daredevil. As both a criminal mastermind and an underworld powerbroker, Kingpin has been central to numerous plots throughout the Marvel comics. In the Netflix Daredevil show, Kingpin is portrayed as both shockingly brutal and quietly intellectual – a version of the character that has earned high praise from both critics and audiences.
D’Onofrio has said repeatedly that he’d love to play Wilson Fisk in the MCU once more, and Hawkeye would be the perfect place for the villain to return. The show is set in New York City, and appears to at least partially be about gangsters wanting revenge on Clint for his time as Ronin, making it easy for Kingpin to be worked into the story. Plus, the show will bring the Marvel character Echo (Alaqua Cox) – Fisk’s adopted daughter in the comics – to the MCU, creating multiple ways in which Kingpin might feasibly enter the story of Hawkeye.
Unfortunately, the odds of Kingpin actually returning to the MCU in Hawkeye are small. There have been no real rumors of D’Onofrio returning for the series, nor has any casting news come out about a new star taking on the role. Plus, Black Widow set up Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine and Yelena Belova as Hawkeye’s major antagonistic forces, or at least as some of them. It could be that Disney is simply keeping the return of Kingpin under wraps, as he does seem perfectly suited to the story of the Hawkeye show, but there’s a good chance that viewers will have to wait a little longer before seeing the villain on screen again.
If Kingpin were to become Hawkeye’s secret villain, however, it would be a glorious return – especially if D’Onofrio were brought back to play the bad guy. Given that the story of Hawkeye will largely focus on Clint and Kate Bishop battling enemies of Ronin – the vigilante identity Hawkeye created after Avengers: Infinity War. Ronin took down a lot of gangsters, so it’s more than likely that he would have disrupted Kingpin’s own criminal operations pretty severely. Does that mean that Fisk will return? Not necessarily, but D’Onofrio’s Kingpin does somehow end up being the main villain of Hawkeye, it would be a great moment for MCU Phase 4.
