'Hawkeye' just teased the return of an iconic Marvel villain. Here's what to know.
- Warning: This article contains spoilers for "Hawkeye" on Disney+.
- Episode three of "Hawkeye" makes multiple references to the real boss of the Tracksuit Mafia.
The third episode of "Hawkeye" teased a major villain that may have a big impact on the rest of the show and the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
In the episode, there are multiple references to a behind-the-scenes figure controlling the Tracksuit Mafia, the gang that is after Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) and Kate Bishop (Hailee Steinfeld). Mafia members Kazi (Fra Fee) and Maya Lopez (Alaqua Cox) both refer to the mysterious leader as "Uncle."
Later, Hawkeye says to Kate that the person, who is not given a name, is the true boss of the Tracksuit Mafia and is "someone you don't want to mess with." Whilst we never get to see the face of this boss, we do see a glimpse of his hand and body and hear him laugh during a flashback scene involving Maya.
Judging by this information, the comic backstory of Maya, and rumors about this character's involvement in "Hawkeye," this may have been our first glimpse of the iconic Daredevil and Spider-Man villain Kingpin. Here's why this character is significant.
The mystery character is Kingpin, the leader of the criminal underworld.
Wilson Fisk, aka Kingpin, is a renowned Marvel villain who has already appeared in the "Daredevil" live-action movie and TV series and "Spider-Man: Into The Spiderverse." In the comics, Kingpin is normally leading a criminal empire in New York, which leads to clashes with street-level heroes like Daredevil and Spider-Man.
Fisk first appeared in the comic "Amazing Spider-Man #50" in 1967. Since then the character has led a powerful ninja clan called The Hand, worked with Hydra, became Mayor of New York City, and at one point settled down from his criminal activities after he married Vanessa Marianna who he had a son with.
Whilst Kingpin's main threat comes from his criminal genius and ability to outwit heroes, the mob boss has a significant amount of physical strength making him a match for Spider-Man.
There had been rumors that Kingpin would appear in "Hawkeye."
It was likely that Kingpin was going to show up at some point or another in "Hawkeye." Maya Lopez (aka Echo) is the adopted daughter of Kingpin in the comics and Kingpin makes several appearances in the Matt Fraction, David Aja Hawkeye comic series which "Hawkeye" is inspired by.
There have also been rumors that Vincent D'Onofrio, who played Kingpin in Netflix's "Daredevil" series, was going to reprise his role as Kingpin in "Hawkeye." It is not clear yet if the body in episode 3 of "Hawkeye" is D'Onofrio and D'Onofrio himself has shot down a leaked image that a fan said looked like him.
However, in an interview with ScreenRant in September, the actor said he would want to play Kingpin again in the MCU. The actor also tweeted next to a "Hawkeye" trailer: "This is going to be fun. I love these @Marvel series."
D'Onofrio is not the only "Daredevil" actor who has had to shoot down rumors of appearing in the MCU. Charlie Cox, who played Daredevil in the series, has also had to deny that he is in the upcoming "Spider-Man: No Way Home" movie. Only time will tell whether we will get the return of both actors in their "Daredevil" roles.