Hawkeye Fans Are Going Crazy Over Wild Episode 5 Reveal

Warning: MAJOR SPOILERS for the Hawkeye episode “Ronin” are ahead! 

The fifth episode of the Disney+ series Hawkeye has arrived, and man, it’s a doozy. Social media is abuzz with thoughts on what unfolded in “Ronin,” including getting to spend more time with Florence Pugh’s Yelena Belova following her introduction earlier this year in Black Widow and her brief appearance in last week’s episode “Partners, Am I Right?”. However, a lot of folks are also understandably jazzed about the twist at the end of the latest Hawkeye episode. Two weeks after he was teased, it’s been confirmed that Vincent D’Onofrio’s Wilson Fisk, a.k.a. Kingpin, is back!

In the final minutes of “Ronin,” Kate Bishop received a text from Yelena Belova, who shared that it was actually Eleanor Bishop, Kate’s mother, who hired her to Clint Barton. Making matters worse, Yelena photographed Eleanor meeting with Kingpin, Maya Lopez’s boss, who she knew simply as “Uncle” in her younger years. Sadly, it’s implied that like his comic book counterpart, the MCU’s Wilson Fisk had something to do with the death of Maya’s father, as back when Clint was slicing and dicing criminals as Ronin, he got tipped off about where William Lopez and the Tracksuit Mafia were operating by an informant (suspected to be Kazi) working for Lopez’s boss, Kingpin.

Despite only seeing Vincent D’Onofrio’s Wilson Fisk in that picture for just a few seconds, MCU fans were ecstatic that Hawkeye finally brought this character back into the picture. D’Onofrio originally played the character in all three seasons of Netflix’s Daredevil, and those who enjoy this take on Kingpin can take comfort knowing he’s been brought back into the fold.

Although Maya Lopez, known as Echo in the comics, and the Tracksuit Mafia have served as the chief antagonist for Hawkeye so far, now we know that Kingpin and Eleanor Bishop are the bigger threats lurking in the shadows. As suspected, “the big guy” Clint Barton was worried about was indeed the hulking man who’s been part of Marvel Comics lore for almost five and a half decades.

Given that the MCU likes to tweak the source material, even when it was announced that Maya Lopez would appear in Hawkeye, it was unclear if Kingpin would be connected to her life or if he would be replaced by a different villain. Naturally many fans are thankful it turned out to be the former, as Vincent D’Onofrio’s portrayal of Kingpin was among the most praised elements of Daredevil’s run.

At this point, it’s still unclear how canon Daredevil or any of the other Marvel Netflix shows are to the main MCU mythology, so it’s possible the Kingpin Vincent D’Onofrio is playing in Hawkeye isn’t exactly the same one we left off with in Daredevil Season 3. But no matter which version of Kingpin we’re talking about, this is a man of power and means, so he would the resources for a purchase that’s been shrouded in mystery for four years now.

Of course, along with his ties to Maya Lopez and Daredevil, Kingpin is also one of Spider-Man’s greatest adversaries. While it still hasn’t been confirmed yet if Tom Holland’s Peter Parker will led more solo movies following Spider-Man: No Way Home, it’s already being speculated that he and Vincent D’Onofrio’s Wilson Fisk will clash someday.

With just one episode of Hawkeye left (unless, of course, the series is renewed for a second season), it stands to reason we’ll finally get a proper reunion with Vincent D’Onofrio’s Kingpin next week, although exactly how long that will be remains to be seen. Fortunately, there isn’t a lack of projects for him to appear in after Hawkeye. In addition to the prospect of Kingpin popping up in a Spider-Man movie or two, there’s an Echo spinoff series on the way and even rumblings that Marvel Studios has something planned for Daredevil, a.k.a. Matt Murdock, who Charlie Cox will continue to play in the MCU. 

In any case, the final episode of Hawkeye drops on Disney+ next Wednesday, December 22. For those of you looking further ahead into the future, CinemaBlend will continue to deliver the latest and greats updates concerning upcoming Marvel TV shows.