After being briefly teased in Hawkeye episode 3 during a flashback with a young Maya Lopez, being referred to as her “uncle,” Hawkeye quickly had fans speculating if the series could lead to the introduction of D’Onofrio’s Kingpin. The character was a role he would reprise after starring as the same villain in Netflix’s Daredevil.
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Now after that reveal has been confirmed, Bert & Bertie spoke with Insider about their reasoning behind the reveal and their excitement for the character’s return, and what that means moving forward in the MCU. “We kinda loved that it was this grainy, grainy impression of him and just confirms everyone’s suspicions because there have been lots of theories and that one’s been the outstanding theory about who this was,” the duo shared. “It’s Marvel. There’ve been different iterations of how Kingpin was revealed and this is the one that served the story, to hold him back to the very end of five. …We’re gonna see what he’s got in store playing out in six.”
The big character reveal comes after D’Onofrio’s comments about feeling very close to the character and that he would very much enjoy playing Kingpin again if the opportunity was available. “I feel very close to that character. I do have to say, I do feel like that character is mine and it’s only because I played him for those three seasons and was so close with him… So I think that any offer to play him again would be, I would definitely have a really good look at for sure,” D’Onofrio shared with ComicBook.com. While there was still much doubt regarding Kingpin’s return before Hawkeye episode 5, Marvel Studios’ president Kevin Feige’s announcement that Charlie Cox’s Daredevil would be joining the MCU pretty much confirmed all of the speculation.
While Kingpin’s reveal of has been the one that has every fan talking and guessing what will happen next, some other worthy surprises from Hawkeye episode 5 include Kingpin revealed to be working with Kate Bishop’s (Hailee Steinfeld) mother, Eleanor Bishop (Vera Farmiga), who is also the one behind contracting Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh) to hunt down and kill Clint Barton (Jeremy Renner). In addition, fans also find out more about Maya Lopez / Echo’s (Alaqua Cox) father’s death and how Kingpin may have been the one who wanted him dead. With so many new reveals, Hawkeye’s finale will have plenty of storylines and character arcs to wrap up in its estimated 50-minute runtime.
Before the last episode debuts on Wednesday, fans can quickly catch up on Hawkeye’s previous 5 episodes in no time. The series currently has a 92% on Rotten Tomatoes and has been praised for its more grounded, street-level setting and the chemistry between its two leads. Hawkeye also stars Tony Dalton as Jack Duquesne, Fra Fee as the mercenary Kazi, and Zahn McClarnon as William Lopez.
Hawkeye is available to stream on Disney Plus.
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Source: Insider, ComicBook.com