Marvel Studios’ Hawkeye is gliding right along, as the holiday-centric limited series is heading into its final two episodes. Fans are eager to see how things pan out for Clint Barton and Kate Bishop, especially with the major reveal in last week’s episode. Of course, many are also wondering if some of the massive rumors surrounding the show will indeed prove to be true. The biggest arguably pertains to the alleged appearance of Vincent D’Onofrio’s Wilson Fisk a.k.a. Kingpin. As you’d expect, Marvel Studios is playing the standard quiet game and isn’t confirming or denying anything. Now, two of the show’s directors have shared some thoughts on the speculation.
Hawkeye’s Bert & Bertie, the directing duo that pulled off that amazing car chase sequence, are well aware of how the iconic villain’s shadow looms large over the series. I recently had the opportunity to speak to both of them about their work and asked whether they anticipated such fanfare and speculation while filming. And as Bert explained, they didn’t give it too much thought at the time:
I mean, you prepare for a character introduction, as you do with all of them. I mean, the chat that comes, you know, potentially what it could mean for the fans, but it doesn't... I don't think it factors into the way that you treat the character or the way that you film it, necessarily. Because at the end of the day, we're telling a story, and if storylines happen to interweave, then that's great and exciting. And we love the way that Marvel do that. But you know, each character is his own, and we treat it as such.
So it would seem that the duo simply focused on telling the best story they could, regardless of what may or may not come. Certainly creatives do consider fan expectations at times, but it’s wise that they don’t collectively become the biggest element that drives a project. And most would probably agree, based on the past two episodes, that Bert & Bertie were right to avoid that thinking.
Reports of a potential Kingpin cameo began making the rounds as early as September. Some Internet sources claimed that the character would return in a major role, which would put him at odds with the show’s two archers. At this point in the series, many believe Wilson Fisk could be Maya Lopez’s mysterious “Uncle,” who is also the true head of the Tracksuit Mafia. So far, the only glimpse viewers have gotten of the elusive character is a lower body shot of him in a flashback, during which he’s greeting a young Maya.
Vincent D’Onofrio last played his acclaimed role in the third and final season of Netflix’s Daredevil. Since the show’s cancellation, many have been clamoring to see those characters again, particularly D’Onofrio’s Fisk and Charlie Cox’s Man Without Fear. Though Cox now seems to be a lock for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, his co-star’s fate is unclear at the moment. D’Onofrio, however, is still hopeful that he and his co-stars will return, though he’s mum on whether or not he’s already in the Marvel Studios family. In the meantime, he’s also laughed off some of the more blatantly false claims regarding his alleged role in Hawkeye.
I’m still hesitant to fully believe Kingpin will show up by the end of the series. But even I can admit that the chances of it happening aren’t that slim. After all, as Bert mentioned, MCU storylines can “interweave in interesting ways.”
Fans can see what’s what when Hawkeye drops new episodes on Wednesdays on Disney+, and be sure to check out our list of other upcoming MCU shows.
