WARNING: This article contains SPOILERS for Hawkeye episodes 1 & 2.

In Captain America: Civil War, we saw the Avengers relocating to new headquarters. They moved out of New York City and into one of Howard Stark’s old storage facilities in New York. So people began wondering just what had happened to the Avengers Tower. We got the answer to this in Spider-Man: Homecoming. There it was explained that Tony had sold the Avengers Tower.

But we never knew who had bought it. Spider-Man: Far From Home added to this mystery by revealing that the Tower was undergoing severe redevelopment. But even that movie didn’t reveal who the actual buyer was. Since then, there have been intense debates and speculations regarding the buyer’s identity of the Avengers Tower.

Speculation About The Avengers Tower And Its Buyer

Many speculated that the Tower was bought by the Fantastic Four. So maybe this was the new Baxter Building? Or was it purchased by Norman Osborn? Thus, setting up a new Dark Reign era? In the Disney+ series Loki, an Easter Egg suggested that it was bought by Kang the Conqueror at least in one timeline. However, this isn’t necessarily true in the main MCU timeline. Now let us come to Hawkeye. The Avengers Tower has shown in the first two episodes of the series. The Bishop family’s penthouse overlooked the Tower.

This means that the Chitauri struck it during the Battle of New York in the first Avengers movie. This resulted in the death of Kate Bishop’s father. After this, we don’t get to see the Tower in the present day again. So this raises the possibility that we will get to see the new owner of the Avengers Tower. The MCU rumour mill is alive with reports of Vincent d’Onofrio reprising his role as Kingpin- the role he last portrayed in Daredevil. And he might be the one who bought the Stark Tower.

Vincent D’Onofrio’s Kingpin Might Have Bought The Avengers Tower

Marvel TV had cast Vincent d’Onofrio as their version of Kingpin in the Netflix show Daredevil. He was the perfect choice for Kingpin since he is a truly gifted actor. Fans loved him in his role since he was able to switch from emotional and vulnerable to aggressive and brutal in just a sec. After Daredevil’s cancellation, there have been repeated rumours of d’Onofrio reprising his role of Kingpin in the MCU.

After several rumours and speculations that led nowhere, finally, there’s pretty factual information that he is indeed going to show up in Hawkeye. But fans should adjust their expectations since this Kingpin won’t be the same as what they saw on Daredevil. This will be a rebooted version. And honestly, many fans did expect Marvel Studios to put their spin on the character and adapt it as per their wishes.

In episode 2 of Hawkeye, we are introduced to Alaqua Cox as Echo. In the comics, she is Kingpin’s adopted daughter. And it looks like she is running crime gangs in New York. This has seemingly been done to set up Kingpin’s criminal empire.

In the comics, as well as in, Spider-Man: The Animated Series, Kingpin’s headquarter is in the Fisk tower. It is a high-tech headquarter from where he runs and monitors crime all over the world. Now, it’s possible that Fisk converted Stark Tower into his Tower. It would be in character for a man as wealthy as Wilson Fisk to buy a landmark like the Avengers Tower.

And he would surely also take a great deal of pride in seeing his name replace Tony Stark’s on the Tower. Fisk would also indeed find it amusing that the Avengers headquarters was now being used for criminal purposes. Now, Tony would have removed most of the advanced tech for sure. But some of that could still be there. At the very least, the basic barebone design that would support the landing of helicopters and jets would still surely be there.

Avengers Tower will indeed be the perfect base for MCU’s Wilson Fisk, aka., Kingpin. He will be able to look over the entire city, which will undoubtedly feed into his sense of superiority.

How Can Kingpin Fit Into Disney+ Show Hawkeye?

The first two episodes of Hawkeye have made it clear that the show will revolve around multiple street-level criminals of the MCU. There’s the tracksuit gang who we have already seen, and then there Echo. Now, it’s clear till now that the show isn’t taking the tracksuit mafia seriously. However, Echo is another matter altogether. She has been set up like a power player who will raise the stakes of the show.

She may be reporting to her adopted father, Kingpin, and acting as the face of his operation. It’s also entirely possible that Kingpin was starting to establish his criminal empire when the Blip happened. As a result, Ronin would have been a significant thorn on his side. Now that Ronin has returned (as everyone else thinks), he will be interested in finding out the vigilante’s true identity and then having him killed in the act of revenge. But that’s not all. Kingpin might have another motive as well.

Kingpin Wants Something From The Avengers

In episode 1 of Hawkeye, we saw a black market auction where various items from the Avengers compound were sold. One of these items was a watch stolen from the Avengers Compound. We don’t know much about the watch at this point. But it should be noted that it’s pretty likely that one of the Avengers owned that watch. Our best bet is that it’s Tony Stark’s. Now, if it’s Tony Stark’s, then the watch might not be an ordinary one.

After all, we saw in Spider-Man: Far From Home that Stark was able to install a unique drone control system in just a pair of glasses. So maybe a fantastic tech has been established in that watch as well, which could lead to people unlocking more of Stark’s secrets. Now, we are snowballing here, but those secrets could lie in the old Avengers Tower. Maybe it contains an ultra-high-tech thing that Stark wasn’t able to remove.

But perhaps he thought that it was locked down and secured for the time being since he was the only one who had the key- the watch. So if this indeed turns out to be the case, then the wristwatch will be of particular interest to the Tower’s new owner- Kingpin.

What Would Kingpin Mean For The Greater MCU?

Indeed, Wilson Fisk isn’t a Thanos-level threat. But he is, in fact, one of Marvel’s most notable and essential villains. He is most well known for being an enemy of mostly Marvel’s street-level superheroes. Once a leaked contact revealed that the movie rights for Kingpin were shared between Sony, Marvel, and Fox. So this will give you an idea of just how important he is as a character.

Now, if those reports of Kingpin showing up in Hawkeye are indeed true, then he could be a recurring villain for street-level heroes. We don’t think that he will be Spider-Man’s villain. But Daredevil, Hawkeye, and other such heroes will indeed cross paths with him.

If Fisk owns the Avengers Tower now, it will establish him as a symbol and force to be reckoned with. This would mean that his dark shadow has been cast over MCU’s New York after the events of Avengers: Endgame. Another thing to note is that depending on how Hawkeye ends, and Fisk could even be left in possession of Stark technology. This would be a fitting twist and establish him as a corrupting force who tarnished the legacy of a man who sacrificed himself to save the world.

Now, if this happens, then Kingpin might be on Spider-Man’s radar as well. After all, Peter Parker and Tony Stark had a close relationship. As such, overall, Wilson Fisk aka., Kingpin’s appearance, will indeed send a ripple effect throughout the MCU. You might also like: Who Does The Stolen Avengers Watch In Hawkeye Episode 1 Belong To