Marvel’s ongoing Disney+ TV series Hawkeye is proving as compelling and driven as expected. And steadily, the story is building towards bringing back Vincent d’Onofrio as the Kingpin. This inclusion will allow MCU to finally deliver on Marvel Television’s best-unresolved cliffhanger if all plays out well. Indeed, Marvel Studios does not see the previous Marvel Television shows as the ultimate canon for their stories. However, we cannot entirely dismiss the idea of the studios rebooting characters in the mainstream MCU storyline with some legacy actors.
Warning: This article may contain some SPOILERS for Hawkeye, Episode 3.
Ever since Hawkeye was announced, there have been rumours that suggest Vincent d’Onofrio was returning for his role of the Kingpin in the series. And with episode three now aired, the suspicions make more sense than ever. The episode is establishing towards portraying Kingpin as Echo’s mysterious uncle. Suppose Kingpin does make an entry into the current MCU timeline. Then there are chances that some other significant characters can be lifted from Marvel Television’s old Netflix shows to follow the lead.
Marvel Television’s Netflix series Daredevil ended with a major cliffhanger.
Marvel Television has a long-standing collaboration with the streaming giant Netflix. And this partnership bore well for the viewers as the two got together to create some of their best shows to date. One of the most prominent names is Daredevil. The show featured some incredibly cast actors for Marvel’s Netflix endeavours. Say, for instance, Charlie Cox, who plays Matt Murdock. Murdock is a blind lawyer who uses his other enhanced senses to police Hell’s Kitchen. And Vincent d’Onofrio starred as Kingpin. The character is known remarkably for switching from passionate and emotional to brutal and evil in mere seconds.
Additionally, there is also Wilson Bethel, who takes on the role of Dex Poindexter. Poindexter is the person who is determined to follow the path towards becoming the ruthless assassin Bullseye. According to the series, Poindexter was severely wounded in a three-way battle with Daredevil and Kingpin. A final scene revealed that he admitted getting treated through an experimental surgery to repair his shattered back.
This part of the story aligns perfectly with the original comics. The camera placed its focus on Poindexter’s eyes to emphasise the scene, showing a bullseye in them. This alone set substantial grounds for us to believe that it was, in fact, an origin story for Bullseye. Sadly though, Netflix never came around to renew Daredevil for another season, which is why the story never continued after this massive cliffhanger.
Also Read: Daredevil & Kingpin Connection Teased In Hawkeye Episode 2 Ending
Marvel Studios meets Marvel Television halfway by rebooting Kingpin
If Marvel Studios decides to bring back Kingpin, we can expect more from the MCU than ever before. Essentially to deliver on Marvel Television’s unfinished business. The studios may introduce Bullseye in the flesh this time. And elaborate more on the story of the savage assassin-for-hire. Instead of simply using his arc to portray an origin story.
According to the original comics, Bullseye goes a long way with Hawkeye and with Daredevil. The brutal assassin once even impersonated Clint Barton. This was the time of the glorious “Dark Reign” era when many supervillains got together to create the so-called Dark Avengers.
However, in essence, Bullseye gets its original connection from Kingpin. This is why if MCU first features Wilson Fisk into the story, it would make the introduction of Bullseye smoother and more practical for Marvel as we move ahead. Evidence points towards Marvel Studios acing the assignment by bringing Vincent d’Onofrio as a legacy actor to reprise his classic role. So it is likely that the production would follow the same approach for other legacies. This means bringing back Wilson Bethel and allowing him to become Bullseye finally.
Daredevil and Bullseye future in the MCU
According to the latest sources, actor Vincent d’Onofrio is not the only Daredevil character appearing in the basic MCU timeline going ahead. Some rumours point towards Charlie Cox making an enigmatic appearance in Spider-Man: No Way Home. The actor will supposedly play the rebooted Matt Murdock. Indeed, the news is yet to receive an official confirmation. But a Daredevil cameo in Spider-Man: No Way Home makes a lot of sense. The addition will present Marvel Studios an opportunity to ultimately let loose on the cliffhanger from Netflix’s Daredevil Season 3. This can happen through fleshing out the deeply rooted differences between Daredevil and Bullseye.
The sudden closure between Marvel Television’s collaboration with Netflix was very disappointing. As it left several shows on significant cliffhangers. However, Marvel Studios might go ahead and ignore so many of these unresolved endings. This is because the MCU is not entirely inclined towards considering Marvel Television shows as canon. And yet, the production has resolved to bring back legacy actors for some prominent roles. This leads us to believe that Marvel Studios intends to fasten some long-standing and alluring storylines.
With Hawkeye comes the teaser for Kingpin. Meaning the future of the MCU comes at us with endless exciting potential. And we sincerely hope that this time, no loose ends remain.
