What Does Hawkeye's Big Villain Reveal Mean for the MCU?

There are spoilers for the fifth episode of Hawkeye up ahead! At long last, Hawkeye finally revealed the show's big bad, and it's exactly who many expected. Wilson Fisk has returned to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, played by none other than Vincent D'Onofrio, the same actor who played the iconic Marvel baddie in three seasons of Netfilx's Daredevil series. With the introduction of a character like Fisk, what's that mean for the future of the MCU?

Right out of the gate, it goes to show Marvel Studios is pretty serious about expanding the street-level corner of the shared cinematic franchise. With Kingpin now in the mix, the doors are opened to see the return or introduction of most other similar characters. We're talking about a Daredevil return featuring both Matt Murdock and his supporting characters, and other street-level gangsters. Characters like Hammerhead, Tombstone, Madame Masque, and the Maggia are all within the possibility of arriving in the MCU before too long.

Outside of a plot, however, it goes to show just how much Marvel Studios values its fans. Ever since Daredevil was first cancelled in 2018, the #SaveDaredevil movement has dominated chatter across virtually all social platforms. As part of that, Marvel Studios welcomed back D'Onofrio—one of the most popular villains in the Marvel library—with open arms. Now that we've seen Marvel Studios officially welcome back someone from Marvel Television, it's totally possible the same things can happen elsewhere.

Most people are assuming Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox) will end up appearing in Spider-Man: No Way Home, and that could just be the beginning. With such an enhanced focus on Disney+, what's stopping Marvel Studios from reviving a show, say, like Cloak & Dagger, where the characters are both street-level, and skewed to a younger audience?

The return of Kingpin is simply just the tip of the iceberg and Marvel Studios can go any which way from here on out.

The first five episodes of Hawkeye are now streaming on Disney+.

What have you thought about Hawkeye this far? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section or by hitting our writer @AdamBarnhardt up on Twitter to chat all things MCU!

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