Warning: this story contains spoilers for Wednesday’s Hawkeye Episode 5. He’s back. Episode 5 of Hawkeye, “Ronin,” ends with the reveal of the big bad taking aim at Clint Barton (Jeremy Renner) and Kate Bishop (Hailee Steinfeld): Wilson Fisk, a.k.a. crime lord the Kingpin (Daredevil‘s Vincent D’Onofrio). The “big guy” behind Maya Lopez (Alaqua Cox) and the Tracksuit Mafia, Maya’s “Uncle” Fisk is “someone you don’t wanna mess with,” warns Clint. It’s a lesson Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox) learned on three seasons of Marvel’s Daredevil, the Netflix series pitting the horned hero of Hell’s Kitchen against the mob boss and his criminal empire.
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According to directing duo Bert and Bertie, the sixth episode of Hawkeye will answer whether Daredevil is canon with the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
“Tune in on Wednesday for Episode 6,” Bertie told Insider when asked if D’Onofrio is playing the same Kingpin from Daredevil or a new version. On theories that Kingpin is the new owner of Avengers Tower, Bertie said, “Keep the theories going. We love every single one and we love avoiding every single question about it.”
“Ronin” reveals Kingpin is in business with Eleanor Bishop (Vera Farmiga), Kate’s mother, who hired black widow assassin Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh) to take out Clint. The directors are tight-lipped about the final episode of the season — “Expect the unexpected,” said Bert — but can confirm the episode-ending twist will “dramatically” impact Episode 6.
“It was an interesting twist that she was there in the room with Kingpin,” Bert said, adding the “possibilities are endless” as to what that teaser means. “There’s something about the simplicity of the simple tease.”
RELATED STORY: Are Marvel TV’s Netflix Series MCU Canon?
Marvel Chief Creative Officer and Hawkeye producer Kevin Feige, who was not involved with Marvel Television’s Daredevil and The Defenders for Netflix, recently confirmed Cox would reprise his role as Matt Murdock in the MCU. “Where we see that, how we see that, when we see that,” Feige teased in an interview with CinemaBlend, “remains to be seen.”
Netflix’s since-canceled corner of the MCU acknowledged the events of the movies, referencing such films as 2008’s The Incredible Hulk and 2012’s The Avengers. But it was a one-way street: none of the projects produced by Feige’s Marvel Studios made mention of Daredevil, Jessica Jones (Krysten Ritter), Luke Cage (Mike Colter), Iron Fist (Finn Jones), or the Punisher (Jon Bernthal), suggesting the shows were not accepted as canon within the wider universe.
Episode 6 of Marvel’s Hawkeye premieres Dec. 22 on Disney+.
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