That major Marvel character finally makes their return in Hawkeye

By Huw Fullerton

Published: Wednesday, 15 December 2021 at 12:00 am

There have been plenty of rumours about certain Marvel characters returning in new Disney Plus series Hawkeye, and following the arrival of Florence Pugh’s Yelena Belova in episode four, hopes were high about who else could turn up in the series’ penultimate instalment.

And those hopes were not in vain. A long-rumoured (and much-theorised) Marvel character did finally make a brief appearance in the latest episode, hinting at a major comeback in the series finale.

Look away now if you don’t want to see spoilers for Hawkeye episode five…

…because after weeks of wondering, we’ve finally seen the official MCU return of Kingpin! Yes, Vincent D’Onofrio’s acclaimed turn as the crime lord did not end with the Netflix Daredevil series, with his character now officially part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Previously in the series we’ve seen him hinted at as the “big man” behind the Tracksuit mafia and other criminal groups, and as Maya’s (Alaqua Cox ) “uncle” – but the latest episode laid all the cards on the table, revealing Kingpin as both the boss of the Tracksuit mafia and (possibly) the figure behind the conspiracy in Hawkeye more generally.

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DAVID LEE/NETFLIX

A few more hints in this episode presaged his return – a couple more references to the ‘Big Man’, the name of the Tracksuits’ business front being ‘Fat Man Auto Sales’ – before Yelena (Pugh) dropped the bombshell to Kate (Hailee Steinfeld) that her mother Eleanor (Vera Farmiga) was the woman who hired her to kill Clint.

But the real smoking gun for Kate’s mother’s villainy? A picture of her with D’Onofrio, wearing Wilson Fisk’s signature white suit.

“Well, that’s the guy I’ve been worried about this whole time,” Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) tells his protégé.