The hopes that were dashed after the cancellation of Daredevil back in 2018 found new life when Vincent D’Onofrio made a surprise debut in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Kingpin in the Disney Plus series Hawkeye, not to mention Charlie Cox’s cameo appearance as Matt Murdock in Spider-Man: No Way Home, confirming his already-leaked presence in the film. But what now?
Ever since these sworn enemies made their respective appearances in the MCU, fans have been eager to see them cross paths once again. So far, there has been no official announcement that confirms the two will be back together on our screens. Thus, Marvel fans have set their sights on the upcoming Echo series since the show’s lead, Alaqua Cox’s Maya Lopez, shares a past with both Kingpin and Daredevil in the comic books. (The crime boss is her surrogate uncle and the latter was once in a romantic relationship with her.)
Given the growing evidence piling in favor of Kingpin and Daredevil’s possible reunion in the upcoming series, one can’t outrightly deny the potential of this speculation.
Echo’s costume designer seemingly confirmed the duo’s presence
The most recent leak came in the form of the online resume of renowned award-winning costume designer Stacy Caballero, which seems to confirm that D’Onofrio and Cox are indeed set to appear in Echo. As per her online resume (which is still up), Caballero’s latest work was in Echo, and the entry lists that she designed costumes for Alaqua Cox, Vincent D’Onofrio, and Charlie Cox.
The series’ head writer hints at Daredevil and Kingpin’s appearance
Back in November 2021, Marion Dayre, the head writer of Echo, posted an image from a fan account to her Instagram story, along with the caption “I can’t wait for Echo.” The said image was a collage of the series’ titular superhero along with Daredevil and Kingpin.
Now, she could have picked any image to share her excitement for the upcoming series, but the fact that she specifically chose one that included Cox and D’Onofrio’s respective characters speaks volumes about their potential future in the MCU.
If these revelations alone don’t give the “cat is already out of the bag, mate!” vibes, then there is also the announcement earlier this year that Dara Resnik and Ken Kristensen, writers who penned episodes of Daredevil and its spinoff series The Punisher, respectively, have joined Echo’s writing team.
But while it is becoming more and more obvious that Echo is probably going to be the platform that will bring back Marvel’s iconic on-screen enemies, there is one small problem…
Didn’t Kingpin die in Hawkeye?
In Hawkeye’s series finale, the nefarious crime lord, who was revealed to be the leader of the Tracksuit Mafia, finds himself facing off against a very pissed-off Maya, who is his disciple and niece. She had finally discovered that Wilson Fisk, aka Kingpin, had her father killed years ago and confronts her uncle. He tries to talk his way out of the situation, but Maya is no longer ready to be swayed by his words. She whips out a gun and, as the camera pans away, two gunshots are heard.
So, Kingpin is dead, right? Well, not necessarily.
For starters, the shooting happened off-camera, which dramatically increases the suspense as well as the odds of the clever Kingpin once again finding a way to escape. There is also the fact that it is highly unlikely that Marvel Studios would bring back a fan-favorite character after creating so much hype only to kill them after just a brief appearance. In the event that Maya did shoot Kingpin, it is the Marvel Cinematic Universe, after all, and death is a very fickle concept for its characters.
If Kingpin did get shot in the Hawkeye finale and if Marvel Studios is planning a faithful comic book adaptation for Echo, then it’s already obvious that Kingpin is destined to come back. In Daredevil Vol 2., Kingpin misleads Echo about her father’s murderer, but she figures it out and shoots him point-blank in the face, which surprisingly doesn’t kill him but does blind him temporarily.
If this trajectory is what the MCU has in mind for the live-action adaptation of the character as well, then we might soon be seeing Kingpin making a triumphant return with the advent of a fresh batch of chaos as he gets down to business by starting to take over New York City as its sole crime boss.
Should we expect a showdown between Daredevil and Kingpin when Echo finally releases sometime in 2023? For the time being, the cards appear to be stacked in our favor.