The first season of Loki will be a hard act to follow given all of the memorable moments and red-letter reveals it delivered during its six-episode run, but don't count out Hawkeye just yet. In the season finale of Loki, a new villain was introduced to the MCU, and according to a recent "leak" online, Hawkeye may be looking to do the same. While the claims are still technically unconfirmed, there are some signs that indicate Vincent D'Onofrio may reprise his role as Kingpin.
A new report on a Marvel Studios subreddit alleges that D'Onofrio's Kingpin, a.k.a. Wilson Fisk, will appear in Hawkeye. Additionally, it suggests that the show will have some connection to the highly-anticipated Spider-Man: No Way Home, as the two projects will be released around the same time this year. Given that Marvel Studios is a fan of connected storylines and that No Way Home is rumored to feature some unexpected cameos (such as Charlie Cox's Matt Murdock), it's not totally farfetched to assume that the two titles will have something to do with each other.
Should D'Onofrio's Kingpin actually end up in Hawkeye, it would be the first time a character from the Netflix realm would appear in the MCU. After Marvel acquired the rights to properties like Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and The Punisher, many fans were convinced that the studio would eventually introduce the Defenders characters into the MCU. Kevin Feige echoed that sentiment, expressing interest in the transition, but he did not elaborate further on the studio's plans to make that happen, if there are any.
Perhaps the most telling piece of evidence that Kingpin will be making his MCU debut is that D'Onofrio liked a tweet about his rumored involvement in Hawkeye. Almost immediately after his acknowledgment of the tweet's theory, fans began to buzz with excitement, prompting the actor to quickly unlike it. Of course, fans have since put forward their own ideas about the villain's appearance in Hawkeye, with many pointing out that Wilson Fisk has a major comic book connection to Echo, a.k.a. Maya Lopez, who is set to appear in the show herself. With all of these signs, it could be only a matter of time before we start seeing Fisk and other Netflix favorites in Phase 4.
While the creative team behind Netflix's Marvel shows indicated they were part of the MCU, that has been put in doubt after their cancelation. The shows already had a very thin connection to the films (the main characters wouldn't even mention heroes like Iron Man and Captain America by name), but Kingpin's introduction in Hawkeye would certainly set the record straight about whether or not the Defenders are still part of the MCU.
Hawkeye is set to premiere on Disney Plus in late 2021.
Source: MarvelStudioSpoilers | Reddit