Warning! Spoilers for Hawkeye and Spider-Man: No Way Home.
Hawkeye's finale finally introduced Vincent D'Onofrio's Kingpin in the MCU but, despite the introduction being long-awaited by fans, it ended up being the most disappointing Marvel tease of 2021. The past year has been quite busy for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, especially for the introduction of TV shows with characters only seen on the big screen up to that moment. Although it was already announced by MCU president Kevin Feige in 2019 that Disney+ will release original TV series that will impact future MCU projects, the first release, WandaVision, didn't come until January 2021.
WandaVision was then followed by The Falcon and the Winter Soldier in March, Loki in June, the animated series What If…? in August, and, finally, Hawkeye in November 2021. All of them had clues on what Phase 4 – and possibly, 5 – could bring, some spelled out and others more subtle. One of the most anticipated teases was that of Vincent D'Onofrio's Kingpin being likely reintroduced in Hawkeye, especially following the announcement that Disney+ would release a TV show on Echo, played by Alaqua Cox, who officially joined the MCU this year.
Although all the teases would have made a big difference story-wise, D'Onofrio's affirmation as Kingpin in Hawkeye would have introduced him to the MCU, despite that role involved him being the main villain of Netflix's Daredevil. Although all borrowed from the Marvel comics, Netflix Marvel shows – not only Daredevil, but also Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Iron Fist, The Defenders, and The Punisher – were never part of the real MCU and what happened in them was never considered true canon. D'Onofrio's Kingpin officially being in an MCU show could have made all Netflix Marvel shows part of the same universe, finally making it possible for beloved Netflix Marvel characters to come back eventually, but that wasn't the case.
Kingpin's Tease Was 2021's Best From Marvel
Hawkeye built up the hype about Kingpin marvelously throughout several episodes. Starting from the first two episodes' feel of a looming threat that did not end with the Tracksuit Mafia or Maya Lopez as their head, and including the unease of Clint Barton's Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) when there was any mention of somebody above them, whom he referred to as the "big guy," the tension was evident. When Hawkeye episode 3 introduced the figure of an unseen uncle who took care of Maya in a flashback and had D'Onofrio's Kingpin's signature laugh, Wilson Fisk's debut in the MCU was all but confirmed.
Adding to the mix the frequent admissions by D'Onofrio in interviews that he would have loved to reprise the role of Wilson Fisk, and coupled with the announcement of Disney +'s Echo series right before Hawkeye's premiere, fans were impatient to see if it was true and Kingpin would actually be introduced to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. From inside the storylines as well as outside of them, Kingpin's tease was built masterfully; it was unmissable and clearly needed a concise answer, especially when the stakes were that high. It was probably the biggest tease that Marvel had promoted throughout any of their shows.
Marvel's Other 2021 Teases (And Why They Didn't Work)
Other teases were advanced by Disney + original shows prior to Hawkeye, but they worked differently from Kingpin's. WandaVision had two big teases; one would have finally introduced major comics villain Mephisto to the MCU and one about Quicksilver's return, which toyed with the feelings of both Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) and the fans. The first was quickly dismantled by the reveal the big villain – if one could consider her as such, at least in a TV show like WandaVision that felt much more like Wanda's origin story as Scarlet Witch than a prolonged conflict between enemies – was Agatha Harkness (Kathryn Hahn). The second was correct, and although showing Peter Maximoff as Evan Peter's Quicksilver did open the possibility of having X-Men's characters in the MCU, in the end, it wasn't fruitful, as him being there was a consequence of Wanda's hex created by her grief.
Since The Falcon and the Winter Soldier focused on the search for the super soldier serum to destroy it, fans picked up on the possibility of Red Hulk in the MCU, especially considering all the people looking for it in the show. The destruction of all the vials of the super soldier serum put a stop to it – although that could be reversed, as it could be collected from the blood of Isaiah Bradley (Carl Lumbly). All these teases were monumental if acted upon, but in truth, they were advanced mainly by fans that wanted to see them happen. Different from them, Kingpin's tease was not only followed through by MCU's announcements of new TV shows but also by the story in Hawkeye, which built on the tease with details delivered episode after episode.
Marvel's Best Reveal Of 2021
The one tease that stood out from the rest was Kang the Conqueror. The implications of multiple timelines being created in Loki along with multiple variants of He Who Remains, including that of Kang the Conqueror, was the best Marvel tease of 2021. Although not overtly teased at first, as the TVA was said to be ruled by the Time-Keepers and not by one entity, the promise of Kang's arrival, inextricably linked to Sylvie (Sophia Di Martino) choosing to kill He Who Remains, was as surprising as it was delivered magnificently. Not only did it make one of Loki's most scenic fights between Loki (Tom Hiddleston) and Sylvie possible, but it also unexpectedly set up a powerful, long-awaited villain that the skillful Jonathan Majors will play.
Why Hawkeye's Kingpin Reveal Didn't Work
Although the tease painstakingly built to the reveal, it was, in the end, disappointing. Moreover, Charlie Cox’s appearance as Matt Murdock in Spider-Man: No Way Home coupled with Vincent D’Onofrio’s appearance as Wilson Fisk/Kingpin in Hawkeye teased the acceptance of Netflix Marvel shows in the MCU, but it was only a tease, and it was never undoubtedly confirmed. On top of that, when Hawkeye episode 6 actually showed D’Onofrio’s Kingpin onscreen, it didn’t live up to the hype.
Fisk was not only very different from Netflix's Marvel's Daredevil's Fisk, despite being portrayed by the same actor, but he also didn't behave like the ruthless criminal he was promised to be. Indeed, he was in charge of the Tracksuits and partnership with Eleanor Bishop, but he could only be seen as promising repercussions, not acting on them as violently as he would've been expected to, considering how afraid everybody seemed to be of him. This made the tease of Kingpin in Hawkeye particularly frustrating and disappointing, as it created interest but without keeping the promise or building on it. It can only be hoped that whenever D'Onofrio's Fisk reappears next – possibly Disney+ Echo TV show – he will finally live up to the hype.