A promo for the Season 1 finale of Hawkeye features new footage of Vincent D'Onofrio's Wilson Fisk/Kingpin.
While the 30-second promo, titled "The Boss," does not reveal Kingpin's face, it does briefly show his legs and a cane, teasing the character's first physical appearance in the show following the villain's long-awaited Marvel Cinematic Universe debut in Hawkeye Episode 5, "Ronin."
D'Onofrio's Wilson Fisk/Kingpin was introduced at the end of Hawkeye's fifth episode in a photograph sent to Hailee Steinfeld's Kate Bishop. Not only was it revealed that Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh) was hired by Kate's own mother to kill Clint Barton (Jeremy Renner), but the photo features Eleanor Bishop standing next to Wilson Fisk, the man that Clint has been worried about throughout the series. While D'Onofrio did not appear physically in the episode, his name was listed in the credits with Wilson Fisk's silhouette featured in the end-credits artwork as well.
D'Onofrio first appeared as Wilson Fisk/Kingpin in Netflix's Daredevil series in 2015 and portrayed the character for all three seasons. Rumors began to circulate that D'Onofrio would reprise his role for Disney+'s Hawkeye after it was confirmed that the series would include Alaqua Cox's Maya Lopez/Echo, who in the comics is Fisk's adoptive daughter. In the show, previous episodes show Maya Lopez being raised by an unseen "Uncle" father figure following her real father's murder.
D'Onofrio routinely trolled fans on social media regarding his possible appearance in the series, as there had not been official confirmation until Hawkeye Episode 5 premiered. It wasn't just D'Onofrio fueling rumors, as Hawkeye executive producer Tina Tran seemingly hinted at his involvement in the series during an interview in November. Moreover, when asked about the crime boss's possible appearance, Hawkeye directors Bert and Bertie stated, "Watching the show, you'll probably find out."
"I do take it as a compliment. I so badly want to play that character again," D'Onofrio previously said about the rumors. "I love that character. I just have to wait for Marvel to ask me. I think it's very clear that I would, and the fans know that I would jump at the chance to play again. I just need to be asked." It's currently unclear how big D'Onofrio's role will be in the MCU going forward, but with his connection to Maya Lopez/Echo, he could have a larger part to play in the upcoming Echo Disney+ series starring Cox, which will connect directly to the events of Hawkeye.
The sixth and final episode of Hawkeye premieres Dec. 23 on Disney+.
Source: YouTube