WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Hit-Monkey Season 1, now streaming on Hulu.
“Is it like Comic-Con all the time here or something?” the phantom hitman Bryce complains in the midst of Marvel’s Hit-Monkey. The cameos certainly merit the comparison. Although the Hulu animated series resolutely tells its own story, it’s still a part of a larger Marvel universe. That means not only Easter eggs and similar nods, but a number of cameos from longtime Marvel characters, as allies and adversaries of the titular simian. They’re chosen carefully, with an eye not only on the series’ Japanese setting but its hyperviolent underworld plot as well.
A short list of them follows, in alphabetical order.
Fat Cobra
Fat Cobra is a comparatively recent addition to the Marvel Universe, first appearing in Immortal Iron Fist #8. He comes from Peng Lai, a mystical island in a hidden dimension that serves as one of the cities of Heaven. He possesses powers similar to Iron Fist’s: able to manipulate his chi energy into highly-enhanced combat skills, and to refrain from aging (he's over 100 years old). He also has a tendency to indulge in food, alcohol and sex. Hit-Monkey finds him in prison during his search for the Accountant in Season 1, Episode 4, “The Code,” and joins forces with the martial arts master after defeating him in an arena fight.
Kingpin
The Kingpin doesn’t appear in Hit-Monkey -- at least directly. A picture of him appears on the wall in the tailor’s shop where Hit-Monkey is getting his suit fitted in Season 1, Episode 5, “Run Monkey Run,” and Bryce makes a joke about his stubby little legs. It’s another way the show connects to the larger Marvel universe without drawing undue attention to the fact. Kingpin’s one of the premiere villains in Marvel, appearing first in the Amazing Spider-Man #50 in 1967 as an amalgamation of underworld crime bosses. Frank Miller famously brought him to the Daredevil line, and he’s often considered that crimefighter’s arch-nemesis, with appearances both in the Netflix Daredevil series and the earlier movie starring Ben Affleck.
Lady Bullseye
As her name implies, Lady Bullseye is a Daredevil villain, first appearing in Daredevil Vol. 2 #111 in 2008. When the original Bullseye killed the mobsters holding her hostage, Maki Matsumoto adopted his moniker, and has served with both the Hand and the Kingpin’s crime organization. She has no super powers of her own, but she’s a formidable combatant and assassin, as befits her two most notable employers. She’s hired at the end of Season 1, Episode 6, “The Long Goodbye,” after Hit-Monkey has killed all of the assassins sent after him.
Ogun
Like many of Hit-Monkey’s cameos, Ogun has close ties to the X-Men. He first appeared in the Kitty Pryde and Wolverine limited series; a magic-wielding ninja who crossed swords with Wolverine in the 30s, then returned to possess Kitty’s soul to take revenge. He possessed formidable martial arts skills, and a self-serving attitude as well as sorcerous powers. He appears in “Run Monkey Run" as one of the assassins trying to collect the bounty on Hit-Monkey. He’s taken out, though he’s been killed before in the comics and his mystic powers always allow him to return.
Silver Samurai
Silver Samurai has been a staple Marvel villain since 1974, first appearing in Daredevil #111 and tangling with Spider-Man, Wolverine, Black Widow and Shang-Chi, among others. He’s technically a mutant, with the ability to generate a powerful energy field that he typically focuses through his katana. That allows it to cut through anything, enhancing his already formidable combat skills. Though trained in and adhering to the ancient samurai code of bushido, he’s essentially a killer for hire. He serves as one of the primary antagonists in the season finale of Hit-Monkey – Season 1, Episode 10, “The End, Part 2” – battling Fat Cobra as well as the titular character.
Yuki
The spectral Yuki plays a central role in “Run Monkey Run,” a spirit defender of Tokyo awakened by the bloodshed as Hit-Monkey fights back against his would-be killers. She was introduced in 2010’s Shadowlands: Daughters of the Shadow, Vol. 1 – a Daredevil-related title – where she belonged to an elite team of immortal ninjas called the Nail. Hit-Monkey re-imagines her in more benevolent terms; though they battle ferociously in “Run Monkey Run,” she stops when she realizes his true nature, and returns to provide some timely aid in “The End, Part 2.”
To see more of Hit-Monkey's connections to the larger Marvel Universe, the first season is now streaming on Hulu.