The latest episode of Hawkeye on Disney Plus just teased the reintroduction of a classic villain to the Marvel Cinematic Universe - one with a strong connection to Spider-Man.
Obviously, I'm about to go heavy on spoilers for episode three of Hawkeye, so if you haven't seen it you might want to step away now. Big spoilers below the trailer. You have been warned.
Okay, now it's just us... is anyone else absolutely convinced that Kingpin was just teased in a big way? I'm not sure it could be anyone else. Let's dive into it!
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Hawkeye's excellent third episode opens with a series of flashbacks establishing Maya's (Alaqua Cox) childhood. At one point we see her receive a pep talk from her crime-boss father, who reveals that her "uncle" will be picking her up after class. We then see a large man in a black suit, who strokes Maya's face and laughs.
Crucially, we don't actually see this mystery uncle's face, which has led many fans to believe whoever it is is a big deal in the MCU. Said uncle is also mentioned a few more times in the episode, with Hawkeye himself at one point describing him as "way above Maya" and "someone you don't wanna mess with".
While nothing is confirmed just yet, the sudden appearance of a large mystery man in a suit with a connection to New York's crime families seems like a dead giveaway. There's also the fact that Vincent D'Onofrio, who played Kingpin in Netflix's Daredevil, hinted earlier this year that he might be in Hawkeye.
Between this and the rumours that Charlie Cox is returning as Matt Murdock/Daredevil for Spider-Man: No Way Home, it certainly looks as if the Netflix Marvel universe is finally merging with the MCU proper. The two were always supposed to be connected, of course, but this is the first time they've really started to bleed into one another.
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I suppose we'll find out for sure in just a few weeks who this mysterious uncle really is, but place your bets on Kingpin now.
Featured Image Credit: SonyTopics: Marvel, Spider Man, Disney
