After Vincent D'Onofrio made his triumphant return to Marvel as the notorious Wilson Fisk aka Kingpin in the finale of the Disney+ series Hawkeye, fans are left wondering what could be next for the beloved character after apparently being shot in the face by Maya Lopez. The character then appeared in Echo, where he delved more into his relationship with Maya Lopez while also setting up his future in the MCU., which left a lot of questions about his future in the last scenes; fans are wondering what is next for the villain everyone loves to hate.
D’Onofrio’s performance as Kingpin was acclaimed by fans and critics alike, and his return to the MCU has been a welcome one. Many fans are now wondering what the future holds for Kingpin and where the character could appear next. Let's take a look at some additional avenues by which the legendary Marvel villain can make his return and what could be next for Kingpin in the MCU.
Update January 15, 2024: This article has been updated following the premiere of Echo and what Marvel could have in store for the Kingpin in future MCU projects.
Daredevil: Born Again
The one show audiences know for sure is that Kingpin will return in Daredevil: Born Again. The same day D'Onoforio's return as the Kingpin was confirmed, Charlie Cox reprised his role as Matt Murdock, aka Daredevil, in Spider-Man: No Way Home. A year later he would show up in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law. Daredevil also briefly appeared in Echo, which might have gone to set up elements for his new Disney+ series, which will likely air in 2025.
Daredevil: Born Again underwent a major change behind the scenes. After filming was halted due to the SAG-AFTRA strike, Marvel Studios decided to retool the series. They fired the original showrunners. Dario Scardapane, who worked as a writer on Netflix's Daredevil spin-off series The Punisher, took over as showrunner. Filmmaking duo Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead, who previously worked on Marvel Studios' series Moon Knight and Loki season 2, were hired as the new directors for the series. The series will be split into two parts, with nine episodes airing at first and then nine more later, making it one giant series instead of two separate seasons.
While it is unclear what the overhaul for the series was, Echo hints at a plotline the series will likely pick up on. Echo ended with the implication that Wilson Fisk would run for mayor of New York City. This will certainly be a plot point for Daredevi: Born Again and also likely one that will bleed into other MCU projects.
Future Spider-Man Projects
Aside from Daredevil, one of Kingpin's biggest foes is none other than your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. Kingpin actually originated in The Amazing Spider-Man #50 and was even the primary villain of 2018's Academy Award-winning Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. D'Onofirio has expressed interest in having his Kingpin face-off against Tom Holland's Spider-Man, and following Echo and the rumored Daredevil: Born Again plot points, Kingpin might fit perfectly into a fourth MCU Spider-Man film.
Spider-Man: No Way Home established Peter Parker on his own following Doctor Strange's spell, making everyone forget about Peter Parker. Now Peter is on his own, with no Avengers backing or Stark-tech suit. That third film closed out with him making his own hand-crafted suit in a little apartment swinging through New York City, ready to battle crime as a friendly neighborhood Spider-Man and setting up a new chapter in his story where he faces off against more small-scale threats.
The idea of doing a street-level crime movie with Spider-Man is certainly appealing to fans who want a more traditional Spider-Man story, but it might be difficult for Sony, who knows such a move could be considered a downgrade from the multiverse spectacle of Spider-Man: No Way Home. After that movie's massive box office intake, there is a good chance the fourth entry could make less money. One way to draw audiences in without the need for more Spider-Man is to bring in a fan-favorite villain, and what better fit than Kingpin?
Kingpin is not only one of Spider-Man's oldest enemies. If he were to become Mayor of New York City, that would put Spider-Man in a position where he would face off against street criminals and elected officials. It also opens the door for the fourth Spider-Man movie to bring in more street-level heroes like Daredevil, The Punisher, or Echo. Due to the contract between Sony Pictures and Marvel Studios, Sony wants to cash in on being able to use MCU heroes, so a massive team-up with Spider-Man and other street-level heroes against Kingpin could make the fourth Spider-Man movie its own epic on a different scale than Spider-Man: No Way Home.
Thunderbolts
Another possible place for Kingpin to show up is in Thunderbolts. La Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, played by Julia Louis-Dreyfus, has been recruiting individuals for a team she's putting together, which we now know to be the Thunderbolts. While the roster has already been revealed, that doesn't mean there could not be some surprises along the way. Valentina Allegra de Fontaine sent (Florence Pugh) on a mission to kill Clint Barton. Hawkeye revealed that Eleanor Bishop, Kate Bishop's mother, was the one who hired Yelena.
Eleanor was working for Kingpin at the time; suffice it to say, it appears that there is some connection between de Fontaine and Fisk. Fisk's political aspirations will probably mean he'll need to make deals with other powerful forces in the country to legitimize him and back him up, which could show how morally grey and corrupted the MCU has gotten. Featuring Kingpin in Thunderbolts could establish a connection between street-level projects like Echo and Daredevil: Born Again and more espionage-based series like Black Widow and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Thunderbolts is scheduled to hit theaters on July 25, 2025. With Daredevil: Born Again rumored to be released in 2025, it could be the year of Kingpin.
Captain America: Brave New World
One of the greatest revelations The Falcon and the Winter Soldier left was the identity of the Power Broker. In the heat of battle, Karli Morgenthau revealed, if only to the audience, that it was Sharon Carter who was pulling the strings all along. She'd lived in exile in Madripoor since the events of Captain America: Civil War, and in her bitterness, she'd become a criminal leader. With her triumphant return to the US at the end of the show, she's seen plotting her next move, stating that now she will have access to a lot more resources since she's an Agent again.
The upcoming Captain America: Brave New World, the first movie in the franchise to feature Sam Wilson as Captain America, will pick up where The Falcon and the Winter Soldier left off, which means the Power Broker will probably play an important role. Of course, a high-class criminal like her will have dealings with some of the most important villains in the MCU. It stands to reason that Kingpin will be on her list. The Power Broker could supply Kingpin with weapons for in Daredevi: Born Again or a hypothetical Spider-Man 4, while Kingpin could be a major client teased in Captain America: Brave New World. This would certainly go a long way in connecting the various corners of the MCU and establish Kingpin as a major threat that extends beyond New York City.
The Defenders Return?
When Echo hit Disney+ on January 9, 2024, it also came with a major revelation: the Netflix Marvel series, which is called The Defenders Saga, was added to the official MCU timeline on Disney+. This meant Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Iron Fist, The Defenders, and The Punisher were all made part of the MCU, now opening the door for many of their returns. So far, Daredevil has officially appeared, with Jon Bernthal reprising his role as Frank Castle, aka The Punisher, in Daredevil: Born Again.
Combine those heroes with characters like Echo, and the street-wise corner of the MCU is becoming filled with heroes who could cross paths, and a project that unites them could be in the works. Be it Spider-Man 4, Daredevil: Born Again, or a rebranding of The Defenders, there are now plenty of characters for the MCU to mix and match, and a villain like Kingpin could be a multi-franchise threat for these heroes similar to Thanos. With more and more MCU projects in the works, the door is wide open for Vincent D'Onofrio to continue his villainous ways as Wilson Fisk in the ever-expanding Marvel Cinematic Universe.