Could Vincent D’onofrio’s Wilson Fisk be making his way to the larger Marvel Cinematic Universe? It is suddenly looking a lot more likely than you would think! For months rumors have been circulating that D’onofrio’s live-action version of Wilson Fisk, better known to many as The Kingpin, would be making his way to the MCU proper. Many have been speculating that we may even see him make his MCU debut before the end of the year with this fall’s new Hawkeye Disney+ series! But how would that work exactly?
It is no small secret that Charlie Cox‘ Matt Murdock (aka Daredevil) is supposedly making his own jump to the MCU in both Spider-Man: No Way Home, and more than likely in the upcoming She-Hulk Disney+ series (where his Defenders co-star Jessica Jones (Kristen Ritter) is also rumored to appear). So could Vincent D’onofrio’s Kingpin be far behind?
D’onofrio’s fan-favorite portrayal of the character made his debut in Marvel and Netflix’s Daredevil television series and appeared throughout all three seasons before it was cancelled. While the show came to its end (alongside literally all of the other Marvel Netflix shows) and it has been declared that these shows are no longer considered MCU “canon,” fans have latched heavily onto the idea that some of these characters may live on in some other way in the larger Marvel Cinematic Universe. Many have wondered for years how that could potentially work, especially when considering the “hard R” rating and gritty tone that many of the Marvel Netflix series carried… and then the Multiverse happened.
With the introduction of the Marvel Multiverse in the Loki Disney+ series, the concept of alternate timelines and ‘Variants’ introduced the perfect way for Marvel to have their cake and eat it too when it comes to the characters from the Marvel Netflix series. In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, a ‘Variant’ is an alternative version of a familiar character from an alternative timeline where things have played out differently. More often than not, they look pretty much the same as their standard MCU counterpart (although, as Loki has shown us, this is not always the case).
While still technically a rumor, The Cosmic Circus’ Lizzie Hill claims that it is absolutely what is happening, saying:
“It’s true. Vincent D’Onofrio is returning to his Marvel role as Wilson Fisk. Although, he may look a little ‘larger than life’ than you remembered when you next see him.”
She went on to add that “Kingpin will be large and in charge” in Disney+’s upcoming Hawkeye series, leaving very little question as to where he will be popping up first. The character is expected to undergo a slight reboot, likely toning him down a bit from the excessively violent murderer we last saw on the Daredevil streaming series. As this version of The Kingpin would be a ‘Variant’, rather than the version we already know, it would make total sense to go this route that allows them to keep the core of the character intact while making slight alterations to allow him to be a more tailored fit for the general family-friendly Marvel Cinematic Universe.
If proven true, this also gives fans hope for many of their favorite Marvel television stars to finally make the jump to the larger MCU in some capacity, even if it is an alternative version of the character they once played. This also would allow Marvel to sweep whatever aspects of the previous incarnations they don’t like under the rug or even to recast the role with a clean slate for each character, picking and choosing what they wanted to keep. All in all, this strategy may be the best way to salvage what people embrace from what came before and course correct the things that weren’t as well received.
As always, we want to clarify that this is currently only a rumor and until a source inside Marvel confirms, should be treated strictly as such. Still, this sounds like it’d be a pretty fantastic way to bring some key Marvel Television players back into the fold.
Are you excited about the prospect of Vincent D’Onofrio returning as Wilson Fisk for the MCU? Or would you rather they recast the role and start over fresh? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below and be sure to stick around Geek Anything for all the latest MCU updates!