Echo: Hawkeye’s new villain could confirm a huge Netflix-Marvel crossover

Marvel has soared with its Disney+ series thus far, delivering distinct and artistically rich expansions of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Of course, showrunners on those series sweetened the deal for fans with occasional cameos. Whether it was Evan Peters as Pietro Maximoff in WandaVision, Sharon Carter revealing herself as the Power Broker in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, or Kang variant He Who Remains revealing himself as the force behind the Time Keepers in Loki, a jaw-dropping surprise is now par for the course.

With such moments now expected, could the surprise Hawkeye has in store for fans already have been ruined thanks to one actor’s Twitter poetry? Here’s everything you need to know.

Speculation surrounding a surprise cameo in Hawkeye is focused for now on the character Echo (Alaqua Cox). Aside from one commonality — Echo is Deaf, while the Hawkeye character has a history of hearing loss) — Echo doesn’t overlap too much with the world’s greatest archer.

She actually has more history in the comics with Daredevil, who’s already been introduced in live-action via Charlie Cox’s portrayal of the vigilante in a Marvel-Netflix series bearing his name. And she has even deeper connections to Kingpin, who was portrayed by Vincent D’Onofrio in said series.

Kingpin actually raised Echo in the comics.

Otherwise known as Maya Lopez, Echo is a half Cheyenne, half Latina superhero who possesses photographic reflexes. That means she can replicate any move she sees, allowing her to adapt to match her opponent’s strengths (not unlike Taskmaster in Black Widow).

Raised by Kingpin (aka Wilson Fisk) after the death of her father, Echo grew up and became a hero in her own right, eventually realizing the truth: Fisk himself killed her father.

Since he played such a major role in her story, it’s hard to imagine Echo’s character being established within the MCU without at least referencing this deception. Which brings us to the second piece of evidence fueling this speculation.

If you don’t follow actor Vincent D’Onofrio on Twitter, you’re missing out. Every day, he tweets a miniature poem, usually centered around animals. However, on Monday, the Hawkeye trailer revealed a first look at Echo, bringing attention back to the question of D’Onofrio’s return.

Of course, D’Onofrio that day tweeted a poem about a three-legged dog, which had fans speculating he was makinga reference to Lucky the one-eyed Pizza Dog, who also made his live-action debut in the Hawkeye trailer.

To make matters more confusing, D’Onofrio then started liking tweets speculating he would return, fanning the flames though he appeared to simply be engaging with all replies to his poetry.

Could D’Onofrio’s Kingpin appear in Hawkeye? It’s hard to imagine Echo’s backstory without him, but another actor, Zahn McClarnon, has been cast as Echo’s father, suggesting he could be alive.

D’Onofrio also followed up his poem Tuesday morning with a response, reading, “Silly to look deeper into the little pieces I write. I've been writing them for years now. Although I appreciate the fandom. Because I loved playing him in Daredevil.”

This could be a cover up designed to keep the mystique intact ahead of a Kingpin reveal in Hawkeye. Or it could go to show that some actors just like writing poems about dogs, because dogs are neat.

(That said, D’Onofrio appearing in Hawkeye with Lucky the Pizza Dog would be even moreso.)

Hawkeye premieres on Disney+ on November 24.