Is [spoilers] dead in Hawkeye? Marvel comics reveal the shocking answer
Is the mob boss’s MCU foray really that short?
Hawkeye’s biggest moment was without a doubt the reveal of Wilson Fisk, aka Kingpin, as the man pulling the strings of Echo and the Tracksuit Mafia. However, this reveal wasn’t just for the audience. Maya Lopez also had a reveal from Clint Barton; he didn’t murder her father, Kingpin did.
So after being raised by Kingpin just like in the comics, Maya rebelled and cornered him in an alley with a firearm. But because this is Marvel, we never saw the body. Is Kingpin really dead? Here’s everything we know so far. Warning: Spoilers ahead!
Kingpin in the MCU
Is Kingpin dead?
Kingpin is a huge deal. Bringing him into the MCU, the biggest TV and film franchise in existence, is an even bigger deal. So why would he only be in one episode before dying? That would be both a fan disappointment and a waste of Vincent D’Onofrio’s talents. But there’s a rule in the Marvel universe: no one’s dead until we see the body.
The gunshot Echo fires at Kingpin is only shown from a distance, so anything could have happened. Considering how he pulled an arrow from his torso earlier in the episode, there’s a chance the famously tough villain could have survived a gunshot. And there’s always the possibility that Echo only wanted to cripple Kingpin in order to use him for her own devices, possibly even forcing him to turn his crime network over to her.
What happens to Kingpin in the comics?
Echo finally corners Kingpin in the Hawkeye finale.
There’s even comics precedent for Kingpin surviving a gunshot. In Daredevil Vol. 2 #15, Echo confronts Kingpin and shoots him with the same weapon he used to murder her father. But he manages to survive, albeit with some recovery time ahead after the gunshot blinded him. Is Hawkeye setting up a similar result?
Even if Kingpin is dead, that doesn’t have to end the character’s future in the MCU. Kingpin can still live on through flashbacks in future projects, like Echo’s upcoming solo series. Plus, in this new era of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, there’s always the possibility of a multiversal Kingpin arriving to wreak havoc on the main MCU timeline.
So is Kingpin dead after Hawkeye?
Echo shoots Kingpin in Daredevil Vol. 2 #15, published in April 2001.
However, there’s always the pessimistic view of things: maybe Kingpin really is dead, and his appearance in the MCU was merely a prelude for more Daredevil appearances, like the Matt Murdock cameo in Spider-Man: No Way Home. With Murdock’s biggest foe out of the way, he could be free to have a greater role in the upcoming MCU series She-Hulk.
But if Marvel is looking to appease fans, the best option is to bring back Kingpin in some capacity, be it through flashback, a miraculous recovery, or even a multiversal appearance. There are all sorts of ways to undo his apparent demise, so why assume he’s gone when there isn’t confirmation? Remember, in the MCU, anything can happen.
Hawkeye is now streaming on Disney+.
