The Big Picture
- Vincent D'Onofrio's portrayal of Kingpin in Netflix's Daredevil series is one of the MCU's best and most iconic performances.
- D'Onofrio's Kingpin officially joined the MCU in 2021 as a guest star on Hawkeye, and he's about to take center stage alongside Alaqua Cox for Marvel's Echo miniseries.
- Echo sees Kingpin trying to kill Maya Lopez, his former protégé and surrogate daughter, while Maya seeks revenge against Fisk and confronts her past.
Even before the Marvel Cinematic Universe offered up a plethora of onscreen heroes, some live-action actors were "born to play" their comic book counterparts. Think Christopher Reeve as Superman and Michael Keaton as Batman, a trend continued by the likes of Robert Downey Jr.'s Iron Man, Iman Vellani's Ms. Marvel, and Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn. But don't villains deserve the same care? When Daredevil premiered on Netflix in 2015, the ruthlessly daring series dropped that "one-in-a-million" casting miracle times two: Charlie Cox as Daredevil balanced by Vincent D'Onofrio's Wilson Fisk, aka Kingpin. And with Loki's (Tom Hiddleston) recent evolution into the MCU's best anti-hero, the crowning jewel in Marvel's villainous roster can't be anyone but Fisk. Daredevil is a comic book story put through the filter of prestige TV, an aesthetic and character-driven combination that lets D'Onofrio pull off a triplicate of inhabiting the characters' comic origins, introducing him to new generations, and elevating him to new heights. D'Onofrio's phenomenal (and phenomenon-inducing) performance mixes feral rage with a traumatized sense of righteousness. There are times that calling Fisk a villain seems unfair. Then, he thoroughly reminds us why Kingpin isn't even the hero of his own story.
After a three-year absence (Netflix canceled Daredevil in 2018) and just as many years of speculation, D'Onofrio jumped into the MCU's official canon thanks to a cameo in 2021's Hawkeye miniseries. Two years and some change later, the actor won't be hiding in the shadows anymore. Fisk plays a major role in Marvel's limited series Echo, which also marks the return of Hawkeye's Alaqua Cox as Maya Lopez, Fisk's surrogate daughter and once-loyal lieutenant. After discovering that Fisk ordered the death of her father in Hawkeye, Maya starts Echo with a thirst for revenge and on the run from her "uncle," and finds herself forced to reconcile with her past. Although fans don't need encyclopedic knowledge to enjoy Echo, there's enough backstory to warrant checking in on where Hawkeye left the mighty Kingpin before jumping into his story's next phase.
Echo
Maya Lopez must face her past, reconnect with her Native American roots and embrace the meaning of family and community if she ever hopes to move forward.
- Release Date
- January 9, 2024
- Cast
- Alaqua Cox , Chaske Spencer , Vincent D'Onofrio , Tantoo Cardinal , Devery Jacobs , Zahn McClarnon
- Main Genre
- Drama
- Seasons
- 1
- Studio
- Marvel Studios
- Franchise
- Marvel Cinematic Universe
- Main Characters
- Maya Lopez
- Producer
- Kevin Feige, Louis D’Esposito, Victoria Alonso, Brad Winderbaum, Stephen Broussard, Richie Palmer, Marion Dayre, Jason Gavin, Amy Rardin, Sydney Freeland, Christina King and Jennifer Booth
- Streaming Service(s)
- Disney+
- Franchise(s)
- Marvel Cinematic Universe
Where Did We Last See Kingpin?
In Hawkeye's penultimate episode, co-protagonist Kate Bishop (Hailee Steinfeld) learns that her mother Eleanor (Vera Farmiga) has been working with notorious criminal Wilson Fisk, albeit unwillingly. Eleanor's husband and Kate's father, Derek (Brian d'Arcy James), owed Fisk money. Kingpin always collects his debts, so after Derek's death, Eleanor spent years in Fisk's service. But with Kate getting too close to the truth, Eleanor quits to keep her daughter safe — namely, from her employer. Since she does so without Fisk's approval, he sends assassins. When the assassins fail, he tries to take care of the job himself, leading to a fight between Kate and Fisk. The latter escapes, only for Maya to confront her beloved mentor at gunpoint. Clint Barton (Jeremy Renner) might have killed her father, William (Zahn McClarnon), but it was Fisk who facilitated the hit. His lies and manipulations exposed, Fisk pleads for his life as the camera pans away and a gunshot thunders out.
Although Fisk's fate post-Hawkeye dangled in the balance for a while, Echo head director Sydney Freeland confirmed the character is alive and well and has a "very large" part to play in the limited series. Although Echo works as a prelude-of-sorts to D'Onofrio and Charlie Cox's formal reunion in the upcoming Daredevil: Born Again, Fisk and Maya's final Hawkeye moments lead into Echo's dramatic crux. Since Fisk survived a bullet to the face (Why? Because he's Kingpin, duh!), Maya's running away from the man who raised her and grappling with the emotional scars left by Fisk's influence. The Echo trailers show the ever-resilient "big guy" rocking a bandage over a bloody eye and goading Maya about their violent similarities.
Kingpin Plays a Big Role in ‘Echo'
Before Hawkeye and Echo, Vincent D'Onofrio's Kingpin spent three seasons as the sovereign criminal of Daredevil's Hell's Kitchen. The Netflix series' final season ended with Fisk behind bars for the second time (and right on the heels of his wedding; rude). Even though Marvel hasn't confirmed if D’Onofrio and Cox are playing their Netflix characters or different incarnations, D'Onofrio's approach to Fisk remains unchanged. Speaking with Collider after the Hawkeye finale, the actor shared:
"I think it's definitely a continuation, like there's no difference to me. There's the physical strength that's different. The fact that he can take more violent abuse, physical abuse is different, but it's very clear with the writers and the producers and the directors that I'm continuing the same man that was in the series a few years ago, in Daredevil. His emotional life, he operates through the pain of his childhood. That's how he operates and he still does. And it doesn't matter whether he is enjoying himself or if he's having a tough time in life, whatever's going on in any scene. It's always coming through events that happened when he was a kid. And so that's the same character to me."
'Echo' Director Shares What Makes This Mix of Superhero Action and Powwows Special
Sydney Freeland also talks about incorporating authentic Native and deaf representation, and why she made sure to learn ASL for the shoot.Echo is both the first series to fall under Marvel's "Marvel Spotlight" banner and the studios's first TV-MA series. That rating and the Echo trailers hint at a darker Wilson Fisk who's more aligned with Daredevil's interpretation than Hawkeye’s, which was slightly cartoonish if still infused with D'Onofrio's irreplaceable menace. D'Onofrio reiterated to The Washington Post how Echo is consistent with what came before: "Echo is turning out to be the perfect introduction for my character in [Daredevil: Born Again]. More than ever, we are connected to the original [Netflix] series. There’s a lot of great things happening when it comes to...the way Charlie and I get to approach the characters again."
D'Onofrio added, "I definitely felt the same as when I was bringing [the Kingpin] forward for the first time at Netflix. You’re really uneasy about this guy. He’s sort of sympathetic. You feel kind of empathetic towards him at times. And other times you’re just like, ‘Oh my god, this guy’s like a monster'." During a press conference, D'Onofrio also praised Echo's emotional intensity. "[It's] very exciting for me, always," /Film reported, "because [Echo] has a more grittier feel to it and it's a more emotional story with me and Alaqua's character, Maya. And I think that kind of tone is the proper way for where my character, I believe, lives best."
What Is Kingpin’s Future in the MCU?
With Echo premiering nine years after his Daredevil debut, did Vincent D'Onofrio think his Kingpin would get a second life? "I actually just kind of knew that we were going to come back," he said to The Washington Post. "My intuition told me that. I just couldn’t believe that they were just going to let that go." Indeed, having one of the canon's greatest performances back for more is a transcendent thrill. Echo producer Richie Palmer agrees, hoping the ball doesn't stop after Echo and Daredevil: Born Again: "I think stay tuned to how this show ends and where we see him next. As a Kingpin fan myself, [having him as a recurring villain] sounds awesome and I know Vincent would love it." So would we all. May the King(pin)'s reign never end.
All five episodes of Echo premiere January 9 on Disney+ and Hulu.
