Hawkeye: Is Kingpin dead in Hawkeye?
HAWKEYE has come to a close after the explosive Disney Plus finale aired, but is Kingpin actually dead?
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Hawkeye fans have been re-introduced to Wilson Fisk aka Kingpin (played by Vincent D'Onofrio). Kingpin was last seen in Netflix's Daredevil season three, meaning his Disney Plus appearance finally confirms the character's place in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. However, his inclusion might be short-lived after the shocking twist seen in the Hawkeye finale.
Warning: This story contains spoilers for Hawkeye and Spiderman: No Way Home.
Is Kingpin dead in Hawkeye?
First introduced in 2011's Thor, the character has been a major player in the buildup of cinema's biggest ever franchise.
As such his series was highly anticipated, but following the release of the final episode, there is one other character on fans' minds.
Viewers have been hoping to see the return of Kingpin for years, and their hopes were finally realised in the sixth and final episode.
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In the final moments, Echo held a gun to Kingpin, who tried in vain to stop her from pulling the trigger.
Yet, the camera pulled up before viewers got to see the final shot.
The shot was heard and not seen, followed by the sound of a large thud, presumably Kingpin hitting the floor.
However, it seems unlikely Marvel would kill off such an important character so soon after his return.
Also the fact his death wasn't seen is also extremely telling, as it is a classic trope for off-screen deaths to be a red-herring.
Fans are debating the controversial moment on Reddit, with many of them believing Kingpin is alive.
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One user wrote: "The way they were emphasising Fisk's new strength alone has me guaranteed they have bigger plans for him.
Jennlebransky added: "You mean the off-screen death of one of the most wanted characters isn’t dead just like how he isn’t dead in the exact comic the story derives from?"
"The shot in the last episode was heard but not seen. So, of course, Kingpin must be alive," JyconX commented.
It seems as though Marvel is simply setting up something bigger in the future once again, as Kingpin isn't the only returning character from Daredevil.
Daredevil himself, Matt Murdoch (Charlie Cox) has also returned in Spiderman: No Way Home.
Both the hero and villain coming back into the universe at the same time all but confirms they will meet again at some point.