Summer 2023 will bring a couple of epic new entries into the MCU’s batch of Disney+ programming, including Alaqua Cox’s leading efforts in Echo. This show is particularly exciting due to the inclusion of Charlie Cox’s Daredevil and Vincent D’Onofrio’s Kingpin, both of whom have notable ties to Maya Lopez/Echo in the comics.
Echo made her MCU debut in Jeremy Renner’s Hawkeye, with D’Onofrio’s Kingpin finally revealing himself to be her mysterious uncle and the leader of the Tracksuit Mafia as he worked towards a reign over New York. The final episode ended with Maya Lopez seemingly shooting Fisk in the face and killing him, although nobody is convinced that the Kingpin of Crime went down that quickly after his Disney+ debut.
With his anticipated return in Echo, fans are looking forward to seeing more of his relationship with the titular hero, although there are no details pertaining to his actual role in the show yet. While those still remain a mystery, the first look at his return has come, with the Kingpin looking as formidable as ever in D’Onofrio’s portrayal.
Vincent D'Onofrio Returns as Kingpin
The Atlanta Filming Instagram account shared the first on-set images of Vincent D'Onofrio as Wilson Fisk in Marvel Studios' Echo.
In the two images, D'Onofrio dons the Kingpin's classic white suit with a black dress shirt, reprising his role in the MCU for the first time since 2021's Hawkeye. The caption for the images indicates that they were cropped to avoid spoiling any plot points in the scene D'Onofrio is filming:
Tenemos las primeras imágenes de #Kingpin en 'ECHO'. pic.twitter.com/id4H2nTHHl
What Is the Kingpin's Role in Echo?
These photos of D'Onofrio appear to show the Kingpin at full strength, which doesn't exactly match up with how things ended for him in Episode 6 of Hawkeye after seemingly being shot.
Many have speculated that D'Onofrio would be wearing an eyepatch after his encounter with Maya similarly to a storyline from the comics, but the eye accessories are noticeably absent here.
Therefore, there's a good chance that these photos are showing some kind of flashback sequence, catching fans up to what Wilson Fisk has been up to during his tenure in the MCU or his influence on Maya as a child. With so many unanswered questions regarding the ties between D'Onofrio's appearance on Netflix and his return in the MCU story, these scenes could be how some of those gaps are filled in during Echo.
Regardless of the details, it's exciting to see D'Onofrio back in action with the Kingpin finally getting the chance to fully ingratiate himself in a world with Earth's Mightiest Heroes. Seeing more of his interactions with Alaqua Cox's Echo will only give his character more evolution as well, hopefully setting him up for an extended reign of terror before he extends his power further in 2024's Daredevil: Born Again.
Echo is currently filming and will premiere on Disney+ in Summer 2023.
