Marvel Studios’ Hawkeye turned out to be a welcome surprise to many. The Disney+ series offered up an exciting, fun, and emotional Christmas tale which critics and fans seemingly adored. The world got to meet Hailee Steinfeld’s Kate Bishop, who teamed up with her childhood hero, Clint Barton, as the two tried to mop up their mess in time for the holidays. The cherry on top? The show paved the way for Vincent D’Onofrio’s return as Wilson Fisk, aka the Kingpin.
The character was last seen on Netflix’s Daredevil, a series that was canceled back in 2018. The villain has been a fan favorite ever since his first appearance, and when his show was canned, audiences thought they’d never see him again.
Yet, Christmas came early, and the Kingpin of crime returned to the fold. His reveal was teased throughout the show’s six-episode runtime. While he wasn’t officially unveiled until Episode 5, one of the biggest teases involved only his arm.
D'Onofrio's face wasn’t shown, only his arm made the cut; but there was another signature element of his that slipped through: his iconic laugh. Apparently, according to the actor himself, the infamous giggle was entirely improved.
The Improvised Kingpin Giggle
During an interview with Rotten Tomatoes, Vincent D'onofrio, the man behind Kingpin, discussed his appearance in Hawkeye's third installment.
The moment in question involved his left arm and his iconic laugh, his first scene in a Marvel Studios project. But was it his own? According to D’Onofrio, “it was my arm,” and he added that the laughter itself “wasn’t scripted.”
He added that the giggle slipped out because “the young woman that was playing the part was just so adorable:”
“I believe it was my arm, which was attached in some way to my mouth, which essentially vocalized the giggle. The laugh wasn’t scripted. It was just the young woman that was playing the part was just so adorable.”
Such a big reveal required a high level of security. According to the actor, it’s not something that swayed him. Right from the get-go, it “sound[ed] like a good thing to [him]:”
“It’s not a secret that that’s the kind of the modus operandi of these companies these days—like Marvel—is that the minute they ask you to do something, you become part of their team to how they execute releasing a project. And the way that they do it at Marvel is, I think, a kind of cool way, where they keep as many secrets as possible. And they keep [filming] quiet and let time pass. And then the reveal comes bigger, and the audience has mustered up all these scenarios. And it becomes this huge thing. And then the release of it becomes this event. Yeah, it sounds like a good thing to me. I’m in. You know?”
D'Onofrio's Kingpin Is Back
As exciting as Vincent D’Onofrio’s return was, fans only got to see Kingpin properly enter the fold in the show’s finale episode. He was given a few scenes, but at least he got to have a showdown with Kate Bishop.
As exciting as it was to see him go up against one of the key players, it’s a little sad that viewers couldn’t see him go up against the original Avenger. Maybe next time?
Given the character’s final moments in Hawkeye, some fans might be questioning if it's truly the end of Wilson Fisk. For those still worried, there’s no need to fret. While there is no official confirmation on the character’s fate, Marvel likely wouldn’t bring back such a massive villain and actor only to kill them off moments later.
The real question is: where will the Kingpin show up next? And will he be blinded like he was in the comics after a similar encounter? Given how Alaqua Cox’s Maya Lopez fired the gun, it’s a good bet that audiences will see him again in the upcoming Echo series.
For now, fans can relive all of their favorite moments from Hawkeye, as the entire series is streaming exclusively on Disney+.
