Earlier this summer, a huge rumour started doing the rounds online claiming that Vincent D'Onofrio would reprise the role of Daredevil's Wilson Fisk/Kingpin in Hawkeye.
It's a little hard to believe in some ways, but with Charlie Cox supposedly coming back as Matt Murdock/Daredevil in Spider-Man: No Way Home and She-Hulk, it certainly doesn't seem entirely outside the realm of possibility. Throw in the fact that D'Onofrio has been liking Tweets about his rumoured return, and it feels a lot like this is one rumour that could become a reality.
According to The Cosmic Circus' Lizzie Hill (who has been dropping some reliable scoops in recent months), "It’s true. Vincent D’Onofrio is returning to his Marvel role as Wilson Fisk. Although, he may look a little 'larger than life' than you remembered when you next see him."
She adds that "Kingpin will be large and in charge" in the Hawkeye series coming to Disney+ and, as suspected, the character will undergo a "soft reboot" for his proper Marvel Cinematic Universe debut.
Rather than making the now cancelled Marvel Television projects canon, it sounds like those versions of the characters are being treated as "Variants" from similar, albeit not quite the same, worlds. That's the best possible approach, especially as it frees Marvel Studios from having to adhere to some of the not-so-great creative decisions Jeph Loeb and his team often made with these heroes and villains.
As always, a rumour like this isn't confirmed until we hear directly from an official source, and it seems likely this surprise return is going to be saved for the show itself. Just like when a big cameo was teased for The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, this is a good way to make sure fans tune in.
We'll keep you updated. For now, check out what Jon Bernthal had to tell us about possibly returning as The Punisher in the video below (right at the end of the interview).
ComicBookMovie.com, and/or the user who contributed this post, may earn commissions or revenue through clicks or purchases made through any third-party links contained within the content above.