Wait, How Is Kingpin Alive In Marvel’s Echo Show?

Given that he was defeated at the end of Hawkeye, how is Kingpin (Vincent D’Onofrio) still alive in the upcoming Disney+ show Echo? The series centers on Maya Lopez (Alaqua Cox), detailing the story of the anti-hero who is a part of the deaf community and her exploits in the MCU. Production is now underway on Echo, which is coming to Disney+ in 2023, and with that, it has been confirmed that both Charlie Cox and D’Onofrio are coming back for the show, meaning that their characters Daredevil and Kingpin, respectively, will appear.

The Echo series will feature the character’s origin story, where her unforgiving behavior in New York shown in Hawkeye ends up following her to her hometown. In the series, she is forced to face her past, including reconnecting with her lineage as a Native American and joining a family and community with the hopes of moving forward. Since Daredevil and Kingpin will also be a part of this show, with details still under wraps, this begs the question: What really happened to Kingpin at the end of Hawkeye?

In the show, Kate Bishop (Hailee Steinfeld) has a brutal fight with Kingpin that includes her mom, Eleanor (Vera Farmiga), trying to run him over with her car. Yet, Kingpin stands up relatively unscathed afterward despite being pushed through a wall. Kate then goes on to fight Kingpin in the middle of an abandoned toy store, where he bests her by using his pure brute strength the entire time. She eventually uses his cufflink to set off what look to be stun arrows from a distance. Shortly after he succumbs, Kate has a conversation with her mom as the police arrive to arrest her. However, they don’t seem to realize Kingpin is there on the other side of the wreckage. Afterward, Kingpin roams the alleyways of New York only to be found by Maya, who is holding a gun. He pleads with her saying that they’re family, and that family doesn’t always see “eye to eye,” before she shoots him at point-blank range, seemingly in the face.

Why Kingpin Had To Survive Hawkeye & Return In Echo

It’s worth remembering that the camera pans up before the shot from Maya’s gun is heard, so Kingpin is never shown explicitly dying, paving the way for his return in Echo. When Kingpin does come back, it is likely that he will return as his variant from the comics who has an eye patch. While a seemingly throwaway line at the time, it seems likely Kingpin’s mention of not seeing “eye to eye” actually foreshadows his return. While it’s certainly possible that Kingpin may only be coming back in flashbacks, that is unlikely as people want to see more of this Wilson Fisk, and his coming back for a few flashbacks is unlikely to satisfy viewers.

Through the Daredevil Netflix series, Kingpin survives a near-death experience at the hands of Matt Murdock. In Hawkeye, he seems to be similarly almost infallibly resilient, surviving direct hits from arrows that penetrate his suit, ostensibly piercing his skin and body, and going on with full strength to fight Kate after being run over by a car at full speed. Given there’s a history of him being almost super-heroically unkillable, it is no surprise that Kingpin will come back in Echo. Not only does his likely reunion with the person who seemingly shot him point-blank on Christmas make for a great story, but Marvel wouldn’t kill off such an important and fan-favorite character if it didn’t have to.