Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: Marvel TV

  • Ranking Marvel Studios’ Series Finales

    Ranking Marvel Studios’ Series Finales

    The Hawkeye finale marks the end of Marvel Studios’ first year of Disney+ series and the conclusion of the fifth installment to date. From WandaVision to What If…?, Marvel Studios showcased its ability to pull off a wide range of stories and styles. Still, it pulled off some better than others, and we now rank the finales of all of the Disney+ series below.

    There’s something about TFATWS, other than its horrible title, that tends to land it at the bottom of lists. The series finale wasn’t bad and it wasn’t riddled with flaws. In fact, it was quite comforting, and there’s something about a straightforward series focused almost exclusively on already-established characters that is satisfying. Unfortunately, even a satisfying finale can be completely forgotten and left behind when it’s entirely bland. Even with Sam’s triumphant claim of the Captain America mantle, not much else propped the finale up.

    What If… ? will always be at a disadvantage if it has little connection to the Sacred Timeline as we know it. But it was particularly disappointing that the finale did not feature any connection whatsoever, even if that’s an unfair desire given the premise of the series. It also felt like a bit of a letdown by not capitalizing on the strong momentum that the penultimate episode had and ultimately being pretty forgettable instead. It did have the Guardians of the Multiverse, including Party Thor and Doctor Strange Supreme, up against Infinity Ultron, which was great. The pure absurdity of the situation makes it a unique and fun addition to the Marvel Cinematic Multiverse.

    The ending of WandaVision got a little murky due to wild speculations built up over the two-month-long run. While it will go down in history as not having Mephisto in it, it honestly was a good finale. It brought the series’ eccentric and creative storyline to a proper close and featured arguably one of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s most emotional moments. It also brought with it Wanda’s formal transition into the Scarlet Witch, which was a long-awaited moment after her introduction in 2015.

    While the resolution of the series’ plot left plenty to be desired, the Hawkeye finale was easily one of the most–if not the most–enjoyable finales that Marvel Studios has delivered. All of the things that the series did well, the finale did even better. It was funny, the character dynamics were on point, and the action finally arrived. The inclusion of Kingpin was very exciting, but it can’t really compete with Loki.

    The season finale of Loki will surely always be iconic, and long after the series itself is forgotten, this episode will be remembered. Of course, the actual opening of the multiverse was stunning and marked an exciting and dramatic new chapter for the MCU, and the fact that it happened on Disney+ rather than on the big screen makes it even more interesting. The He Who Remains reveal was on another level thanks to an amazing performance by Jonathan Majors. And who can forget the opening where the entirety of the MCU was dramatically condensed into the glowing Sacred Timeline?

  • REVIEW: ‘Hawkeye’ Finale – So This Is Christmas?

    REVIEW: ‘Hawkeye’ Finale – So This Is Christmas?

    It is still not clear if another season of Hawkeye is to come, but the disney+ series “season finale” titled “So This Is Christmas“, is the strongest installment of the series on almost all fronts including humor, character work, and action. The finale is also highly representative of the series as a whole. While it has several great components, it ultimately felt somewhat anti-climactic due to the weakness of the overarching plot. This episode emphasized how the series is more of a collection of other stories rather than its own. At the end of the day, the actual plot was Kate Bishop stepping into the shoes of a superhero, but it was flanked by the vague and stagnant criminal storyline. 

    By the end of the episode, it does not feel as though much has happened throughout the series. Even though there was an Echo, Black Widow, Kingpin, and a Kate’s-mom-is-actually-the-bad-guy reveal, none of these potential adversaries were genuinely essential to the story. Most of what happens in Hawkeye comes across as a string of crazy coincidences. As such, the lack of a central and strong adversary left the finale and the series needing more. Many interesting narratives turned out to essentially be interesting cameos rather than meaningful additions to the story. For example, the fact that the Rolex first encountered in the first episode revealed that Laura Barton was once an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. is cool, but much of the underlying mystery was centered around that watch for the entire series for little to no plot payoff. There was a lack of connection why this watch was so relevant to the Tracksuit Mafia.

    Kingpin’s use was a bit confusing in the finale. At first, it seemed like he was going to be grossly underutilized, but did have a solid fight scene with Kate where it was made clear that he is a military tank in human form. His ending with Maya supposedly shooting and killing him isn’t convincing given the importance of his character, but it would be quite a wild decision for Marvel to have made.

    This episode and Hawkeye as a whole aced the character work, though. Clint got the first real development the MCU has given him other than a haircut, and he became a fleshed-out character that stayed true to what he experienced before the series. He’s a traumatized, mildly retired family man, and Jeremy Renner never really missed on his portrayal of the senior Hawkeye. The moments between Clint and Kate, including some of the more poignant conversations, were always strong and drove both characters’ development, and pushed the theme of what it means to be a hero.

    The introduction of Kate Bishop was obviously the series’ main purpose, and while it felt plenty forced and contrived, Kate genuinely grew over the course of the series. By the time she did her leap of faith down the side of the building, the viewer was plenty invested in watching her true hero moment. The finale made it unambiguous that she had crossed the line from idolizing superheroes to embodying one herself. It doesn’t hurt that Hailee Steinfeld’s character already had twice the amount of personality that Clint did, and her personality was fairly fresh and unique when looking at MCU frontrunners. 

    The series also handled its other characters well. Yelena, while only making appearances in the final three episodes easily outshined the main characters and will likely forever be considered one of the most iconic parts of Hawkeye. While her quest to kill Clint was a bit shallow at first, her ultimate resolution with him evoked a great performance from Florence Pugh. It added a lot of color to Natasha Romanoff’s death and absence. The series offered us a decent epilogue to Black Widow, but that is another example of how Hawkeye juggled other stories more than its own. 

    Maya Lopez’s introduction in the series was similarly used as a vehicle for another project, which was evident in her waning presence after her initial appearance. The future for Echo is bright, but setting up her series was clearly the priority for the character rather than a focus on what she brought to Hawkeye. 

    Unfortunately, the least interesting character at the end of the day was also – in terms of the main Kate storyline – the “big bad”. Eleanor Bishop was fine, but there was not much about the character that was overly compelling. She worked well as a narrative tool to push back on Kate’s ambition, but Eleanor being the vague reason why all of the events of the series happened is not particularly memorable. The episode even managed to fully redeem and solidify Jack as a bonafide lovable guy, but the easy switch from the main suspect to completely in the clear was too uneventful to make any of it thrilling. 

    What the finale did prove is that Hawkeye is funny. From character personalities, LARPers to Tracksuit bros, this episode and the series as a whole had plenty of humor to go around on a higher level than simple comedic relief. The inclusion of the full Rogers the Musical musical number in the credits is a testament to the lightness of the series and the more upbeat approach to its production. 

    The finale’s extended skyscraper-to-ice rink scene joins episode 3’s car chase as one of two truly memorable action sequences of the entire superhero series. Between the trick arrows and the arrival of every character – other than Lucky the Pizza Dog – to the area felt like a worthy payoff. The archery and hand-to-hand choreography were very well done. The final Hawkeye suits were extremely corny, but fitting for the tone of the series and the weak gravity of the actual plot situation.

    Hawkeye’s series (or season) finale capitalized on all of the things that the show did well. The character development and humor that it consistently mastered across all of its episodes are fairly unique to the MCU’s slate of Disney+ series, which makes Hawkeye a welcome addition for that alone. The action here is the series’ best, but overall that element was limited. Unfortunately, Hawkeye suffered a bit from a loose and varied narrative that lacked much punch. But overall the street-level, dog-loving holiday romp was a fun ride that brought plenty of lovable characters to the table. 

  • Marvel Studios Decanonizes ‘Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’ in ‘Hawkeye’ Finale

    Marvel Studios Decanonizes ‘Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’ in ‘Hawkeye’ Finale

    The writing was on the wall. Our first clues came in Episode 4 and those clues allowed for a reasonable claim to be made that Laura Barton was, at one time, an Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.; And now, following the events of the season finale of Hawkeye, it’s been made very clear: Laura Barton is S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent 19, aka Mockingbird.

    Since Avengers: Age of Ultron, fans have theorized that Laura might once have been an Agent. The finale of Hawkeye put any doubt to rest by revealing that the watch fans have been speculating about since Episode 1 did, in fact, belong to her. The back watch, which Clint indicated was “tied to her identity”, bore a S.H.I.E.L.D. logo and the number 19. As established in the comics, Agent 19 was the designation of Barbara “Bobbi” Morse, a level 6 agent who also went by the code name Mockingbird. Morse went on to marry Clint, joined the Avengers and founded the West Coast Avengers before “dying” and then playing a key role in the Secret Invasion event. In the 2010 series, Hawkeye and Mockingbird, it was also revealed that, with the help of Nick Fury, Morse faked her death, left S.H.I.E.L.D, had her files classified and went off the grid for 8 years before her past with Barton brought her back into action.

    It’s not much of a stretch, given the emphasis placed on the watch and its ties to someone’s identity who Clint says has “been out of the game for a while”, that the MCU’s Laura Barton once went by a different name and similarly relied on the help of Nick Fury, who we know helped set up Clint’s family with a nice farm house. Laura was Agent 19; Agent 19 was Mockingbird; Mockingbird was Bobbi Morse; “Laura” was Bobbi Morse.

    Of course, this creates quite the conundrum. Over two seasons of the ABC series Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Bobbi Morse was played by Adrianne Palicki. Her Morse had no ties to Clint Barton and has never appeared in or been referenced in any other MCU projects. The character was supposed to co-lead an AoS spinoff, Marvel’s Most Wanted, but that project was canceled in 2016. Marvel Studios with no hope of being picked up down the road.F

    While fans of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. are scrambling to come up ways to explain it (Palicki’s Morse wasn’t called Mockingbird in the show, Laura hasn’t been called Mockingbird either, etc.) It seems incredibly unlikely that Marvel Studios would have both a Bobbi Morse and a separate character who goes by both of Morse’s aliases, Agent 19 and Mockingbird. In almost all cases, the simplest explanation is almost always the best one and, in this case, the simplest explanation is that the events of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. are not canon, at least not within the so-called Sacred Timeline. It is far, far more likely that, like the events of Spider-Man or The Amazing Spider-Man, the events of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. took place in another universe and that in the Sacred Timeline, Laura Barton EXACTLY who Hawkeye told us she was: Agent 19, aka Mockingbird, ask Barbara “Bobbi” Morse.

  • Disney Dominates the 49th Annie Awards With ‘Encanto’, ‘Raya and the Last Dragon’ and More

    Disney Dominates the 49th Annie Awards With ‘Encanto’, ‘Raya and the Last Dragon’ and More

    It’s been quite a reward season for Disney. The announcements have now arrived for the Annie Awards as the House of Mouse dominates the 49th season. Raya and the Last Dragon as well as Encanto are dominating with ten and nine nominations respectively. Luca currently holds eight alongside Sony’s The Mitchells vs the Machines. The latter being a personal highlight of this year’s releases. Belle, Pompo the Cinephile, and Fortune Favors Lady Nikuko are standing strong in the best Indie feature. This year’s nominations are in for the run for 36 categories. Frank Gladstone, the executive producer of the Annie Awards shared the following on this year’s nominations:

    In spite of everything or maybe because of what we and the world around us have been through for nearly two years, we all want to return to some sort of normal.

    The category for Best TV/Media is between Bob’s Burgers, Love, Death + Robots, Star Wars: Visions, and Arcane. Raya and the Last Dragon‘s Kelly Marie Tran, Encanto‘s John Leguizamo as well as Stephanie Beatriz, Jack Dylan Grazer from Luca, and The Mitchells vs. the Machines‘ Abbi Jacobson are currently in the running for the Voice Acting – Feature category. Marvel Studios is also present with their What If..? episode “What If…Ultron Won?” which is nominated for Best Editorial – TV/Media. It’ll be interesting to see what the future has in store.

    Source: Deadline

  • Marvel Studios Calls ‘Hawkeye’s Upcoming Episode a “Season” Not Series Finale

    Marvel Studios Calls ‘Hawkeye’s Upcoming Episode a “Season” Not Series Finale

    A new and potentially final poster has dropped ahead of the release of Hawkeye‘s finale. It shows off most of the main players outside of the returning Kingpin, who is still purposely held in the shadows even though we got a glimpse at him in a photograph. Yet, there’s a rather curious detail in the Instagram post, as it includes the rather curious detail that this is, in fact, a “season finale” and not a series finale.

    The season finale of Marvel Studios’ @HawkeyeOfficial starts streaming tomorrow on @DisneyPlus

    There are no set rules in what series gets a continuation over at Disney+. Not every show requires a follow-up season, as WandaVision and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier were never given a greenlight. The first time we got any confirmation was during the post-credit sequence of Loki. What If…? was renewed ahead of its release and only hinted at during interviews. Some time ago, we even got a hint for the upcoming She-Hulk series, whose first season still has no release date.

    While calling it a “season finale” doesn’t directly confirm that we’ll get a second season of Hawkeye, but there are many plot threads that have the potential to become the center of a second season, especially if we continue exploring Kate Bishop’s journey. Our very own Hunter Radesi has explored the potential of a second season, which you can check out here.

  • ‘Hawkeye’ Finale Primer

    ‘Hawkeye’ Finale Primer

    The latest episode of Hawkeye was the most revealing one yet. Kate and Yelena had a great girls’ night leading to Kate finding out that Yelena was hired to kill Clint…but by who? This question is answered in the final minute of the show: Eleanor Bishop! Clint reveals to Maya that he is Ronin and that he was tipped off by an informant, hired by her boss, who was revealed to be Kingpin. The informant is no other than Kazi. Maya learns this quickly and this might result in a fight in this last episode.

    Some of the biggest things that haveto happen in this next episode are Kate confronting her mom about being essentially the bad guy in this whole thing. And then we have the Kingpin issue at hand; he is obviously going to be a problem for Maya. We also still have Yelena coming after Clint. And he has to get home for Christmas. All of these things have to wrap up seeing that this is the last episode.

    Arlyn’s Assumptions

    How Spider-Man: No Way Home's Ending Connects to Hawkeye's Finale

    At the end of Spider-Man: No Way Home, we see Peter swinging over the Rink at Rockefeller Center, the location where the big, final fight is supposed to happen in Hawkeye. As cool as it would be to see Spidey join the fight, if he is in the show for too long it would take the focus off of Clint and Kate’s stories. Now that Maya knows that Kazi helped get her father killed, she’ll be looking to put a hurting on him. She will also want to get back at Kingpin, but I don’t think that Kingpin is going to make too big of an impact in the finale because the last thing he wants to do is be openly associated with criminals. I think he’ll be back in a bigger role in another series. Eleanor is going to end up in jail leaving Kate all by herself and, after everything Kate has done for Clint, I think she’ll be joining him as he makes it home just in time for the Barton family Christmas.

    The final episode of Hawkeye streams tomorrow!

  • How the ‘Hawkeye’ Finale Could Set Up a Second Season

    How the ‘Hawkeye’ Finale Could Set Up a Second Season

    There are no rules for which Marvel Studios’ Disney+ series will get a second season or not. As the big Hawkeye finale draws closer, it’s beginning to feel like there may be too many loose strings left to tie in only a single episode. A startling cliffhanger in this week’s penultimate adventure opened yet another door for the series to explore. Kate Bishop’s mother Eleanor was revealed as a confidant for the infamous Wilson Fisk and the latest employer of Florence Pugh‘s Black Widow. With this new information in mind, it seems more likely than ever that the show could be headed towards a surprise renewal in the same vein as fellow MCU series, Loki. If that happens, it looks like the seeds could have already been planted for the plot to end up resembling a continuation of the My Life as a Weapon comics, as it already borrows much of its story from.

    In the comic continuation, Clint and Kate’s New York City exploits are followed by a period in which Bishop switches coasts for a dalliance with her own independence. The younger Hawkeye moves to Los Angeles after a falling out with Clint, where she’s cut off from her family’s wealth and begins living a brand-new lifestyle as a “half-superhero, half-private eye”. While living on the West Coast, Kate comes into contact with the villainous Madame Masque, who is attempting to expose the sins of Barton’s past via possession of a scandalous videotape. Now, it may currently seem like a stretch for Hawkeye to set this entire plotline up in only a single remaining episode, but one could argue it’s already done most of the leg work throughout its first season.

    Last year, we got hints that Hawkeye would feature Madame Masque in some capacity. At this point in time, the scoop seems to have proven false. However, it would only take one revelatory scene in the finale to surprise fans and divulge that the comic villain has actually been in the series all along. Eleanor Bishop checks a lot of the boxes when it comes to Masque’s background in the comics. Much like Whitney Frost, Vera Farmiga plays an intelligent, attractive socialite who becomes engaged to a charming and well-liked man of high regard. Also, like Frost, Eleanor is apparently the secret brains behind a criminal conspiracy that wants Clint Barton dead. A simple accident or fight-gone-wrong would take only a moment of the show’s time, and could quickly give Farmiga‘s character the facial scarring and identifying golden mask that the Madame is so well known for.

    If her mother were to go full-on supervillain, it would only be logical for Kate to cut things off and leave the city with her dog to take some distance from her mother’s activity. There, without her family’s wealth or influence, she could be forced to make do with the two talents we’ve seen her use the most throughout the first season of Hawkeye: her skill with a bow and her knack for private investigation. The hypothetical second season of the series could then follow a similar story as the comics. Kate is running across the country to Los Angeles with a chip on her shoulder and the goal of bringing down Madame Masque. With the way the current episodes are trending, the videotape from the pages of Fraction and Aja‘s comics could even come into play. Perhaps Eleanor comes into possession of footage that proves Clint’s history as Ronin, giving both Kate and Clint extra reason to take her down.

    Moving Kate to L.A. would also bring her closer to Cassie Lang, her comic book friend and Young Avengers teammate based in San Francisco. Recent rumors have claimed Bishop might even be in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and this potential development might give her a reason to be in the neighborhood. Clint’s identity as Ronin being exposed and any additional threats to his family could also be a reason for him to uproot and head towards the West Coast, enabling him to appear in the second season and possibly set up a fan-favorite Avengers plotline that Jeremy Renner himself has expressed interest in adapting. All will be revealed when the final episode of Hawkeye drops on December 22nd.

    Source: The DisInsider

  • Keanu Reeves Offers Update on Talks with Marvel Studios’ Kevin Feige

    Keanu Reeves Offers Update on Talks with Marvel Studios’ Kevin Feige

    John Wick and The Matrix‘s Keanu Reeves has been actively talking about his hope of joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe one day. We heard that there were talks between him and Marvel Studios’ president Kevin Feige but it was uncertain what has come of them. Luckily, Phase Zero’s Brandon Davis had the chance to sit down with the actor during his press tour for The Matrix Resurrections, where he revealed that they’ve indeed had talks but that they “don’t have it yet” and they “got to find something.” He is still actively working towards a potential role and

    If they still haven’t found the right role as of yet, it might still be quite some time before we see Reeves join the franchise at some point. There was a point when Sony wanted him to tackle the role for the upcoming Kraven the Hunter spinoff series, but it seems unlikely he’ll join a Marvel project that doesn’t involve Feige, who spearheads the MCU. He has been a popular pick to take on the role of Ghost Rider, but it’s uncertain how committed he’d want to be while also juggling his other franchises. Here’s hoping they find the right character sooner rather than later.

    Source: Twitter

  • A Brief History of Denials by Marvel Studios Actors, V2

    A Brief History of Denials by Marvel Studios Actors, V2

    Charlie Cox

    After reports of his return to the role of Matt Murdock/Daredevil in Spider-Man: No Way Home began to circulate, Charlie Cox was peppered with questions for nearly a year. Steadfast in his denial at first (“My answer is no comment; I don’t know what’s going to happen. I genuinely don’t know.“), Cox softened over time. Cox made a brief but memorable cameo in No Way Home and is expected to show up again in She-Hulk.

    Benedict Cumberbatch

    Back in 2014, Benedict Cumberbatch spoke to MTV about the possibilities of him portraying Doctor Strange and he mentioned that at the time, it couldn’t work out because he was doing a little play called ‘Hamlet’ in London. “So I don’t think I could even if that was in the cards. It sounds like a fantastic project. It’s a shame if I miss out, but who knows?” Of course, Cumberbatch has already portrayed the character 6 times and just completed reshoots on Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, where he’ll be playing multiple versions of the character in his 7th MCU appearance.

    Andrew Garfield

    After more substantial rumors about his return as Spider-Man in Spider-Man: No Way Home began to show up online, Garfied began to feel the heat. When asked about his potential reprisal in the Spring, Garfield said, “They might be doing something, but ain’t like I ain’t got a call.” To his credit, he kept up the lie up until the film’s release, telling Wired, “No, I’m not. I’m not! Crying out loud. But I’m really excited to see what they’re gonna do with the next movie because I just love them,” just a week before the film’s release.

    Tom Holland

    Unfortunately for Holland, nobody was forced to lie more about the returns of previous Spider-Man Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire. The denials are too numerous to list here, but the poor guy has to be feeling relieved now.

    Brie Larson

    Larson was revealed as Captain Marvel at SDCC ’16 but rumors of her involvement pre-dated that by quite a bit. In a 2015 interview with MTV, Larson did less denying and more playing dumb when asked about the character:


    So would I be playing a man? This is interesting, I’m kind of into it… I thought I was always forever going to be stuck playing female roles but I’m down to play Chris Evans. Oh wait no, Chris Evans is Captain America. Who’s Captain Marvel? I have no idea what I’m talking about. But people want me to play this? OK good to know. I guess I gotta start reading the comic book.

    Larson finally appeared as Carol Danvers in 2019’s Captain Marvel and recently completed filming on The Marvels after making a cameo in Shang-Chi and The Legend of the Ten Rings and is expected to be a Marvel Studios mainstay over the next decade.

    Evangeline Lilly

    Taking the lead from her Ant-Man co-star, Evangeline Lilly denied the rumors of her being the female lead in Ant-Man back in 2014. She stated back then that “No, I can’t. I don’t know anything about those rumors.” Lilly’s character became the first female MCU title character and joins Rudd in returning for the third Ant-Man film.

    Jonathan Majors

    After Jonathan Majors was cast as Kang the Conqueror, rumors surfaced that the character would first appear in Loki. Given the timing of his casting, the rumors made a lot of sense, but Majors went on record denying the rumors saying, “I have no idea what you’re talking about.” To be fair, the rumors weren’t entirely accurate as he portrayed He Who Remains, technically a Variant of Kang, so Majors might have some wiggle room.

    Tatiana Maslany

    Just a month after a trade reported that Maslany had signed on for the role of Jennifer Walters/She-Hulk, the actress went into full denial mode, saying:

    That actually isn’t a real thing and it’s like a press release that’s gotten out of hand. I’ve been connected to these things in the past and press has gotten onto it, but it’s not actually a thing, unfortunately. I don’t know how these things get – I don’t know, I don’t know. You know better; I have no idea.

    Trade reports are about as good as it gets in terms of accuracy and this one hit the mark as well. Maslany will be seen in She-Hulk sometime in 2022.

    Jeremy Renner

    Even an original core member of the Avengers had denied he was cast. Back in 2010, Jeremy Renner stated that the Hawkeye rumor was “just one of those things that got blown way out of proportion. It was an idea…So there’s truth that we talked about it, but there’s no truth to me doing it. “ The actor first popped up for a cameo in Thor and now Renner has been an MCU mainstay, finally leading his own project and potentially moving into a second decade of work as the Avenging Archer.

    Paul Rudd

    Let’s all go back to a simpler time, 2013. Paul Rudd is fresh off production from Anchorman 2. By that time, Variety had released a report saying that Rudd and Joseph Gordon-Levitt were the frontrunners to portray Ant-Man in the MCU. When asked about the subject, Rudd stated said “It’s all rumor, man!”. Rumor indeed, Paul! Rudd just completed principal photography on Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania, which will be the 7th time he has portrayed the character he was only rumored to portray, including voicing him in What If…?.

    At this point, it’s modus operandi for Marvel Studios but it truly serves no purpose other than to create a sense of mistrust in the actors. However, it is unlikely to change, so we’ll just keep updating this list.

  • ‘Hawkeye’ From Page to Screen: Episode 5

    ‘Hawkeye’ From Page to Screen: Episode 5

    The Hawkeye series finally introduced none other than Kingpin at the very end of its penultimate episode, after quite some time teasing the villain’s introduction. While Kingpin did not play a particularly central role in the Matt Fraction and David Aja My Life as a Weapon comic, it’s clear that his role in both the comics and show has some major overlaps worth exploring. Is the Kingpin, better known as Wilson Fisk, just the man behind the curtain, or is he more involved than it seems?

    In the comic he is heavily involved in three major areas of interest: (1) he’s at the top of the Tracksuit Mafia food chain; (2) he was at a black-market auction to buy incriminating evidence on Clint Barton; and (3) he was involved in hiring an assassin to kill Clint Barton. This article will explore each of these elements in turn and how they relate to the Hawkeye series.

    The Guy Clint’s Been Worried About

    • Marvel Studios’ ‘Hawkeye’ Episode 5
    • Marvel Studios’ ‘Hawkeye’ Episode 5

    One thing we know about Kingpin in every adaptation is that he is at the top of the New York City criminal organization pyramid. We know little so far from the Hawkeye series, but in the comics, Kingpin is a general presence that overshadows much of the crime syndicates below him. In both the series and the comic, Clint is hesitant to work with Kate or go about his general business, not because of the Tracksuit Mafia, but because of who they work for. In the series, Clint tells Kate that they do not want to get too involved, because they could run into the “Big Guy”. In the comics, Kingpin delivers a speech to a cohort of villains that “Clint Barton must die,” for interfering with their plans. The Tracksuit Mafia makes it pretty clear the Clint that they work for someone much more powerful. Later on, it’s obvious that Fisk is at least one of who they are referring to. As seen below, the comics make it much more explicit than the Disney+ series does.

    ‘Hawkeye’ #6 (2012)
    ‘Hawkeye’ #8 (2013)

    The Auction

    Curiously, both the comics and the series feature a black market auction for Barton and Avengers-related items. In the series, of course, we see people bid on the Ronin sword, but the Tracksuit Mafia break into the event to grab the still-mysterious Avengers-related watch before it goes up for sale. While Clint tells Kate that the watch could blow the cover of his friend, in the comics a tape of Clint assassinating targets on behalf of S.H.I.E.L.D. goes up for auction. Kate manages to buy the tape – in disguise as Madame Masque – and, you can guess, Kingpin is not too happy.

    ‘Hawkeye’ #4 (2012)
    • ‘Hawkeye’ #4 (2012)

    In the series, the first episode shows Jack and Armand Duquesne at the said auction that featured several items found from the destroyed Avengers compounds, including Ronin’s sword, suit, and the mysterious watch. While we did not see Kingpin physically at the auction, we know the Tracksuit Mafia—that he controls—broke in to steal the watch. As little as we know about the watch, it’s clear it might have the same effect on the owner and Clint’s tape in the comics did on him.

    ‘Hawkeye’ #4 (2012)
    Marvel Studios’ ‘Hawkeye’ Episode 1

    The Assassin

    • ‘Hawkeye’ #9 (2013)
    • Marvel Studios’ ‘Hawkeye’ Episode 4

    In the comics, Kingpin is one member of a group, including the Tracksuit Mafia, that decides to hire an assassin to kill Clint Barton. He hires Kazimierz Kazimierczak in the comics, who is otherwise known as the Clown. The Kazi in the series definitely strays from the Kazimierz in the comics, so we have not seen any elements of the “Clown” at this point. But in the series, Episode 5 tells us that Kate’s mother Eleanor hired Yelena Belova to kill Clint. Shortly after, we find out that Eleanor appears to be working with Kingpin, begging the question as to whether he was involved in the live-action scheme to take down Clint Barton.

    While Kingpin’s introduction was fairly small in Hawkeye Episode 5, it’s worth noting the connections he has to the Fraction-Aja comics. We’ll find out more about Kingpin’s involvement in the Hawkeye finale on Wednesday, December 22, 2021, when it airs on Disney+.