Why Kingpin In Hawkeye Is Different From Mephisto In WandaVision
Warning: SPOILERS for Hawkeye episode 3, "Echoes."
Hopes are high that Kingpin will appear in Hawkeye, but these expectations are completely different from the theories of Mephisto appearing in WandaVision. Thanks to the weekly release model of Marvel Studios' Disney+ shows, speculation and theories have become a huge part of each series. Hawkeye is no different, as theories popped up almost immediately that the show could be on the cusp of officially bringing Wilson Fisk, a.k.a. Kingpin, to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Hawkeye episode 3 made it seem almost definitive that the popular villain could appear, but some are skeptical due to past speculation not being true, in particular, the escalating Mephisto theories about WandaVision.
The MCU's venture to Disney+ began in early 2021 with WandaVision, which really invited viewers to speculate about what was really happening in Westview for Scarlet Witch and Vision. One of the most popular theories to come from the series was that Mephisto would appear. Viewers latched on to any possibility that this was the case. WandaVision's debunked Mephisto theories included everyone from Agatha's bunny, Evan Peters' fake Quicksilver, Wanda's neighbor Dottie, Director Hayward, and a cicada as possibilities for Mephisto in disguise. The show ultimately didn't include the devilish villain and brought doubt into the minds of many regarding theories for other MCU shows.
However, there is one big difference between speculation that Kingpin will be in Hawkeye and that Mephisto would appear in WandaVision. Hawkeye episode 3 has too many examples of explicit setup for Fisk's MCU return. The flashback to Maya Lopez, a.k.a. Echo, as a child showed her meeting one of her father's powerful friends. This man clearly had a massive physical build and wore a very nice black suit, both of which are Kingpin features. Even the chuckle he delivered sounded a lot like Vincent D'Onofrio, who played Kingpin on Daredevil. The references to Echo's "uncle" and Fat Man Auto Repair are added examples of Hawkeye directly telling viewers that Kingpin is part of this story. When this is compared to WandaVision, all of the Mephisto speculation was entirely driven by those with knowledge of the comics hoping to see the villain enter the MCU.
There have been theories that Kingpin will appear in Hawkeye long before the show premiered, just as there were theories about Mephisto in WandaVision. In both cases, how the villains were connected to the main characters in the shows fueled the speculation initially. In the comics, Kingpin essentially adopts Echo as a young girl and trains her to be an assassin, while Mephisto plays a complicated role in the births and deaths of Scarlet Witch's children, Billy and Tommy. While both villain theories were valid leading up to the shows premiering, Hawkeye has given viewers specific reasons to keep believing Kingpin will appear, which WandaVision never did for Mephisto.
Although there is still a slight chance that Kingpin doesn't appear in Hawkeye if Marvel wants to save him for a future project instead, such as the Echo series, the point still stands about his setup. This is quite different from the Mephisto in WandaVision theories, or even the speculation that Reed Richards was in WandaVision, Captain America was in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, and so on. It certainly appears that Wilson Fisk is set to make an appearance in Hawkeye, but whether or not Mephisto will ever appear in the MCU now that the WandaVision theories have proven false is more of an uncertainty.
Hawkeye releases new episodes Wednesdays on Disney+.