Hawkeye episode 3 viewers go wild following ‘unmistakable’ tease of beloved Marvel villain

‘I was waiting for a quick cameo later – but this I didn’t expect,’ one excited fan wrote

Hawkeye viewers think the latest episode teased the arrival of a very famous Marvel villain.

The latest of Disney Plus’s Marvel originals is a six-episode event series starring Jeremy Renner as the superhero archer.

Hailee Steinfeld also appears in the show as Kate Bishop, a younger version of Hawkeye whom Renner takes under his wing.

Episode three was released on the streaming service on Wednesday (1 December) and viewers were quick to point out some cryptic scenes that teased the arrival of none other than Kingpin.

During the scenes showing the young version of new character Echo at her karate lessons, her father (Westworld’s Zahn McClarnon) tells Echo that her “uncle will take you home after class”.

When he arrives, he is presented as a hulking suit-wearing presence and, while the episode shows him pinching Echo’s cheek, his face is mysteriously kept off screen.

Following on from this are several ominous references to Echo’s uncle, which viewers are taking as corroboration that he will be revealed as Kingpin in a future episode.

Kingpin – real name Wilson Fisk – was last seen on screen in Netflix’s Daredevil, played by Vincent D’Onofrio. Whether D’Onofrio will play him in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) remains to be seen, but he did set the rumour mill alight after tweeting what Marvel sleuths took to be a Hawkeye reference after the trailer dropped earlier this year.

Echo (Alaqua Cox) appears to tease arrival of Kingpin in ‘Hawkeye’ episode three (Marvel Studios)

Other fans excitedly claimed the voice heard in the episode was actually D’Onofrio’s.

While people are enjoying Hawkeye, many have suggested that it will shoot to the top of their favourite Marvel series to date should Kingpin be introduced.

“So that’s Wilson Fisk/#Kingpin, right?” one viewer responded after the episode was released. “Right size, build, and same black suit. I’m trying to zoom in to see if those are his cufflinks. #Hawkeye is already one of my favourite MCU movies/shows, but if Fisk shows up it’ll be my all time favourite!”

“Oh noooo, that’s definitely Vincent D’onofrio #Kingpin’s voice when he approach Maya bruhhhh can’t wait for next episode,” another viewer wrote.

One other fan exclaimed: “That hand and that suit are unmistakable!! I was waiting for you later, but this quick cameo I didn’t expect. The king is coming!!”