Editor's note: The below interview contains spoilers for the season finale of Hawkeye, "So This Is Christmas?".
Hawkeye, which first premiered November 24 on Disney+, picks up with the continuing story of the MCU two years after the universe-changing circumstances of Avengers: Endgame. Clint Barton (Jeremy Renner) is hoping to spend a quiet and uneventful Christmas with his family, but those plans get derailed quickly when his path crosses with that of Kate Bishop (Hailee Steinfeld), a skilled archer who has her own personal history with Hawkeye. The series also promises to follow up on the aftermath of the MCU film Black Widow, which saw Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh) being mistakenly led to believe that Clint was responsible for Natasha Romanoff's (Scarlett Johansson) death on Vormir. The show also stars Vera Farmiga, Fra Fee, Tony Dalton, Zahn McClarnon, Brian d'Arcy James, and Alaqua Cox, as well as Jolt the Golden Retriever as Lucky the Pizza Dog.
After the season finale, "So This Is Christmas?", Collider had the chance to chat with Vincent D'Onofrio, who returned to the MCU for the Disney+ series by reprising the role of Wilson Fisk, aka Kingpin. Over the course of the brief interview, D'Onofrio explained whether this version of Kingpin is a continuation of the character we already know from the Marvel Netflix shows and what Fisk's mindset is like post-Blip after the events of Avengers: Endgame. He also talks about whether he thinks Kingpin survived that final confrontation with Maya (Cox) and his feelings on potentially getting to come back for the Echo spinoff series.
Collider: Returning as Kingpin, did you consider it a different iteration of the character with a different backstory or do you look at it as a continuation of the Wilson Fisk that we already know?
VINCENT D'ONOFRIO: I think it's definitely a continuation, like there's no difference to me. There's the physical strength that's different. The fact that he can take more violent abuse, physical abuse is different, but it's very clear with the writers and the producers and the directors that I'm continuing the same man that was in the series a few years ago, in Daredevil. His emotional life, he operates through the pain of his childhood. That's how he operates and he still does. And it doesn't matter whether he is enjoying himself or if he's having a tough time in life, whatever's going on in any scene. It's always coming through events that happened when he was a kid. And so that's the same character to me.
And I definitely knew that this was after the Blip and that he's had less power than he did and he wanted his city back for Hawkeye. And that's the way I approached it. I think in my mind — I don't know how they think about it at Marvel overall, but in my mind, I think that they connect as many dots as they can in the canon stuff and with the canon state of mind, and some dots aren't possible to connect but most are easy to connect. And I think that's what they try and do.
I definitely have to ask you about that ending scene in the finale with Maya, that final confrontation, because it leaves a little bit up in the air in terms of the fate of your character. When you were approached to reprise the role, was it indicated to you that Hawkeye was only the beginning of Kingpin being back in the MCU?
D'ONOFRIO: I can comment personally. I can't comment about any fact because they just don't tell me. So, it made me hope that it would continue and it still makes me feel that way. I mean in my mind, she definitely shot him. And, I walked away from Daredevil, at first I thought, "Maybe he'll come back somehow." And then very quickly after that, I thought I was walking away for good. So I had always hoped because of the fans wanting him back and everybody, I'd hope that I would come back. So I feel the same way now.
I will say, there is an Echo spinoff that's been announced. I'm sure you're aware. So that feels like a good opportunity to see a little more of Wilson Fisk in the future.
D'ONOFRIO: I think it would be great. I remember the comic run. It was one of my favorites, the father-daughter relationship between Maya and him, and I would love the opportunity to do that.
All episodes of Hawkeye are currently available to stream on Disney+.