Marvel Hints Kingpin (Not Val) Is Behind The MCU’s Dark Avengers

Warning: This article contains spoilers for Hawkeye episode 4.

A scene in Hawkeye episode 4 may be a sign that Kingpin is the character who’s controlling the MCU’s Dark Avengers. Many have assumed that the person responsible for their formation is Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), but that may not be the case at all. Though there’s no solid evidence that the Dark Avengers officially exists in the MCU, that was the impression given by Val’s attempts to recruit John Walker (Wyatt Russell) and Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh) in Phase 4.

Black Widow’s post-credits scene made it clear that Yelena would become a problem for Clint Barton (Jeremy Renner) and Kate Bishop (Hailee Steinfeld) in Hawkeye. As a result, Yelena was added to a mixed bag of enemies for Hawkeye to handle, including Tony Dalton’s Jack Duquesne (AKA Swordsman), Echo (Alaqua Cox), and the Tracksuit Mafia gang. Further complicating matters for Earth’s Mightiest Marksman is Echo’s mysterious uncle. Based on comic connections and some rather obvious hints, it’s hardly a secret that the crime boss Echo is working for in the MCU is Kingpin. Presumably, the classic Spider-Man villain will be played by Vincent D’Onofrio, who portrayed him in Netflix’s Daredevil series.

Yelena’s timely entrance at the end of Hawkeye episode 4 could be a clue that Kingpin is directly connected to a key Phase 4 story – specifically, the creation of the MCU’s Dark Avengers team. It’s worth noting that she entered the picture after Eleanor’s phone call to an unseen character. Of course, Yelena already has a reason to go after Hawkeye (thanks to Val) but her showing up now suggests that she’s connected in some way to his current predicament. It may be that Eleanor was talking to Val, who then sent Yelena into action. As for why these two would be in contact, this could be explained by Eleanor’s role in the story. Eleanor, who has behaved mysteriously, is widely believed to be one of the show’s villains. Plus, Kingpin could be one of Eleanor’s “powerful friends”.

Eleanor’s alleged link to Kingpin’s criminal operations and the arrival of a Dark Avengers team member provide evidence for Wilson Fisk being behind Val’s actions in Black Widow and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. In Marvel Comics, Kingpin often thought big when it came to his schemes, which is what made him such a formidable adversary for superheroes like Spider-Man and Daredevil. It makes sense that in a world where gangsters like Kingpin have to be concerned about super-powered vigilantes, he would want a superhero team of his own.

Having a way of combating heroes like Hawkeye could be the real purpose of the Dark Avengers. Obviously, common criminals are outmatched when pitted against superheroes, which could explain the necessity for such a team. If Hawkeye confirms Kingpin’s involvement with the MCU’s Dark Avengers, that could have some nefarious implications about the role they’ll play in the future. Being pawns of the Kingpin means that it’s less likely they’ll be anti-heroes and strengthens the possibility of the Dark Avengers being true villains. The series moving in this direction would also cement Kingpin’s position as the most powerful figure in the criminal underworld.

Hawkeye releases new episodes on Wednesdays on Disney+.

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