Warning: Spoilers ahead for Echo Episode 5.
Echo, which stars Alaqua Cox as Maya Lopez, has debuted in its entirety on both Disney+ and Hulu. This new entry into the MCU is the first project to release under the brand new Marvel Spotlight banner. Part of the rationale behind the Spotlight initiative is to provide self-contained stories to Marvel fans. Projects released under this umbrella will not require viewers to have seen other MCU properties to understand what’s going on. However, that doesn’t prevent a series like Echo from providing fans with the post-credits teases to which they’ve become accustomed!
Devoted MCU audiences know by now that they should always stay tuned until after the credits conclude. Most times, there will be a direct tie-in to an upcoming film or series. It’s a tried and true tactic the studio utilizes to build anticipation for what’s to come. The Echo finale continues this trend, with its post-credits teaser featuring the one and only Kingpin (Vincent D’Onofrio).
Events of the ‘Echo’ Finale Have Left Kingpin Reeling
Following his showdown with Maya at the Choctaw Powwow, Kingpin is seen boarding his private jet. Speaking with an unknown associate, Fisk states his desire to stabilize matters within his chaotic criminal enterprise. The larger-than-life villain still appears somewhat shaken from his encounter with Maya. Not only did she refuse Fisk’s offer to return to New York, but she also got into his head — literally. Maya’s ancestral powers allow her to enter Fisk’s memories and revisit the events that led him to murder his father, seemingly healing some of his trauma.
As Fisk delivers orders to his underlings, his eyes are drawn to the jet’s television. A discussion between political pundits revolving around the New York City Mayoral race happens on screen. As Fisk watches, the commentators discuss how the race could use a fighter, or even a “bare-knuckle brawler.” They wonder if an outside candidate who could make some sort of meteoric rise could be out there. It’s at this moment, by virtue of Fisk’s body language, that it becomes clear he wishes to become said candidate.
The ‘Echo’ Post-Credits Scene Sets the Stage for ‘Daredevil: Born Again’
In addition to appearances in Hawkeye and Echo, Vincent D’Onofrio will return as Kingpin in Daredevil: Born Again. With that in mind, it’s fair to assume that Fisk’s Mayoral run will factor prominently into that series. In fact, an early synopsis contained within a copyright filing indeed implies as such:
“Marvel Studios presents “Daredevil” in which longtime rivals Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox) and Wilson Fisk (Vincent D’Onofrio) try to leave behind their darker alter-egos to serve the people of New York only to have their pasts catch up to them. In the first episode of the series we are reintroduced to the world of Daredevil.”
It doesn’t take much reading between the lines to conclude that Kingpin’s mayoral run will be a focal point of this series. A notorious businessman making an unexpected political run certainly draws a real-world parallel. A prominent on-screen comparison takes place in 1992’s Batman Returns, where Penguin (Danny DeVito) runs for Mayor of Gotham. However, it’s unlikely that either real world or other media examples of unorthodox political runs served as Marvel’s inspiration here. Reason being? Kingpin has run for Mayor before!
This ‘Daredevil’ Comic Run Could Hint at Kingpins Future in the MCU
The origin of the comic book version of Mayor Fisk begins in 2017 with Charles Soule‘s run of Daredevil which spans from issue #595 (November 2017) to issue #600 (March 2018). Not only is Fisk elected during this run, but he uses his Mayoral power to turn his sights on Daredevil. If this arc is any indication, Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox) is in for a world of trouble in Daredevil: Born Again.
Fisk’s biggest goal as Mayor was to end all vigilantism and put superheroes behind bars — permanently. Mayor Fisk failed to do so in his early days, as The Hand stepped in and wreaked havoc on the City proving that New York’s heroes are needed. However, when Chip Zdarsky took over as lead writer on Daredevil, Fisk eventually got his wish.
During the Devil’s Reign event, Mayor Fisk outlawed vigilantism and all superheroes in New York City with the exception of his own designated team — the Thunderbolts. This group of Thunderbolts were mostly just villains, besides John Walker who was playing double agent. In the end, the heroes battled the law with proper politics of their own, and Luke Cage was elected the new Mayor of New York.
With the inclusion of the Defender-verse shows now seemingly canon in the MCU’s sacred timeline, more street-level heroes and anti-heroes can weave their way into this story. Jessica Jones (Krysten Ritter), Misty Knight (Simone Missick), Luke Cage (Mike Colter), the Punisher (Jon Bernthal), and Iron Fist — whether it be Danny Rand (Finn Jones) or Colleen Wing (Jessica Henwick) — are now all available for this upcoming story.
As is the case with any Marvel Studios property adapted from comics, there are sure to be creative changes. Will Murdock infiltrate Fisk’s Mayoral Cabinet in the series as he does in the comic run? Will Fisk do something even darker than simply using his authority to outlaw and arrest vigilantes? And, of course, the question on everyone’s mind: will the events of the Netflix series be referenced? Fans will find out the answers to all these questions and more when Daredevil: Born Again debuts on Disney+.
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