Hawkeye directors talk about bringing Kingpin back to the Marvel Universe

Like all previous TV shows in the Marvel Cinematic Universe Hawk Eye has sparked fan speculation and theories, particularly about how exactly the story would fit into the existing Marvel canon and where it could overly overflow with the introduction of well-known characters. MCU believers were prepared to await the arrival of Natasha Romanoff’s assassin sister, Yelena (Florence Pugh), since Black widowThe post-credits scene has sparked a conflict between her and series leader Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) over her sister’s death Avengers: Endgame.

And more recently, the show’s audience began to theorize about the identity of a mysterious underworld boss who has been teased in recent episodes. Episode 5 of Hawk Eye, “Ronin”, ends the speculation with a single cell phone picture that confirms the identity of the boss who appears to be behind the main plot of the story. British directing team Bert & Bertiewho directed Hawk Eye Episodes 3, 4, and 5 recently spoke to Polygon about getting the chance to bring in this character.

[Ed. note: Spoilers ahead for Hawkeye episode 5.]

Hailee Steinfeld and Jeremy Renner sit next to each other in Hawkeye

The picture of Vincent D’Onofrio as Wilson Fisk, aka Underworld Crime Lord Kingpin, at the end of “Ronin” has a huge impact on the MCU, given that D’Onofrio played the character on the Netflix series Daredevil. Bertie says she and her directing partner didn’t learn that their episodes would bring Kingpin back until they were already in production.

“It was just as exciting for us as it was for the fans to know what everyone else would feel,” she says. “It’s like, ‘Oh my god, these worlds can now merge and there’s this extra layer that can come into the MCU that was previously separate.'”

His brief appearance finally seems to confirm that Netflix’s Marvel shows – Daredevil, Hatch cage, Jessica Jones, Iron fist, and the crossover miniseries the defenders – are still canonical for the current MCU. (Despite everything Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn has said in the past

.) This suggests Daredevil and Hawk Eye take place in the same version of New York City. But Bertie says Marvel Studios didn’t tell directors to look back on the older series for visual inspiration or design consistency.

“There was never any kind of requirement or need to merge Daredevil and Hawk Eye somehow, ”she says.

As for the portrayal of Kingpin, Bert says they made their directing decisions around Kingpin’s previous reputation and presence. “I think you just respect the character and where the character is in the universe,” she says.

“So when Kingpin comes in, he’s massive, you know? It’s huge. As the story goes, he’s at a more difficult point later, but he comes in as his big self with his big hands. In this picture [at the end of “Ronin”], You see him in his iconic suit. So how you shoot him came from where the character is instead of trying to match our universe with something in the past. “

Whether or not the shows are supposed to feel similar, Bert says they have roughly the same aesthetic. “But we’re more into the character story. Instead of dealing with the universe they come from, they step into ours. “

Likewise, the duo didn’t look back Black widow to see how to frame or decorate Yelena – they took Pugh’s lead instead. “In terms of persistence of character, Florence had one a lot to say what Yelena might wear to her first real meeting [Hailee Steinfeld’s] Kate Bishop as a person and not as an assassin, ”says Bertie. “So there is a thread of character that runs through it.”

She says that while preparing for the awkward, lengthy meeting between Kate and Yelena over macaroni and cheese in episode 5, they mainly wanted to respect how different the characters are. “Obviously, this incredibly unusual character who is Yelena was super fresh for the MCU,” says Bertie. “We celebrated that. We wanted to see Kate – naive, big-eyed, super smart, wild, in her own way but learning this whole world – and this very dangerous character come together. In terms of directing, Marvel is brilliant at encouraging directors to be themselves, to get the kind of shots we needed to tell this weird but intimate yet funny story, that emotional girls’ night between two very much badass women, just being normal and a little insecure, and all of that can be women in their twenties. ”