Hawkeye episode 5 rumor teases arrival of major villain

Jeremy Renner and Hailee Steinfeld in Hawkeye poster art
(Image credit: Marvel Studios/Disney Plus via Twitter)

News is leaking out that next week's Hawkeye episode 5, the penultimate episode of the series, is gonna be the doozy we've been waiting for. After Hawkeye episode 4, we're starting to think we have an idea of what's about to happen. 

The news comes from the latest edition of Matt Webb Mitovich's mailbag column at TVLine. Reader Greg asked "Anything on Hawkeye?" only for Mitovich to give the tease of the week, saying "Only that Episode 5, I hear, should blow up Twitter a bit." Spoiler warning for what's below, of course.

And what does that mean? Well, nothing that Marvel and Disney Plus aren't already teasing in the current preview, where we see both young Maya Lopez/Echo have her cheek pinched by her "uncle" and a masked figure with night-vision goggles leaving Kate asking "who was that?"

Speaking of Maya's "uncle," the big reveal for Hawkeye episode 5 is likely related to the big Hawkeye fan theory that left people shouting at their screens during Hawkeye episode 3. That theory is, if you haven't heard, that The Kingpin Wilson Fisk is coming to Hawkeye and finally appearing in the MCU proper. And, yes, that Vincent D'Onofrio will be playing him.

This theory would fit perfectly with the news that Charlie Cox will be reprising the role of Daredevil in the MCU. Because why bring Kingpin back if you don't have his most iconic rival?

In an interview with Screen Rant, Marvel Studios head honcho Kevin Feige practically agreed, saying "I always say that whenever a character comes back into the Marvel sandbox, it becomes another tool in the storytelling ability of the MCU. As I said before, the good news is, all will be revealed when people actually finally watch."

And this has us wondering if we actually get Daredevil in Spider-Man: No Way Home or see Jessica Jones in She-Hulk (the two are friends), and if Luke Cage will pop up in another upcoming Marvel movie or series. Whether their Netflix-based adventures will be canonical or not is to be seen (though their shows made references to the Chitauri attack on Manhattan, and other big MCU heroes). That said, we're not wondering about Iron Fist, because we're trying to forget that happened.

But since there are many days to wait for episode 5, let's talk about what you can watch this week. There's a long-awaited reunion with the And Just Like That, the Sex and the City revival, while the chaos at Paddy's Pub continues with It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia season 15 episodes 3 and 4.

Henry T. Casey
Managing Editor (Entertainment, Streaming)

Henry is a managing editor at Tom’s Guide covering streaming media, laptops and all things Apple, reviewing devices and services for the past seven years. Prior to joining Tom's Guide, he reviewed software and hardware for TechRadar Pro, and interviewed artists for Patek Philippe International Magazine. He's also covered the wild world of professional wrestling for Cageside Seats, interviewing athletes and other industry veterans.