Kingpin actor comments on MCU continuity problems within Echo & Daredevil
Don't sweat the details quite so much, says Vincent D'Onofrio
The question of whether the Marvel series on Netflix are part of the MCU has been going on long enough for executives at Marvel Studios to change their minds multiple times. Sure, we got to see Vincent D’Onofrio and Charlie Cox in Marvel projects since Daredevil ended, but neither of those appearances made any direct mentions of the Netflix shows. That changed with Kingpin’s appearance in Echo on Disney+, but, in addition to embedding Kingpin into the MCU properly, the series also changed the character’s backstory in subtle ways.
Be aware that there will be some minor spoilers for Echo ahead.
A large part of Echo has been the impact childhood trauma can have on people. We saw how Wilson Fisk’s troubled relationship with his father turned him into the Kingpin in the first season of Netflix's Daredevil in 2015, culminating in the young Wilson using a claw hammer to brutally murder his father. That scene was recreated in Echo, but one detail got an update. In the new show, Fisk’s weapon of choice became a ball-peen hammer.
Fans being fans, they quickly jumped onto this shift in continuity, but one person who isn’t sweating these details is the man who has brought Kingpin to life, Vincent D’Onofrio. In a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, D’Onofrio explained that he isn’t worried about the inevitable debate this change might bring about. “I’ve been acting for forty-something years, and so I’m used to working with many different kinds of creative people. The best ones have a completely unique look at things, and so it never surprises me when things change a bit from project to project.”
What matters more, D’Onofrio insists, is the emotion and the overall portrayal of these characters. “We need to be on it when it comes to the right tone, and we need to give them what they’re looking for when it comes to this kind of storytelling… We’re character-driven story characters. That’s the way we were originally presented, and that’s the idea now. So, all of the artists and creatives behind this stuff are going to change things slightly to make our story interesting.”
“I love the excitement, and it doesn’t bother me,” D’Onofrio adds. “But every creative person I’ve ever met is unique, and they should be allowed to make unique choices.”
Just like any fan, we can be sticklers for continuity, but we’re inclined to agree with D’Onofrio here. The actual murder weapon isn’t the important thing about this scene – it’s the brutality and visceral act that it represents. The tone behind Kingpin has always been the same, which is why little details like this don’t matter quite as much.
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