Vincent D’Onofrio says Kingpin has always been a Thanos-level threat

While the Marvel Cinematic Universe is under no obligation to always have an end-of-level boss lurking in the shadows and pulling the strings, it worked out pretty well for Thanos and the Infinity Saga, so you can understand why the franchise would look to repeat the formula again, albeit with a twist.

Jonathan Majors has been established as the big bad of Phase Four already, and having the multiverse in play means that the actor can show up as any number of Kang the Conqueror variants in any film or television projects, all while getting to put a fresh spin on his performance every time.

A time traveling warlord may not have much interest in the MCU’s street-level shenanigans, though, which could be where Vincent D’Onofrio’s Kingpin comes in. In an interview with The Toronto Sun, the actor was asked if he could envision Wilson Fisk being the superhero saga’s next overarching antagonist, and his response was illuminating.

“I’ve never thought about it in those terms before. I guess that’s up to Marvel and Kevin [Feige] and the writers. Do I think he’s capable of being the guy that’s behind everything? In my mind, he always was.”

A great number of MCU titles have unfolded in or around NYC, and like Kingpin said in Hawkeye‘s final episode, the city belongs to him. By that logic, there’s no reason why he couldn’t pop up across the upcoming slate to establish himself as a formidable foe for the local heroes to try and overcome on a regular basis.