Warning: This article contains SPOILERS for Thunderbolts*.Thunderbolts* provides a perfect explanation for why Kingpin doesn’t appear in the MCU movie despite it initially appearing like the story would need to address the character. The release of Thunderbolts* has furthered the overarching MCU’s story in several ways – like having the Thunderbolts introduced and becoming the New Avengers in the film, and introducing the first fragments of The Fantastic Four: First Steps story into the world. However, the movie is also interesting in terms of what it didn’t include.

Prior to the release of the movie, MCU theories about the film and who would emerge within it were in full force, with almost every character who’d ever so much as been considered to appear in a Thunderbolts comic raised as a potential candidate for a role in the Thunderbolts* cast. Notably, this included that of the MCU’s Kingpin, whose recent new position in the city of New York suggested he was impossible to ignore for the upcoming story. However, Thunderbolts* managed to do just that, and with some strong story reasoning to boot.

Thunderbolts* Being Set In New York Seemingly Made It So The MCU Movie Had To Feature Or Address Kingpin

Long before the release of Thunderbolts*, it became clear that a good portion of the main events of the film were set in New York. In trailers and teasers for the film, Valentina is shown talking to the ᴀssembled team members inside the revamped Avengers Tower, and The Void is depicted wreaking havoc on the people of New York and the city by and large, with his dark powers turning civilians into shadows and lingering over the city itself.

Given The Void’s use of these powers is seemingly citywide – and Daredevil: Born Again season 1 contains no mention of the time the city was beset by shadowy powers despite this being pretty obviously relevant and a big deal – it seemed clear that Thunderbolts* was indeed set after season 1 as the release order suggested. This means that Kingpin would be New York’s mayor during the events of the MCU movie itself.

As such, it seemed the character would need to either appear in the film or at least be addressed, since the mayor of New York would naturally be involved in either organizing or instructing heroes to defend the city, and also addressing the matter more generally, especially given Kingpin’s public stance on vigilantes and the dangers of costumed heroes. However, this isn’t the case in Thunderbolts* itself, though the events of the movie provide a pretty solid explanation as to why.

How Thunderbolts* Approaches The Void Explains Why Kingpin Isn’t In The Movie

Thunderbolts* reinforces the idea that it is set after Kingpin obtains his mayoral position, making his absence yet more distinct. It’s clear the events of Captain America: Brave New World have already transpired at the start of the new MCU movie, with Valentina addressing the matter of Ross’ Red Hulk transformation in her meeting with Congress, which is notable since Daredevil: Born Again season 1 is believed to be set at a contemporaneous time to the Captain America movie.

Helpfully, though, the way in which the main calamitous events of the movie unfold mean there’s little reason for it to seem odd that Kingpin or New York’s heroes are missing from the story. The Void’s attack on New York transpires partway through the movie instead of happening to draw the film’s protagonists to New York, and they almost immediately dive into action to stop him, which seemingly means the actual New York-wide crisis happens over a very short span of time, with no real opportunity for anyone else to step into the fray or to try and give orders.

Perhaps most importantly, the way The Void’s powers are suggested to work – sending those affected by his shadows into a nightmarish other world where they have to face their worst traumas and fears – reinforces why no other MCU character joins these matters. It’s likely that Kingpin, Daredevil, Spider-Man, and any other New York characters were transported into this realm themselves and were dealing with their own proverbial demons, or otherwise left wondering what on Earth had happened, since they wouldn’t have had the immediate context the Thunderbolts did about the situation.

All in all, the Thunderbolts* story does a good job of setting up a scenario where only the focal characters seem able to actively save the day, which prevents the fact that other major heroes and villains don’t appear from feeling all that noticeable. In the end, it seems this was likely the right call for more than one reason when looking at the MCU movie.

I Think Thunderbolts* Not Featuring Other New York Characters Was For The Best, Even If It Might Seem Like A Missed Opportunity

Seeing other denizens of New York like Spider-Man or Kingpin would’ve been endlessly exciting for MCU fans if it had happened in Thunderbolts*. Oddly enough, this is part of the reason none of these characters appearing may well have been for the best. Though the potential for a major cameo or crossover was very much there, this would have been almost impossible to pull off without detracting from the actual focal story at hand, since Spider-Man: No Way Home and Daredevil: Born Again season 1 left their main characters on relative cliffhangers that would make an appearance here distractingly huge.

Instead, Thunderbolts* is able to keep things centered on its team, keeping its ties to other movies and characters largely in the realm of references. Moments like Valentina referencing Red Hulk and Bucky referencing his seeming argument with Captain America help the release to stay very much connected to external stories, but not beholden to them, which benefits both Thunderbolts* and the wider MCU in the long run, as the movie only truly “cuts away” from its own story for its tease of The Fantastic Four: First Steps in the very final moments of the last Thunderbolts* post-credits scene.

Kingpin actor Vincent D’Onofrio also spoke about the challenges around having the character appear in MCU movies before Thunderbolts* released. When asked about appearing in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, D’Onfrio commented: “It’s a very hard thing to do for Marvel to use my character. It’s a very hard thing to do because of ownership and stuff. Right now, I’m only usable for television series, different kinds of series, whatever it is… It’s all caught up in rights and stuff.” Given this, it also seems the story approach taken may have been a more straightforward one that avoided rights complications.

This is arguably also the best for the external characters in question. Both No Way Home and Daredevil: Born Again season 1 end on notes that leave audiences wanting to see what happened next to the main characters, which might have been undermined by seeing them in Thunderbolts* versus the installments they’re set to have a more central role in going forward. Given the potential for reunions and crossovers galore is very much still open in Avengers: Doomsday, it looks like it may be for the best the Thunderbolts* story was able to find a perfect way to explain characters like Kingpin ending up absent here.

Upcoming MCU Movies

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  Thunderbolts*

  
  
  
  

  
  

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  The Fantastic Four: First Steps

  
  
  
  

  
  

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  Avengers: Doomsday

  
  
  
  

  
  

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  Spider-Man: Brand New Day

  
  
  
  

  
  

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  Avengers: Secret Wars

  
  
  
  

  
  

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