Warning: Contains SPOILERS for Hawkeye!

Recently released deleted scenes from Hawkeye revealed that Vincent D'Onofrio’s return as Kingpin almost came earlier in the miniseries; however, the scenes’ exclusion made his reveal better. Available for streaming on Disney+, Hawkeye centered on Clint Barton (Jeremy Renner) reluctantly teaming up with a new protégé, Kate Bishop (Hailee Steinfeld). Together the two worked to overcome Clint’s dark past and the New York criminal underworld, all while trying to get Clint home to his family for Christmas.

One of Hawkeye’s biggest twists was its inclusion of D'Onofrio’s Kingpin. This crime lord, named Wilson Fisk, proved to be the leader of the Tracksuit Mafia that Clint and Kate had been fighting. D'Onofrio’s portrayal of Kingpin was notable because it was actually a reprisal of his role in the 2015 Netflix Marvel series, Daredevil, Kingpin was one of the main antagonists, striving to rid the city of crime by any means necessary. Due to this, D'Onofrio’s presence in Hawkeye showed that characters from Marvel projects outside of the MCU could transition into the main franchise.

Related: Kingpin Is Stronger In The MCU Than On Netflix: Why?

However, Hawkeye nearly included two deleted scenes that would have decreased the impact of D'Onofrio’s Kingpin reveal. These scenes would have given Kingpin more visibility earlier in the series. While this may seem like a good thing for Kingpin fans, holding back on the reveal ultimately made D'Onofrio’s return more exciting for viewers and created greater tension between Kingpin and Eleanor Bishop, Kate’s mother.

Kingpin and Maya in Hawkeye Deleted Scene

The first deleted scene showed Kingpin picking up a D'Onofrio’s Kingpin in the season finale stronger because the rising suspense allowed his debut to match the excitement surrounding his character.

Similarly, another deleted scene would have shown Eleanor meeting with Kingpin shortly after her husband’s death. During their conversation, Kingpin explained that Eleanor had to work for him to pay off her husband’s debt, and Eleanor stated that she would not do so indefinitely. While this scene depicted Kingpin and Eleanor’s relationship well, it also would have diminished the tension in Hawkeye season 1, episode 6, “So This Is Christmas?” At the beginning of Hawkeye episode 6, Eleanor met with Kingpin and refused to work with him anymore since Kate was in danger. This decision genuinely shocked and angered Kingpin, causing him to retaliate against Eleanor. If the deleted scene had been included though, both Kingpin and the audience would not have been as surprised by Eleanor’s risky decision. Due to this, not including either of Kingpin’s deleted scenes made D'Onofrio’s reveal and Kingpin’s involvement in Hawkeye more exciting for viewers.

More: Spider-Man 4: Why Kingpin Must Be The Trilogy's Main Villain

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