Hawkeye episode 6 shocks fans with a surprising off-screen moment

Warning: Major spoilers ahead for Hawkeye episode 6! Turn back now if you haven't watched the season finale!

Hawkeye episode 6 had its fair share of surprises, from the revelation of the true owner of that Rolex watch, to Eleanor Bishop turning out to be the one who hired Yelena Belova, to Clint Barton's LARP-ing friends helping to save the day.

One huge moment, though, happened off-screen – and has Marvel fans shocked.

After Echo, AKA Maya Lopez, found out in episode 5 that Kingpin may have set her father up to be killed by Ronin, it seemed the crime boss and his niece were on a collision course. They finally came face to face in episode 6, and Echo gets her uncle at gunpoint. The scene cuts away, and then we hear a bang and a thud.

Could Kingpin really be dead, or is it all an elaborate fake out? That remains to be seen, but for now, fans are torn.

"Man got hit by a speeding car, shot in the chest by multiple arrows, survived multiple explosion arrows and people really think Kingpin is dead from that gun shot," pointed out one Twitter user,  while another simply asked: "WHY TF DID THEY DO THAT TO KINGPIN WWWWWWWHHHHHHYYYYYY" 

"okay but why tf is kingpin dead?? i was looking forward to see him more," said another fan, but another believes he'll be back: "Noo wayy people think #KingpinHawkeye is dead. C'mon people need kingpin he's gonna be back very soon." 

"Nah man how Hawkeye gonna tease Kingpin so much and then give him that ending???" one fan asked. 

"Kingpin making his presence known in the MCU in a big way has me giddy for his future. Especially with him and Echo," said another fan. 

One fan believes the scene lays the groundwork for an important comic book moment. 

The panels pictured above come from the "Parts of a Hole" story arc, which saw Echo shoot Kingpin and blind him. It's possible a storyline like that will play out in the MCU, and it definitely seems more likely than Wilson Fisk being killed off so soon after his re-introduction.

All six episodes of Hawkeye are streaming on Disney Plus now, and if you're caught up, check out our complete guide to Marvel Phase 4 to get up to speed on everything else the MCU has in store for us.