While many fans might be of a mind to say “it should have been Clint,” the new Hawkeye series solidifies the Avenger’s place in the MCU as he starts to pass the torch to Kate Bishop (Hailee Steinfeld). Based on the two episodes critics have seen, it’s become clear that Clint (Jeremy Renner) is taking Kate under his wing whether he wants to or not.
Just in time for the holiday season, Hawkeye lands on Disney+. From the moment the show begins, we meet Kate Bishop as a child in 2012 during the attack on New York. She gets a glimpse at the heroes willing to risk their lives to save and protect others, specifically Hawkeye, because of his lack of abilities but fantastic training. You get a strong sense of Kates’s character right away as a privileged rich girl that does what she pleases when she pleases. Just like in the comics, she is blunt and very independent.
Hawkeye takes a step in a different direction for the Marvel Disney+ series’. The closest you’ll get is Falcon and The Winter Soldier, but Sam Smith has access to a special suit even then. Hawkeye is unique because Kate and Clint aren’t mutants, genetically altered, or assisted by a full suit. They are regular people that bleed when you punch them and have to walk the streets of New York to get where they are going. Their fighting style with a bow and arrow gives us some great action, though.
Clint is one of those characters that roll with the punches but is always ready with a plan at a moment’s notice. When Kate gets her hands on Clint’s Ronin suit, an outfit that is tied to many deaths at the hands of Clint during his revenge plan after the events of The Blip, she is now faced with a landslide of problems that hope to repay that revenge. Clint wants to bury that part of his past, and all MCU fans want to do is find out how deep his terror really ran. Kate has her own mysteries she is trying to uncover as well. Together they make a great team as Clint teaches her about some of the things she needs to learn to stay alive.
The show takes place during the Christmas holidays when his family visits New York to check out the new Broadway show, Rogers: The Musical. Clint finds the whole trip uncomfortable and can’t wait to return home to the quiet life in his rural home with his family. The appearance of his Ronin suit puts a major kink into that plan, though. While the show doesn’t top my list of favorite Marvel series, I’m excited to see where the adventure takes us in the show. It’s becoming more and more apparent that Kate Bishop is going to step into the light for the Avengers as Clint leans more and more into retirement.
Young Avengers is almost in reach.
The children of The Avengers and younger generations of vigilantes looking to be the next big superhero are finally coming of age. Cassie Lang made it clear in Ant-Man and The Wasp that she wanted to step into her father’s suit to help him. Scarlet Witch created Speed and Wiccan during WandaVision. Elijah Bradley (Patriot) and Joaquín Torres (Falcon) were introduced during Falcon and The Winter Soldier, even though neither was formally given their superhero title. Now Kate Bishop and Echo (also getting her own Disney+ show) will enter the MCU to join the ranks. Maybe as the Loki series continues, we will get a bit of Loki Laufeyson (Ikol), a kid/reborn version of Loki. Upcoming titles also include Ms. Marvel, which introduces Kamala Khan, and Ironheart, which introduces Riri Williams.
“This holiday season, the best gifts come with a bow.” Hawkeye is streaming on Disney+ starting November 24th.
Marvel Studios’ “Hawkeye” is an original new series set in post-blip New York City where former Avenger Clint Barton aka Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) has a seemingly simple mission: get back to his family for Christmas. But when a threat from his past shows up, Hawkeye reluctantly teams up with Kate Bishop (Hailee Steinfeld), a 22-year-old skilled archer and his biggest fan, to unravel a criminal conspiracy. The series also features Vera Farmiga, Fra Fee, Tony Dalton, Zahn McClarnon, Brian d’Arcy James, and newcomer Alaqua Cox as Maya Lopez. Helmed by Rhys Thomas and directing duo Bert and Bertie, “Hawkeye” debuts exclusively on Disney+ on Nov. 24, 2021.
