What we know/ What we want from Marvel’s Hawkeye

Jeremy Renner taking down superpowered baddies with nothing more than a bow, an arrow, and a little bit of aim is nothing new, but his character Hawkeye having the starring role in a Marvel-made masterpiece is.

Renner is set to star in Hawkeye, the next Disney+ streamed miniseries set to push phase 4 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe along. While anyone who has watched basically any Marvel movie in the last decade knows Renner will be heavily involved in a Hawkeye series, we are here to fill in just about everything else you can expect from the series.

Without further ado, let’s get into it.

With ‘What If…?’ still in the midst of its release schedule, we have a bit of time to wait until Hawkeye is released on Disney+.

Disney and Marvel have literally created year-round content for Marvel since the first, black and white episode of Wandavision wandered onto our television sets, and that trend is at least going to continue into the new year.

Hawkeye is slated for six episodes. The first comes out on November 24, 2021, and the last on December 29, 2021. That makes the release schedule – just like every other Marvel show on the streaming service, so you probably guessed it already – weekly, with the series priming us for a phasing in of new heroes and faces and a phasing out of the old.

The Trailer

The first trailer for the Hawkeye miniseries dropped recently, and it did not disappoint. Seriously, check it out.

All set in a cheery Christmas atmosphere and backed by Andy Williams’ “It’s the most wonderful time of the year”, it starts off with Clint innocently trying to make up for lost time with his wife and children and ends, unsurprisingly, with him shooting various types of arrows. The Christmastime setting gives us a fairly good idea of when it is set, likely the holidays of 2023, a few months after the events of Avengers: Endgame.

The trailer prominently features a potential new Hawkeye, a protege for Clint, and a specter of his past.

Oh, did we mention that all three of those things are the same character?

Time to dive into what characters we know will be featured heavily, as well as a few that we think may appear throughout the series.

Key Characters

Clint

The original Hawkeye, if you are not familiar with Jeremy Renner and his fantastic portrayal of Clint Barton at this point – after a decade and what feels like roughly 100 movies – then honestly, it might just be best if you skip the Hawkeye series.

However, for the 99% of people who are familiar with Hawkeye, you are in for a real treat. Largely considered the best archer in the Marvel universe and a part of the Avengers, in this series Hawkeye just wants a rest.

His entire family was wiped out by the snap, which sent him hunting and killing criminals who he felt didn’t deserve to be left alive in the deadly alter-ego Ronin. Now, he wants to make up for lost time with his wife and kids, but the next character on our list puts a wrench in those plans.

Kate Bishop

She considers herself to be the greatest archer in the world, and that is only the start of her obsession with Hawkeye.

Played by Hailee Steinfeld, Kate Bishop wants nothing more than to follow in Hawkeye’s footsteps, something that Clint cannot get his mind wrapped around. Disguised as Ronin and picking up where Clint left off when his family was un-snapped, she pulls Clint right back into the world he left behind. She shares much of the same skills as Hawkeye, and may be even more talented than he is.

Jack Duquesne

Played by Tony Dalton, Duquesne played a key role in Daredevil’s past, training him to be the efficient marksman he is today. While there has not been a lot heard about him, it seems likely that Clint will go to him to help train Kate.

Daredevil?

While there has been no official news on Daredevil – played by Charlie Cox in the Marvel series – being in Hawkeye, there is a lot that points to him having at least a bit role in the series.

First, in the comics Echo is widely considered to be more of a Daredevil character than a Hawkeye one. While the MCU has been fairly open to changing comic book backstories, it seems likely that there will be some connection.

Secondly, there have been rumors (and even easter eggs spotted by diehard fans in the Hawkeye trailer) that one of the enemies Clint made as Ronin was none other than the Kingpin himself, Wilson Fisk. Fisk and Daredevil are about as firmly intertwined as two characters can be, and with rumors that both will be officially added into the MCU, now seems as good of a time as any.

The Bad Guys

Clown

While there is still not a lot known about this character in the show, Clown plays a major role in the Hawkeye comics. It appears in the show that at some point Hawkeye will lose his hearing, and the Clown is the one who causes that to happen. Also known as Kazimierz Kazimierczak, in the comics Clown stabs Clint with several arrows and permanently damages his hearing, which likely makes him one of the main antagonists of the series.

Echo

Echo is a very unique antihero. While she looks like she at least starts the series as a villain, her background is so unique and her character so interesting that you may just end up cheering for her anyways.

Played by deaf actress Alaqua Cox, Echo is a deaf Native American super that can copy anyone’s movements and fighting styles just by watching them. She has the ability to instantly master fighting styles and combat techniques, and she looks to be working for the big bad mastermind, who may be none other than…

Kingpin

If Ronin went around killing criminals and ruining criminal operations, there are fairly good odds that he ran into Wilson Fisk, also known as the Kingpin. Excellently played by Vincent D’Onofrio in the Daredevil series, the Kingpin seems set to make his official MCU appearance in the series.

Yelena

Played by Florence Pugh, Yelena took over the mantle of the Black Widow at the end of the Black Widow film. A highly trained assassin, she was tricked into believing that Clint played a major role in the death of Natasha Romanoff and is hunting him down to make things even.

Writers and Directors

No show would be anything without the person behind the script and the person behind the camera. So, while they may not be seen on the screen, we always want to show respect to the brains behind the operation.

The pen behind the script belongs to none other than Jonathan Igla, who is best known as the writer of “Mad Men”. If this series is half the hit that Mad Men was in its prime, we could be looking at the biggest Marvel series yet. As well, having Igla write the script promises some of the class and snarky humor that went into making Mad Men the cultural phenomenon it is.

As for directors, the show went with a group ensemble with Bert and Bertie as well as Rhys Thomas all directing various episodes of the first season. Bert and Bertie are best known for directing Amazon’s “Troop Zero”, while Rhys Thomas has spent many years as the director of Saturday Night Live.

The Plot

This series will completely revolve around Clint and his protege, Kate Bishop. Brought back into the criminal underworld while trying to track down whoever took over his alter ego of Ronin, Clint ends up on the run with Kate, training her to become the next Hawkeye on the way.

While many of the characters in the series are known, much of the plot that weaves around and through them is still up in the air. Though you can check Nerdythings for some of the latest Hawkeye merch that often give away hints on characters and plotlines, allowing you to put the pieces together.

Where Does This Lead Us?

There are a few potential avenues that the Hawkeye miniseries will take us, each with ramifications for the MCU and each tied with one another in regards to the future of the MCU.

Post-Avengers

In case you missed it, Marvel has been phasing out many of the original characters from the Avengers films. Captain America has been replaced, Tony Stark is dead, Natasha Romanoff is dead…

So let’s just hope that Clint doesn’t end this series with a tombstone. While there is a chance that he ends this series ACTUALLY dead, it seems more likely that Marvel will continue its post-Avengers mission of phasing out its older characters to make room for new ones.

Hawkeye Is Dead… Long Live Hawkeye!

METAPHORICALLY dead, hopefully! Nothing would make us happier than Clint finally getting out of the game, spending time with his family, and creating a nice happy retirement for himself out in the middle of nowhere.

But with the ending of one Hawkeye’s reign comes the start of another. It has already been stated that the series is meant to pass the torch from Clint to Kate, and with her addition to the MCU there is a high chance that a new Marvel superteam is coming up next.

Young Avengers

In the comics, Kate Bishop is one of the founding members of the Young Avengers. Other key members are Iron Lad, Miss America, Speed, Wiccan, and Vision. Speed, Wiccan, and Vision are all accounted for in Wandavision and Iron Lad (or something along those lines) is likely to be introduced in the future-slated Armor Wars series, making the Young Avengers a likely future endeavor for the MCU.

Well, now you know everything you need to know about the Hawkeye miniseries coming to Disney+ this November.

What are you most excited about in the series? Let us know in the comments below.