Jeremy Renner's Clint Barton has remained on the sidelines of the MCU,
but the Disney+ streaming service is about to change that with "Hawkeye."
We've set our sights on everything you'll want to know about the superhero series.
Despite many Marvel's other Disney+ series getting shuffled around due to the COVID-19 pandemic,
it seems as though "Hawkeye" may always have been destined for a holiday release.
The six-episode season will begin its run the day before Thanksgiving, with the first two episodes
dropping on November 24, 2021. Subsequent episodes will release weekly, with the finale releasing on
December 22. That's perfect timing for the holiday-themed series, which seems to follow
Clint Barton as he fights to get home with his family in time to celebrate Christmas together.
"Should we be worried?"
"I'll be home for Christmas, I promise."
Two-time Oscar nominee Jeremy Renner has long been one of the more underutilized
members of the original Avengers, but that will all change with "Hawkeye." His solo
series will mark the first time the character has ever had a central role in an MCU story.
Clint Barton's only appearances outside the "Avengers" movies thus far consist of
a brief cameo in "Thor" and a supporting role in "Captain America: Civil War." Renner didn't even
appear in "Avengers: Infinity War," his absence explained in a single line from Natasha Romanoff.
"Where's Clint?"
"After the whole Accord situation,
he and Scott took a deal. It was too tough on their families. They're on house arrest."
While Hawkeye did have a meatier role to play in "Avengers: Endgame," it'll be nice to see
him finally take center stage. However, even in his own eponymous series, he won't be alone.
Along with the announcement that Renner would be picking up Clint Barton's bow and arrows again
came the exciting news that "Hawkeye" would see him passing the torch to Kate Bishop.
As fans of the "Hawkeye" comics are well aware, Kate is Barton's protege
who takes up the Hawkeye mantle herself. She is eventually given Barton's bow to use as her own.
"What I get to do ultimately in the show is shepherd an amazing
character to be, ultimately, probably a better version of me."
"Hawkeye" will draw inspiration from the recent comics run from writer Matt Fraction
and artist David Aja, in which Bishop is Barton's occasional partner in fighting crime.
The character in the comics is young, strong-willed, and doesn't shy away from danger.
In Marvel Studios' "Hawkeye," Kate Bishop will be played by Hailee Steinfeld. The actress was
confirmed in the role in late 2020 after being rumored for the role of Kate for more than a year.
Speaking to Collider about her involvement, Steinfeld said,
"I'm just so honored to be a part of the MCU ... It's been a wonderful experience, developing
this character and taking elements of her from the comics and what we know with her history."
"Hawkeye" is Steinfeld's first live-action superhero role. However, she's no stranger
to the genre or to Marvel's expansive roster of characters, having voiced Spider-Gwen in
the Oscar-winning animated film "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse." Additionally, Steinfeld also
already has her own Oscar nomination under her belt for her role in the Coen Brothers' 2010
remake of "True Grit." In the film, which was also her feature film debut, she starred as the
determined Mattie Ross alongside Matt Damon, Jeff Bridges, and eventual MCU villain Josh Brolin.
Considering Steinfeld's impressive resume, she seems more than capable of going toe to
toe — or perhaps we should say, bow to bow — with Jeremy Renner in "Hawkeye."
And who knows, depending on what happens in "Hawkeye," it's possible Kate Bishop
could go on to play an even bigger part in the MCU than Clint Barton ever did.
Jeremy Renner isn't the only Marvel actor set to return in "Hawkeye."
Ben Sakamoto, Ava Russo, and Cade Woodward will be reprising their roles as Barton's children
Cooper, Lila, and Nathaniel Barton, who were last seen at the end of "Avengers: Endgame."
While Clint Barton was the opposite of a family man in Matt Fraction's comics,
the Barton family has been a huge part of Hawkeye's characterization in the MCU.
His grief over their loss in "the Blip" functioned as his motivation for becoming the
assassin Ronin at the beginning of "Avengers: Endgame." Later, the possibility of getting
them back served as Barton's incentive to rejoin the Avengers on their time heist.
Emmy nominee Linda Cardellini will also be reprising her role from the MCU films
as Clint's wife Laura. Cardellini has most recently been co-starring with Christina
Applegate in the Netflix series "Dead to Me," which has a third and final season forthcoming.
Although we don't yet know how big a role Laura Barton will play in "Hawkeye," trailers have
confirmed that the Bartons' marriage still appears to be in decent shape — assuming,
of course, that Clint can make it home in time for Christmas.
Jeremy Renner and Hailee Steinfeld may be sharing top billing as the lead characters
of "Hawkeye," but they're far from the only serious acting talent in the series.
Oscar-nominee and "The Conjuring" series co-star Vera Farmiga has been cast as Kate Bishop's
mother Eleanor, while Tony Dalton is slated to play Jack Duquesne, also known as Swordsman,
one of Clint Barton's mentors. Duqusne has had both heroic and villainous arcs in the comics,
so it will be interesting to see in what direction the series takes him.
"Hawkeye" will also serve as the live-action debut of Maya Lopez, who adopts the superhero name Echo.
In the comics, Maya is a deaf Native American woman who has the power to perfectly mimic human
movements, giving her the ability to quickly adapt to a wide variety of skills and combat styles.
She'll be played by deaf actor Alaqua Cox, who is from the Menominee and Mohican nations.
"Hawkeye" will serve as Cox's screen debut, but Marvel Studios seems to already have a
lot of faith in her; the studio is already moving ahead with development on Echo's own solo series.
Maya's father William will be played by veteran actor Zahn McClarnon, who you may recognize from
"Westworld" and "Longmire." The Lopez family has a deep history in the world of the comics,
with Echo's storylines closely intertwining with characters such as Daredevil and Moon Knight.
It remains to be seen if she and William will play a significant role in "Hawkeye,"
or if their appearances will serve as more of a set up to Echo's eventual spin-off.
On the villain side of things, Florence Pugh will also be appearing in "Hawkeye" as Yelena Belova,
sister of Clint's dearly departed bestie, Natasha Romanoff. The Oscar-nominated actor
recently had a huge MCU breakout moment in "Black Widow," in which the two women
teamed up to take down the man responsible for their abusive training in the Red Room.
However, while Yelena largely acted as a hero in the film, things take a turn in
"Black Widow"'s post-credit scene. The scene finds Yelena mourning Natasha's death at her
sister's gravesite when she's approached by Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine,
who was introduced in "The Falcon and the Winter Soldier" as one of the newer behind-the-scenes
power players of the MCU. The Contessa tells Yelena that she has a new target for her,
paving the way for her appearance in "Hawkeye."
"Maybe you'd like a shot at the man responsible for your sister's death."
But Yelena won't be the only character blocking Clint's path to a festive family Christmas.
Irish actor Fra Fee has been cast as a villainous character referred to in the show
as Kazi. In a Tweet around the time of his casting announcement, Fee indicated that Kazi
will be a live-action take on Kazimierz Kazimierczak, also known as The Clown.
And of course, then there's the Tracksuit Draculas. The primary antagonists in Matt
Fraction's "Hawkeye" comics are members of the Russian mafia, whom Clint dubs the "Tracksuit
Draculas," due to their heavy accents and their affinity for wearing velour tracksuits. These
Russian mobsters have an extremely limited English vocabulary, relying heavily on the words "bro" and
"seriously" to convey the bulk of their meaning. They drive much of the small-scale conflict of
Fraction's comics, which tend to center on the tenants of Barton's apartment building.
Trailers have confirmed that the Tracksuit Draculas will be teaming up to take down
Clint Barton. The trailer also gives us a glimpse of boxer-turned-actor Aleks
Paunovic playing a character who seems to be Ivan Banionis, the leader of the Tracksuit Draculas.
Considering the Tracksuit Draculas storyline from the comics is very tied up with Barton's
characterization as a single, childless guy living in New York City, there will no doubt be
some changes to how the villains are portrayed in the Disney+ series. But, seriously bro,
no matter how they wind up on the wrong side of Clint's trick arrows, we're happy to see them.
Between taking on the many villains of New York City and the vengeance-seeking sister of one of
his closest friends, one thing is certain: Clint will have his hands full this holiday season.
Fraction's "Hawkeye" comics feature a wide assortment of interesting characters,
any one of whom would make a welcome addition to the MCU. Possible allies for Clint and Kate
include Clint's brother, Barney Barton; Clint's friend and neighbor, Grills;
or Penny, the ex-wife of one of the Tracksuit Draculas. Bobbi Morse, also known as Mockingbird,
and Jessica Drew, also known as Spider-Woman, also appear in the Hawkeye comics. However,
since the MCU version of Clint is happily married, their roles as Clint's ex-wife and current
girlfriend, respectively, would likely have to be rewritten for the show if they were to appear.
The character of Bobbi Morse has already appeared on the TV show "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.," where
she was portrayed by Adrianne Palicki. However, FandomWire reports that Palicki won't be reprising
her role for "Hawkeye," and that the character will be recast. Similarly, speculation is swirling
among MCU fans that the character "Game of Thrones" star Emilia Clarke will be playing
in the upcoming "Secret Invasion" series is in fact Jessica Drew. If that turns out to be true,
could the character make her first appearance in "Hawkeye"? Who knows, but it wouldn't be
the first time Marvel has thrown a surprise character introduction into one of their shows.
Speaking of MCU tie-ins, in one issue of Fraction's "Hawkeye," Clint briefly teams up
with Wolverine and Spider-Man to battle members of Advanced Idea Mechanics. Otherwise known as
A.I.M., the group is an organization of evil scientists that serve as one of the various
villainous groups in the Marvel Universe. However, it's only a minor subplot, and the "Hawkeye"
series could easily nod to it while swapping out most of the details. Not only could "Hawkeye"
substitute some different villains since A.I.M. was last seen in "Iron Man 3," but the series
could also pull in a totally different pair of Avengers. Possibly some avengers with closer ties
to Clint than Spider-Man or Wolverine, especially since the latter still hasn't made his MCU debut.
Perhaps instead, Clint might team up with Wanda Maximoff, with whom he already has
somewhat of a mentoring relationship. Other candidates could include Clint's
former S.H.I.E.L.D. colleagues like Nick Fury and Maria Hill, or Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes.
Even someone like Scott Lang could make sense, especially if his daughter Cassie shows up.
In the Matt Fraction comics, Kate Bishop is already a former member of the superhero team
Young Avengers. However, considering the Young Avengers don't yet exist in the MCU,
it may make more sense for "Hawkeye" to be the property that sets up their eventual introduction.
Kate isn't the first potential Young Avenger to enter the MCU. The first was Ant-Man's daughter,
Cassie Lang, who aged into a teenager during the time jump in "Avengers: Endgame."
In the comics, Cassie follows in her father's footsteps by using Pym particles to become the
size-altering superhero Stature, and is close friends with Kate Bishop's Hawkeye.
Cassie has since been followed by Billy and Tommy, the twin sons of Wanda Maximoff and Vision.
While the brothers disappeared along with the rest of Wanda's conjured world at the
end of "WandaVision," they reappeared as spectral voices during the post-credit scene in the finale.
"Mom, help please"
In the comics, Billy and Tommy grow up to be the Young Avengers Wiccan and Speed.
In "The Falcon and the Winter Soldier," we briefly met Elijah Bradley, grandson of Isaiah Bradley,
the Black Captain America. In the comics, Elijah takes up the mantle of the Young Avenger known as
Patriot. And "Loki" introduced us to the character of Young Loki,
a variant form of the character who is also part of the Young Avengers team in the comics.
With nearly the entire Young Avengers roster already established in the MCU,
we wouldn't be surprised if "Hawkeye" finally lays the groundwork for the team to come together.
Arguably one of the best parts of Fraction's "Hawkeye" run is Clint's dog,
Lucky. The two are introduced when Clint saves the pooch from one of the Tracksuit Draculas,
and then adopts him. While his tag reads "Arrow," Clint renames him Lucky.
Clint's canine companion will be played by a golden retriever named Jolt, and the
character's inclusion in the series opens up a wide range of story possibilities. In the comics,
he even partakes in a few adventures of his own. He accompanies Kate when she moves to L.A.,
helps Clint track down Tracksuit Draculas, and even gets shot at
one point. If the series goes this route, don't worry — Lucky recovers just fine.
Serving as writer and executive producer for "Hawkeye" is Jonathan Igla. While Igla
has produced several other shows, including the short-lived but critically beloved series "Pitch,"
he's best known for his work on AMC's juggernaut series "Mad Men," where he served as a writer
and executive story editor. Although Igla's resume doesn't boast much experience with the high-octane
action the MCU is known for, his style may be perfect for the more character-driven "Hawkeye."
After all, "Mad Men" was widely celebrated for its outstanding characters, snappy dialogue,
and strong storytelling, three elements that also stood out in Matt Fraction's "Hawkeye" run.
Fraction's "Hawkeye" storylines tended to revolve around the question of what
a superhero does when he's not being a superhero.
While Fraction's run did have its fair share of bad guys and sinister plots, each issue tended
to focus less on Clint Barton's extraordinary abilities and more on his regular day-to-day life.
Of course, we also expect plenty of MCU superhero
action from "Hawkeye." But if the series is using Fraction's comics as a roadmap,
we can expect for it to be focused on small-scale personal conflicts and character relationships
far more than hugely powerful supervillains, making Igla the perfect choice to helm the series.
After being blissfully absent for all of "Avengers: Infinity War," Clint Barton
had a rough time during "Avengers: Endgame." The film opened with Barton's wife and three children
turning to dust before his eyes, following the Avengers' failure to stop Thanos in "Infinity
War." The next time we saw him after the film's five-year time jump, he had left the superhero
mantle of Hawkeye behind, and had become the ruthless vigilante known as Ronin. His best friend
Natasha eventually tracks him down in Japan after he has just murdered a street full of Yakuza,
offering him hope with their plan for the time heist. But while Clint is ultimately
able to get his family back by the end of the movie, it's at the cost of Natasha's life.
With the "Hawkeye" series confirmed to take place after the events of "Endgame,"
that leaves a lot for Clint to be reckoning with the next time we see him. Not only will he
likely still be mourning the loss of Natasha, whose death he tried and failed to prevent,
but he'll also have to face the horrible things he did as Ronin. That's not even to mention that
he'll have super-spy Yelena after him, seeking retribution for Natasha's death. Additionally,
we can probably expect to see how the Barton family is coping with the aftermath of "the
Blip," since coming back after five years as dust is sure to be a sizeable adjustment.
Trailers for "Hawkeye" see the superhero taking his kids on a fun trip to New York City,
but of course, those plans quickly go sideways. The trailers indicate that the main plot of
"Hawkeye" will revolve around Clint getting stuck in New York City away from his family
before Christmas, battling bad guys that are somehow tied to his days as Ronin.
Complicating matters is that it appears the entire New York underworld is after Clint,
while he lacks the superhuman strength and resilience of his extraordinary teammates.
Of course, Hawkeye's lack of superpowers has always been a running gag in the MCU.
"The city is flying, we're fighting an army of robots,
and I have a bow and arrow. None of this makes sense."
But for Clint, being a hero has always been more about a mindset than superpowers,
and it seems that theme will carry over to his solo series.
It seems likely that despite the Tracksuit Draculas and many other
villains threatening Clint, the main focus of the "Hawkeye" series will be on Clint
training Kate to eventually take over for him. Teaching Kate that she doesn't need
powers in order to accomplish great things would be in line with Fraction's comics,
which are much more interested in Clint's everyday attitude than in his enhanced skillset.
"You want to be a superhero? You put your life in danger."
Keeping with the theme of focusing on Hawkeye's most human qualities,
Renner has confirmed that Barton's hearing loss will play a factor in "Hawkeye," as it did in
Fraction's comics. Considering we know that Echo will be appearing in the series, we wouldn't be
surprised if hearing loss and deafness turn out to be a significant part of "Hawkeye."
Will Clint and Kate be able to take on the Tracksuit Draculas and other various Marvel
baddies in time for Clint to make it home for Christmas on the farm with his family?
And will Clint finally retire for good and pass the mantle to his young protege?
We'll find out when the first two episodes of "Hawkeye" shoot onto Disney+ on November 24, 2021.
"It's gonna be the best Christmas ever."
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