Review: “Hawkeye” Episodes 1 and 2

By Laken Franchetti, Staff Writer

The Marvel series Hawkeye premiered on Disney+ Wednesday, Nov. 24. The first two of six episodes were released. After the events of Avengers: Endgame, Clint Barton wants to simply spend Christmas with his family, however, he becomes stuck in New York and must help rising archer Kate Bishop deal with the Tracksuit Mafia and a murder-mystery. The new characters, movie callbacks, and comic references make this series perfect for Marvel fans, yet it also has the individual chops to serve as a standalone series for those who may not have extensive Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) knowledge.

SPOILER WARNING: Beyond this point, there are spoilers for episodes 1 and 2 of Hawkeye.

Hailee Steinfeld and Jeremy Renner star as Kate Bishop and Clint Barton in "Hawkeye" (Promotional Photo)

Hailee Steinfeld and Jeremy Renner star as Kate Bishop and Clint Barton in “Hawkeye” (Promotional Photo)

Episode 1, titled “Never Meet Your Heroes,” gave insight into the background of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s newest character, Kate Bishop. In the comics, Kate Bishop goes on to become the next Hawkeye, and it appears this series is building up to that as well. Hailee Steinfeld is the perfect fit for the character, playing Kate with the determined and stubborn personality fans know from the comics. Viewers come to find that Kate idolized Hawkeye since a young age after witnessing him during the Chitauri’s invasion of New York. When her father died as a result of this invasion, Kate vowed to protect her mother and learned skills ranging from swordsmanship to martial arts.

Shortly after returning home from college for winter break, Kate discovers a secret black market auction. In attendance is her mother’s new fiancé and his uncle. She is quickly thrown into a tangled web of mafias and New York City’s underground organizations. Clint Barton, still dealing with the fallout of Endgame (and namely the loss of his best friend), begrudgingly becomes Kate’s mentor as he finds himself once again fighting the Tracksuit Mafia. Meanwhile, Barton is in search of his resurfaced suit from his stint as the unforgiving Ronin.

Hawkeye takes on a more light-hearted feel than the other Marvel shows that have been released on Disney+. Steinfeld and Jeremy Renner create an amusing relationship between their onscreen characters that fits the classic dynamic of an enthusiastic protégé and a moody mentor. A fan favorite of the show was the one-eyed golden retriever found by Kate in the first episode, and Marvel comic fans might recognize that this adorable dog will go on to become Lucky the Pizza Dog. Comic fans can also appreciate that the MCU is beginning to lean into Clint Barton becoming deaf, as he wears a hearing aid in one ear during this series.

Another new Marvel character from the comics that is welcomed to the MCU through this series is Maya Lopez, otherwise known as Echo. In the final seconds of episode two, “Hide and Seek,” her character is revealed to be involved with the Tracksuit Mafia. Played by Alaqua Cox, a Native American actress who is deaf, this character will come to life not only in Hawkeye but her own eponymous spinoff series, which is expected to be released sometime in 2023. In the comics, Echo is involved with both Kingpin and Daredevil, causing fans to speculate that these famous characters could make appearances in the series.

Another character that is anticipated to appear is Florence Pugh’s Yelena Belova from Black Widow. During the post-credits scene of Black Widow, Yelena was approached by Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, otherwise known to comic fans as Madame Hydra. Valentina told Yelena that Clint Barton is responsible for Natasha’s death and seemingly sent her off to kill him. Yelena’s appearance in the show will most likely occur in a later episode and cause a whole new set of problems for our heroes to navigate.

The first two episodes of Hawkeye deviate from the typical overly action-packed, heroic efforts found in other MCU series like last March’s “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.” Combining the onset of trouble Kate Bishop brings with Clint Barton’s typical grumpiness is the perfect algorithm for a light-hearted series that everyone can enjoy, regardless of their previous Marvel knowledge.

Author: Gettysburgian Staff

Share This Post On

Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *