It’s time to pass the torch to another Marvel Cinematic Universe hero. Marvel’s Phase 4 has seen a number of new heroes appear on the scene and old heroes taking on new roles. And in the Hawkeye Disney Plus series, we’ll be seeing a new amazing archer join the mix.
Picking up after Avengers: Endgame, Hawkeye will see Clint Barton (Jeremy Renner) train a new hero to follow in his footsteps. Fans have been waiting a long time to see the second Hawkeye, Kate Bishop, in the MCU and now with Hailee Steinfeld in the role, they’re finally getting that wish. Hawkeye is also expected to explore Clint’s time as the murderous anti-hero Ronin during the five years between the Snap and the Blip.
There are a number of other new characters also joining the mix and it looks like Hawkeye is going to be a fun journey for fans of the lovable archer. The Disney+ show was created by Jonathan Igla (Mad Men) with Rhys Thomas (Documentary Now!) and the duo Bert and Bertie (Troop Zero) serving as directors. But what else do we know about the Hawkeye show so far? Let’s dig in.
When Is the Hawkeye Release Date?
The official Hawkeye release date on Disney+ is set for November 24th, which means it will be hitting the streaming service after the September release of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and the November 4th release of Eternals, but before the release of Spider-Man: No Way Home in December 2021.
Watch the Hawkeye Trailer
At long last, Marvel Studios debuted the trailer for Hawkeye on September 13! The first footage introduced Steinfeld's Kate Bishop, teased a Captain America musical moment, and revealed a full-on MCU Christmas adventure featuring Renner's former Avenger. Check out it out below, along with the official poster.
Who Is in the Hawkeye Cast?
Jeremy Renner will obviously be back in the lead role as Clint Barton / Hawkeye, founding Avenger and former mass murderer. The rest of the Barton family is also expected to be in the series with Ben Sakamoto, Ava Russo, and Cade Woodward appearing as Clint’s children Cooper, Lila, and Nathaniel.
Hailee Steinfeld will play Kate Bishop, Barton’s new protege and the next Hawkeye. Other cast members announced for the series include Vera Farmiga, Fra Fee, Tony Dalton, Zahn McClarnon, Brian d'Arcy James, and Alaqua Cox. Florence Pugh will also be in the show, reprising her role as Yelena Belova from Black Widow.
And for the animal lovers out there, the show will also feature Jolt, a golden retriever, playing Lucky the Pizza Dog.
Who Are the New Characters in Hawkeye?
Hailee Steinfeld’s Kate Bishop is the biggest new addition to the MCU appearing in the Hawkeye show. In the comics, Kate is a formidable fighter and archer who may actually be better at being Hawkeye than Clint is.
She is a founding member of the Young Avengers alongside other legacy heroes (many of whom have already been quietly introduced to the MCU in recent releases). Kate is blunt, honest, and level-headed, with a fun, sibling-style relationship with her mentor.
Vera Farmiga will be playing Kate’s mother Eleanor Bishop. The character has only had a few appearances in the comics where she is introduced as the matriarch of the wealthy Bishop family. She was believed to be dead but eventually turned up on the side of the bad guys.
Fra Fee will appear as a character called Kazi. The name is short for Kazimierz Kazimierczak, though he is better known as the mercenary Clown. A supervillain and hitman in the comics, Clown is responsible for permanently damaging Clint’s hearing. It is very probable that the show will include that particular storyline.
Tony Dalton will play Jack Duquesne, a former mentor of Clint’s whom comic book fans would recognize as the Swordsman. He’s been both a villain and a hero in the comics and was, at one point, a member of the Avengers.
Alaqua Cox is another new MCU actor, appearing in the show as Maya Lopez / Echo. A Native American of the Cheyenne Nation, Echo was born deaf and has the ability to mimic any skills that she can observe. Basically, she’s like a heroic Taskmaster, able to replicate both fighting styles and more artistic talents like playing the piano. Cox is one of the first deaf actors to play a deaf character in the MCU.
Echo is also reportedly getting a spin-off show of her own so expect big things from her. In the comics, she is currently the host of the cosmic powerhouse known as the Phoenix Force, so the character has a lot of potential.
Zahn McClarnon will appear as Maya’s father William Lopez and Brian d'Arcy James will be playing an as-yet-undisclosed role on the show.
Finally, the most adorable new addition to the MCU is Jolt the golden retriever playing Lucky the Pizza Dog. Originally owned by a member of the villainous Tracksuit Mafia in the comics, Lucky was rescued by Clint and became his trusty canine companion.
When Is Hawkeye Filming?
Filming on Hawkeye began in early December 2020. This was around the same time that Steinfeld’s casting as Kate Bishop was confirmed. The series has been shot in New York and Atlanta.
The show has a rather hefty budget, with Marvel reportedly spending $200 million on just this one series. Most of the filming was done in New York and set photos have revealed some Christmas decorations, suggesting that the show may be set during the holiday season.
Production on the series wrapped on April 21, 2021.
When Is Hawkeye Set?
Just like WandaVision and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Hawkeye will take place after the events of Avengers: Endgame. Considering the timeline of the Phase 4 shows and movies, the series will probably happen around the same time as Spider-Man: No Way Home.
The series will also look at things that happened while Clint was Ronin, during the five-year time-jump in Avengers: Endgame. It’s also possible that we will be getting a few flashbacks to Clint’s early days learning to be an archer and becoming the hero we know and love.
What Is the Plot of Hawkeye?
Hawkeye will be home for Christmas! Disney+ revealed the official synopsis for their latest MCU series along with September's trailer debut, teasing a seasonal superhero adventure that finds Clint teaming up with aspiring superhero Kate Bishop to combat a threat from his past.
Here's the official synopsis:
"A new series set in post-blip New York City. Former Avenger Clint Barton has a seemingly simple mission: get back to his family for Christmas. Possible? Maybe with the help of Kate Bishop, a 22-year-old archer with dreams of becoming a Super Hero. The two are forced to work together when a presence from Barton’s past threatens to derail far more than the festive spirit."
Furthermore, we know that the show will primarily focus on Clint training Kate to take over his role. And we also know that we will see how his time as Ronin has affected him. Speaking to EW, Renner revealed that when we meet Kate Bishop in the series, she's a huge Hawkeye fan:
"[Kate is] a 22-year-old kid and she's a big Hawkeye fan. She has a wonderfully annoying and equally charming manner about her, because she's such a fangirl of Hawkeye. The relationship grows from that, but the biggest problem for Clint is Kate Bishop and the onslaught of problems that she brings into his life."
It’s also possible that we will see some build-up to Young Avengers. The recent MCU Disney+ shows have introduced a few of the founding Young Avengers members.
WandaVision introduced versions of Wiccan / Billy and Speed / Tommy, the children of Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen) and Vision (Paul Bettany). They technically weren’t real but chances are we’ll see them again. The Falcon and the Winter Soldier also introduced a founding member of the Young Avengers: Eli Bradley (Elijah Richardson).
Another Young Avenger, Cassie Lang, has been part of the MCU for a while, first appearing in Ant-Man. Kathryn Newton will be playing the character in the upcoming movie Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.
Kate Bishop will be the first founding Young Avenger to have a lead role in the MCU. So there’s a chance that we might see some sort of build-up for her future team. With the state of the Avengers currently a big question mark in the MCU, the younger team may end up having a major role in the future of this grand universe.
As for Hawkeye’s source material, the miniseries will be partly based on Matt Fraction and David Aja’s acclaimed Hawkeye comics that ran from 2012 to 2015. That particular series has won Harvey and Eisner Awards and is remembered as one of Marvel’s best releases in recent memory.
The comics in question look at Clint’s life outside of being an Avenger. We see how he spends his days as a regular, down-on-his-luck guy who just wants to keep his neighborhood safe. And despite not being on call with the big guns, he still keeps getting swept into side missions and made fun of by his partner/protege, Kate.
The series also had stories about Clint going up against tracksuit-wearing gangsters, finding his dog Lucky, and losing his hearing. Instead of the usual over-the-top heroics, the comic book series showed Clint as a normal guy, with all the limitations of a regular human being.
It is by far one of the best runs on the character and if the show is going to be anything like the comics, Hawkeye is sure to be an amazing ride. Here’s hoping it hits the mark.
How the Black Widow Credits Scene Sets Up Hawkeye
Editor's note: Spoilers for Black Widow follow below.
We got our first idea of how Hawkeye connects to the larger MCU in the Black Widow credits scene, which takes place after the events of Avengers: Endgame and revealed that Florence Pugh's Yelena Belova is working for Valentina (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), who we first saw in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. The final moment of the scene sees Valentina giving Yelena "a new target" calling him "the person responsible for your sister's death," and she hands Yelena a picture of Hawkeye. So how does Florence Pugh factor into the Hawkeye show? Well, it very much looks like she'll be hunting him. Whether she's a primary antagonist or merely shows up at the end of the season is unclear, but we now know that Yelena and Hawkeye will be adversaries — at least at first.