With just a few episodes of What If...? left, attention will soon turn to Hawkeye, the next live-action series coming to Disney+ from Marvel Studios (following WandaVision, The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, and Loki).
After the trailer arrived online earlier this week, we now have a new still from the show courtesy of Entertainment Weekly. As you can see, Clint Barton (Jeremy Renner) and Kate Bishop (Hailee Steinfeld) are looking ready for a fight, though only the latter is suited up. We're assuming Clint will also don a costume at some point, and that will hopefully pay homage to Matt Fraction and David Aja's comic book run.
"There's the family man that we've portrayed," executive producer Trinh Tran says of the archer, "a more serious character who is no-nonsense and gets through what he needs to do to accomplish the mission. But here he's pit against Kate, who is super energetic - and at times annoying. It's putting the two of them together and seeing what comes out of that."
That sounds like a fun dynamic to explore on screen, and a lot like what we've seen from the duo on the page.
"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," reads the synopsis. "The two are forced to work together when a presence from Barton’s past threatens to derail far more than the festive spirit."
Starring Jeremy Renner as Clint Barton/Hawkeye and Hailee Steinfeld as Kate Bishop, Hawkeye 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 is set to debut exclusively on Disney+ on November 24, 2021.
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5 big reveals in the first trailer for Hawkeye!
5. Clint Barton's Hearing Aid
If you're not the biggest Hawkeye fan, then you might not know that he's had issues with his hearing on multiple occasions in the comics. He was initially left 80% deaf due to an injury sustained in a battle with Crossfire, and while that eventually healed, the Clown (a villain we know will appear in this series) later caused serious damage by jamming Clint's arrows into his ears.
A closer look at the Avenger in this early scene with his kids confirms that he's now wearing a hearing aid, which is a big change to his MCU status quo.
This lines up with previous reports about Hawkeye, and could factor into why he passes the mantle to Kate Bishop. Either way, we'd be willing to bet that the damage to Clint's hearing was caused during Avengers: Endgame's final battle, which saw Hawkeye put through the wringer in a big way.
Another deaf hero will factor into the show, but we'll circle back to them a little later!
4. There's No Running From Your Past
With his family dead and gone, Clint took on the mantle of Ronin and started butchering the criminals who had managed to escape Thanos' wrath. It was a concept Avengers: Endgame glossed over, but one this series promises to explore the ramifications of.
Hawkeye's time as Ronin is over now he's been reunited with his family, but someone else has taken over the mantle, and that someone is Kate Bishop. We're not sure what would lead to her heading down the vigilante route, but it's going to put her in the crosshairs of Clint's enemies.
The world at large doesn't appear to know Clint was beneath Ronin's mask, though Val managed to find out (which is how she sent Yelena Belova after her sister's "killer").
One way or another, Clint's past is about to catch up with him in a big way!
3. Big Matt Fraction/David Aja Vibes
Turning to Matt Fraction and David Aja's Hawkeye run for inspiration was wise, and there are lots of signs of that in this trailer beyond just the dynamic between Clint and Kate.
Pizza Dog is highlighted, as are the "Tracksuit Draculas." For whatever reason, the Eastern European gangsters take aim at the archer in this series, leading to a fun moment where Clint catches a molotov cocktail and flings it right back at them. They might just have the last laugh, though, as he ends up at their mercy before being "saved" by an eager Kate.
She claims to be the world's greatest archer, but definitely needs a little training.
The biggest nod to the comics, however, might be how beaten up Clint gets as the trailer progresses. Hopefully, he'll wind up being covered in cuts, bruises, bandages, and plasters!
2. Rogers: The Musical
Frustratingly, The Falcon and The Winter Soldier failed to clear up the whereabouts of Steve Rogers after he returned to the MCU's "sacred timeline" as an old man. That was after he'd spent his life with Peggy Carter, but the former Captain America's current status is now unknown.
There have already been rumors that the Statue of Liberty will be changed in Spider-Man: No Way Home to pay homage to Cap (replacing the torch with his shield), but we definitely didn't expect there to be a Broadway musical!
Despite his breaking of the Sokovia Accords in Captain America: Civil War, the world seems to have forgiven Captain America, and this fictional show, Rogers: The Musical, appears to be retelling his story in the MCU. Once again, though, that begs the question of whether he's believed alive or dead.
We're not anticipating Hawkeye to be the series that clears that up, unfortunately.
1. Echo
We expected Maya Lopez to be the one decked out in that Ronin costume, especially as the character has a history with that moniker on the page.
Instead, it's Kate Bishop, and we only get one brief glimpse of Echo here. She doesn't have the handprint on her face, and we don't learn anything about what her role in the series will be. It has been reported that the deaf superhero is getting hero own Disney+ show, though, so expect Hawkeye to set the stage for that in a big way.
Echo's father was murdered by Wilson Fisk, but we'd be willing to put money on Clint being responsible for his demise in the MCU (if nothing else, Maya will believe it was him). The Kingpin is rumored to show up in this series, but there are zero hints of that in this preview.
Maya has the ability to instantly memorize anything and copying the exact movements of anything she has seen (photographic reflexes, much like Taskmaster). Time will tell whether that's the case in the MCU as well.