The first trailer for the Hawkeye Disney+ show has dropped and we’ve got plenty to unpack. From comic book references to the larger MCU tie ins, let’s get into it.
The trailer opens with Clint Barton spending some much needed time with his family, a tragic core of Avengers: Endgame was Clint losing his whole family and desperately wanting them back. So, we find him now, post Endgame, trying to “make up for lost time” after the 5 years he spent without them.
A particularly significant but small detail is the inclusion of Clint using a hearing aid, the character suffers from hearing loss in the comics and it has become a big part of his identity and very important to fans, especially those who also have hearing loss. Representation is massively important and it’s great to see that Marvel is incorporating this element of the character into the MCU.
We also get glimpses of a musical he attends with his family “Rogers the Musical, a timeless story of a timeless hero”, it’ll be interesting to see how much of this musical we get to see, a later shot in the trailer shows what looks like a re-enactment of the first Avengers film, the scene is sure to be a pretty laughable look back at the MCU.
As we know, during the 5-year gap in Avengers: Endgame the loss of his family sent him down a much darker path, as the masked vigilante Ronin. Well, it seems that this dark past of hunting criminals has caught up with him as Ronin makes a reappearance.
Previous rumours of Ronin making a return led me to believe that this would be a role held by Echo, in the comics she held the mantle for a while and later passed it to Clint during the 2000’s New Avengers comic run.
However, it seems that Kate Bishop is the one taking up the mantle, presumably in her attempt at superhero-ing. This is a bit of a head-scratcher because the trailer leads me to believe that no one knows Clint was Ronin, so the Hawkeye fan and self-proclaimed “world’s best archer’ taking up his previous alias is a hell of a coincidence. Hopefully, the show delves into the exact reasons leading to her choosing the Ronin identity.
Presumably, she figured his identity out herself, in the comics her earliest superhero gear is Hawkeye’s old bow that she takes during a time where he was presumed dead. Set photos have shown a SHIELD logoed bow, leading me to believe her Ronin outfit and bow are acquired under similar circumstances.
We see a bit of Kate in action, she shoots down a church bell with some sort of trick arrow and tussles with some criminals before Clint promptly unmasks her. After a bit of banter between the two regarding her supposed status as the world’s best archer,” we see several shots of Clint interactions and capture by some thugs dressed in red tracksuits. I think it’s worth mentioning that the antagonists seem to have definite ties to the criminal underworld with Clint’s reference to the enemies he made as Ronin. So, with that in mind and the setting in New York, I think the rumors of Vincent D’Onofrio’s return as the Kingpin are certainly seeming more likely.
More action shots ensue, Kate drops through a roof to save Clint rather unsuccessfully and Lucky the pizza dog makes a brief but welcome appearance.
A personal highlight of the trailer for me was the scene during a car chase where Kate and Clint argue over which arrows to use, with Clint making sure Kate doesn’t use anything too dangerous and her not knowing exactly what she is even shooting. This is ripped directly from the Matt Fraction run, Hawkeye My Life as a Weapon, where a running gag of Clint not organising his arrows results in Clint firing anything Kate hands him amid a high-speed chase. Kate Bishop, the logo, the more grounded story and criminal antagonists, all show a big inspiration from the fantastic 2012 comic.
More action shots, we get brief looks at Alaqua Cox’s Echo, Vera Farmiga’s Eleanor Bishop and a pretty great team-up shot of the two Hawkeyes, with both in new and improved superhero outfits. The final shot before the logo echoes the iconic Avengers shot where Hawkeye leaps from a roof and fires a grappling arrow, this time he is joined by his protégé.
I think this show is looking fantastic, it draws from some of the best of Hawbkeye comic appearances and promises to be a very different but fun look at the character. Phase 4 has been showing a lot of different directions in their projects this year, and with the Christmas theme, new character dynamics and more, this is sure to be no different.
Hawkeye debuts on Disney+ November 24th.
“Disney+ and Marvel Studios invite you on an unexpected holiday getaway, unwrapping a brand-new teaser trailer and poster today for “Hawkeye,” 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.
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” debuts exclusively on Disney+ on November 24, 2021.”
