Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Culture in New Marvel TV Series Hawkeye
In Marvel’s latest television series Hawkeye, Deaf and hard-of-hearing culture shine brightly on center stage. But are the franchise’s first deaf characters leading the way for a future paradigm shift in film and TV or is the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s attempt enough?
By Jordana Schulman
While Marvel has always taken a strong stance against ableism, their recent push for inclusion and representation suggests that they are embracing characters and actors who have disabilities. The studio, and its parent company Disney, is working hard to give its heroes qualities and traits that make them more relatable to us as an audience of mere mortals.
In general, it is unusual to see such honest depictions of disability on screen, and we especially don’t see them in the context of superheroes. However, in the last few years, we’ve seen much better representation including Marvel’s Eternals, Sound of Metal, A Quiet Place 1 and 2, CODA, and Deaf U.
Marvel’s gone a step further and introduced two characters on different sides of the deaf spectrum. Actor Jeremy Renner, who is not deaf in real life, is cast as Clint Barton, aka Hawkeye, a hard-of-hearing individual who wears a hearing aid. Actress Alaqua Cox as Echo (Maya Lopez) is a Deaf Native American, who makes her debut appearance at the end of Hawkeye’s 2nd episode, and then again in episode three. Throughout the series, her deafness is not a driving identity but is rather portrayed as just another characteristic of a Marvel superhero. This is the first time we see deaf and hard-of-hearing cultures on the same screen.
Representation in front of and behind the Camera
While Renner himself is not deaf, his role as a hard-of-hearing character is supplemented by his experiences growing up around a deaf cousin. By upholding Clint Barton’s character with a disability, Executive Producer Trinh Tran keeps Marvel’s famed Avenger more relatable as a ‘human,’ and not just a superhuman or superhero.
However, the choice to cast Alaqua has been widely applauded and warmly received by many because of the authenticity she adds to the role and the series as a whole.
Even though this was officially her first professional acting role, Cox made a memorable impression on Marvel fans all over the world, who are now eagerly awaiting to see her upcoming spin-off series Echo. Being a part of the MCU is big for Alaqua, but being a part of a new major movement towards inclusivity and accurate representation is even bigger.
This may not be Marvel’s first attempt to cast a deaf character, but Cox is certainly proud to be a part of this huge turning point in cinematic history. Marvel has not only made way for the Deaf and hard-of-hearing on stage but has done so behind the scenes too, working closely with American Sign Language consultant Douglas Ridloff. And let’s not forget about Lauren Ridloff, the Tony-nominated performer who also made her big debut recently as the first-ever deaf superhero when Marvel cast her as Makkari in the Eternals movie (see Ava’s coverage of Deafness in Eternals with “Superpowers and Deafness”).
Sign Language Etiquette in Filming
Although we have seen the introduction of deaf actors and many attempts made to skirt stereotypical deaf stories, it has still left some fans feeling uneasy. While the storylines are clearly handled with care and nuance — and it is evident that in some cases experts of ASL were consulted — there are still some gaps in deaf culture and etiquette that are misrepresented throughout the montage of scenes meant to explain it.
Filming just an actor’s face or over-the-shoulder shots is the equivalent of having a hearing actor mumble during a performance, even if subtitles are present while communicating.
In some cases, the characters were filmed from behind and in other scenes, the camera remained focused on their faces. Signing is a visual language and it’s important to incorporate Deaf creatives to understand possible angles and cinematic perspectives.
For example, it’s important to show each character’s entire upper body and hands. What most people don’t know about ASL is that facial expressions, eyebrow movement, and body language are just as important as hand movement. Filming just an actor’s face or over-the-shoulder shots is the equivalent of having a hearing actor mumble during a performance, even if subtitles are present while communicating.
Deafness Continuity
In the cinematic portrayal of Clint’s character, there was constant inconsistency with Hawkeye’s level of deafness; it would change depending on the plot. During the first two episodes of the series, it seems apparent that he has unilateral deafness (meaning he’s only deaf in one ear) based on his ability to converse with people who were out of sight, in another room, or not directly facing him.
However, when his hearing aid falls out and Echo spitefully crushes it, Clint struggles to navigate in the hearing world as illustrated by muffled sound effects and other obvious miscommunications suggesting that he actually has severe bilateral hearing loss.
Deaf vs deaf vs hard-of-hearing cultures
Despite its cinematic flaws, Marvel did include moments that were instantly relatable for the deaf community: turning off hearing aids to ignore others, the turn of a body to face whoever is talking, and the struggle of learning sign language later in life are just a few.
For example, when Echo met Hawkeye for the first time, directors accurately portrayed the differences between those born and raised Deaf versus those late-deafened and raised in the hearing world. From Clint’s lack of signing to Echo’s criticism of hearing aids, it makes it possible for many to relate to the schism. In addition, when Clint’s son Nate calls to speak to him but Clint has trouble hearing what he is saying after his hearing aid was destroyed, Kate makes the effort to help Clint by relaying the messages to him using a notepad for him to read. This scene, too, was a very realistic representation of one of the most common struggles Deaf and hard-of-hearing people face daily.
Setting the Stage: Authentic Representation for the Future
All too often Deaf actors in Hollywood have been seen as one-off, guest-starring performers. It’s about time we see more deaf actors on screen portraying deaf characters rather than just stars standing in for them.
The intentional casting of deaf characters and actors in the MCU world is a clear indication that growth in terms of representation for the Deaf community is well underway. Marvel’s commitment to authenticity and inclusion in their films and TV series is a huge milestone, marking an essential turning point in Deaf and disabled representation.
Hopefully, Marvel’s new Hawkeye series will set the trend for others in the entertainment sector to follow suit, encouraging Hollywood’s movers and shakers to highlight and employ more people with disabilities both behind the scenes and on-screen. We’re in the middle of a huge cultural paradigm shift, exciting isn’t it?
Marvel’s Hawkeye is available for streaming on Disney+.
At Ava, we applaud the efforts of those in media for authentic representation. Our mission here at Ava is to create accessibility solutions by and for Deaf and hard-of-hearing people. If you are looking to join our diverse team, check out our job openings page.
Written by Jordana Schulman
