Hawkeye Hits A Bullseye
Minor ‘Hawkeye’ spoilers throughout- you have been warned!
Marvel’s new Disney+ series, Hawkeye, follows the overlooked Clint Barton as he navigates life in the aftermath of Endgame’s ‘snap’, and it quickly became my favourite Marvel show. Jeremy Renner reprises his role as the renowned archer and Hailee Steinfield joins the cast as his unlikely sidekick, Kate Bishop. The supporting cast are equally as star-studded: Florence Pugh, Linda Cardellini, Vera Farmiga, and Vincent D’Onofrio all make appearances, prompting a great game of ‘wait, where do I know that person from?’ while you watch. Donned with bows, purple costumes, and a stray dog, the show stays faithful to the original comics but continues to follow the epic action shots and narrative structure that Marvel fans expect from the films.
What makes this show work so well is its simplicity. Although there are features from other Marvel projects — villain Kingpin from Netflix’s Daredevil and Yelena from Black Widow — the show does what Marvel does best: makes heroes we love and lets us watch them beat the bad guys. It has one big fight scene in the finale and some interludes of action throughout, so the plot is easy to follow without being underwhelming. The central story is the pair tracking down the Ronin suit from Avengers Endgame (that Clint wore when he reverted to being an assassin) in order to stop the villains who mistake Kate for Ronin from trying to kill her.
The characters are by far the best part; Clint’s witty retorts and stern fatherly orders (that Kate, unwaveringly, ignores), and Kate’s determination and sarcasm. Add in an unexpected plot twist about a character I hadn’t thought capable of evil and you have the perfect cocktail of light-hearted and serious. The main villain, Maya Lopez, is played by Deaf, Native American actress Alaqua Cox- a milestone for representation in the MCU- and her introduction of Maya is perfect; she is dangerous in her own right, yet the men that work for her often overlook her strength. Marvel is even commissioning a new Disney+ show, Echo, centred around the character.
The season only has 6 episodes, so it’s the perfect show to start if you’re looking for something easy to follow and quick to finish. If you don’t fall in love with the plot, you’ll definitely fall in love with the characters- so make sure to start Hawkeye on Disney+ when you find yourself with a spare hour!
