Following the animated series What…If? and the home release of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Marvel’s next Disney+ series, Hawkeye, is set to hit the streaming service later this month. This marks the long awaited solo outing for Jeremy Renner’s sharp shooting Avenger, Clint Barton. But who’s joining the archer in the surprisingly festive themed show?
The six episode series is set to pick up on threads established in Avengers: Endgame and Black Widow, as Clint Barton is out to ‘fix’ some loose ends, before heading home to spend Christmas with his family. The light-hearted trailers have teased a fun holiday outing, as Clint teams up with a Ronin copycat – Steinfeld’s Kate Bishop – to help him with his mission.
As teased in the Black Widow post-credit scenes, the two will undoubtedly run into the deadly spy Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), as the shady Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine appears to be manipulating Natasha’s adopted sister into believing he is responsible for her death.
Drawing influence from writer Matt Fraction’s beloved (and fan favourite) run on the Hawkeye comic books, there’s a lot to look forward to (Steve Rogers the musical!), and plenty of new characters to introduce, in the long-awaited series.
Jeremy Renner as Clint Barton
Last seen reunited with his family – and also having a heart to heart with Wanda Maximoff – at Tony Stark’s moving funeral at the end of Avengers: Endgame, Natasha’s death will be weighing hard on Clint. “I wish there was a way I could let her know that we won, that we did it.”
As we all know, Clint fought to the bitter end to try and prevent Natasha from jumping over the edge and sacrificing herself, but others may not know the full story, leading to a potential confrontation with the archer. We know Yelena is out for retribution, but if Clint and Kate don’t settle the story with Natasha’s adoptive sister, David Harbour’s Red Guardian may also join the fight later on down the line.
With his Ronin days now behind him, it appears that chapter of his life will eventually catch up with the archer in the present day, in the form of Kate Bishop, who’s taken on the mantle. His old enemies during that dark time seem to be wanting to take their revenge on the new Ronin though, with Clint and Kate facing the Tracksuit Mafia gang. In the beloved Matt Fraction and David Aja comic run, Clint is going it alone and taking on street-level crime, eventually working with newcomer Bishop and adopting Lucky the pizza dog.
In the Hawkeye Disney+ series, it appears that Clint will take on the role of mentor to Kate Bishop, steering her from the mantle of Ronin to instead take on the role of Hawkeye.
Hailee Steinfeld as Kate Bishop
The Bumblebee and Dickinson star Hailee Steinfeld will be making her debut in the Marvel cinematic universe as the young and talented archer Kate Bishop, who appears to be taking on the vigilante lifestyle as the hooded Ronin.
Created by Allan Heinberg and Jim Cheung, Katherine ‘Kate’ Bishop is the daughter of wealthy Manhattanites. Following an assault and the discovery that her father is a scumbag, she undertakes training in archery, martial arts and self-defense. The fan favourite character goes on to become a member of the Young Avengers in the 2005 run and eventually takes on the mantle of Hawkeye from Clint.
In the footage released so far, Steinfeld’s take on the character appears to be more of an enthusiastic fan of Hawkeye, as she excitedly tells an onlooker in a lift that she’s working with an Avenger. The two appear to have a fun dynamic and it definitely looks like Clint will take her under his wing.
Lucky the Pizza Dog
The fan favourite good boy will also makes his debut in the MCU, much to the joy of Fraction and Aja readers. First introduced in Hawkeye Vol. 4 #1 back in August 2012, the canine supporting character was originally owned by Ivan Banionis, and was originally known as Arrow, acting as the guard dog for the Tracksuit Mafia.
Following Clint showing the dog some fuss and giving him a slice of pizza, the dog later turned on his abusive masters as they attempted to shoot at Clint. This lead to the poor doggo being beaten and abandoned, but thankfully Clint found him and whisked him to the vets just in time.
Clint then adapted the dog, changing his name from arrow to Lucky, and he quickly became a loving companion and friend to both Kate and Clint. The much-loved character also had his own spotlight issue – in 2013’s Hawkeye vol. 4 #11 – told entirely from the perspective of the dog.
Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova
Florence Pugh made her debut in the Marvel Cinematic Universe earlier this year in spy thriller, Black Widow, as Natasha Romanoff’s adoptive sister and fellow assassin Yelena Belova. When we last saw Yelena, she was grieving beside Romanoff’s grave, and then disturbed by Falcon and the Winter Soldier‘s Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine. The murky character tells Yelena that Clint Barton was the reason Natasha died, clearly setting her on a vendetta.
If Marvel head down the same route as the comics, Yelena will be taking on the mantel of the MCU’s Black Widow. However, following the post-credits scene, it appears that Marvel will be setting the character up as one of the main antagonists in the upcoming Disney+ series. Will she go through with her mission to take Clint out? Or will Kate and Hawkeye manage to dissuade her from her path?
Vera Farmiga as Eleanor Bishop
The Oscar-nominee and Conjuring star is set to also make her debut in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Kate Bishop’s estranged mother, Eleanor Bishop.
In the comics, Eleanor supposedly died while visiting Boulder, Colorado, leaving Kate’s father to raise her and her sister. However, not all is at it seems, and when Kate starts digging into her mother’s suspicious death, she discovers a darker side to her family and ties to the villainous Madame Masque.
In her brief appearance in marketing material so far, she appears to still be a part of Kate’s life, and even cancels her credit card when she goes astray. It’s too early to call whether her arc will be similar to her comic book counterpart, but don’t expect everything to be clear cut with the character.
Fra Fee as Kazimierz Kazimierczak/Clown
The Les Miserables and live-action Cinderella actor will be starring as Kazimerz Kazimierczak, aka The Clown, a mercenary who appears to be targeting Hawkeye.
Created by Matt Fraction and David Aja, the character had somewhat of a traumatic past, with his circus family killed during an armed conflict, closely followed by the death of his friend. These tragedies affected Kaz’s psyche, leading him to kill people indiscriminately, which he eventually learned to make a living from.
In the comics, he was hired by a number of mob bosses, including the Kingpin and the “Tracksuit Mafia, to kill Clint Barton. In the trailer, the character can be seen walking with the assassin Echo, so Marvel appear to be sticking close to the comic arc for the assassin.
Alaqua Cox as Maya Lopez/Echo
The newcomer will be starring as Maya Lopez, who’s also known as Echo, an assassin first created by writer David Mack and artist Joe Quesada for their 90s Daredevil comic book series. She’s also one of Marvel’s few deaf superheroes, following the big screen debut of Lauren Ridloff’s Makkari in Eternals.
The character is a Native American superhero who has a specific set of technical skills and photographic reflexes which she uses to mimic her opponents, much like Taskmaster. In the comics, the character was raised by Fisk after he killed her father, and he had her trained in the ways of the assassin.
In New Avengers, she was revealed to be the first character in the Marvel Universe to wear the Ronin outfit, even before Hawkeye. Marvel also announced on Disney+ day that Echo will be getting her own spinoff series following Hawkeye, so make sure you keep an eye out on this new character.
Tony Dalton as Jack Duquesne/Swordsman
Better Call Saul star Tony Dalton is set to play Jack Duquesne, aka the Swordsman, a previous circus and carnival performer who was Clint’s former trainer.
Created by Stan Lee and Don Heck, the character has very much flitted between both good and bad sides – initially infiltrating the Avengers as a secret agent for The Mandarin, before eventually turning against the bad guys. His drinking and gambling habits often resorted to petty crimes, and is the main reason why his relationship with his protégé fractured.
The first two episodes of Hawkeye premiere on Disney+ on 24 November 2021.