You remember Hawkeye, right? Bow and arrow, wife and kids, sixth Avenger, “like, a really nice guy.” Well, the Christmas-themed Marvel miniseries Hawkeye is a lot more fun and festive than you remember. The Disney+ series is a solemn yet progressive addendum to the life and times of the original Avengers gang post-Blip. Set against the backdrop of Christmas in New York, and introducing a captivating new collection of MCU characters, Hawkeye is a stylistically balanced miniseries full of engaging visuals. Not to mention, the series also successfully represents hearing-impaired people. And of course, it comes with the greatest gift of all: a full preshot version of “Save The City” from Hamilton spoof Rogers: The Musical. So while you’re logging your way through your Christmas watchlist, don’t forget about ol’ Hawkeye.
What Is 'Hawkeye' About?
Image via Disney+ Five years after the Blip, 22-year-old archer Kate Bishop (Hailee Steinfeld) gets herself wrapped up in the messy past life of Clint Barton/Hawkeye’s (Jeremy Renner) alter ego Ronin, and it’s up to Clint to put everything back where it belongs. The Blip saw repercussions beyond the lives that were lost and returned. As Clint regrettably summarizes, “Everyone dealt with the Blip in their own way.” Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson) was lost to the Soul Stone, a sacrifice that Clint couldn’t shake if he dared to try. But his dark past clouds the judgments of Maya Lopez (Alaqua Cox) with her Tracksuit Mafia and, eventually, Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh). All the while, Clint Barton desperately wants to spend the holidays with his wife, Laura (Linda Cardellini), and their three children.
‘Hawkeye’ Is a Christmas Event That’s More Than Just Sleigh Bells and Snow
At its core, Hawkeye is a story about a dad making every effort to be home for Christmas. But such is the fate of a hard-working protagonist with big responsibilities who just wants to spend Christmas with his family — everything manages to get in the way of a normal holiday. Hawkeye creator Jonathan Igla and director Rhys Thomas ensured that the six-part Christmas special was told through a balanced variety of tones and styles. While Clint and Kate run around New York City with nefarious family members and the mafia, a festive atmosphere pervades the story with fight scenes silhouetted against Christmas lights and holiday tunes floating in and out of each scene.
The bumbling Tracksuit Mafia particularly presents ample comedic relief in Hawkeye, despite their intimidating role in the story. Between the headstrong Tomas (Piotr Adamczyk) going through a relationship dilemma and the “Bros” genuinely checking on each other on a regular basis, the Tracksuits inadvertently demonstrate that they are real people with regular problems. Their obvious camaraderie is hopelessly adorable, coupled with small talk like the inconvenience of using brass knuckles and the resemblance of their tracksuit gimmick to The Royal Tenenbaums. At the same time, each member is intent on collectively asserting themselves as a threatening gang. They’re just a bunch of Bros trying to do their job, and their presence is guaranteed to leave you with a laugh.
In classic Marvel fashion, Hawkeye is riddled with goons and ne’er-do-wells getting their comeuppance left and right — even Tomas gets himself slowed down by Lucky (aka Pizza Dog). As a welcome addition to that stock Marvel action, the series takes some time to actually appreciate Hawkeye’s “power” by dedicating several scenes to making archery look cool. From Pym particles to Play-Doh to electromagnetic fields, trick arrows are sprinkled throughout the series, making for a super entertaining mid-series episode and finally culminating in a positively arrow-dynamic and action-packed finale. Turns out archery’s like a box of chocolates. You never know what trick arrow you’re gonna get (unless, of course, they’re labeled). But for every “Bro,” every casual knockout, and every tricked-out arrow, there is a moment of somber reflection.
Related
Jeremy Renner Tried (and Failed) To Get Hawkeye Killed
The Marvel star was famously unhappy with his role in the first Avengers film.
Everyone in Marvel's ‘Hawkeye’ Just Needs a Hug
Already secretly haunted by the ghost of Ronin himself, Clint Barton is made to face his mistakes if he’s to make amends with those that Ronin left in his wake. After Kate Bishop is spotted in the Ronin suit, Maya Lopez becomes set on finding and destroying Ronin. The closer she gets to unmasking her nemesis, the more tangled things get for Clint in trying to clear Kate Bishop’s name. Maya lost her own loving father, former Tracksuit Mafia leader William Lopez (Zahn McClarnon), to Ronin’s violent vigilante spree. A remorseful Clint realizes the only way to de-escalate things with Maya is to connect with her about their shared experience as strong-willed people who were turned into weapons.
Meanwhile, Yelena Belova targets Clint in a blind fury with the idea that it should have been him who didn’t come back from that fateful trip to Vormir. But behind her rage against Clint is, ultimately, a malnourished grief. She lost her sister while she was Vanished, and it continuously pains her not to have been there for Natasha. What she doesn’t stop to consider is the fact that Clint agrees with her. He can sympathize with her anguish because he was the one who lost the fight that might have saved Natasha’s life.
In the end, everyone in Hawkeye just needs a bit of time to properly grieve. Clint, Maya, and Yelena are three dangerously skilled and physically fortified people. But between the three of them, everyone is carrying some seriously traumatic experiences and grieving some tragic losses. Each of them has someone they’re trying to honor, someone to avenge. They simply happened to make agreeably dark choices in response to their sadness, is all. And what better time to do it than the most wonderful time of the year?
Hawkeye is available to stream on Disney+ in the U.S.
Your changes have been saved
Hawkeye
Series based on the Marvel Comics superhero Hawkeye, centering on the adventures of Young Avenger, Kate Bishop, who took on the role after the original Avenger, Clint Barton.
Release Date November 24, 2021
Creator Jonathan Igla
Production Company Marvel Studios
Number of Episodes 6
English (US) ·