Disney+ Hawkeye had a lot of anticipation. How Marvel would explore MCU’s underdog was something worth waiting for. As far as the first two episodes are concerned, all that the show provides is introductions. We get Kate Bishop, a future Young Avenger. We get Hawkeye, and the Tracksuit Mafia. And, of course, our favorite Lucky the Pizza Dog.
Hawkeye is given a low-key start as opposed to a larger-than-life entrance. And this does suit him. He doesn’t arrive on-screen by smashing through glass. Hawkeye is rather shown celebrating Christmas with his family. He is melancholic; he misses Nat and is trying to move on from his Avenger lifestyle. Furthermore, in order to uphold his melancholy, we get the Holiday Season. This serves as a great contrast. It also has not been done earlier.
To explore Christmas from Barton’s POV is to give us an MCU movie from a normal person’s POV. He isn’t a superhero. He never was. And this series will hopefully hold on to the fact that he is a highly skilled archer.Â
Kate Bishop is a learner. Although a trained archer and skilled athlete, she still has a long way to go. And as expected, there is an inherent want in her to “go looking for trouble.” She is a big fan of Hawkeye, and he was indeed the reason Kate wanted to be an archer.
The dynamic between the two is in the form of their inner struggles. Hawkeye is trying to get over his past, which includes death, pain, and loss. Kate’s father’s absence from her life still has its melancholic shrine inside her. Plus, she cannot accept Jack Duquesne as his father. In this way, both Clint and Kate are emotionally connected.
As far as the story is concerned, the shrewd Jack Duquesne’s intentions appear hostile. And of course, we have the Tracksuit Mafia and their leader Maya Lopez AKA Echo (Alaqua Cox). She is the adopted daughter of Kingpin and thus shares her arc with Daredevil. This is a potential sign of the imminent arrival of Daredevil to the MCU. Also, we are yet to come across Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh). From the post-credits of Black Widow, we are sure that she will stalk Hawkeye and confront him for her sister’s (Natasha Romanoff) death. Whether she will hijack the Tracksuit Mafia to track Hawkeye is something we will have to wait and watch. This will also bring her face to face with Echo. How Hawkeye deals with the two will also be interesting to watch.
The one thing that makes Hawkeye unique is the fact that all the leading characters aren’t superheroes. Just like Hawkeye, Kate Bishop, Yelena Belova, and even Echo are highly-skilled athletes and expert hand-to-hand combatants. This provides for a more grounded action and thus realistic too. This is different from other series of MCU like WandaVision, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, and Loki.
However, Marvel still has a long way to go this way as the action sequences are full of cuts. There is less movement and thus more cuts. This will surely try to pull the viewer out of attention. And we do not know why Marvel is continuing this pattern even after the popularity of Netflix’s Daredevil and its fighting sequences. It should accept its flaws and learn from what should be learned. We hope it has, and we shall see it in Hawkeye itself. Hailee Steinfield is yet to discover her moves as they are clearly lagging. So the other stuntmen also have to react to her actions slowly and give her time. (This is applicable only when Steinfield is doing her stunts and not her stunt double). It is a clearly visible drawback. We are yet to see Renner’s moves.
Based on the two episodes, Disney+ Hawkeye doesn’t offer much. Hailee Steinfield doesn’t impress as Kate Bishop. She is perhaps too sweet for such a character. Jeremy is yet to make his move. Altogether, the sun is yet to rise on Hawkeye, and there’s a lot more to come.
Read More –‘Hawkeye’ Episode 1 & 2 Recap/Ending, Explained: Who Is Echo?
Hawkeye is a 2021 Action Drama series based on the Marvel Comic Books Characters. It is streaming on Disney+ Hotstar.
