We find Clint Barton (Jeremy Renner) and Kate Bishop (Hailee Steinfeld) meeting up long before the show’s release date. Speaking of which, just when we’ll get to watch the anticipated streaming show has been announced as well. Check out the details below.
Tale of two Hawkeyes
Fans already know about the original Hawkeye (aka Clint Barton). In his comic story, Clint was a trick archer from a carnival that got recruited by the Russian spy, the Black Widow, to help steal the secrets of Tony Stark and the technology of the Iron Man armor. After failing in the attempt, Iron Man helped Hawkeye turn in a new leaf and even vouched for him to join the Avengers. The Marvel Cinematic Universe version has a slightly different story. Here, Hawkeye is a S.H.I.E.L.D. operative, who helped the Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) defect and find a new life, joining the international espionage and defense organization. Eventually, both assisted and joined Nick Fury’s Avengers Initiative. As a result, they became part of the team’s founding members alongside Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, and the Hulk after the Battle of New York. After years with the Avengers, it was revealed that Hawkeye has a family, hidden from the world as part of his agreement with Nick Fury (in 2015’s Avengers: Age of Ultron). He would later go into hiding after the Sokovia Accords debacle in Captain America: Civil War (2016). We would later learn that after the events of Avengers: Infinity War (2018), Clint’s family would be included in those who were blinked away by the snap of Thanos’s Infinity Gauntlet. Clint himself did not participate in the events of Infinity War, but reappeared as a cold-blooded vigilante (aka Ronin) during the start of Avengers: Endgame (2019). Natasha recruited Clint back into the fold, with the slim chance of bringing everyone back through time travel. But that would prove to be a tragic event, as in order to recover the Soul Stone it would cost the life of a loved one. As Clint and Natasha fought each other, it would ultimately be Natasha who sacrifices herself. After the Avengers restore the blinked population and defeat Thanos and his forces, Clint is last seen comforting Wanda (The Scarlet Witch), as they both have suffered great losses (i.e. Natasha and The Vision). However, Clint’s whereabouts after that are unclear.
Kate’s story
Katherine “Kate” Bishop was the daughter of Derek Bishop, a wealthy magnate with ties to organized crime. Sneaking in one of Derek’s secret meetings, Kate gets captured by the criminal El Matador and put up for ransom. Fortunately, Hawkeye had been keeping an eye on El Matador and the rest of the Avengers arrived on the scene. Kate began to admire the powerless Hawkeye being a normal human who fought evil with the godlike beings in the Avengers. Later in life, Kate is assaulted and the experience traumatized her. To cope and to avoid it from ever happening again, she went into rigorous training in martial arts and archery. Kate would go on to gain Hawkeye’s arsenal of bow and arrows, and would later join the Young Avengers, and become an apprentice to her idol, Clint Barton himself as the new Hawkeye. So far, it is unclear how close to the Marvel Comics origins the MCU Kate Bishop will come. But in the interview by Entertainment Weekly, Jeremy Renner gives some details about Hailee Steinfeld’s version of the young hero: Judging by that description, it does have some similarities to Bishop’s comic book origins. However, the situation that brings the two together will apparently be less than ideal. You wouldn’t be able to tell by the picture that Disney shared from the Entertainment Weekly exclusive:
— Disney+ (@disneyplus) July 29, 2021 The image shows Kate and Clint in an enclosed room where apparently the former has been training. It looks like a basement with makeshift training gear such as hobbyist versions of her archery equipment.
Young Avengers? Yelena Belova?
One thing about the Hawkeye series for Disney+ that has fans abuzz is that it seems to be another hint that the Young Avengers are coming, and soon. The Phase Four Marvel Studios live action series that have debuted on Disney+ all have connections to key members of the team. From WandaVision, the children of Wanda and The Vision could eventually become Speed and Wiccan. In The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, the seeds for Patriot (Elijah Bradley) have been planted. In the Loki series, Kid Loki has already appeared, and one of Kang’s variants could become Iron Lad. The only key members missing would be Hulkling and Cassie Lang (aka Stature). What about Yelena Belova, the new Black Widow (Florence Pugh)? At the end of the Black Widow film, Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) tasked Belova to hunt the one responsible for Natasha’s death, Clint Barton. Will we see the fulfillment of that mission in the Hawkeye series? We’ll find out more in the Hawkeye series starting later this year. Directed by Rhys Thomas, Bert and Bertie, Hawkeye stars Jeremy Renner, Hailee Steinfield, Vera Farmiga, Fra Fee, Tony Dalton, Zahn McClarnon, Brian d’Arcy James, and Alaqua Cox. The series debuts November 24, 2021 on the Disney+ streaming service.
