My original plan was to have a Spider-Man: No Way Home review for this Marvelous Wednesday. But with case numbers rising again and the holidays fast approaching, I'm opting to avoid indoor public spaces where I can, to be in a safer position for getting together with my family. Here's hoping I can evade those spoilers a bit longer!
So instead, we're looking at the fifth Disney+ miniseries, which just wrapped. It's definitely the one that began, for me, with the most baggage. But like the shows that have preceded it, Hawkeye continues Marvel’s high standards of quality on both the large and small screen, feeling like the MCU we know and love also also bringing something new to the universe.
Kate Bishop, a Hawkeye superfan who took up archery in response to her favorite Avenger, appears to have stumbled into an Avengers-worthy mystery when she sneaks into a secret underground auction happening in the background of a holiday party. Items salvaged from the Avengers compound after the battle with Thanos are up for bidding, including the Ronin’s suit and sword. When the auction is attacked by armed mafia, Kate dons the suit to fight them off, and in the process, she attracts the attention of both the mafia and one Clint Barton, on vacation in New York with his kids. What begins for Clint as a personal need to retrieve the suit quickly devolves into something much more complicated. Before long, he finds himself getting pulled into a reluctant partnership with Kate as they investigate a mafia member with a vendetta against the Ronin and a possible connection to the murder of a man in Kate’s societal circle.
That’s kind of an unwieldy summary, but while there are a lot of moving pieces at play here, the heart of the story is simple. Gruff Avenger, still reeling from the events of Endgame, just wants to get home for Christmas but is increasingly sucked in by the antics of an overeager would-be hero who may or may not get herself killed trying to impress him. The slow-burn mentorship/partnership is wonderful, and all the other nuts and bolts of the plot slide pretty effectively into place around that center. The show has plenty of heart, lots of action, and banter to spare.
Before I go any further, I do want to acknowledge the elephants in the room. First, Jeremy Renner was accused of abuse by his ex-wife. Second, at this point in the franchise, Clint has a fair amount of superheroing-induced hearing loss and uses hearing aids. So, while there is a Deaf character in the show played by a Deaf actress (glad to meet you, Maya! Makkari says hi!), this is yet another role for an MCU character with a disability played by an ablebodied actor, and as with The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, it’s one of the protagonists of the show.
And that’s before we even get into the in-universe stuff, like Clint’s time as the Ronin during the Blip. All that put together has turned me off of Clint as a character, and I kind of wish the show didn’t make him as enjoyable as he is here. Because Clint’s dynamic with Kate is truly terrific, and Renner does well as the slightly-grumpy straight man to Hailee Steinfeld’s excitable Kate. Steinfeld is a delight in the role, a young woman who’s genuinely formidable but stubbornly insists on running before she can walk. Also, her characterization makes me understand how Hawkeye could be someone’s favorite Avenger, which is no small feat. If she’s going to be the MCU’s prime Hawkeye going forward, I’ll definitely get behind that idea.
Additionally, I enjoy Alaqua Cox making her screen debut as Maya (although the Deaf rep on this show is going to need a separate post to discuss,) and I appreciate getting a bit more dimension for Clint’s wife Laura. The show also features a couple highly-entertaining bands of new side characters, a few familiar appearances, and a nice turn from the always-welcome Vera Farmiga as Kate’s mom.
Warnings
Comic-book violence, language, thematic elements, a disabled character played by an ablebodied actor, and involvement by an alleged domestic abuser.
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