Hawkeye
“You showed me that being a hero isn’t just for people who can fly or shoot lasers out of their hands: it’s for anyone who’s brave enough to do what’s right, no matter the cost.”
This was definitely my most anticipated MCU Disney + show alongside Falcon and the Winter Solider. I’ve really enjoyed Clint’s character throughout this universe and I was very much looking forward to seeing how they develop him here and it didn’t disappoint; it’s such a blast from start to finish.
Starting off with the cast as per usual. Jeremy Renner was absolutely amazing as Clint Barton. I really love seeing his character get more depth and every appearance of his, we learn something more which I adore. Seeing him deal with Natasha’s death and his time as Ronin was a very interesting route to take the character and it for sure paid off. Renner plays the role with a charisma, but also brings the Matt Fraction attitude to life. Seeing him be more human and vulnerable was really engaging and relatable. Hailee Steinfeld’s Kate Bishop was easily the standout of this show. Many aren’t a fan of this show being centred around Kate, but I rather liked it. Having Clint pass the torch to Bishop and watching her learn heroism was really entertaining to watch. Her dynamic with Clint is brilliant as was her dynamic with Yelena. I loved seeing Kate investigate her family while being a super fan of Hawkeye’s which is so fun. Florence Pugh was once again amazing as Yelena. I enjoyed seeing her continue her journey of hunting down Clint after being made to think he killed Natasha. It created this really interesting route for the character and Pugh was hilarious in the role whenever she was around Steinfeld’s Kate. Echo was an incredible character. Alaqua Cox was really great in the role and the decision to introduce her that early was brilliant. I loved how she had a vendetta against Ronin for killing her father, only for it to be revealed that it was her uncle. She was a great antagonist and I loved the inclusion of sign language within the show. Tony Dalton was very entertaining as Jack Duquesne. Whenever he was on screen, Dalton presented such a presence that was so fitting for the character. I liked how he was a red-herring for the audience to believe he was a villain, only for him to not be who we thought. A really smart move. Vera Farmiga’s Eleanor Bishop was also a great character. Being the opposite to Jack in terms of appearing like a good character only to be involved in the villain’s work was great and allowed for some really interesting scenes. I very much enjoyed the mystery surrounding her character. Fra Fee and Linda Cardellini were also fantastic as Kazi and Laura Barton respectively which I thought added a lot to the story. Now, the surprise character. Vincent D’Onofrio made his triumphant return as Wilson Fisk. Being a soft-reboot of sorts from his Netflix counterpart, it was still perfect to see him return. Kingpin was such a fantastic character here, which is an unpopular opinion. Yes, he is seemingly wasted and doesn’t have much time to shine, but I highly doubt he’s dead and they’re going down the comic route where he’s blinded or at least severely injured. He’s also simultaneously overpowered in his brute strength while being nerfed when fighting Kate, but I wasn’t too bothered by it as again, I’m just glad D’Onofrio returned.
The direction was fairly decent. It was really great in some episodes, while being serviceable in others. All in all, the direction was pretty great and definitely improved the show. The action scenes were really great, if not a little choppy at times. My favourite action scenes were the car chase in episode 3 and the final fight in episode 6 when Clint and Kate are working together outside the Rockefeller. They feel ripped straight out of the comics, especially the car chase and the use of trick arrows was absolutely incredible. They allowed for some really unique action and set itself apart from Hawkeye’s other appearances which I highly enjoyed. The story was really good. As I’ve mentioned, I loved the idea of this show serving as a passing of the torch from Clint to Kate. It really worked for me. I also love the idea of Clint just wanting to return to his family for Christmas, yet is unable to due to Kate and his past as Ronin. The mystery surrounding Eleanor and Jack and it was very interesting to see it being developed across the 6 episodes. Having Yelena continue her journey set up in Black Widow was great to see and like I’ve mentioned, her interactions with Kate in particular was amazing. I loved her desperately wanting revenge against Clint and their final fight was truly one of the best scenes in the entire show. I love how much Natasha's presence is felt in this show even after her death. There is a clear influence from Matt Fraction’s Hawkeye run which is truly amazing and works incredibly well. The Tracksuit mafia were great side antagonists and were absolutely hilarious. There was a lot of grounded, intimate moments spread across the show from Clint and Kate bonding to Clint’s call with his son in episode 2. It was very touching and the MCU shines when it focuses on the small, human interactions. The final episode does have its fair share of issues that I’ll talk more about later, but I really do enjoy it and the show as a whole was truly perfect.
The visuals for this show are amazing. I’m a sucker for superhero content set at Christmas and this is no exception. The result is some absolutely incredible visuals which I think make the show standout. Furthermore, many scenes feel ripped from the comics which is amazing. I love how Phase 4 is really lending itself towards being more comic accurate and Hawkeye is no exception. The car chase is definitely one of the best scenes for comic accuracy and I love it. The CGI on the other hand isn’t as great. It definitely feels very tacky at times, which doesn’t help. But, since there’s not too much VFX involved in the show, it doesn’t detract at all. The cinematography was perfect. It felt grounded but
was still colourful and pleasing to look at. The audience felt every emotion needed and had a clear understanding of what was going on. It’s a very colourful show which I really love. The Christmas setting definitely help with that, but the use of colour is truly great here. The costume design, like everything else in Phase 4 is perfect. Again, the comic accurate influence is perfect and each costume never feels out of place. Each costume feels grounded and homemade while still being comicy. The costume designers are really outdoing themselves within this phase and I really love it. The score for the show is also great. While it isn’t as memorable compared to other MCU projects, it certainly fits the style and tone of the show. It’s grand and heroic, but also festive which I love. I love how they came up with an entire song for “Rogers: The Musical” and it really shows how much effort went into this show. Truly amazing.
Now, onto my issues. The show suffers from a problem in which most MCU Disney + shows do. They’re constrained by the 6 episodes which means that they spend a lot of time developing these stories, only to have them be rushed in the final episode. It never “ruins” the show per say, but it definitely prevents it from being as good as they could be. Arcs with Echo in particular definitely feel rushed in the final episode, but since she’s getting her own show it doesn’t bother me too much. Kazi definitely feels wasted since he had so much potential, but deciding to kill him off unfortunately wasted him. Kingpin, like previously mentioned, also feels a little rushed and the tease of him being “killed” definitely shocked me and annoyed me at first, but now it doesn’t bother me as I’m fairly certain he isn’t dead and will instead be injured. The CGI is another issue, but again it doesn’t detract too much from the show since it doesn’t rely too much on VFX as it’s more grounded in nature.
To conclude, Hawkeye definitely lived up to my expectations and even surpassed them at times. It’s one of the most entertaining entries into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, managing to further develop one of the original 6 Avengers while also laying the groundwork for Kate Bishop’s future which I’m incredible excited to see. I really love the street-level side of the MCU and seeing that in full force here really got me invested. Once again, Hawkeye is definitely a blast, filled with so much emotion and entertainment and I cannot wait to see where we find these characters next, especially Kate and Yelena who were of course, the standouts.