With the likes of Spider-Man: No Way Home, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and Thor: Love and Thunder on the horizon, the cinematic part of the MCU is certainly looking to ramp up excitement for Marvel fans in the next year or two. Everything has also been holding up pretty well on the new Disney+ side of things, though, with the latest series - Hawkeye - serving as another strong entry in our first batch of Marvel shows.
With Clint Barton being another character that is finally getting a (kind of) solo outing, Hawkeye has gotten out to a great start while catching us up with our beloved archer a couple years post the events of Avengers: Endgame and Barton’s murderous stint as Ronin. Three episodes in now, the series is wonderfully classic Marvel fare filled to the brim with heart, action and a ton of Christmas spirit.
Jeremy Renner is as fantastic as always and Hailee Steinfeld is doing an absolutely stellar job with her portrayal of Kate Bishop. Their chemistry together is amazing, but Steinfeld’s performance is really exciting to watch in terms of where she can take her role in future projects and appearances. If she keeps it up at the rate she’s going, she’ll definitely be a vital member of the MCU moving into its next era.
And while the entire cast is doing well, it’s also always a joy to see Vera Farmiga in any role she plays, let alone Kate Bishop’s mother. The best part is that there are still plenty more appearances to potentially see (looking at you Florence Pugh) and perhaps even a certain return of an infamous Daredevil villain.
With the MCU beginning to try out new approaches and genres in its storytelling, Hawkeye is definitely more in line with the typical Marvel content fans have come to expect. While shows like Loki and What If…? had the honor of introducing the multiverse and WandaVision got to go the experimental route and redefine what MCU content can be, Hawkeye is much more in line with how The Falcon and the Winter Soldier played out. It’s incredibly well done and a blast to watch, just don’t expect anything too mind-blowing and enjoy the ride.
It’s another solid Disney+ Marvel series with characters who haven’t really had the opportunity to shine in their own film or show. No, it’s not going to revolutionize the MCU, but it’s for sure building more and more trust and hype for the huge slate of upcoming shows. If not for the success of the previous Disney+ series and now Hawkeye, in what world would we ever be waiting for the release of shows like She-Hulk, Moon Knight or even Alaqua Cox’s own outing as Echo after her time in Hawkeye?
There’s still so much room and potential to continue to play around with more underused characters, plot lines and genres moving forward. And while the movies definitely seem to be leaning a bit more in that direction, successful entries on Disney+ like Hawkeye and everything that came before it gives a lot more leeway and might even encourage some more risk-taking in the stories that are told in the future.
Not to mention, Hawkeye easily now challenges Iron Man 3 for the best Christmas MCU entry. That is, until the upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special inevitably takes its spot on the holiday throne. Hawkeye deserves its time in the festive spotlight for now, though.
All this is to say that Hawkeye is a very worthwhile watch, especially with the holiday season officially kicking into full gear. There’s still sure to be some surprises waiting in the back half of the season and it’ll be interesting to see how it all plays out and leads into whatever might come next for those involved in the show.
Episode three just dropped yesterday, so grab those Santa hats and your nerdiest Marvel tee and get to bingeing the latest MCU content if you haven’t yet already.
Jackson Horvat is a senior studying journalism at Ohio University. Please note that the views and opinions of the columnist do not reflect those of The Post. Do you agree? Tell Jackson by tweeting him at @horvatjackson.
