It’s somewhat ironic that Marvel has struggled to adapt Hawkeye with much accuracy given that he’s known as The World's Greatest Marksman.
For the majority of the first Avengers film, Clint Barton was brainwashed by Loki, in Age of Ultron he became an everyday family man, and by the time Hawkeye popped up in Endgame, he’d been transformed into a cold-blooded murderer.
And you thought Thor had it rough!
Luckily, Marvel is taking aim at Hawkeye once again in a solo Disney+ show where the archer will train someone new to be his replacement. With the extra breathing room that TV provides, Marvel’s writers can finally give Clint the space he needs to grow as a character – and hopefully grow a better hairstyle too.
Join us here at Digital Spy as we keep you updated on everything you need to know about (Mo) Hawkeye.
Hawkeye cast: Who will be in it?
It would be kind of tough to film a Hawkeye show without Hawkeye himself, but if the rumours are true, then this could be Jeremy Renner’s final turn as the Master Marksman.
Casting for his replacement hasn’t been confirmed yet, but what we do know for certain is that Clint will train a young woman called Kate Bishop to take over as Hawkeye.
In the comics, Kate is a young socialite who helped found the Young Avengers team, despite not having any powers of her own. After she proves herself to be a skilled fighter and marksman, Hawkeye takes Kate under his wing, becoming a father figure of sorts, and we’re likely to see a similar dynamic on the show.
What remains to be seen is how this will play out when Hawkeye already has a family of his own. Now that the Infinity War snap has been undone, it’s safe to assume that Clint’s wife Laura (Linda Cardellini) will reappear alongside his three children, Cooper (Ben Sakamoto), Nathaniel (Cade Woodward) and Lila (Ava Russo).
If we’re lucky, Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) might even take time out from his space holiday to help too.
Hawkeye release date: When will it premiere?
As the fourth Marvel show scheduled to air on Disney+, there’ll be a lot of pressure on Hawkeye to deliver. Sandwiched in between the What If...? animated series and Thor: Love and Thunder, Clint’s show will quite literally bring Marvel back down to earth when it airs in the autumn 2021 slot.
Hawkeye trailer: When can I watch it?
Until Hawkeye starts filming, there’s no trailer to speak of. In the meantime though, please enjoy Jeremy Renner’s recent music video which channels those '80s mohawk vibes to the fullest.
Hawkeye plot: What will happen?
Without the Time Stone to guide us, it’s hard to say what will happen in Hawkeye’s new show. Not much is known for certain except that Clint is preparing to hand his mantle over to Kate but fans have already begun to speculate that this could kick-start something even bigger for Phase 5.
As previously mentioned, Hawkeye’s replacement is part of a larger group who briefly replaced the entire Avengers team in the comics. Marvel executive Kevin Feige has teased a cinematic version of the Young Avengers for some time now and Kate Bishop is just the latest member to appear on screen following Ant-Man’s daughter, Cassie Lang.
Given that Hawkeye's been scheduled towards the end of Phase 4, it's entirely possible that Marvel plans to continue the Avengers legacy through Kate and other replacement heroes who will also crop up in the coming years.
If so, this could make Hawkeye one of the most important projects on Marvel’s slate right now, redefining the future of the MCU while also redeeming Jeremy Renner’s character in the process.
Hawkeye will premiere exclusively on Disney+ in autumn 2021.
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After teaching in England and South Korea, David turned to writing in Germany, where he covered everything from superhero movies to the Berlin Film Festival.
In 2019, David moved to London to join Digital Spy, where he could indulge his love of comics, horror and LGBTQ+ storytelling as Deputy TV Editor, and later, as Acting TV Editor.
David has spoken on numerous LGBTQ+ panels to discuss queer representation and in 2020, he created the Rainbow Crew interview series, which celebrates LGBTQ+ talent on both sides of the camera via video content and longform reads.
Beyond that, David has interviewed all your faves, including Henry Cavill, Pedro Pascal, Olivia Colman, Patrick Stewart, Ncuti Gatwa, Jamie Dornan, Regina King, and more — not to mention countless Drag Race legends.
As a freelance entertainment journalist, David has bylines across a range of publications including Empire Online, Radio Times, INTO, Highsnobiety, Den of Geek, The Digital Fix and Sight & Sound.
