The four most famous members of the Avengers got solo movies prior to the end of the Infinity Saga in 2019, and the two also-rans had to wait till after. By a combination of planning and luck, it has led to good story threads for the 2020s stories. “Black Widow” got her movie in 2021 – entirely a backstory, since she died in “Endgame” – and “Hawkeye” got something even better at the end of that year: a six-episode miniseries.
The relatable Avenger
Hawkeye is the Everyman Avenger with one thing he’s incredibly good at: archery. He doesn’t want to be a role model, but not in the brooding fashion of, say, the Punisher. Jeremy Renner has found a perfect way to play this Nice Guy Superhero. He is polite rather than annoyed when a citizen thanks him for saving the world. Although Hawkeye has guilt about his past – including the death of his best friend Black Widow/Natasha – he doesn’t have low self-respect.
In “Hawkeye,” he wants to get home to the Midwest for Christmas with his wife (Linda Cardellini) and three kids, but he does the right thing: He stays in NYC to protect 22-year-old archery/superhero prodigy Kate Bishop (Hailee Steinfeld) from being killed by the Tracksuits. The mobsters have seen her in the Ronin garb, which she acquires at an auction. The actual Ronin (who we know – or strongly suspect – was Clint) had killed one of their bosses a few years ago.
“Hawkeye” (2021)
Disney Plus, six episodes
Creator: Jonathan Igla
Stars: Jeremy Renner, Hailee Steinfeld, Florence Pugh
Steinfeld has that Everywoman With One Great Skill quality, too. Viewers – and citizens of the MCU – can look at Kate, just as she looks at Clint, and see it’s possible for anyone to be a superhero.
“Hawkeye” is smartly calibrated with a background of Christmastime – and retouchings of holiday classics by composer Christophe Beck (“Buffy”) – but also has dreary Big Apple winter flavor. Christmas is not puked all over the screen like a Hallmark movie.
Showrunner Jonathan Igla, who had written for “Mad Men,” nicely calibrates the story’s weight. This miniseries has to be small enough to not be necessary to watch, but big enough to be rewarding to watch. Clint and Kate are in genuine danger yet their conversations have a lightness. On one mission, Kate disobeys his command to be cautious and walks into a conflict. He notes that she can get away with it due to being young and she admits that is true.
Smart use of CGI in fights and chases
It’s fun to see their teamwork dynamic unleashed in a car chase/battle. Clint drives while Kate fires arrows out the window at the Tracksuits. The camera is inside the car and can change angles. This is a top example of the CGI art form, the right use of the tool.
“Hawkeye” is a deliciously diverse show without being political or preachy. Hawkeye needs a hearing aid, so when it is knocked out, he’s effectively deaf. Sub-villain Maya/Echo is deaf and has a prosthetic lower right leg; both traits of actress Alaqua Cox. She’s also Native American. Although the drool probably had to be wiped off Disney’s boardroom table in their diversity meeting, Echo is legitimately fascinating.
Of course deaf people have to look at people’s mouths and/or hands to communicate (their eyes have to be their ears), but that trait is especially interesting when Echo is communicating with enemies or allies she’s suspicious of. Cox can play project-to-the-back-row confusion or betrayal on her face, necessary for a deaf character and perfect for a superhero show.
It’s awesome how Echo uses her prosthetic leg as a blocker in sword fights, which is a side skill of our two archers. And it’s the main skill of Tony Dalton’s Jack Duquesne/Swordsman, another delicious gray-area character who Kate is irked to find is in line to be her stepdad.
Arrow-shooting also makes for great action, and it’s another great use of the CGI tool. Thanks to his connections with the Stark and Pym corporations, plus his own ingenuity, Clint has a colorful supply of trick arrows, and it’s a blast (often literally) to see what they can do.
Threads to follow
Time for my one quibble: Why does Yelena (Florence Pugh) – introduced as Natasha’s sister in “Black Widow” – hate Clint’s guts? This might have been explained in other movies or shows, but even if it was, we needed a refresher here. Clint went dark as Ronin during the five-year Blip period, but Yelena is a flat-out hired assassin, so she can’t hate him for that. Clint was there when Natasha died, but why would Yelena assume he’s responsible?
Luckily, Yelena’s character is not totally destroyed by the end, so I can still enjoy Pugh going forward into “Thunderbolts.” As a side note, it’s neat to see the Blip perspective from someone who is Blipped. From Yelena’s POV, her 2018 world dissolves and she’s instantly in 2023.
Another shaky bit of characterization asked of a great actor is seen in Kingpin (Vincent D’Onofrio), although this is more a matter of out-of-order storytelling. We’ll see in “Echo” (2024) why it was so important for him to adopt and raise Maya in secret, and we’ll either buy it there or we won’t. For now, before I’ve watched “Echo,” I’m not clear on why he had to keep wife Vanessa out of the loop of any part of his life (a conflict explored but never convincingly explained in “Daredevil: Born Again”).
Overall, “Hawkeye” is a big better-late-than-never win for Renner and Clint Barton. It’s a lesson that while the flashier superheroes (and actors) get their names in lights, it’s more genuine to be heroic in the margins.