We were told that we would be getting the Ms. Marvel and Hawkeye series on Disney+ by the end of the year and now we have confirmation about the latter.
The official Twitter page for Marvel Studios revealed the first image from the series, courtesy of "Entertainment Weekly", and the release date. Hawkeye will premiere on Disney+ on Wednesday, November 24, 2021. You can check out the Twitter post below!
Jeremy Renner began his run as Clint Barton/Hawkeye in 2011's Thor in a brief cameo appearance that set up his larger role in the ensemble film, The Avengers. Renner has played the role several times since, last appearing in AVENGERS: ENDGAME. Hawkeye had his most significant character development during Avengers: Age of Ultron but it could be argued that he hasn't really gotten his true moment to shine in the MCU. The Disney+ Hawkeye series will give the character the exposure he deserves.
Not much is known about the direction of Hawkeye but the series will see the addition of Hailee Steinfeld as Kate Bishop, which essentially confirms that at least some of the show will focus on the relationship between Bishop and Renner's Barton. In the comics, Barton trains Bishop in order to pass on his legacy as Hawkeye. Renner described the character to Entertainment Weekly by saying, "[Kate is] a 22-year-old kid and she's a big Hawkeye fan. She has a wonderfully annoying and equally charming manner about her, because she's such a fangirl of Hawkeye. The relationship grows from that, but the biggest problem for Clint is Kate Bishop and the onslaught of problems that she brings into his life."
Bishop is a highly skilled archer, much like Barton, and has since fought alongside Cassie Lang, the daughter of Ant-Man. Both characters took on the superhero roles of their predecessors and with Kathryn Newton set to play Cassie Laang in the next Ant-Man film, I suspect that we're building to the younger generation taking on more prominent roles in the MCU in the future. Speaking more on Hailee Steinfeld, Renner spoke on wanting to take the actress under his wing while also being excited to see what she does next in the universe:
"That was always my role. Outside of acting in the thing, I was protecting her and giving her the CliffsNotes on how it goes with this kind of filmmaking: Green screen, superhero life, all that stuff. I just wanted to protect her, because there's a lot of physical stuff. She's a wonderful actress, a wonderful human, and I can't wait to see all the cool stuff that she's able to do."
Appearing alongside Renner and Steinfeld in Hawkeye are Vera Farmiga, Tony Dalton, Zahn McClarnon, Brian d'Arcy James, and Fre Fee. The series will also introduce Alaqua Cox as Maya Lopez aka Echo, a deaf superhero who can perfectly copy another person's movements. There is some speculation that the series will take some of its inspiration from Matt Fraction's comic book run that started in 2012. Part of that story included Clint Barton dealing with sudden hearing loss after a battle with the hitman, Clown, thanks to the villain stabbing him in both ears with his own arrows. Fre Fee will be playing Clown on the series so this speculation could very well be true. Along with the already mentioned ensemble cast, Florence Pugh, who was introduced as Yelena Belova in Black Widow, will also be appearing on the series.
Are YOU excited to watch Hawkeye? Don't forget, Hawkeye premieres on Disney+ on Wednesday, November 24, 2021.