First Hawkeye trailer arrives

Marvel Studios has unveiled the first trailer for Hawkeye.

After having fought an alien army, the God of Mischief, an army of robots, the Avengers themselves, a mad Titan, and, believe it or not, a second alien army, Clint Barton is finally getting the spotlight with Hawkeye. The Disney Plus TV series will focus on Barton (Jeremy Renner) mentoring a young woman named Kate Bishop (Hailee Steinfeld) to take up his archer-themed mantle.

Hawkeye is only a few months away, and to get us ready for its release, Marvel Studios has released the first trailer for the show.

Watch Hawkeye trailer

As we should expect from the Marvel Cinematic Universe by now, the trailer packs quite a punch. It has excitement, quips and a fair amount of intriguing details.

It’s curious to think that just a few years ago, MCU fans were clamoring for solo projects for Black Widow and Hawkeye. Now, both of them have gotten the chance to shine on their own, apart from their fellow Avengers.

A partnership for the ages

It’s clear that Kate and Clint’s relationship will be the driving force behind the show. Hawkeye will be heavily based on Matt Fraction and David Aja’s comic-book series of the same name. That run featured a great dynamic between the two characters, as Barton, who was technically Kate’s mentor, often found himself being mentored by the young Avenger. That offered plenty of outstanding comedic, touching and insightful moments for both characters.

Going by what this trailer showcases, Hawkeye nails that tone. It’s still early to tell, but from what was shown in this footage, Clint and Kate’s relationship could become one of the most memorable ones in the MCU so far.

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Jeremy Renner explained what Kate’s relationship with Clint will be like, and what she will bring to the table:

"“[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.”"

Well, we really can’t blame Kate for that. After all, if you aren’t bringing trouble to everyone you care about, are you even really a superhero?

Setting up a new side of the MCU

Hawkeye centers around two of the most grounded characters the MCU has to offer, but that doesn’t mean the show’s scope will be small. In fact, this new chapter has the potential to open up a whole new side of the franchise.

In March 2021, Variety reported that Marvel Studios was developing a Hawkeye spinoff series for Disney Plus based on Echo. For non-comic-book readers, Echo — real name Maya Lopez — is a deaf superhero with the ability to perfectly copy anyone’s actions (whether that’s playing the piano or fighting).

Echo will make her live-action debut in Hawkeye, played by Alaqua Cox. Due to the fact that Hawkeye is still largely wrapped in mystery, we can’t quite tell what the Echo series could be about. However, her comic-book counterpart’s rich backstory and connections to characters like Kingpin and Moon Knight give her considerable franchise-expanding potential.

Another major Marvel character who’ll play a role in Hawkeye is Yelena Belova, following her live-action debut in this year’s Black Widow.  The master assassin was approached by Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (whom we first met in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier), during the Black Widow post-credits scene. The mysterious figure tricked Yelena into thinking Clint Barton had been responsible for Natasha Romanoff’s death. This means the assassin will serve as both connective tissue to the larger MCU and a pain in the neck for Barton.

Finally, you may have noticed that we mentioned Kingpin when discussing Echo. That’s because, according to a recent rumor, Hawkeye may also be responsible for bringing him into the MCU. Back in July, the MarvelStudiosSpoilers Reddit page stated that, according to its sources, Vincent D’Onofrio is expected to reprise his role as Kingpin from Netflix’s Daredevil TV series. Of course, we must stress this is just a rumor and should be taken with a grain of salt. However, if the Kingpin is indeed in Hawkeye, he could have significant ramifications for the MCU moving forward.

With its main story, its two leads, and potential to expand the MCU, we can’t wait until Hawkeye arrives on Disney Plus on November 24, 2021.

What did you think about this first Hawkeye trailer? What do you think about the ramifications it could have for the MCU? Let us know in the comments below!