Hawkeye season 2: Everything we know about a potential new season

Marvel Studios’ festive special entertained us all during the holidays in 2021, but what is the likelihood that we could see Hawkeye season 2?

Hawkeye was one of the great surprises for fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It’s not that audiences weren’t excited for it; it’s just that there was little fanfare for this title leading up to its premiere. But when the trailer dropped and showcased the festive feast we were all in for, that excitement increased tenfold.

The Disney Plus show ultimately delivered, providing a fun holiday treat that gave Jeremy Renner’s archer Avenger the long overdue spotlight he deserved, while also setting the stage for new archer-in-training Kate Bishop to take over.

But what does the future hold for this saga? Is there potential for a second season?

Hawkeye season 2 hasn’t been renewed yet (but it also hasn’t been cancelled)

Marvel has yet to announce if Hawkeye will return for a second season. The show concluded its first season run in December 2021 and there hasn’t been any definitive confirmation on if it will return.

What has given fans hope that the show will return for a second season someday is the fact that Marvel campaigned for the show to receive Emmy consideration in the “Outstanding Comedy Series” category instead of the “Limited Series” category. This came after the studio marketed the show as a limited series, suggesting that it had changed its mind.

The vast majority of Marvel Studios shows to stream on Disney Plus are miniseries/limited series, but there are exceptions to that rule. Loki was the first of the shows to return for a second season, while animated outing What If…? is also returning for season 2 (and will also return for a third).

As far as whether that could actually happen for Hawkeye, director Rhys Thomas spoke to Collider in 2021 about the future of the show and revealed he would “gladly enjoy” returning for a second season if Marvel renewed it.

"“I cannot speak to future plans in the tradition of secrecy. Again, the show coming out, you never know how it’s going to be received and it has been amazing to see how warmly people have taken it and enjoyed it. And it’s been great to see Hailee’s character embraced and sort of land so firmly in the MCU. I sincerely look forward to where that character goes next. And yes, I loved walking on the streets of the MCU and would gladly enjoy doing it again.”"

Thomas acknowledges that fans quickly grew fond of Hailee Steinfeld’s Kate Bishop and that is very much the case. Prior to the show’s arrival, fans were ready to see Kate Bishop make her MCU debut and Steinfeld’s performance endeared her to viewers very quickly.

Irrespective of whether we see Hailee Steinfeld back in Hawkeye season 2, it very much feels like this is only the beginning of Kate’s stint in the MCU.

What would a potential second season of Hawkeye be about?

If Marvel Studios does opt to renew Hawkeye for a second season at some point, it’s highly likely that it would shift gears from the first season. While the original six-episode run was very much a buddy comedy about Kate Bishop learning how to be a superhero from Hawkeye himself Clint Barton, season 2 would probably place the sole focus on Kate.

Remember, the closing moments of the finale saw Clint and Kate discussing potential codenames for the latter as she began her new superhero era and it was heavily implied that she would be taking over the mantle as the next Hawkeye. After all, Clint was bearing the wounds of a long war after saving the world so many times, so it seems that his days in the field are behind him.

Kate Bishop is a great character and the MCU has only just begun scratching the surface of what it could accomplish with her, so a potential Hawkeye season 2 would likely give her that long-awaited spotlight. It would also perhaps focus on her as she dealt with the fallout of her mother’s arrest, her family’s history, Clint’s retirement, and maybe even start building towards a Young Avengers project.

Jeremy Renner would return as Hawkeye “in a heartbeat”

Jeremy Renner has been playing Clint Barton in the MCU for over a decade, making his first appearance as the archer in 2011’s Thor. He went on to reprise that role in three Avengers movies, Captain America: Civil War , and What If…? before finally getting his long-awaited leading role in Disney Plus’ Hawkeye series.

While that role was seemingly a swan song for the hero as an active Avenger, Renner would be open to returning to the role again. Speaking at the Phoenix Fan Fusion convention in summer 2023, he revealed that if Marvel wanted him to come back as Clint, he would do it “in a heartbeat”.

The actor is recovering from a serious injury he suffered earlier this year, in which he was hit by a snowplow at his home. He has made incredible progress since then and fans have been wishing him well throughout the year.

If he were to return (either in a second season of the Disney Plus show or a separate project), it would likely be in a supporting role as a mentor to Kate or the Avengers given that Hawkeye has seemingly retired, but it goes without saying that we would love to see him back in his most iconic role.

A Hawkeye spinoff is coming to Disney Plus soon

While the future of Hawkeye itself remains unclear, one of the narrative threads that began in the series will be explored further in upcoming spinoff Echo. As the title probably already gives away, the series will star Alaqua Cox, who reprises her role as Maya Lopez (a.k.a. Echo), and it premieres on both Disney Plus and Hulu on January 10, 2024, with all five episodes landing at once.

Vincent D’Onofrio will also reprise his role as Wilson Fisk, a.k.a. the Kingpin, as the show is set to continue the struggle between the pair. When we last saw these two, Maya seemingly shot Fisk, but as the first trailer for Echo reveals, he is still alive (albeit with a patched-up eye).

The show is set to be the first Marvel Studios project to receive a TV-MA rating, launching a new chapter of more mature MCU stories. It’s also expected to set up Daredevil: Born Again, as Charlie Cox will also reprise his role as Matt Murdock. a.k.a. Daredevil, reuniting with D’Onofrio’s Kingpin for the first time since Netflix’s Daredevil series came to an end.

That’s everything we know about the potential second season of Hawkeye right now. Stay tuned for more updates and news about the future of the show and its characters!

Would you like to see Hawkeye season 2 happen on Disney Plus?