Review: Marvel's "Hawkeye" Episodes 4-6

Marvel’s Hawkeye has been, perhaps, the most unique offering from the studio since it was announced that Kevin Fiege and company were going to create a set of shows for Disney+. The first three episodes laid the necessary groundwork for the final episodes to really stretch themselves in terms of story and create something both timely and entertaining.

Once again, the focus on making the proceedings smaller and more personal works. Audiences have seen Marvel’s most famous archer save the world countless times at this point, but now they’re getting to look beyond the bow at what makes him tick. And just as in the earlier episodes, Jeremy Renner is perfectly suited to the “down on his luck” superhero who just wants to be with his family. He’s stoic and somber, while simultaneously volatile and dangerous. It’s an interesting combination that goes a long way in rounding out the character of Clint Barton and showing who he is at the current moment in the MCU.

But it’s his interactions with Kate Bishop that really showcase the man he is. The dynamic between the archer and his protege morphed from a fangirl begging for attention, to something more akin to a Batman/Robin situation. In many ways, she looks to Hawkeye as a surrogate father, and their relationship is largely what seems to be keeping the elder hero on a straighter and narrower path.

And while Kate and Clint’s burgeoning partnership is the meat of the episodes, it’s the “surprise” cameos that provided all the sizzle. The first was Yelena Belova, making good on the after credits scene from Black Widow. What’s noteworthy is that the charm of the assassin, how she’s often silly and irreverent, remain a intact, and how well it continues to work. Her scene with Bishop was masterful, as it showcased almost a new, phase 4 version of the Black Widow/Hawkeye dynamic, just with different people inhabiting the roles. What was most interesting, though, is how Yelena was shown to be able to flip a switch and become merciless and in a way that Natasha was never portrayed as having. It gives her character an edge and shows that while she may be good at heart, she’s not above doing bad if she thinks it’s for the right reasons.

And while the inclusion of Yelena was a boon to the show, adding another layer of emotional depth and tying it more into the MCU mythos, it was the inclusion of Kingpin that really set heads spinning. Throughout the series, mentions were made about a big bad that was pulling the strings of everything and there were subtle teases in just about every episode that pointed to Wilson Fisk. But when he actually appears, first in a blurry cell phone photo, and then again in the final episode in full-on Boss Level mode, it was like the crescendo of who of the great opera’s that the baddie was shown to enjoy in Netflix’s Daredevil.

While Kingpin’s appearance is ultimately just a tease for more later on and didn’t amount to much in terms of story, it was a nice nod to fans from the creatives in charge of Marvel that says, “we hear you,” as fans had been clamoring for the Netflix era show to make a comeback somehow. Importantly, Fisk helps establish the character of Echo ahead of her eponymous Marvel series, and though it is implied that he dies at her hands, Marvel was savvy enough to have it happen off -screen, ensuring that, in true comic fashion, he’ll return, badder and meaner than ever.

Marvel’s Hawkeye is far from a perfect show, but it is earnest, heartfelt, and merges several of the disparate elements of the sprawling MCU franchise. At the same time, the is a single-minded determination to the show that perfectly encapsulates the character of Hawkeye, as he’s been showcased in the MCU. While it’s missing some of the pomp and circumstance of properties like Loki or Doctor Strange, it’s nice to see that Marvel can tone things down an allow a story to be more personal and intimate.