Although he’s often called the most useless Avenger of the bunch, Hawkeye is a pretty interesting character. He’s taken on armies of alien invaders and killer robots with nothing but a bow and arrow, which takes guts. And he’s a family man who lost his family, went to a very dark place, and then got his family back.
Now, he’s filled with guilt. The character is getting his own solo series on Disney+. Just as Steve Rogers has given his shield to Sam Wilson, Clint Barton will be giving his bow and arrow to his own successor: Kate Bishop. So, here are 5 Things That Have Been Confirmed For Disney+’s Hawkeye (And 5 Fan Theories).
Confirmed: Jeremy Renner is reprising his role
Despite some recent controversies, Jeremy Renner will remain in the role of Clint Barton for the upcoming Hawkeye series. Along with Black Widow, who is finally getting a solo movie next year (although, from the recently released trailer, it’s clear that it’s far, far too late), Hawkeye is one of the only original Avengers from the MCU not to have their own solo movie yet.
Even the Hulk got one, albeit with someone besides Mark Ruffalo in the role, and he’s the most difficult character to tell a solo story about. This will be Renner’s sixth on-screen appearance in the role.
Fan theory: We’ll finally see a funeral service for Natasha Romanoff
Some Marvel fans were irked by the fact that Natasha Romanoff’s death was more or less forgotten about when Tony Stark made a similar sacrifice. There are monuments to Tony across the world and every superhero in the universe showed up for a heartfelt funeral service at his cabin. Meanwhile, Nat also gave her life for the “Time Heist” and she was seemingly swept under the rug.
The Russo brothers’ justification for this is that we’ll never see Tony again, whereas Nat has a movie on the way. Maybe in the Hawkeye series, we’ll finally get to see Nat’s funeral, with the Barton family in attendance.
Confirmed: Clint Barton will train Kate Bishop to become Hawkeye
In the comics, when Clint Barton retired from being a superhero, the “Hawkeye” mantle was taken by a budding young hero named Kate Bishop. Kate’s origin story in the comics is a little different from the origin story she’ll have in the show.
In the source material, she’s a member of the Young Avengers who was given the name Hawkeye when she stood up to Steve Rogers and he told her the only other person to ever do that was Clint Barton. In the upcoming Disney+ series, Clint will actually train Kate himself, so that she can take up his mantle.
Fan theory: Clint Barton will die in the series
Hawkeye is being touted as a limited series, as opposed to a first season hoping to score a second-season renewal. This seems to suggest that the story will have a finite ending, despite being an origin story. With Avengers: Endgame acting as a literal “endgame” for the six O.G. cast members, Clint Barton might be on his way out of the MCU.
He’s consumed by guilt after becoming a murderer in the years after his family got “dusted” by Thanos. Like Tony Stark, it seems like there’s only one way for Clint to find peace: to make the ultimate sacrifice.
Confirmed: It’s set to premiere in late 2021
There isn’t an official release date set for Hawkeye – or any of Marvel’s upcoming Disney+ shows, for that matter – but a release window has been announced to get fans excited. The series will be arriving on the Mouse House’s rapidly growing streaming service in late 2021.
This will make it the MCU’s fifth series to arrive on Disney+. The Falcon and the Winter Soldier will be the first to arrive, due in late 2020, and it will be followed by WandaVision and Loki in early 2021, the curious anthology series What If…? in mid-2021, and eventually Hawkeye in late 2021.
Fan theory: It’ll be more grounded and smaller-scale than most MCU projects
In most MCU projects, the world is at stake. Captain America has to stop a Nazi organization from using an algorithm to determine which thousands of people will be exterminated, or Spider-Man has to stop a deranged illusionist from destroying London with disguised drones, or the Guardians of the Galaxy have to stop a cosmic tyrant from using an Infinity Stone to decimate a planet.
Given the fact that Hawkeye is just an archer and a spy, that kind of epic scale won’t work for his standalone adventures. Perhaps his Disney+ solo series will be smaller-scale than the average MCU story, with much more intimate and personal stakes.
Confirmed: Jonathan Igla is the head writer
Marvel has hired Jonathan Igla to work on Disney+’s Hawkeye series as the head writer. Igla has written for a number of TV series, including Masters of Sex, Pitch, and Sorry for Your Loss, starring the MCU’s Elizabeth Olsen (who may have been the one that recommended him to Marvel, or it could just be a coincidence) and Star Wars’ Kelly Marie Tran.
But his most popular work is easily Mad Men. Igla held various titles during his time working on Mad Men. He’s even credited as an executive story editor on the critically acclaimed series finale episode, “Person to Person.”
Fan theory: Ronin’s victims will come for revenge
At the end of Avengers: Endgame, we saw Clint Barton grappling with the guilt he felt over his time as the bloodthirsty vigilante “Ronin.” He only killed “bad” people, like human traffickers and gang lords, but those actions will still come with more consequences than Clint simply feeling sorry for himself.
Perhaps the families or colleagues of some of the gangsters who were murdered by Ronin in the five years between Thanos’ finger-snap and the Hulk’s own one will come after him for revenge in his Disney+ series. The first episode might even begin with a violent attack on the Barton family’s farm.
Confirmed: Hailee Steinfeld is on the casting shortlist
While it hasn’t been announced who will be playing Kate Bishop in the upcoming Hawkeye series, it has been confirmed that Hailee Steinfeld is on the casting shortlist. Steinfeld has more than proven herself as a competent performer, ever since she beat out 15,000 competitors for the role of Mattie Ross in the Coen brothers’ True Grit remake and ended up nabbing an Oscar nomination for it.
She has since shown off her comedic chops (which would serve her well in the MCU) in the Pitch Perfect sequels and won over comic book fans as the voice of Gwen Stacy in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.
Fan theory: It’ll build towards the Young Avengers
Kevin Feige has said that a Young Avengers movie could be on the cards in the MCU’s future. It seems to be coming together. Cassie Lang’s age jump in Avengers: Endgame brought her closer to taking on her superhero alter ego Stature.
An adult Monica Rambeau – who we saw idolizing Carol Danvers as a kid in Captain Marvel – is appearing in WandaVision, possibly setting her up for a superhero career as Photon. Plus, Ms. Marvel’s coming to Disney+ and Harley Keener might become Iron Lad. With Kate Bishop taking over as Hawkeye, it seems clearer than ever that the Young Avengers are coming to the MCU.
