Hawkeye (miniseries)

Hawkeye is an American television miniseries created by Jonathan Igla for the streaming service Disney+, based on Marvel Comics featuring the characters Clint Barton / Hawkeye and Kate Bishop / Hawkeye. It is the fifth television series in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) produced by Marvel Studios, sharing continuity with the films of the franchise and taking place after the events of the film Avengers: Endgame (2019). It sees Clint Barton as he partners with Kate Bishop to confront enemies from his past to be with his family in time for Christmas. Igla served as head writer with Rhys Thomas leading the directing team.

Jeremy Renner reprises his role as Clint Barton from the film series, with Hailee Steinfeld joining him as Kate Bishop. Tony Dalton, Fra Fee, Brian d'Arcy James, Aleks Paunovic, Piotr Adamczyk, Linda Cardellini, Simon Callow, Vera Farmiga, Alaqua Cox, Zahn McClarnon, Florence Pugh, and Vincent D'Onofrio also star. Marvel Studios was developing a limited series for Disney+ centered on Hawkeye by April 2019, with Renner returning. The series was officially announced that July and Igla joined in September, with Steinfeld unofficially attached at that point. Thomas and Bert & Bertie joined as directors in July 2020 and filming began in New York City that December. Steinfeld and additional cast members were confirmed, and filming concluded in late April 2021. Additional shooting took place in Atlanta, Georgia. Matt Fraction and David Aja's Hawkeye comic run served as a major influence on the series.

Hawkeye premiered with its first two episodes on November 24, 2021, and ran for six episodes, concluding on December 22. It is part of Phase Four of the MCU. The series received positive reviews, with critics highlighting the action sequences and the chemistry between Renner and Steinfeld. A spin-off series, Echo, focusing on Cox's character Maya Lopez / Echo, was released on January 9, 2024, as part of Phase Five.

Premise

A year after the events of Avengers: Endgame (2019), Clint Barton must partner with Kate Bishop to confront enemies from his past as the Ronin to get back to his family in time for Christmas.

Cast and characters

• Jeremy Renner as Clint Barton / Hawkeye:
  A master archer and a former Avenger and agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. The series further explores the character's time as Ronin, as first shown in the film Avengers: Endgame (2019). Renner said that meeting Kate Bishop brings "an onslaught of problems" into Barton's life, as Barton does not understand her obsession with him. Director Rhys Thomas felt Barton had a compelling "strength of character" that exists "hidden underneath an imperfect and complex surface".
• Hailee Steinfeld as Kate Bishop:
  A 22-year-old Hawkeye fan who becomes Barton's protégée and is trained to take over the mantle of Hawkeye. Bishop idolizes Barton because she realizes she could train to be like him one day. She draws the attention of Barton by masquerading as Ronin. Steinfeld described Bishop as "smart and witty" and a "badass", with physical abilities that are "through the roof", while Renner said she has "a wonderfully annoying and equally charming manner about her". Director Bert described Bishop as "full of rookie energy; she's feisty and strong-willed with a deep desire to prove herself" and "a refreshing confidence", as well as the "comedy foil" to Barton's straight man. Steinfeld learned archery because Bishop is "self-taught" and felt it was an important aspect of her character since she idolizes Barton. Clara Stack plays a young Kate Bishop.
• Tony Dalton as Jack Duquesne:
  Eleanor's new fiancé and Armand's nephew. The character does not serve as Barton's mentor in the series as he does in the comics. Dalton believed his reputation for portraying antagonists helped conceal the twist of his character's friendly nature.
• Fra Fee as Kazimierz "Kazi" Kazimierczak:
  A mercenary for the Tracksuit Mafia. Fee described Kazi as having a "deep sense of loyalty" towards the Mafia but also some frustration at not having a higher position in the gang. He learned American Sign Language for the role. Phoenix Crepin portrays a younger Kazi.
• Brian d'Arcy James as Derek Bishop: Kate's deceased father.
• Aleks Paunovic as Ivan Banionis: An enforcer for the Tracksuit Mafia.
• Piotr Adamczyk as Tomas Delgado: An enforcer for the Tracksuit Mafia.
• Linda Cardellini as Laura Barton: Clint's wife and a former agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.
• Simon Callow as Armand Duquesne III: Jack's uncle.
• Vera Farmiga as Eleanor Bishop: Kate's mother and the CEO of Bishop Security.
• Alaqua Cox as Maya Lopez: The deaf commander of the Tracksuit Mafia. Darnell Besaw, Cox's cousin, plays a young Maya Lopez.
• Zahn McClarnon as William Lopez: Maya's deceased father and a former commander of the Tracksuit Mafia.
• Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova:
  A highly trained spy and assassin who is hunting Barton for his supposed role in her adoptive sister Natasha Romanoff's death. Pugh said that Belova is continuing "what she's good at, and despite her sister not being there, she's back working", though her mission to hunt Barton "sets up a whole different challenge".
• Vincent D'Onofrio as Wilson Fisk / Kingpin:
  A crime lord in New York whom Eleanor has connections with. D'Onofrio reprises his role from the Marvel Television series Daredevil (2015–2018). On Kingpin's portrayal in the series, directors Bert & Bertie said they wanted to take into account the character's presence that was established in Daredevil. D'Onofrio considered the role a continuation of his portrayal in Daredevil, with a difference in physical strength but still operating "through the pain of his childhood". He played the character considering that Fisk had regained power after losing status during the Blip. He added that the portrayal was "done with an eye on connecting as many dots from Daredevil to Hawkeye as possible", but acknowledged that some aspects, such as his enhanced physical strength, could not connect back. After gaining 40 pounds (18 kg) for the role in Daredevil, D'Onofrio chose to wear a fat suit for the series. D'Onofrio thought the suit had progressed with modern technology to give him a more realistic look while also being lighter to wear, which allowed him to not have to gain the weight.

Recurring in the series are Carlos Navarro as Enrique, an enforcer for the Tracksuit Mafia; Ben Sakamoto, Ava Russo, and Cade Woodward reprising their respective roles as Barton's children Cooper, Lila, and Nathaniel from prior MCU films; Jolt, a Golden Retriever, playing Lucky the Pizza Dog, Kate's adopted dog; Clayton English, Adetinpo Thomas, Robert Walker-Branchaud, and Adelle Drahos respectively as Grills, Wendy Conrad, Orville, and Missy, all NYC LARPers who befriend and help Barton and Bishop; and Ivan Mbakop as NYPD Detective Caudle.

Also appearing are Jonathan Bergman as Armand VII, the grandson of Armand III, and Franco Castan as Detective Rivera, a member of the NYPD. The fictional Steve Rogers / Captain America musical within the series, Rogers: The Musical, sees stage actors portray Thor (Jason Scott McDonald), Loki (Jordan Chin), Rogers (Tom Feeney), Bruce Banner / Hulk (Harris Turner), Barton (Avery Gillham), Romanoff (Meghan Manning), Tony Stark / Iron Man (Aaron Nedrick), Scott Lang / Ant-Man (Nico DeJesus), and Chitauri warriors. Adam Pascal cameos as Lead Citizen in the musical. Newscaster Pat Kiernan appears as himself.

Episodes

Production

Development

By September 2018, Marvel Studios was developing several limited series for its parent company Disney's streaming service, Disney+, to be centered on supporting characters from the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) films who had not starred in their own films. By April 2019, an adventure series starring Jeremy Renner as his MCU film character Clint Barton / Hawkeye was in development. Barton was expected to bequeath the mantle of Hawkeye to a new character, Kate Bishop, in the series. Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige was set to produce the limited series, which would run for six to eight episodes. Feige officially announced Hawkeye at San Diego Comic-Con in July 2019. Renner originally signed on to star in a standalone feature film focused on his character, but agreed to star in a series instead after Feige decided to redevelop the project for Disney+; Marvel Studios believed a series allowed them to explore Barton's backstory, introduce Bishop, and develop the two characters' dynamic—which was popular with fans of Marvel Comics—all of which would have been restricted by a film's two-hour runtime.