Awesome / Hawkeye (2021)

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"Let's give 'em hell."

When one master archer passes the torch to another, the results are glorious.

Episodes:

Episode 1: Never Meet Your Heroes

• Clint inadvertently saves Kate in the prologue, becoming her hero and inspiring her to take up archery.
  • There's something more to be said about this moment, and a comparison with the original cut of that scene from The Avengers (2012) is merited. The way it was originally portrayed, that very moment involved Clint running out of combat arrows and improvising with his final grappling hook arrow, crashing into an empty room and getting the wind knocked out of him. By contrast, when Kate sees him in action, she sees the Avenger who saved her life making a very cool and unorthodox getaway, like this was All According to Plan. In what might be, to Clint, a low point in that battle, he still manages to inspire a little girl to be a badass like him.
    Kate: I need a bow and arrow.
• Kate Bishop managing to ring the bell on Stane Tower with a custom-made Trick Arrow. Too bad it can't hold up under the strain.
• Kate donning the Ronin suit and handling herself reasonably well in what is presumably her first real fight, against the Tracksuit Mafia.
  • The fight choreography is astounding. It expertly shows that Kate is Well-Trained, but Inexperienced, constantly hesitating and not following through on blows to make sure her attackers stay down, but that she has the fundamentals down solid and is even capable of improvisation and clever use of her environment and size against larger and more experienced opponents.

Episode 2: Hide and Seek

• The Tracksuit Mafia are firebombing Kate's place and Clint casually breaks her window, catches a Molotov cocktail, and throws it right back at them.
• Clint effortlessly walks through the LARPers, barely breaking stride or changing his glum expression.
• Clint is abducted by the Tracksuits to be questioned about Kate's whereabouts. He is completely undeterred and unimpressed, casually freeing himself from his binds and reiterating that he wants to talk to their boss. After all, this was his plan. He stood around on a sidewalk getting bored waiting for these clowns to finally find and "kidnap" him.
• A Freeze-Frame Bonus shows one of LARPers wearing Hawkeye's Silver Age costume. Given how much Clint draws from his more grounded Ultimate universe incarnation and how, well "silly" his original comics costume can be seen as, no one ever thought would appear in the MCU. But lo and behold they did it.
• After just a few exchanges, Kate is able to analyze Jack's fencing style enough to realize he's holding back on her. When she tries to stab him as he's looking away, he instantly disarms her without looking in her direction.

Episode 3: Echoes

• As a child, Echo is skilled enough to analyze a fellow student's preferred attack, mentally noting that it won't work on her because of her prosthetic, and then take advantage of it when he tries to use it against her. While this wouldn't be a huge deal from a grown and fully-trained woman, coming from a small kid it's very impressive.
• Ronin killing several members of the Tracksuit Mafia. The production team really did not lay off on the bloodshed despite most of his slashes being seen from afar, with the windows being splattered with blood.
• Echo proves to be more than a match for Clint. He's caught off-guard when he tries to strike her right leg only to discover it's a prosthetic limb. She then uses that foot to hit his left ear and remove his hearing aid, which she then crushes underfoot.
  • Despite this, Clint isn't out of the fight. Once he gets his bow and arrows back, he manages to pin Echo to the wall with an arrow before leaping through a nearby window. As he falls, he shoots another arrow with enough precision to cut through the tape binding Kate's hands without hurting her. After landing in a ball pit, he sneaks up on two of the Tracksuit Mafia and stabs them in the feet with an arrow in each hand.
• Clint takes out the majority of the Tracksuit Mafia on his own, without resorting to killing or using his trick arrows, and freeing Kate in the process. Pointedly, Kate is breathing heavily after fighting Kazi, whilst Clint looks like he hasn’t even broken a sweat.
  • Special mention to Clint firing an arrow at a goon behind him. Under his arm. Without even looking at him.
  • And the cherry on top for all this? Clint did all of the above without the use of his hearing aid at all.
  • It should also be mentioned that he's been tied up all night, meaning he's probably fairly stiff from lack of circulation. It doesn't seem to affect him whatsoever.
• Clint ends the fight on the bridge by getting Kate to fire a regular arrow into the air, and then hitting it with a Pym arrow so the Tracksuit Mafia have a building-sized arrow dropping on their heads, slamming into their truck much like an orbital kinetic strike. The only reason the front half remained unharmed is because Clint chose not to kill them.
• Kate draws up a new hero costume for Clint and it's his original outfit from the comics. While Clint mocks the design Kate actually makes a good case for why it works, noting that the famous flaps around the eyes are supposed to be hawk wings. The MCU is well known for a more grounded take on the heroes and has excluded material that would be seen as too ridiculous by the writers, so it's astonishing to see a newly arrived MCU hero take a look at one of the costumes that most would say are "too goofy" and go "This is awesome and here's why."

Episode 4: Partners, Am I Right?

• The Clint/Laura partnership remains strong with Clint getting Laura to do research and using her as a sounding board while she realizes what the Tracksuit Mafia are after (the Watch) while Clint had thought it was destroyed.
• Kate pulling a Stealth Hi/Bye on Clint, who's not exactly a novice when it comes to situational awareness.
• The climactic fight scene of the episode involves a Black Widow assassin simultaneously outmatching two well-trained fighters – plus a criminal who can mimic other people's movements – without missing a beat.
  • To their credit, both Clint and Maya manage to shrug off a Widow's Bite without much trouble. We are not sure if they're supposed to be on weaker setting, but considering this particular one's avowed mission (as well as the sheer power of the tech Natasha had been using), it says well of both of them.
  • Also, Kate manages to reach and kick a gun off the roof before a Black Widow can snatch it first. It's a small feat and while not on a Widow's level, it showcases that Kate has great potential down the road once she gains more combat experience.
  • Before Maya and the still masked assassin can finish Clint off, Kate manages to stun them both with a trick arrow and saves him. The arrow releases a short but effective shockwave; sending them flying, knocked to the ground, and briefly disoriented.
  • In a spine-chilling moment, said Black Widow is revealed to be Yelena Belova. She manages to intimidate Kate out of shooting her with a simple shake of the head and a Death Glare before rappelling off the roof and disappearing into the night. For someone who appears unmasked for just about thirty seconds, without any dialogue, she manages to steal the episode with a simple Wham Shot.

Episode 5: Ronin

• The portrayal of Yelena getting Snapped and un-Snapped from her point of view. She goes into a bathroom and starts to wash her hands, then SNAP! She turns into a puff of dust, only to re-form in less than a second and the entire room transforms to reflect the changes in the five years since.
• When Kate throws a bottle of hot sauce at Yelena, she casually catches it like a baseball. Keep in mind, Kate's accuracy with kicking/throwing bottles at enemies is shown just as spot-on as with arrows.
• As hilarious as it is, it's also worth noting that Kate and Yelena finally interact with each other after the events of the previous episode. And it couldn't be any more amazing considering how Hailee Steinfeld and Florence Pugh play off of each other very well.
  • During their talk, Yelena has Kate intimidated the whole time (she's alone with an assassin with the same skillset as Natasha, the Action Girl of the MCU), keeping her on the verbal backfoot and deconstructing Kate's hero-worship of Clint. That being said, Kate holds her own pretty well considering the circumstances, never once showing fear despite the fact that a Black Widow has broken into her home and could murder her at any moment.
  • When Yelena reveals why she wants to kill Clint, saying how her source informed her Clint killed Natasha, Kate hits back and it's good. Kate tears through Yelena's Moral Myopia, firmly averting an intended Broken Pedestal by declaring that, while Clint isn't perfect and has made mistakes, everyone has a past and that Clint is a good man who has protected the world. She also adds on the logical statement that given Clint and Natasha were well-known Platonic Life-Partners, him killing her doesn't make any sense. She warns Yelena that whoever hired her and is trying to paint Clint as the bad guy is lying to her to drive her to do their bidding and using her for their own agenda.
  • Kate subsequently suggests to Yelena that she should really do some digging to make sure because, personal or not, the man she wants dead is a genuine hero. This actually affects Yelena so much that she does heed Kate's advice, researching just who hired her instead of taking things on blind faith.
• The fight between Maya and Clint in his Rōnin attire needs no introduction.
  • Maya tries to outnumber Clint, but he just isn't having it — he quickly and easily dispatches her backup, including Kazi (who was perched upon a nearby rooftop with a sniper rifle) and Ivan (who was leading a group of Tracksuit Mafia goons on the ground).
  • And then when she finally comes face to face with her father's killer, Maya wastes no time going to town on Clint. The two exchange some pretty good blows on each other with them being fairly even. Maya even relieves Clint of his sword during the fight, with Clint still not giving her an inch.
  • It culminates in Clint pinning Maya to a car and revealing himself to be her father's killer. However, rather than finishing her off, Clint instead issues Maya an ultimatum: either she leaves his family alone, or he will kill her and everyone else that tries to come after his family.
    • As well as forcing her to consider that while he did the deed itself, there was foul play behind it; while Maya initially refuses to believe him, she’s intuitive enough that later after she’s cooled off a little, she doesn’t dismiss how his words match up to the facts.
  • And props to Kate for finally pulling off a proper Big Damn Heroes moment (especially after failing spectacularly in the second episode). She shoots the sword out of Maya's hands before she can finish Clint off, giving him enough time to escape.
• At long last, after being only loosely connected to the greater MCU, we can now confirm that the King (no, not that one) has returned!! And just in case you weren't so sure, Vincent D'Onofrio is given main cast billing in the Creative Closing Credits!
  • On top of that, the closing logo sees a silhouette of Wilson Fisk looming over the city. Looks like we've come full circle!
  • How do you know that the Kingpin has become a force to be reckoned with? Clint Barton — the founding Avenger who fought aliens, robots, and even other Avengers, then terrorized the criminal underworld as Ronin — considers him The Dreaded!

Episode 6: So This Is Christmas?

• As part of his party prep we see Clint actually constructing his own trick arrows, some of the heads a pre-built Stark or Pym technology but many of his own know-how and inventions, including arrows that spray spikes and sedative darts in all directions.
• When the attack on the party begins, Eleanor, who was just confronted by Kate for working with Kingpin, tries to stop her from going out to help because it's too dangerous:
  Kate: You're the reason it's dangerous out there, Mom. (leaves)
• The LARPers finally get to live out their dream of being superheroes (in a way, anyway). They're all undercover as they play their part in the fight, provide a lot of meaningful help doing surveillance, and crowd control to help the Hawkeyes and keep all the guests safe. Some even get to take out a few Tracksuit Mafia in their costumes, clearly loving every second of it.
• Clint fires an arrow at Kazi when he's 14 floors below the man with perfect accuracy. This is impressive because if Clint wasn't merciful, he could have killed Kazi then and there and because Clint would need to take the curvature of the arrow into mind.
• While Yelena was clearly holding back in her fight with Kate, the latter is able to give her a good enough fight to impress her: a Black Widow. When a Black Widow gives you a sincere compliment on your fighting skills, you know you have some solid talent.
  • Also, while the moment is Played for Laughs, and both parties are equally shocked by it, the fact remains that Kate bitch-slapped a Black Widow and got away with it.
• After the fight with Yelena, Kate emulates Clint and leaps out of a building despite being unable to fly, by wrapping an improvised bola around Yelena's zipline, which goes straight down and she manages to get away with the stunt unharmed.
• While it's still a Curb-Stomp Battle, Kate manages to win a one-on-one fight with the Goddamn Kingpin by using her wits, broken but dangerous arrows, and a little bit of help from her mom. Also, you got to give her credit for being able to take being thrown around like a rag doll, taking super hard punches and body slams to her whole body, and getting back up every time.
  • Clint later comments on this, saying the fact she managed to walk away from a serious beatdown at the Kingpin's hands is a huge feat and win for her.
  • Fisk seems even more powerful than when he threw down with Matt, his every punch sending Kate flying. And Fisk was a serious threat to Matt, who actually does have (admittedly low-grade) superpowers. Clint is not kidding when he says Kate fighting Kingpin and living to talk about it is an accomplishment.
• Jacques proceeds to start cutting down the Tracksuit Mafia to protect an unarmed Kate.
• Maya enters the fight against Kazi by intentionally laying down her bike at speed, rolling to her feet and letting it slide into the Tracksuits to knock them over.
• Kazi, who has no powers and is just an ordinary human, does an Arrow Catch.
• Clint finally wears a comic-accurate costume after years of being the sole Avenger without one.
• Clint and Kate singlehandedly taking down dozens upon dozens of Tracksuit Mafia mooks as they Zerg Rush the ice skating area.
  • At one point, Kate uses her bow to vault onto a big Tracksuit and defeat him with a hurricanrana, a move Natasha would have done. It’s almost like Natasha is there in spirit fighting together with Clint one last time.
  • During this fight Clint attacks three of the Mafia at once by pulling a split the arrow trick, using a second arrow to split the first so each half hits a separate mook while the second arrow is aimed at Kazi who manages to catch it.
• Kingpin demonstrates his sheer strength by ripping a car door off its hinges to get to Eleanor.
  • Fisk shows off even more when Kate tries to fight him, shrugging off arrows and displaying the Acrofatic skills that make him a deadly opponent in the comic books.
  • He's only defeated when Kate flicks one of Fisk's cuff-links at an arrowhead (the exact same cufflinks that Fisk took from his father and wore in Daredevil too, further cementing the show’s canonicity in the MCU), detonating a quiver's worth of trick arrows right in his face and briefly stunning him. It's a moment of awesomeness for both parties, as Kate manages to subdue Kingpin using a treasured personal heirloom of his, while Kingpin manages to walk away from a point-blank explosion.
• The Reveal that the watch belongs to Laura Barton; she used to be a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent like Clint, specifically Agent 19, who in the comics was Barbara "Bobbi" Morse aka Mockingbird. While Bobbi did appear in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., she was never referred to by either codename there, and that show's dubious canon status leaves it unclear if this is a case of Adaptation Name Change or Decomposite Character, but it's an impressive detail all the same and speaks volumes about Laura's backstory.
• A subtle moment, but remember the previous episode where it was established that Hawkeye, the Avenger, is afraid of the Kingpin? This episode establishes that Fisk himself is worried because of two reasons:
  • One: The Ronin is running around in New York.
  • Two: An Avenger is now involved in his business. Said Avenger may just be Hawkeye, but that doesn't mean the Kingpin is not afraid of him.
    • Kingpin was defeated twice by someone who is essentially a Badass Normal with Super-Senses, and Clint has experience fighting armies of aliens and mowed through the Tracksuit Mafia in episode 3, so he’s afraid for good reason. Clint is not an Avenger for no reason.
    • Also, the Avengers may be mostly defunct and SHIELD still rebuilding, but that still gives Clint a lot of powerful and dangerous individuals to call on for help if necessary.
  • And in turn, Kingpin shows why he gives Hawkeye cause for concern: he not only has the resources, will, and ruthlessness to protect his organization no matter the cost (likely measured in dead bodies), but once he gets personally involved his intelligence and fighting prowess makes him a threat even to a man like Clint Barton.
• At the very end of the episode, Clint tells Kate that he has a suggestion for her superhero name. Not very long ago, he thought of her as an annoying kid; now, he's truly accepted her as a partner and recognizes her potential. We don't get to hear his suggestion, but given that the camera flips to the title card, we have a pretty good idea...

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