2021 was the year that Disney Plus promised us Marvel like we had never seen it before — in episodic form. While this concept felt like a no-brainer, the decision to have the focus of these shows be second and third tier Avengers as well as a notorious Marvel villain was a bold strategy. While fortune does favor the bold, fortune also favors those with a plan, and the plan deployed by Kevin Feige and everyone at Marvel and Disney Plus has been nothing short of brilliant.
The plan was simple — place each of these Avengers-centric stories in a familiar television archetype, tie in emotional and narrative threads from the last phase of the MCU, and use these shows to introduce new, exciting characters and stories into the greater world of Marvel.
Yet, of all the Marvel series so far, none seem as audacious as the Hawkeye premiere. Now this might sound like blasphemy after we were all dazzled by the jaw-dropping originality of setting WandaVision within the worlds of American sitcoms from the 1950s through the 2010s all while dealing with Wanda’s trauma of losing both her brother and Vision. While, on paper it’s a stunning premise, it’s also one that totally fits the character of Wanda — she is after all the Avenger who can alter reality and people’s perception of it.
That’s what makes Hawkeye so unique. They didn’t opt for a straight-up actioneer like The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, nor did they lean into the fantastical they did with Loki — they made it a Christmas series. And they did so by doubling down and placing two Christmas archetypes — the overworked dad desperately trying to make good on his promise to be home for Christmas and the daughter returning home for the holidays only to find her mom has a new fiancee — into the narrative structure of the series. Also, setting it in the most Christmas-centric city imaginable (New York) and scoring it with classic holiday tunes doesn’t hurt either.
It’s a bold move for Marvel because the problem most Christmas specials/movies/series often have is that they are disposable as wrapping paper by noontime on Christmas day. So, that’s why the choice to put the series in this town, during this time and with these stories is a huge risk for Marvel and the future of the Hawkeye moniker (e.g. Hailee Steinfeld’s Kate Bishop).
Yet, the Hawkeye premiere proves that this series is more than just a shiny seasonal delight. Unlike its predecessors, Hawkeye is steeped heavily in humor. The series begins with Kate Bishop taking down a clock tower and immediately pivots to Clint (Jeremy Renner) watching the Hamilton-esque “Rogers” musical on Broadway with his children. This is all a very blatant move (and not in a bad way) to let the audience know they’re not getting an MCU series like they’ve seen before. One could argue Loki was very humorous, but let’s not forget the humor in that series was intrinsically bound to the trauma and tragedy of Loki.
This isn’t to say Hawkeye is a laugh-a-minute extravaganza. No, there’s still the requisite Marvel action scenes, a murder mystery, some very untrustworthy characters (looking at you Eleanor Bishop/Vera Farmiga), and as you’d expect a whole lot of trauma and grief tied to the earlier phases of the MCU for both Clint and Kate. However, there’s still this warmth that is so inherent in a Christmas property that you can’t deny. Whether that comes from Pizza Dog, Clint’s banter with his wife (Linda Cardellini) or Kate’s bumbling yet well-meaning intentions, there’s an undeniable charm to this series.
Steinfeld and Renner are the buddy cop team we never knew we wanted but we absolutely needed to close out 2021. Renner plays the straight man for most of the premiere, but when he enters a LARP-ing event, his tired, wry sarcasm comes out for a wonderful comedic effect. Meanwhile, it’s Steinfeld who does most of the comedic heavy-lifting in the premiere, and one could argue the dramatic as well. Steinfeld’s casting is a stroke of genius as she not only fits the world of Hawkeye perfectly but is just so likable in the role of Kate Bishop that you easily want to see her reprising this role for years to come. This series is both a figurative and literal passing of the torch for the Hawkeye character and it’s actually a blast to watch.
The Hawkeye premiere gives us a lot to unpack from a story standpoint and an emotional standpoint (plus we get a new character — no spoilers). Yet, it never feels incomplete or throwaway. These two episodes create a warm, charming Christmas story that will allow itself to be serious when it needs to be and funny when it needs to be. Ultimately, if you were on the fence about this show, don’t be. This is a wonderful year-end present from Marvel to its fans.
The Hawkeye Premiere (Episodes 1 &2) is now streaming on Disney Plus. New episodes drop every Wednesday.
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