The Hawkeye series on Disney+ was one of the most well-received MCU properties to date, partially because it told such an incredible Christmas story right around the holidays. Despite being a grounded series following the Avenger that uses the most archaic weapon, it was filled with action and the story was fantastic.
While fans did receive an end-credits scene, it was in the form of a complete musical number which was far from what they were expecting. With several loose ends still dangling after the series finale, there were plenty of opportunities to set the stage for future stories as well as tie things into Spider-Man: No Way Home.
10 Spider-Man Could Have Swung By To Check On A Recently Shot Kingpin
The end of the Spider-Man threequel shows Peter swinging through New York City right by Rockefeller Center and its huge Christmas tree which also happens to be the setting for the final battle in Hawkeye. Many fans expected a Spider-Man cameo in the Hawkeye finale considering he was teased to be in the area.
However, the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree is up for weeks so the scene in No Way Home was likely a different day. Though given Kingpin's significance in Spider-Man comics and the fact that they left the gunshot scene so ambiguous, Marvel certainly could have paired them up in a post-credits scene. Assuming Kingpin isn't actually dead, Spider-Man is expected to cross his path in the future.
9 Peter Parker Could Have Sensed Kingpin With His Spider-Sense
Even if Marvel Studios didn't want to take away from Clint and Kate with a legitimately superpowered person, they could have included a Peter Parker in street clothes in the post-credits scene. It's entirely possible that Peter could have sensed Maya's gunshot or even Fisk's body with his Spider-Sense, even from across the street.
Having Peter come to check on a bleeding Wilson Fisk only to have Fisk push Peter away and spit out a bullet could have been an interesting beginning to a significant relationship in the MCU. This would have confirmed that Fisk is still alive while also paying homage to the comics.
8 Matt Murdock Was In Spider-Man: No Way Home, Why Not Put Daredevil In Hawkeye?
Charlie Cox's Matt Murdock has a brief cameo in No Way Home as Peter's very good lawyer. While Cox portrayed Murdock the entire time, he still managed to catch a brick that someone hurled through the window even before Peter could, teasing his Daredevil persona.
While Kingpin is important to Spider-Man, he is much more significantly tied to Daredevil and his neck of the woods. Having Matt Murdock sense Fisk's heartbeat as he walked near the alley could have been a very interesting tie-in that not only showcased more of Murdock's abilities but again, established the beginning of a significant relationship within the MCU.
7 Show Us What Happened To Kingpin Regardless
Even without Spider-Man or Daredevil showing up, fans really wanted to see the end of the scene between Kingpin and Maya, without the camera panning away. Considering the series took significant plot points and visual cues from classic comic storylines, it's possible Marvel was simply setting the stage for another comic story in the MCU.
When Kingpin is shot in the face in the comics, he is blinded by the encounter, but otherwise unscathed. This is probably the case in Hawkeye, and Maya likely fled before getting true confirmation of Fisk's death. It's entirely possible that Marvel will show fans the other half of this scene in the Echo series.
6 Yelena Could Have Met With Val, Furious Over Being Lied To
Fans had assumed since the end of Black Widow that Yelena would be appearing in Hawkeye as an antagonist, though they had no idea how her character arc would play out in the series. In the finale, Clint manages to convince Yelena of how much her sister meant to him, prompting her to call off the hit.
It was also made clear at the end of Black Widow that Yelena appears to have a somewhat long-standing relationship with Val. It's entirely possible that Yelena would have blown up on Val for sending her to kill Hawkeye without giving her the right information, and fans would have loved to see that interaction at the end of the series.
5 We Could Have Gotten More Information About Laura Barton & Her Watch
With the mysterious watch being such a significant plot point of the series, fans were hoping for more closure than getting a brief glimpse of the back of the watch. While the back does confirm that Laura Barton was a former S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, that's really all fans get. However, comic fans realized that she may have formerly held the title of Mockingbird as suggested by the "19."
This suggests that "Mockingbird" is another title in the MCU that can be passed down, like "Black Widow" or "Captain America," rather than a distinctly individual character. Fans would have loved to see Laura speaking to a former handler; this could have been an excellent opportunity to bring Phil Coulson back into the mix. They could have even introduced Bobbi Morse as the current Mockingbird potentially tying in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
4 Showing Eleanor In Prison Could Have Set The Stage For Something More
Vera Farmiga did an excellent job of portraying a terrible parent in Eleanor Bishop. While it was revealed that Eleanor was simply settling her husband's outstanding debt to Fisk, many fans speculated that she would be revealed as Madame Masque.
While her arc is more or less completed in the MCU, it could have been an interesting reveal to show fans how powerful Eleanor truly was in the criminal underground. However, considering Madame Masque is more of an Iron Man villain (and Farmiga hasn't really been following the MCU), it's possible Eleanor Bishop was a one-time character. Though many fans expect to see her again if Hawkeye gets a second season.
3 Clint Speaking With Scott Would Have Cleared Some Things Up
Pym tech was featured not once, but twice in the Hawkeye series, which makes sense... but it also doesn't make sense. Hawkeye and Ant-Man were on the same team in Civil War and both agreed to plea bargains that included two years of house arrest so that they could go home to their families rather than escape with Cap.
However, Scott is far from the brains behind Pym tech. It seems highly unlikely that Hank Pym would manufacture special trick arrows for Hawkeye considering someone else (Scott) using his unsanctioned tech in the past got him into serious legal trouble. A scene between Clint and Scott could have provided fans with plenty of information about their arrangement and may have even teased a Barton cameo in the Ant-Man threequel.
2 A Set Up For The Echo Series Could Have Been Interesting
Many fans expected the second half of the Kingpin shooting scene to be the end-credits scene for Hawkeye, but alas, the second half never came. With Marvel announcing an Echo series following the character of Maya Lopez, teasing what's to come in that series could have made a great post-credits scene.
Considering Marvel left that scene intentionally ambiguous, fans are expecting additional pieces of that scene to come to light in Echo or even future Daredevil properties. Showing fans where Maya is and what she is doing at the end of Hawkeye could have provided a better cliffhanger for the character and a better lead into her series.
1 Marvel Could Have Set Up The Next Series, Whenever That's Supposed To Release
While fans loved Hawkeye and would have loved an end-credits scene with any of the characters featured throughout the show, Marvel also could have easily set up a future series. Marvel has done this in the past with post-credit scenes in both series and films.
With so little known about the dozens of MCU properties coming in the next few years, any sort of hint or indication would have been incredibly rewarding for fans. The musical number was fun, but it didn't provide fans with any new information on the greater MCU.