Among the surplus of new MCU content released in 2021 across cinemas and Disney+ is the return of Clint Barton in his own miniseries Hawkeye. Inspired by the iconic 2012 Matt Fraction and David Aja comic run, the holiday series follows Clint as his past as Ronin catches up to him in the form of young New York socialite Kate Bishop.
Together, the aging Avenger and aspiring archer must tackle the underbelly of the Big Apple's criminal world, introducing the Marvel Cinematic Universe to a plethora of new characters like Alaqua Cox's Maya Lopez, while also seeing the surprising return of a few characters like Florence Pugh's Yelena Belova from 2021's Black Widow.
10 Ivan Is A (Slightly) Smarter Tracksuit
If one were to organize a hit in New York City, the Tracksuit Mafia certainly wouldn't be the first crime syndicate that comes to mind. Based on their comic counterparts, the Tracksuits are rather true to their origins, often being portrayed as being fundamental in intelligence as well as employing a generous use of the word "bro."
When Kate first runs into the Tracksuits at an illegal auction, they mistake her for Ronin after she dons the outfit. However, it's their ring leader—Ivan Banionis—who mounts the follow-up pursuit. Though Ivan has proven he's more capable than his brethren, he still finds himself easily outmatched by the younger, inexperienced Kate.
9 Grills Is Just An Everyday LARPer
Fans are first introduced to Grills in the second episode of Hawkeye after he finds and claims the Ronin costume from Kate's fried apartment. While Clint is quick to track him down, what the Avenger doesn't anticipate is that the FDNY member is also a LARPer, who demands that Hawkeye fight him in a role-playing scenario for the outfit.
However, comic book fans may find the character to be somewhat familiar, which is because Grills winds up being Kazi Kazimierczak's first victim in the Hawkeye comics, just for being a friendly neighbor to the aging Avenger. Fortunately, Grills doesn't meet this tragic fate in the Disney+ series, though he does retain his status as an everyday civilian.
8 Jack Duquesne Is An Expert Swordsman
Like most characters that were introduced on Hawkeye, Jack Duquesne has an alias in the comics as "Swordsman." In this continuity, Swordsman is actually one of Clint Barton's mentors, though the two eventually have a falling out due to the former's illegal practices, thereby turning Jack into one of Hawkeye's major villains.
The Jack Duquesne of Hawkeye, unfortunately, doesn't live up to his sinister comic book reputation. In fact, the season finale reveals that Jack was completely oblivious to the entire backdoor dealings and criminal enterprise that Eleanor Bishop was running, although he did seem to enjoy disarming the Tracksuit Mafia at the Rockefeller Center.
7 Kazi Colludes With "The Big Man"
Located a bit higher on the Tracksuits' totem pole of power is Kazi Kazimierczak, who is also known for becoming "Clown" in the comics. Given that Kazi doesn't behave like the other Tracksuits, it's safe for fans to assume he's one of the higher-ranking members of the group and reports to the Tracksuit's head honcho himself.
Like Jack, however, Kazi doesn't really live up to the ruthless capabilities of his comic book counterpart. Yet Kazi still does have some things going for him, demonstrating a willingness to adapt by learning to sign with Maya Lopez and a deep-rooted loyalty to his organization when he is ultimately forced to confront his former friend.
6 Kate Bishop Has Trained For Years
Witnessing Hawkeye fight in the Battle of New York during the events of 2012's The Avengers, a young Kate became inspired to take up the bow and arrow in an effort to become the world's greatest archer. By the time 2021's Hawkeye rolls around, Kate has transformed herself into an exceedingly proficient archer.
Kate establishes her archery skills early on in the show's premiere episode when she brings down Stane Tower with a single arrow...by accident. While Clint is skeptical of Kate's abilities after first meeting her, the young Bishop girl quickly proves she's a force to be reckoned with when she holds her own against the likes of Yelena Belova and even the Kingpin himself.
5 Maya Lopez Excels At Hand-to-Hand
It is unquestionable that the most formidable Tracksuit that Clint and Kate find themselves contending with during Hawkeye is Maya Lopez, a.k.a. Echo. While Maya was born deaf and walks on a prosthetic leg, these "disabilities" tend to work to her advantage, as they often lead her foes to underestimate her lethal combat prowess.
Maya proves she's more than a match for Clint during their initial brawl in the series' third episode, with the latter only escaping via a moving subway train. Furthermore, despite limited screen time, Maya demonstrates elevated cognizance in her ability to lip-read, allowing her to forego the need for sign language in many scenarios.
4 Clint Barton Is Still An Avenger
Clint Barton may be an old and aging hero, but his 2021 series proves, if anything, that he still has what it takes to be an Avenger. Despite Jeremy Renner's Clint being the star protagonist of the series, the original Hawkeye actually has fewer action scenes than what fans may have been expecting, likely due to his unanticipated mentoring of Kate Bishop.
What action Clint does see, however, demonstrates why he continues to be deserving of the mantle of Hawkeye. Furthermore, Clint's brief but visceral reprise as the deadly Ronin in the show's penultimate episode allows the haunted hero a sense of closure to a particularly bloody chapter in his life.
3 Eleanor Bishop Had Everyone Fooled
While audiences may have pieced together Eleanor Bishop's unscrupulous intentions early on in the series, the head of Bishop Security certainly seemed to have everyone in the MCU fooled. In fact, it never even crosses Kate's mind that the strange coincidences she's witnessing may be a result of her mother's machinations, despite knowing that she was in trouble.
Though Eleanor Bishop may not have the physical prowess or skill like the rest of Hawkeye's ensemble, she more than makes up for this loss with her conniving schemes and prolonged partnership with the one and only Kingpin. And, despite the rumors not coming to fruition for now, there's always a chance for Eleanor to one day become the MCU's Madame Masque.
2 Yelena Belova Uncovers Everything
After a phenomenal performance in Black Widow, fans were thrilled to learn that Florence Pugh's Yelena Belova would be making a return in Hawkeye. Even more exciting was the fact that Yelena quickly became integral to the show's plot as the Black Widow assassin hired by Eleanor to take out Clint Barton.
Despite her obvious camaraderie with Kate, what makes Yelena such a dangerous opponent in Hawkeye is her unnatural aptitude for uncovering secrets, as is of her trade as a spy. While fans never really see if she can best Clint (as he lets her beat him in the finale), Yelena is the one to discover the truth about Eleanor's secret dealings with Kingpin.
1 Kingpin Runs The Criminal Underworld
It was never going to be a question. If Kingpin was going to show up, even for a cameo, he was going to undeniably be the strongest and most imposing character in Hawkeye. Though he isn't name-dropped until the end of the penultimate episode, Wilson Fisk casts a large shadow over the other characters throughout the story as "the guy on top" and "Uncle."
Fortunately for fans, Kingpin is heavily featured in the season finale and quickly showcases what he can do as he shrugs off the arrows Kate shoots at him before throwing her around like a rag doll. Though Kate does find a way to best him while Maya seemingly kills him off-screen, it's unlikely that the head of New York's criminal underworld will stay down for long.