WARNING: The following contains spoilers for the first two episodes of Hawkeye, now streaming on Disney+.
Hawkeye sees a world where Clint Barton (Jeremy Renner) is no longer the killer known as Ronin. But in the five years following Thanos' snap, the Ronin persona became a symbol of death for many underworld criminals. While there's no denying that Clint's alter-ego is a force to be reckoned with, one Reddit theory compares his antics to the show's latest enemies and totally destroys any intimidation factor they have.
The Tracksuit Mafia was first introduced in Matt Fraction and David Aja's Hawkeye comic series. The group is a collection of Eastern European criminals who constantly wear tracksuits and have an affinity for saying "bro." They aren't very competent, but they can be threatening when in large groups or given a simple task. But according to Reddit theorist regachoisia, even at their best, they still aren't bad enough to face Ronin's wrath.
Avengers: Endgame gave the audience a glimpse of the bloody trail Barton left behind in the criminal underworld. From the Mexican Cartel to the Yakuza, one man traveled the world enacting his brand of justice and leaving no one standing. It was highly out of character for Hawkeye, but all bets were off when he lost his entire family. However, the theory posits that even during his rampage, Clint still took the time to consider the Tracksuit Mafia and then decided they weren't even worth his time.
The potential revelation is eye-opening in terms of just how organized the Tracksuits are in Hawkeye. However, from the criminals' perspective, it's incredibly offensive to set up an entire criminal organization only to be ignored by Ronin. While a blessing in disguise, it must've aggravated the Tracksuits that they couldn't even get on Ronin's radar. But the theory also adds that perhaps the only reason they're so incompetent is that Ronin did handle the Tracksuit Mafia.
Rather than always being a poor excuse for criminals, the theory brings forth the alternate idea that Ronin went through the original Tracksuits and only left the incompetent ones alive to tell the story. As a result, the ones left are present in the Hawkeye series, explaining their inexperience. Plus, because Ronin left a power vacuum, it was easier for them to grow in power. But the ones who filled the void were far less capable of being standalone criminals. Even so, they could've formed connections, which could've brought them an audience in whoever sent Echo and the Clown to aid them.
For now, there's no clarification as to who the Tracksuit Mafia is or how they got their start. All that is known is that Clint has always been aware of their presence. But what's even funnier is that if Ronin did kill the first iteration of the gang, it further shows how oblivious this new crew is because they've captured Ronin without even knowing it. When Clint inevitably escapes, he likely still won't give them the same fate that Ronin would have, further cementing how terrible the Tracksuits are at being criminals.
The first two episodes of Hawkeye are now available to stream on Disney+.