WARNING: The following contains spoilers for the first two episodes of Hawkeye, now streaming on Disney+
An interesting element of the recent Disney+ Marvel Cinematic Universe shows has been their willingness to explore the psychological after-effects of previous events in the universe. WandaVision delved heavily into Wanda's grief and inability to move on, while Falcon & The Winter Soldier confronted Bucky Barnes' lingering trauma over his actions as the titular Winter Soldier.
Despite being nominally a more light-hearted and holiday-themed story, Hawkeye approaches something similar with Clint Barton's lingering pain from his time as an Avenger -- reflecting on the physical and emotional trauma the former Avenger has to contend with, even as the world moves on.
Hawkeye takes place in am MCU that's been defined by recent events -- but has largely found a place of normalcy again after Avengers: Endgame. Much of New York is quickly recognizable from how it was before half the world was dusted away by the actions of Thanos and his armies, with most people seeming content to return to their old ways of living regardless of any lingering pain. But that isn't the case for Clint Barton himself, who multiple times across the two-episode premiere seems to still be trying to adjust to the traumas he has suffered. His most obvious physical affliction is his damaged hearing from years of dangerous missions, resulting in him being forced to use a hearing aid on the regular.
But there are other moments that hint at the kind of internal pain Clint is still dealing with, and at various points, he appears to be contending with multiple forms of trauma. This includes survivor's guilt over the death of his longtime ally and friend Black Widow -- Clint taking special note of a little girl in the audience dressed like Natasha and watching on sadly as the Rogers: The Musical version of the character dances on stage. When he goes to the restroom, he finds a small tag declaring that "Thanos was right," recalling the pain of losing his family the first time around and then the rage in him simmering over into his tenure as the lethal Ronin. Even being recognized for "his service" seems to be a slight trigger for Barton, who just wants to be with his family instead of being reminded of the battles he's barely survived.
When one remembers Hawkeye's lack of superhuman abilities, it can be surprising to note that he wasn't among the casualties of any of his highly dangerous missions. Hawkeye has survived each of them, and carries those mental scars with him as he tries to pick up the pieces of his life. And even as he does his best to move on, it's impossible to fully escape the past -- with Broadway productions like "Rogers: The Musical" openly recreating and sanitizing what was likely one of the most death-defying days of his life. A mere reference to Black Widow still forces him to lose track of his surroundings, recalling how he did his best to sacrifice himself over her -- and how even at that moment, he failed. Perhaps the most visceral form of his past coming back to haunt him (and others) is the resurgence of the Ronin identity.
After Kate Bishop accidentally ends up in possession of the suit and uses it to stop an assault on the underground auction taking place at a gala event she ends up with something even more complicated: a giant target planted on her back for Hawkeye's actions during his time as a globally feared vigilante. On the whole, Hawkeye is being forced to confront all the different kinds of lingering pain -- and now it's getting even worse with the genuine physical threat posed by the forces who've found themselves on the hunt for a young woman who has no real idea about the danger she's ended up in. This means Hawkeye will have to throw himself into more potentially traumatic situations, all to solve the resurfacing drama tied to his previous actions.