Hawkeye star Vera Farmiga says Kate Bishop's mother also sees herself as something of a hero.
At a press conference attended by CBR and other outlets, Farmiga spoke about how overjoyed she was to work with Hailee Steinfeld. On the show, Farmiga plays Eleanor Bishop, who has a complicated relationship with her daughter, Kate. And for the actor, the two characters' conflicting ideologies felt very rooted in reality.
"To be honest with you, I have marveled at this young lady since that first movie, and I also loved this very delicate and complex maternal relationship with daughters," Farmiga said. "It is a tricky sport raising a successful daughter, you know, especially when the daughter and the mom have different ideas of what that success means. But, yeah, just happy to be by Hailee's side for this."
In the comics, Kate and her mother have an equally combative relationship, leading up to the reveal that Eleanor is conspiring with a supervillain. It's not clear how much of that will be translated to the screen, but the clash between mother and daughter will certainly be present.
"We learn about who we are based on our relationship with our mommies: who we want to be and who we don't want to be," Farmiga continued. "I think that's at the center of this."
"I think my character, Eleanor, does see herself as a kind of superhero," Farmiga said. "She is in the business of helping and keeping people secure. Having a daughter who... is very powerful, has a lot of prowess, but also a lot of recklessness, all mothers try to help their daughters channel that power into something more effective. Certainly, that's the big lesson for us. I mean, that's how it starts off. But bridling beautiful energy is a mother's task."
Like many of Marvel's best villains in the MCU, Eleanor will likely think her approach is for the greater good, no matter how nefarious. And it won't be the only issue the two archers face, as Kate and Clint Barton will also go up against numerous baddies from the comic book series the show is based on. The Tracksuit Draculas, in particular, will prove a thorn in their collective side, as the group similarly harassed the two heroes on the page. But bigger nemeses will also be waiting in the wings, and it's likely Farmiga's character will have ties to them.
Hawkeye's two-part premiere arrives Nov. 24 on Disney+.