MARVEL MARATHON DEEP DIVE
HAWKEYE
Hawkeye premiered on Disney+ on 24 November 2021 with two episodes and ran six in all. Jeremy Renner plays Clint Barton and Hailee Steinfeld plays Kate Bishop, in a story set around Christmas in New York.
A SOLO SERIES FOR THE ARCHER
HOW HAWKEYE WAS MADE
Marvel Studios was developing a Disney+ limited series starring Jeremy Renner as Clint Barton by April 2019, and it was announced at San Diego Comic-Con in July 2019. Jonathan Igla was revealed as head writer in September 2019, Rhys Thomas and the directing duo Bert & Bertie were hired in July 2020, and Hailee Steinfeld was confirmed as Kate Bishop in December 2020.
Filming began in early December 2020 in New York City and wrapped on 21 April 2021, with additional shooting in Georgia and reshoots in Toronto in September 2021. Christophe Beck composed the score.
A VETERAN AND HIS FAN
WHAT THE SERIES IS ABOUT
In an interview published on 23 December 2021, Thomas said Kate Bishop “has set her sights on Hawkeye as a role model,” and described Clint’s appeal this way:
“He wasn’t gifted with powers, or a suit, or anything.”
Rhys Thomas, 23 December 2021
He also called Clint “vulnerable.”
RETURNING FACES AND NEW ONES
WHO IS IN THE CAST
The cast includes Jeremy Renner as Clint Barton, Hailee Steinfeld as Kate Bishop, Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova, Vera Farmiga as Eleanor Bishop, Vincent D’Onofrio as Wilson Fisk and Alaqua Cox as Maya Lopez.
SIX EPISODES BY CHRISTMAS
HOW THE SERIES WAS RECEIVED
The six episodes ran from “Never Meet Your Heroes” and “Hide and Seek” on 24 November 2021 to “So This Is Christmas?” on 22 December 2021, with episode runtimes from 42 to 62 minutes. Rotten Tomatoes lists a 92% critics’ score from 176 reviews and an 88% audience score, and its consensus says the series “starts slowly, but the street-level action is a refreshing change of pace for the MCU.” Metacritic gave it 66 from 27 critics.
Laura Sirikul of Empire gave it four stars out of five and called it “charming and full of heart,” while Ben Travers of IndieWire gave it a C-, arguing it was more focused on setting up Kate Bishop than on its own story.
THE REWATCH
EMMY NOMINATIONS AND A SPIN-OFF
The series earned two Creative Arts Emmy nominations for stunt work, including stunt performance for “Echoes,” and was submitted in comedy categories rather than limited series categories. The spin-off Echo, starring Alaqua Cox as Maya Lopez, was released on Disney+ and Hulu on 9 January 2024.
In the Marvel Marathon it sits in the MCU release order guide between Eternals and The Daily Bugle Season 2. It sits between Loki Season 1 and The Daily Bugle Season 2 in the MCU series order and Marvel TV shows in order guides. In the MCU timeline guide it comes between Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and Deadpool & Wolverine.
QUICK ANSWERS
HAWKEYE WATCH QUESTIONS
Do I need to watch other MCU films first?
It helps to have seen Avengers: Endgame for Clint Barton’s story and Black Widow, where Yelena Belova is introduced.
How many episodes does Hawkeye have?
Six, released from 24 November to 22 December 2021. The first two episodes arrived on the same day.
Is Hawkeye a Christmas series?
It is set around Christmas in New York, and the finale is titled “So This Is Christmas?”
Which Marvel Marathon guides include Hawkeye?
It appears in the MCU release order, MCU series order, Marvel TV shows in order and MCU timeline guides. In the timeline it sits between Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and Deadpool & Wolverine.
EDITORIAL NOTES
SOURCES AND UPDATES
Development, production, release, reception and awards details are checked against a series reference, an interview with the lead director and aggregator scores, cited individually below.