The Hawkeye series begins with a pan of a New York street in 2012, inside a green roofed penthouse, a ten year old girl, Kate Bishop (Clara Stack) listens through a grate at her parents, Eleanor (Vera Farmiga) and Derek (Brian d’Arcy James), arguing. Farmiga has a long running part as Lorraine Warren including this year's The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It. Eleanor Bishop was a part of the comic series starting with Hawkeye #7 (2017). She is on her tip toes trying to listen and spills a toy so her parents know she is listening to them. Derek walks over knocking on young Kate’s door and sees she’s pretending to sleep. They have a conversation and then Kate has lunch with her mother.
Eleanor sends her to get checkers from her room. She sees something pass in her window and then there is an explosion, the Battle of New York, in Avengers! Kate calls out for her parents, walks down the stairs to the next floor, an explosion tears a hole in the penthouse and reveals Avengers Tower! I like the perspective of an innocent in the battle. A Chitauri sled heads for her, but an arrow destroys it. Across the way, she sees Hawkeye on the rooftop loosing arrows and off the rooftop using his grappel arrow to escape. Eleanor checks on Kate. She takes her daughter away as she shouts for her father. Fade to black.
We see then a funeral, a photo of Derek, and the family console each other. Kate is worried if “they”, the Chitauri would come back. Of course, we have seen the civilian costs to Avengers battles with the death of Zemo’s family leading to Captain America: Civil War and also the woman, Miriam Sharpe who lost her son in the Battle of Sokovia in Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015). Eleanor says because the heroes, the Avengers, would be there. Kate resolves to protect them and wants a bow and arrow.
The opening logos uses the designs from the comic book covers by artist David Aja. This sequence shows Kate’s archery training, then, mastering fencing and martial arts winning countless trophies for all of them. In the present day, it is snowing, while a woman in darkness with a bow, the older Kate Bishop (Hailee Steinfeld) tries to lockpick open a door. Steinfeld is of course known for voicing Gwen Stacy in Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse (2018). Kate Bishop first appeared in Young Avengers #1 (2005). Kate in her purple and black outfit decides to climb the house. She reaches a balcony takes off a duffel bag and gets a call from Greer (Nichele Lambert) who says she might be kicked off the archery team. There is a Greer Grant who becomes the Avenger Tigra, too on the mark? The captions says she is Jane.
Greer is on the ground floor with another friend (Regina Bryant). Kate is doing this as a part of a bet and works out targeting the bell tower. She looses an arrow with a tennis ball that pongs off the bell. Then, Kate attaches a clip to the tennis ball arrow, she looses it and the trick arrow catches on the bell string causing the bell to toll. Then, there the bell starts breaking the tower and falling! I’m not certain how a tolling bell can cause destruction, bad safety checks, Kate should be applauded for finding a dangerous flaw. A guard catches Kate with his flashlight as her friends run.
We get a pan across New York Harbor on this wintry night with some cheery Christmas music. Then, we pan down to see the billboard of Rogers The Musical, probably everyone’s favorite moment from the trailers! Rogers sounds too generic, how about Cap The Musical? Citizens are singing, the lead seems to be Adam Pascal from Rent, yup confirmed in the credits. In the unmoved audience is Clint Barton (Jeremy Renner). The actor is of course known for the Avengers films, he currently is in the Paramount+ series Mayor of Kingstown. A cutout of Loki on the Chitauri sled passes by, low budget effects for a Broadway musical. The Avengers actors are on the upper balcony, not really uniforms, but shirts and jackets. Yes, it is a parody of a musical, but considering that we have a dramatic consequence of the battle, this is in poor taste.
Hulk is just painted green with green hoodie. There’s also some guy a black and red shirt and sunglasses, who is he? It moves to the stage with the Black Widow and others including Loki dancing. The music cuts out. Clint’s daughter, Lila (Ava Russo), tries to talk to him, but he is zoned out. The actress and the kids are the same as in Avengers: Endgame (2019). Clint has his hearing aid on to block out the sound and points out the unusual guy who is supposed to be Ant-Man. Clint leaves as we get the Captain America actor singing the musical’s chorus, “I can do this all day.” He goes to the urinal and next to him, a fan asks for a selfie.
Clint goes out to the rest on the curb, Lila checks on her father, noting that he misses Natasha. His younger son, Nathaniel (Cade Woodward), and older son, Cooper (Ben Sakamoto), joins them and they walk away. At Grand Central Terminal, Kate is talking to her mother, Eleanor wants her to stop by and see Jack. She enters the penthouse with her purple sweater and her mother is not happy about the ruined bell tower. Eleanor has her daughter agree to wear the red dress to the charity event. Kate shows her another medal for martial arts. Also there is Jack Duquesne (Tony Dalton), his character, Swordsman, was introduced in Avengers #19 (1965). Dalton is currently in the drama series, Better Call Saul as Lalo Salamanca.
At a Chinese restaurant, the Barton family is having an elaborate meal. On the phone, is Laura Barton (Linda Cardellini), still at home. Cardellini reprises the part and last starred in Avengers: Endgame. Clint notes that it is six days until Christmas. He asks them all what they want to do and has the family hold hands together. The waiter comps Clint the dinner for saving the city. Everyone thanks the waiter. At the charity event, Armand Duquesne (Simon Callow) recognizes her, and brings up the wedding. Callow stars in the fantasy series, The Witcher. He leaves and Kate brings up the engagement with her mother.
Kate goes outside and sees a dog with one eye, later called Lucky, he shows up in Hawkeye #1 (2012). Lucky later gets his other name, Pizza Dog, when Kate gives him a slice. She goes in to see Armand confronting Eleanor. Kate later questions her mother and then follows Armand to the wine cellar. Jacques joins his father and an auction goes on for millions of dollars. Kate has to slip away from the supervisor and hears in a backroom some mysterious types. The next auction item is a retractable sword used by the Ronin found at the Avengers Compound. The two men leave the back room. The sword is sold to Armand. Next up is the Ronin suit, but then an explosion tears apart a wall.
In the chaos, Jacques picks up the sword, a case has the Ronin suit found by Kate. The robbers, called the Tracksuit Mafia in the 2012 issue of the comic book, are looking for a watch. Armand and Jack are held up by a robber with a machine gun. He is struck down by Ronin, Kate in the suit, she sends them away when there is gunfire. Eleanor walks out to the street trying to contact Kate on her phone. Kate picks up a wine bottle and She takes on the Tracksuit Mafia, effective, but not polished in her fighting skills. It’s kinda obvious from her sounds and also her size during the fights that she is female, but the Tracksuit Mafia think it is the Ronin whom they somehow know. Jack catches up to Eleanor. Kate escapes out of the hole in the wall.
Outside, one man is tossing duffel bags into the back of a truck, he finds the watch from Avengers Compound. Still, Lucky viciously bites his leg! Kate knocks out the robber and then chases after Lucky in the busy street. She does a gymnastic roll and bounces off a taxi window to save the dog. One of the Tracksuit Mafia takes off his facemask, Kazi (Fra Fee). His first appears in Hawkeye #8 (2013). The gang heads off as police sirens blare. The Barton family return to their hotel room when the television news covers the re-appearance of the Ronin. Clint flashes back to the days when he killed as the Ronin in Avengers: Endgame. Unfinished business brings Clint into the picture with Kate, Jack, and the Tracksuit Mafia. Hawkeye has a start that is grounded, but with some fine action, the consequences of Clint becoming the Ronin has to be resolved!
Four Trick Arrows out of Five!
#Hawkeye, #NeverMeetYourHeroes, #JeremyRenner, #HaileeSteinfeld, #VeraFamiga, #TonyDalton, #ClaraStack
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