What to Expect from Marvel’s New Hawkeye Series

Hannah Loughran ‘25 / Emertainment Monthly Staff Writer

Spoilers Ahead

On Sept. 13, Marvel launched its first teaser for their new Hawkeye series, premiering on Disney+ this November. The trailer features a number of familiar faces such as Clint Barton (Jeremy Renner) and Lila Barton (Ava Russo). There are also some new additions to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, mainly being the introduction of Kate Bishop (Hailee Steinfeld). There have been rumors since the series announcement that the show will hold many similarities to the 2014 comic by Matt Fraction Hawkeye: My Life as a Weapon. With the release of this first trailer, many of these rumors have been confirmed, primarily with the presence of Bishop. 

In the Fraction comics, Bishop is the wealthy daughter of a successful publishing magnate, though she was uncomfortable with the culture surrounding her family and tries to distance herself from her father’s wealth. Throughout the comics that Bishop appears in, she proves herself as a skilled archer and later becomes the prodigee of Clint Barton, taking up the mantle of the name “Hawkeye” in his honor. The two would then work together fighting crime on the streets of Brooklyn. 

The trailer features multiple offenders from the Fraction series, starting with what is known as the “Tracksuit Mafia.” Their main qualms with Barton stem from the apartment building he owns and runs in Brooklyn that they so desperately want to take ownership of. This leads to the occasional shootout and liberal use of their favorite term, “bro.”

Speaking of which, there is one furry face that cannot be ignored in this small feature of the series—Hawkeye’s own golden retriever, Lucky. Lucky, formerly known as “Arrow” or lovingly known as “pizza dog,” used to belong to the Tracksuit Mafia, until one day, Barton showed the dog a bit of kindness, resulting in his unwavering loyalty. 

Besides the featured characters, the series is already appearing to pull storylines from the very same comic book. In the trailer, Barton can be spotted wearing a hearing aid. In the Fraction comic, Barton goes deaf as a result of an accident with a sonic arrow in Hawkeye vol. 1 #19. The issue features American Sign Language as a way to articulate the hero’s hearing loss. Making an often canonically Deaf character hearing has been a valid criticism of Marvel for a long time. It is no secret that the MCU is lacking in disabled representation, and hopefully by pulling this detail from the comics for Barton’s character, it’s a step in the right direction for Marvel. The trailer also features the character of Maya Lopez, who goes by the alias “Echo”, is a Native American, born deaf fighter with the ability to copy any motion she sees, especially fighting style. She is to be played by Deaf actress Alaqua Cox. 

Besides the comic similarities, the trailer is also packed with easter eggs and details from the MCU as a whole. With the addition of a Hamilton style Broadway musical entitled Rogers based on the life of Steve Rogers, it appears the series is going to bring the humor that has come to be known with Marvel projects. The trailer also features some of the long term effects of previous films like Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, featuring the sins of Barton’s past in the form of his alter ego “Ronin”. With the character’s appearance in the first trailer alone, it is going to be interesting to see how Barton not only deals with his actions during the coined “Blip,” but also how the people around him and his family come to terms with his past as well. 

Overall, there are high hopes for the series and while it is not one of the most anticipated of these new Marvel Disney+ shows, it appears to have an important long term plan and message for the universe as a whole.