Clint Barton is back in a post-Blip New York, embracing his dadcore side and getting ready for a big family Christmas. Sensible haircut, sensible jumpers, great times. He’s unimpressed by the short shrift he’s given in the Broadway adaptation of the Avengers story, Rogers The Musical (which will 100 per cent become a real thing one day), and haunted by guilt both about the death of Black Widow and his days spent as Ronin, murdering underworld figures with a sword.
Unfortunately for Clint (and his extremely patient wife), his festive plans get derailed when he gets drawn into the life of Kate Bishop, played by Hailee Steinfeld. Kate was inspired to take up a bow after seeing Hawkeye in action during the events of The Avengers, during which her father was killed, and is now a champion fencer, archer and martial artist. She’s surrounded by suspicious, super-rich characters who seem to be up to no good at all, and her desire to know just what the hell is going on kicks everything off, leading her – and subsequently Clint – into parallel underworlds, one of tuxedoed immoral millionaires and one of bat-toting gangsters.
Hailee is second-billed but undoubtedly the star of the show. It seems unlikely her tenure in the MCU will begin and end with this series – if Kate were to end up replacing Clint as Hawkeye entirely and letting him chill on his big-ass farm for a bit, that could be pretty ace.