Disney+ - Hawkeye, what you should now about the new Marvel series

By Mulder, 01 november 2021

“This is gonna be the best Christmas ever!” - Clint Barton aka Hawkeye

Marvel Studios’ “Hawkeye” is an original new series set in post-blip New York City where former Avenger Clint Barton aka Hawkeye has a seemingly simple mission: get back to his family for Christmas. But when a threat from his past shows up, Hawkeye reluctantly teams up with Kate Bishop, a 22-year-old skilled archer and his biggest fan, to unravel a criminal conspiracy.

“There is still so much about Hawkeye that we haven’t explored yet,” says executive producer Trinh Tran. “The series allows us to show a new side of Clint Barton. And there’s a fun dynamic between Clint and Kate—they bicker like brother and sister, but they also find a sweet bond along the way.”

“Hawkeye” marks the fifth Marvel Studios series to launch on Disney+, following “WandaVision,” “The Falcon and The Winter Soldier”, “Loki” and the animated anthology “What If…?” “WandaVision” earned three Emmy® wins (outstanding fantasy/sci-fi costumes, outstanding original music and lyrics, outstanding production design for a narrative program), while “The Falcon and The Winter Soldier” received five nominations (“Loki” will be eligible next year).

“Hawkeye,” the first in the MCU to be set during the holidays, stars Jeremy Renner as Clint Barton/Hawkeye and Hailee Steinfeld as Kate Bishop. The series also features Vera Farmiga, Fra Fee, Tony Dalton, Zahn McClarnon and newcomer Alaqua Cox as Maya Lopez. Helmed by Rhys Thomas and directing duo Bert and Bertie, “Hawkeye” is executive produced by Kevin Feige, Louis D’Esposito, Victoria Alonso, Trinh Tran, Brad Winderbaum, Rhys Thomas and Jonathan Igla. Created for television by Igla, the six-episode event launches exclusively on Disney+ on Nov. 24, 2021, with two episodes; subsequent episodes debut each Wednesday thereafter.

The journey to Hawkeye :  Everyman Archer Captures Fans’ Hearts

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is known for its Super Heroes—each with extraordinary super powers and out-of-this-world backstories. But according to the man behind Hawkeye, Jeremy Renner, his character just might be the most relatable hero in the MCU. “Clint Barton is one of the original six Avengers—and everyone aside from Clint and Natasha has super powers,” he says. “That alone establishes a kind of everyman quality, but then you throw in the fact that he has family and changes diapers all while slinging arrows, and I think it redefines what a Super Hero can be.”

Director Rhys Thomas likes Hawkeye’s subtle approach to heroism. “There’s a strength of character in Clint that is so compelling,” says Thomas, who helms three episodes in the series (eps 1, 2 & 6). “It’s a strength that he doesn’t wear on his sleeve either. It’s hidden underneath an imperfect and complex surface. Like all the best heroes, he’s unassuming. He doesn’t have a costume. He has no super power to hide behind or protect him. He’s an ordinary guy with an extraordinary skill, but it’s not as though that skill marked him as a guy who would help save the world. He’s good with a bow and arrow. His weakness—the side of his identity that’s wrapped in guilt and fear for those he loves—is something we can all relate to. How he deals with it and keeps coming back for more is what makes him Hawkeye.”

The character made his MCU debut with a cameo appearance in 2011 in Marvel Studios’ “Thor,” followed by 2012’s “The Avengers.” But it wasn’t until “Avengers: Age of Ultron” in 2015 that Hawkeye truly emerged. “In ‘Ultron,’ they cemented the family life,” says Renner. “I think that was a huge thing for the original six Avengers. It answered, ‘What are we doing all of this for?’ Having that secret family and grounding it in his values—that was a great leap for the character.”

Fans would see the character return to the big screen in “Captain America: Civil War” in 2016 as part of Team Cap, and again in 2019’s “Avengers: Endgame” to help all of the heroes defeat Thanos. But during the five years preceding “Endgame,” Clint Barton went to the dark side as Ronin. Says Renner, “He lost his whole family in the blip, and then he took his pain and rage and sadness out on every bad guy on the planet. Everyone dealt with those losses in a different way—Clint went full-on vigilante. Justified or not, it’s a giant weight on him because he knew he was going outside the moral code of what he is. That’s where we start the series—things that happened in the past catch up to him.”

Bert—one half of the directing team Bert & Bertie, who helm three episodes of the series (eps 3, 4 & 5)—says Hawkeye’s recent past is the root of the new series. “He suffered great loss, both in the blip and when he lost Natasha,” she says. “That set up a very interesting emotional starting point for us: to move forward, Clint would have to relinquish his past to let someone new in. So the depth we were able to mine in his character was a beautiful challenge, and in the hands of a multi-talented actor like Jeremy, we knew the fans would not be disappointed.”

Inspired in part by the popular Marvel comic series by Matt Fraction that ran between 2012-2015, the Disney+ series finds Clint in the Big Apple. Says Renner, “It's six days till Christmas, and he’s in New York because he got invited to see a musical about Steve Rogers.”

Thomas, who directed the first episode, gives high praise to the show-within-a-show. “‘Rogers the Musical’ is a gift to Broadway,” he says. “It’s possibly the greatest musical ever written. Unfortunately, in our show, we only get a portion of it due to our episode length, but rest assured, it’s probably the finest piece of musical theater you’ll ever imagine.”

Meanwhile, says Bertie—the other half of the Bert & Bertie directing team—a dark part of Clint’s past seemingly reemerges—wreaking havoc in New York. “When some stranger is caught on camera in the middle of Manhattan wearing his infamous Ronin suit,” she says, “Clint knows he has to personally see to it that the suit—and the person wearing it, if necessary—is laid to rest.”

The world’s greatest archer : Hawkeye Meets His Biggest Fan

“Hawkeye” introduces Kate Bishop to the MCU. But the character is no stranger to Clint Barton—at least in her mind. According to director Bertie, of all of the Avengers, Kate was drawn to Hawkeye ever since she was a kid. “He couldn't fly, he couldn’t zap people, he didn’t have super strength, no, he was a real-life hero with a bow,” says Bertie. “And she could train to be just like him one day. And that’s exactly what she did.”

So when Kate meets up with the icon late one night in the middle of New York City—and in a heap of trouble—the 22-year-old has a bit of a fan moment. “She’s in awe,” says Hailee Steinfeld who portrays the character. “He’s someone she has idolized her whole life.”

The feeling isn’t exactly mutual, as Clint realizes this young woman—who’s not much older than his daughter—is in grave danger. His number-one mission is to disentangle her from the mess she’s landed in and make it home to his family before Christmas. “I think he sees a lot in her,” says Jeremy Renner. “I mean, at first, she’s a real pain in the butt. But he learns to have a lot of respect and adoration for her, and then teach her and protect her. Their relationship shifts dramatically from ‘I can’t stand this kid’ to ‘I want to take care of this kid.’ The intersection of those two characters is a big part of what this show is about.”

Director Bert says Kate Bishop is the perfect counter to Clint Barton. “She is full of rookie energy; she’s feisty and strong-willed with a deep desire to prove herself,” says the director. “Hers is a refreshing confidence that we don't always get to explore in female characters. She’s got unbelievable skills with a bow and arrow and we love that she knows how good she is. Fortunately, Kate is the comedy foil to Clint’s straight man, so she is endlessly likeable.”

To step into the shoes of a character who unabashedly considers herself the world’s greatest archer—and tells Hawkeye as much shortly after meeting him—Steinfeld went through extensive and varied training. “I love that this role is very physical,” she says. “I started training in Los Angeles on the stunt side of things with my dad, who is a personal trainer—the best in the game, if I do say so myself.

“I had a few archery lessons with an amazing coach in Los Angeles,” Steinfeld continues. “I was first introduced to the technical side of things—the mechanics of the holding the bow, and learning how to change the limbs. I’m so grateful for it now, but at the time, I was like, ‘Dude—I really just want to shoot.’ When I went to Atlanta, I started working with the bow in a different way through stunt training. A bow is a weapon without any arrows, and I had to learn how to fight with just that. I started getting into exercises and circuit training that would help me with those muscles, because if you’ve never shot a bow and arrow before, you are sore in places you never knew you could be sore in. It looks so beautiful and effortless, but it’s so hard.”

Steinfeld adds that the stunt team, led by stunt coordinator/trainer/double Heidi Moneymaker, had her back the whole time. “She was so wonderful and patient,” says Steinfeld of Moneymaker, who’s doubled for Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow since “Iron Man 2.” “We got to a place where she could throw anything at me—but that didn’t just happen, I definitely had to prep for that. A lot of times, a fight sequence looks incredibly intricate and very overwhelming and intimidating, but it’s nice to have somebody that believes in you and pushes you. Heidi and the entire stunt team always made me feel very safe, which is important.”

Not unlike what his character did for Kate, Renner helped usher Steinfeld into the MCU. “She’s a very talented actress,” he says. “She’s wonderful to work with and very fluid. I took on the role of shepherding her into how Marvel Studios works—all the stunts, the chaos of schedules—there’s always a lot going on. I tried to protect her as much as I could, and she just fell into trust with me. I have absolute respect and love and admiration and trust in her. You have to have that, I feel, for true art to exist. We had to trust each other and just go for it.” Steinfeld agrees. “Right away I felt this sense of comfort knowing that this is a world he has been in for more than 10 years,” she says. “He was wonderful in showing me the ropes and collaborating with me in finding this amazing dynamic between Clint and Kate. It’s been really fun.

“Finding the banter between Clint and Kate came pretty naturally,” Steinfeld adds. “It does feel quite similar to the banter that I have with Jeremy.” For Renner, having the flexibility to draw out the characters in a series was a welcome gift. “It’s a great way to tell stories,” he says. “It’s like a six-hour movie spread out over time. With everything in the MCU that Marvel Studios can and does pull off consistently, it really elevates the streaming game.”

Adds Steinfeld, “As crazy and wild and surreal as this show might feel at times, it is very human. It feels very real, and it feels very raw. It’s rooted in family. They’re all emotional beings going through life and trying to get through challenges that either they have to prove to themselves that they can get through it on their own, or that they need somebody to get through it with. It’s a very real and honest story at the end of the day.”

Synopsis :
Marvel Studios’ “Hawkeye” is an original new series set in post-blip New York City where former Avenger Clint Barton aka Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) has a seemingly simple mission: get back to his family for Christmas. But when a threat from his past shows up, Hawkeye reluctantly teams up with Kate Bishop (Hailee Steinfeld), a 22-year-old skilled archer and his biggest fan, to unravel a criminal conspiracy. 

Hawkeye
Created by Jonathan Igla
Based on Marvel Comics
Starring  Jeremy Renner, Hailee Steinfeld, Tony Dalton, Fra Fee, Brian d'Arcy James, Aleks Paunovic, Piotr Adamczyk, Linda Cardellini, Simon Callow, Vera Farmiga, Alaqua Cox
Music by Christophe Beck, Michael Paraskevas
Executive producers : Jonathan Igla, Rhys Thomas, Brad Winderbaum, Trinh Tran, Victoria Alonso, Louis D'Esposito, Kevin Feige
Production locations : New York City, Atlanta, Georgia
Cinematography : Eric Steelberg, James Whitaker
Editor : Terel Gibson
Production company : Marvel Studios
Distributor : Disney Platform Distribution
Original network : Disney+
Original release November 24, 2021 – present

Photos : Copyright Walt Disney / Marvel

(Source : press production notes)