Hawkeye's TV Show Can Introduce The MCU's Best Legacy Hero

Marvel Studios is working on a range of eight-to-ten-episode big-budget TV shows for the Disney streaming service, and a prime contender should be a Hawkeye show, focusing on the relationship between Clint Barton and his protege/partner, Kate Bishop.

Jeremy Renner's Hawkeye has been a major character in the MCU, although Hawkeye has never been the star of his own film, and technically spent a good part of The Avengers working for the bad guys. Avengers: Age of Ultron expanded his story more by exploring his family life, and saw him step up as something of a mentor for Scarlet Witch. That paid off in Captain America: Civil War, when Hawkeye left retirement to talk Wanda into breaking her "house arrest." The founding Avenger was absent from Avengers: Infinity War, but is expected to suit up as Ronin in next year's Avengers 4. By all accounts, he'll be an important figure in the film.

There's long been talk of a Hawkeye movie, and Jeremy Renner has always been positive about the idea. "Just don't wait too long," he quipped in an interview last year. "I don't want to be in my 50s in tights." The latest reports, however, suggest that Marvel may be changing direction. The studio is working on a series of film-budget mini TV shows for the Disney streaming service, with characters like Loki and the Scarlet Witch reportedly set to star in their own series. It has since been suggested that Marvel may be changing plans for Hawkeye, pivoting towards turning this project into one of the shows. What's more, as had previously been implied, the rumor suggests the show will introduce Clint Barton's replacement - who fans can only assume is Kate Bishop. True or not, the idea makes sense, and it's one of the best possible uses of Hawkeye.

This Page: Introducing Kate Bishop - The Next Hawkeye
Page 2: The Matt Fraction Run Would Be Perfect

Introducing Kate Bishop - The Next Hawkeye

Kate Bishop fires an arrow in Marvel Comics.

Created by Allan Heinberg and Jim Cheung back in 2005, Kate Bishop was introduced as a civilian who crossed the paths of a team known as the Young Avengers. Independent, tough-minded, and devastatingly blunt, Kate was no "damsel in distress." Her introductory scene saw her one of a number of wedding guests held hostage by gunmen, and she was visibly frustrated. "We can take these guys," she protested to the bride. "There's two hundred of us and only five of them." It didn't take long for Kate to suit up and, given she believed Clint Barton was retired at the time, she soon took up the "Hawkeye" codename.

Marvel Studios seem to be increasingly interested in exploring the so-called "Legacy Heroes," like Sam Wilson's Captain America or Kamala Khan's Ms. Marvel. The Young Avengers - who also included Scott Lang's daughter, Cassie - were essentially the forerunners of the whole idea of Legacy Heroes. Kate Bishop was one of their most popular characters, and she soon wound up partnered with Clint Barton himself. Amusingly enough, neither was willing to give up the "Hawkeye" moniker, even though they tended to work together a lot. If Marvel really is considering giving the MCU version of Hawkeye a protege, Kate is frankly the only possible candidate.

Page 2 of 2: The Matt Fraction Run Would Be Perfect

Clint Barton and Kate Bishop in the comics

The Matt Fraction Run Would Be The Perfect Inspiration For A Hawkeye Series

Any story featuring Clint Barton and Kate Bishop will inevitably draw inspiration from Matt Fraction's 22-issue run, which kicked off in 2012 and swiftly became the defining vision of both characters. He envisioned a tense relationship in which the two heroes - both socially awkward - formed a surprisingly warm-hearted alliance.

Fraction's Hawkeye run kicked off when Clint Barton decided he wanted to make a difference in the world. When he learned that residents of an apartment block were being unceremoniously turfed out, it launched him on a campaign to right that small injustice. Clint stole a fortune from local crime bosses such as the Kingpin, and used it to purchase the block of flats. Unfortunately, what he didn't know was that this was prime real estate being sought by the crime bosses he had just seriously irritated. The more Clint tried to help, the more difficult it got, until finally gunmen and assassins were storming the building.

Partway through the series, Fraction switched things up by having Clint suffer a head injury that left him deaf. Pushing people away became even easier for Clint, and for a while even Kate abandoned him. But, gradually, his friends returned, and the partnership between Clint Barton and Kate Bishop proved enough to protect that apartment block.

It's a powerful series, one centered upon a strange, mismatched relationship in which it's frankly hard to tell who is the student and who is the protege. In truth, Clint and Kate are equal partners; Clint has the experience, but the Fraction run even hinted that Kate may be the better marksman. The story's great advantage was that it avoided the kind of high-stakes, world-ending plot that's often seen in comics. Instead, it was grounded in real life, and took the time to explore the lives of those who are touched by heroes. As editor Sana Amanat reflected in the final issue, "Hawkeye signaled a shift in the way we told comics at Marvel." That approach is ideally suited to the episodic nature of a TV series.

How Would Marvel Adapt The Comics?

The Clint Barton of the MCU is very different to Fraction's version of Hawkeye, which means this story would need heavy adaptation. For one thing, in Avengers: Age of Ultron Joss Whedon drew liberally on the Ultimate Comics incarnation of Hawkeye, revealing a hero who was secretly a family man. While it's generally believed Clint's family were killed when Thanos snapped his fingers, prompting the archer's transformation into Ronin, that probably won't last. Avengers: Infinity War killed heroes who are certain to return, meaning every other victim of the snap will come back too. So Clint's family will presumably have to be part of this story.

And yet, there are certain similarities. The Clint Barton of the MCU is a man of contradictions, just as in Faction's portrayal. He's a family man who doesn't talk about his family to his close colleagues, an inspirational hero and mentor figure who wants to retire, a reluctant champion who can't resist a call from Captain America. Hawkeye's contradictions have cost him dearly, and they suggest a character every bit as complex as the one Faction penned. Look closely, and you can see some very similar character beats; a surprisingly solitary hero who pushes people away, a man who'd like to choose the quiet life but can't resist the urge to oppose evil and injustice.

The plot of Hawkeye probably wouldn't translate well to the MCU; this version of Clint Barton, after all, has a farmstead, a wife, and kids. But the character dynamics, not to mention the innovative tone and style of the Fraction run, would still be a natural fit. Kate Bishop wouldn't need much - if any - work as a character to allow Marvel Studios to set up a similar relationship between their version of Clint and Kate.

Looking beyond a potential Hawkeye series, the great thing about introducing Kate Bishop is that it's another step on the road towards the Young Avengers. Marvel has already expressed interest in that idea, with Kevin Feige admitting they were planting seeds with Cassie Lang in Ant-Man & the Wasp. That's a move any Marvel fan would surely celebrate.