Warning: SPOILERS for Hawkeye Episode 4 - "Partners, Am I Right?"

The solution Hawkeye episode 4 presents for how Clint Barton (Jeremy Renner) gets a new superhero costume is a disappointing way to solve one of the show's mysteries. Unlike Kate Bishop (Hailee Steinfeld), who insists she's the reluctant Clint's partner and came equipped with her own purple and black costume, Barton has endured Hawkeye's action and chaos while wearing his street clothes. But based on Hawkeye's trailers and promotional materials, it's clear Clint will soon don a new purple costume but where it will come from leaves something to be desired.

Clint Barton's costume and his overall branding are among Hawkeye's amusing running jokes. Unlike most of his fellow Avengers, Barton has no desire to be flashy or garish in his presentation. Clint didn't set out to be a superhero who became an idol to millions, especially Kate Bishop. Barton was originally an Agent of SHIELD and, as a super-spy and operative, he was trained to be invisible. Even as Hawkeye, Clint's superhero costume is utilitarian and a muted black with flourishes of purple, his favorite color. Kate obviously modeled her costume after Hawkeye's but she also encouraged him to look more like the superhero she sees him as. Bishop designing a costume for Clint that resembles his classic Marvel Comics look was one of the show's best gags.

Related: MCU Theory: The Avengers' Watch Is Laura Barton's (& She's A Superhero)

In Hawkeye episode 4, Clint sends Kate to retrieve his trick arrows from the LARPers Barton met in Central Park in the second episode, and it sets up how the role-players will be the ones who ultimately create Clint's upcoming new Hawkeye costume. The Live-Action Role Players are made up of first responders and ex-cops, and they turned out to be a friendly and surprisingly talented bunch. When Clint came back to Kate's aunt's apartment and found her trying on a Viking costume the LARPers designed, it set the stage for Hawkeye's next super suit to come from his new, role-playing admirers. But while it's a novel twist, Clint's next superhero costume coming from LARPers is a laughable idea, and not in a good way.

Kate and Clint shooting in Hawkeye

In The Avengers, Barton's costume and equipment obviously came from SHIELD, his employers. By Avengers: Age of Ultron, Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) and Stark Industries were bankrolling Earth's Mightiest Heroes so Clint's new costume and gear likely came from Iron Man and his cutting-edge tech company. By Hawkeye's post-Avengers: Endgame timeframe, SHIELD has been gone for years, Tony is dead, and Avengers: Compound is destroyed, so Barton's current Hawkeye (and Ronin) equipment like trick arrows are all he has. Still, after being the recipient of the best equipment, getting his next costume from a group of LARPers is a big step down for Hawkeye.

Along with Hawkeye's trick arrows, Clint's new super-suit will be iconic since it's a live-action version of the costume Barton wears in Matt Fraction and David Aja's Hawkeye, which has become a modern classic Marvel Comics series the Disney+ show is based upon. Barton's upcoming black and purple Hawkeye suit will be fully functional but it's also great-looking and comics-accurate, which is why it seems silly that the costume will come from a group of LARPers.

While many LARPers and cosplayers are known for their uncanny prowess at designing superhero costumes, their outfits are ultimately meant for show at comic cons and events, not actual combat against criminals like the Tracksuit Mafia and dangerous villains like Maya "Echo" Lopez (Alaqua Cox). Although it's a clever and witty idea by Hawkeye for Clint to get his new costume from his LARPer friends, it undermines Barton as a superhero. The world's greatest archer and former Avenger deserves better.

Next: Marvel Just Debunked Hawkeye's Biggest Iron Man Theory

Hawkeye streams Wednesdays on Disney+.

Key Release Dates