Hawkeye Has Already Set Up The Perfect Unhappy Ending

Warning: SPOILERS for Hawkeye episode 1-4.

Clint Barton was the last original Avenger to get a solo project with Hawkeye, but the show has already set up the perfect unhappy ending despite its cheery Christmas setting. The Hawkeye series is a grounded, small-scale adventure that introduced Kate Bishop (Hailee Steinfield) to the MCU and is building her up to take on the Hawkeye mantle from Clint Barton (Jeremy Renner), just as she does in the comics, perhaps to include her in the MCU's speculated about Young Avengers project. The marketing campaign for the show gave the impression that it will be an action-packed and fun holiday tale, yet the four episodes released thus far contain various hints at a very tragic conclusion for the six-episode series.

Hawkeye starts with Clint spending some quality time with his children during the holidays in New York City, something he's been trying to do since Avengers: Age of Ultron. The Christmas fun comes to a premature end when Kate Bishop dons Clint's old Ronin outfit and runs into the Tracksuit Mafia, one of the many gangs Hawkeye attacked during his time as Ronin after the Blip. Things quickly escalate when Maya Lopez, a.k.a. Echo (Alaqua Cox), who has a personal vendetta against Ronin for killing her father, captures the heroes while Clint is trying to falsify the connection between the Ronin costume and Kate. All this took place while Kate was trying to prove that her mom's new fiancé, Jack Duquesne, murdered his uncle, Armand to secure a generous inheritance.

The Hawkeye series may have some cheerful moments and plenty of humor, but there have been multiple teases toward a tragic finale featuring the death of Clint Barton. The show has already introduced multiple villains who seem keen on killing the Avenger, with more to come, and with the mantle of Hawkeye getting passed down to Kate, the odds of Clint's survival are looking bleaker with every episode. Killing off one of the only three remaining original Avengers by the end of the series would surely be unexpected and tragic, but it could serve as a great culmination of Clint's story arc in the MCU.

Hawkeye Has Already Teased Clint Barton's Death

Throughout Hawkeye's first four episodes, there have been multiple hints that the MCU might be setting up for Clint's death, not the least of which is Kate Bishop being his protégé. Marvel Studios is taking the idea of legacy characters in MCU Phase 4 very seriously, with new heroes taking up the mantles of Avengers who exited the MCU. The Falcon and The Winter Soldier saw Sam Wilson carrying the iconic shield and becoming the next Captain America, while Yelena Belova looks to be taking up the mantle from Natasha Romanoff as seen in Black Widow, and Spider-Man is being set up to be the next face of the MCU, a spot previously occupied by Tony Stark. In all of these cases, the original Avenger died or departed the MCU in some way before the torch was passed on to another character. This strongly suggests that in order for Kate Bishop to become the new Hawkeye, Clint will probably have to die.

In episode 2, Clint meets up with the NYC LARPers, where he agrees to roleplay a fight scene with one of the members to take back the Ronin suit. During the pretend fight, Clint begs the LARPer to kill him, a line that seems to be intended for comedic purposes when taken at face value, but it could carry a deeper meaning, especially with the grief Clint is dealing with throughout the show over the loss of his fellow Avenger Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson) and the guilt he's carrying over his actions as Ronin. The series also takes the time to show how the various battles Clint has been a part of have worn down his body, as he is seen icing his wounds in episode 4, suggesting that his body does not have the same durability it used to due to older age. It's even the reason for Hawkeye's partial deafness and hearing aid, as Clint explains to Kate.

Perhaps the strongest indication that Clint's journey will come to an end during the show's finale is the number of adversaries he is going up against. The first villains introduced by the show were the Tracksuit Mafia, an NYC gang who had run-ins with Ronin in the past and hold a grudge against him. The Tracksuit Mafia is led by Maya Lopez, who vowed revenge against the Ronin for killing her father, and who is deadly due to her martial arts background and her proficiency with weapons. Another antagonist in the series is Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), a Black Widow assassin who was ordered to hunt down Hawkeye and murder him by Contessa Val (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), manipulated into thinking he had purposedly killed her adopted sister Natasha. And while Jack Duquesne (Tony Dalton), also known as the Swordsman in the comics, has so far appeared as a neutral character, it is heavily implied that he has some villainous ulterior motives, and his proficiency with swords makes him a threat. There have also been many signs of the involvement of another villain, one who operates from the shadows and who's orchestrating all of the events of the series. It's almost certain this as-yet-unrevealed villain is Vincent D'Onofrio reprising his role as Wilson Fisk, better known as the Kingpin.

Kingpin Could Kill Hawkeye In The MCU

Hawkeye episode 3 confirms how powerful Kingpin really is

Before the series premiere, various rumors suggested that Vincent D'Onofrio would return to the role of Wilson Fisk in Hawkeye. While the Kingpin is still nowhere to be seen two-thirds of the way through the series, there have been countless teases that hint at his involvement, especially in Hawkeye episode 3. A mysterious character only referred to so far as "Uncle" by Maya has been mentioned more than once by Maya and her father, as well as by Maya's right-hand henchman, Kazi (Fra Free). This mysterious figure seems to be in control of the Tracksuit Mafia since it is implied that Maya Lopez, who was initially thought to be the leader of the gang, answers to him. It would be fitting for Kingpin to be the one to kill Hawkeye, seeing that he is the individual everyone else answers to.

Moreover, Kingpin is no stranger to extreme violence. Every adaptation of Wilson Fisk stuck to his vicious modus operandi from the source material. In Netflix's Daredevil, Wilson Fisk orchestrated and committed some very bloody murders throughout the show's three seasons, which was an important factor in setting him up as a brutal crime lord. More to that point, the version of Wilson Fisk that appeared in Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse killed Peter Parker, the event that catalyzed the movie's plot. While the MCU does have some restrictions when it comes to extreme violence, that doesn't stop Fisk from being the man behind Clint Barton's death.

Kingpin Killing Hawkeye Would Set Fisk Up As A Huge MCU Threat

While Clint has no superpowers, he is still an Avenger, and an original Avenger at that; therefore, killing Hawkeye can immediately establish Wilson Fisk as one of the biggest threats in the MCU. Killing an Avenger would serve as a warning that Fisk is a very dangerous individual, who could play a role in various upcoming MCU projects, such as Echo, Tom Holland's second MCU Spider-Man trilogy, and even potentially an MCU Daredevil project. Additionally, introducing a self-made villain with no superpowers could be a fresh new direction for the MCU to take, especially a villain like Kingpin who usually appears to the world as a philanthropist businessman while he carries out his criminal operations behind the scenes.

On that note, killing Hawkeye could also be a stepping point for the Kingpin to finally come out of the shadows. By killing an Avenger, Fisk could establish himself as the uncontested criminal overlord of New York City. The Hawkeye series is setting up the MCU's Wilson Fisk to be very different from his Netflix counterpart by having him be the man in the shadows while the latter was very much a public figure. But killing Clint, coupled with his rumored purchase of Avengers Tower in Hawkeye, could be the perfect way for Kingpin to step out into the public eye.

Hawkeye's Death Would Be Tragic, But Could Be A Great Ending

Hawkeye's death at the end of his own show would be one of the most tragic events in MCU history. As one of the three remaining original Avengers alongside Thor and Hulk, Hawkeye has a special place in the MCU. Introduced back in 20011's Thor, his journey through the MCU has been emotional, impactful, and full of perils. Losing a character like Hawkeye would be a great loss for the MCU as a whole.

What makes Clint's potential death even sadder than other deaths that have taken place in the MCU is the fact that, while being Hawkeye, Clint Barton didn't get to fulfill his final wish, which was simply to spend time with his wife and children. While most viewers expect the show to end with Clint back home opening presents by the Christmas tree, the direction the show is heading in is much bleaker. Additionally, Hawkeye's achievements will not be celebrated within the MCU like his fellow fallen Avengers. Spider-Man: Far From Home showed how the whole world mourned Iron Man's death, while The Falcon and The Winter Soldier dealt with Steve Rogers' legacy. But, like Natasha, Clint is a ghost and not a huge public figure, so he is unlikely to get the same treatment if his death were to happen in the Hawkeye finale.

Yet, Clint dying in the finale would serve as a great conclusion to the series. Killing Clint would come as a shock, and form a very unexpected twist that would elevate the quality of the show. Clint Barton's timeline in the MCU coming to an end would be a very emotional event and would kick off Kate Bishop's MCU arc in a similar fashion to Peter Parker's as he dealt with the loss of his mentor Tony Stark. Killing Clint off would only leave two original Avengers, further proof that Marvel is moving forward to focus on new characters and superhero teams in the MCU. Whatever the last two episodes of Hawkeye bring, the finale is sure to make an impact on the MCU to come.

More: Hawkeye: 8 Upcoming Projects Featuring The Cast

Hawkeye releases new episodes Wednesdays on Disney+.