The MCU’s latest streaming series, Hawkeye, is set to premiere on Disney+ on November 24. Consisting of six episodes, Hawkeye will star Jeremy Renner as grizzled veteran Avenger Clint Barton and Hailee Steinfeld as his enthusiastic young apprentice, Kate Bishop.

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Ahead of the series’ debut, there are plenty of similar movies to check out to get excited about it. There are a bunch of previous Hawkeye-centric MCU projects and Christmas-themed action movies, and Steinfeld once earned an Oscar nomination for playing the bright-eyed protégée of a jaded lawman.

The Avengers (2012)

Jeremy Renner as Clint Barton Hawkeye in Avengers

While the MCU’s Hawkeye was initially introduced at a S.H.I.E.L.D. base in the first Thor movie, he didn’t get to really shine until Earth’s Mightiest Heroes assembled in 2012’s The Avengers.

In the early scenes, Clint is under Loki’s spell and doing Thanos’ bidding. But once Natasha Romanoff has freed him from the Mind Stone’s brainwashing, he proves his mettle as an Avenger in the Battle of New York. This movie has some of Hawkeye’s best MCU action, like shooting an arrow while jumping off a skyscraper and blowing up a Chitauri craft without even looking.

The Edge Of Seventeen (2016)

Nadine Franklin sitting on the floor holding a cell and an ice cream

The Hawkeye series is yet another passing-of-the-torch Phase Four narrative setting up the next generation of Avengers. After Sam Wilson became the new Captain America and Yelena Belova became the new Black Widow, Kate Bishop is about to become the new Hawkeye.

Since Kate is much younger than the other new Avengers, Hawkeye could be a coming-of-age superhero story. Hailee Steinfeld gave one of her finest performances in Kelly Fremon Craig’s coming-of-age gem The Edge of Seventeen.

Die Hard (1988)

Bruce Willis in the vents in Die Hard

Based on the trailers, Hawkeye will take place around the Christmas season (which is appropriate, given its winter release window). The most iconic Christmas-set action movie is, of course, John McTiernan’s Die Hard.

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Bruce Willis plays an off-duty New York cop who flies out to L.A. for his wife’s office Christmas party and spends Christmas Eve contending with the nefarious terrorists who take over the building.

Hanna (2011)

Saoirse Ronan using a bow and arrow in Hanna

When The Avengers hit theaters and Earth’s Mightiest Heroes became mainstream icons, a lot of Marvel fans joked that the team didn’t need Hawkeye. They have a Norse god, a super-soldier, and a big green monster – they don’t need a guy with a bow and arrow.

Joe Wright’s coming-of-age thriller Hanna is proof that archers can make cool action heroes. Saoirse Ronan stars as a teenager who was raised to be the perfect assassin.

Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse (2018)

Spider-Gwen falls through the trees in Spider-Man Into the Spider-Verse

Kate isn’t the first Marvel superhero that Steinfeld will play. The last time she played an iconic hero from the pages of Marvel comic books was Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, in which she played a Spider-powered version of Gwen Stacy from across the multiverse.

Much like her co-stars, Steinfeld gave a phenomenal performance, conveying warmth and nuance through her voice alone. The role of live-action Kate Bishop, just like the role of animated Spider-Gwen, is in safe hands.

Black Widow (2021)

Yelena Belova points a gun at Natasha

In addition to giving Natasha Romanoff a bittersweet swansong, Cate Shortland’s Black Widow gave her sister Yelena Belova a promising introduction. Florence Pugh is confirmed to reprise her role as Yelena in Hawkeye, so it might not be a bad idea to rewatch Black Widow.

The post-credits scene of Black Widow saw Yelena being recruited by Valentina Allegra de Fontaine to track down Clint Barton for his role in Nat’s death, so she could be a villain in the Hawkeye series.

The Departed (2006)

Madolyn with Colin in The Departed

The supporting cast of Hawkeye will feature some familiar faces. Linda Cardellini is back as Barton’s wife, Better Call Saul’s Tony Dalton will play a mentor from his early days, and Vera Farmiga is set to play Kate’s mother.

In Martin Scorsese’s Oscar-winning cat-and-mouse thriller The Departed, Farmiga gives a scene-stealing supporting performance as the police therapist that both the cat and mouse fall for.

True Grit (2010)

Mattie holding a shotgun in True Grit

Whereas the original True Grit was focused on U.S. Marshal Rooster Cogburn to make it a John Wayne starring vehicle, the Coen brothers’ 2010 remake refocused the story on the lead character from the source novel: Mattie Ross, the 14-year-old who hires him to track down her father’s killer.

RELATED: 10 Movie Remakes That Were Better Than The Original (According To IMDb)

Hailee Steinfeld became one of the youngest-ever Oscar nominees with her fierce performance as Mattie. Much like Kate’s dynamic with Clint, Mattie is the tenacious, enthusiastic protégée of a grizzled veteran crimefighter.

Avengers: Endgame (2019)

Hawkeye standing in the rain in Avengers: Endgame

Like a lot of Phase Four narratives, Hawkeye is heavily focused on the aftermath of Avengers: Endgame. The series will follow on directly from Clint’s dark days as “Ronin” and his subsequent semi-redemption with the “Time Heist.”

His wife and kids are back, but he’s still haunted by the past. It’s worth rewatching Endgame for a refresher course on the past that will haunt Clint in the series.

Lethal Weapon (1987)

Riggs and Murtaugh standing side by side in Lethal Weapon 2

While Die Hard is by far the most renowned Christmas-themed action thriller, Richard Donner’s Lethal Weapon was the original yuletide actioner. Lethal Weapon’s seasonal thrills hit theaters a full year before Die Hard. Christmas has since become a recurring trope in screenwriter Shane Black’s work.

The Christmas setting – paired with the buddy dynamic that drives the story – seems to suggest that Lethal Weapon is one of the biggest influences on the Hawkeye series.

NEXT: 10 MCU Projects To Watch Before The Hawkeye Series Debuts