Hawkeye Early Reviews Praise Street-Level MCU Holiday Romp

The early Hawkeye reviews are rolling and critics are praising the return to street-level storytelling for the Marvel Cinematic Universe.. Developed by Jonathan Igla and taking inspiration from the Matt Fraction comics run, the show centers on Jeremy Renner's Clint Barton as he tries to give his kids the best Christmas vacation ever after the events of Avengers: Endgame in which they were all brought back. Their relaxation is upended, however, when the enemies of his Ronin past come back to haunt him and he must reluctantly partner with Hawkeye super fan Kate Bishop to stop them and get home in time for Christmas.

Hailee Steinfeld and Alaqua Cox make their MCU debuts in Hawkeye as superheroes Kate Bishop, who would take on the mantle after Barton, and Maya Lopez, aka Echo. A spin-off centered on Echo was announced to be in early development this past March and confirmed to be in the works on Disney+ Day with Marion Dayre attached as the show's head writer. With just a day remaining until the series' premiere, audiences are eager to see where Hawkeye lands on the MCU and Disney+ review chart.

The first Hawkeye reviews have arrived for the first two episodes of the MCU series and critics are largely happy with the new Disney+ chapter. While some criticism is being directed to the larger focus on Kate instead of Clint and the overall pacing of the episodes, a lot of praise is being aimed towards the chemistry between Renner and Steinfeld, the low-stakes story of the show and the Christmas setting. See what critics are saying below:

Molly Freeman, Screen Rant:

Ultimately, Hawkeye is a charming and compelling addition to the MCU, providing a story with plenty of holiday hijinks. Those hoping for a purely Clint Barton story may be frustrated by the amount of time given to Kate Bishop, but like Black Widow earlier this year, the Hawkeye series was clearly tasked with both giving Clint a solo story and introducing his replacement.

Scott Mendelson, Forbes:

For now Hawkeye is closer in spirit to a Danny Bilson/Paul De Meo 90’s-era network TV superhero show than an MCU epic on the small screen. And for now, that’s fine.

Mike Hale, NY Times:

It’s a modest but promising start, and it seems likely enough that the show can carry its low-key comic energy through four more episodes. It’s less clear whether that will be enough time to wrap up a satisfying story.

Angie Han, THR:

Hawkeye rewards longtime fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In addition to storylines built on the ones that have come before, the series is littered with just-for-fun references like Rogers the Musical, a cheesy Broadway show that turns Captain America’s most famous catchphrase into a chorus. But the series is welcoming to newcomers in a way that other Marvel Disney+ shows, like The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, have struggled to accomplish. Any necessary exposition is baked into the dialogue or the setting, and the main narrative prioritizes character development and chemistry over intra-franchise connective tissue. You could probably enjoy the buddy comedy action beats of Hawkeye without much caring about what’s happening in the rest of the MCU, though all those Easter eggs can feel like pointed invitations to start.

Hawkeye and Kate Bishop sit in a restaurant

Josh Wilding, ComicBookMovie.com:

Marvel Studios is once again sleigh-in' it with Hawkeye, an unmissable Christmastime team-up bringing holiday cheer to the MCU with top tier storytelling delivered in the Mighty Marvel Manner and a bold, brilliant new hero in Hailee Steinfeld's Kate Bishop.

Adam Barnhardt, ComicBook.com:

The return of street-level Marvel stories is refreshing, and the Christmastime setting of Hawkeye — combined with Marvel's classic comedy, largely from Bishop and the Tracksuit Mafia bros — helps provide some needed levity in an otherwise dark series. There are some interesting parallels between Clint examining his trauma here and how Wanda (Elizabeth Olsen) did so in WandaVision, and it may be the most interesting plot thread to watch for as the series progresses. That said, Steinfeld's splendid take on Bishop takes over any time she appears on-screen, so fans hoping to see a Clint-heavy show might get a little bummed out. Regardless, the first two episodes of Hawkeye provide an incredible foundation for the show to build on between now and Christmas as the show serves as a dynamite conclusion to Marvel's first year on Disney+.

Caroline Framke, Variety:

The Disney Plus “Hawkeye” is too beholden to the larger MCU as a guiding narrative force and generic house style of filming to truly find its own voice as Fraction’s “Hawkeye” once did. And in the first two episodes, at least, Kate and Clint barely get enough time together onscreen to fully develop the affectionately snarky back and forth that made them such a compelling pair in the comics.

Brian Lowry, CNN:

Marvel might have reached into its quiver once too often with "Hawkeye," at least based on the first two episodes, which offer a slow start tilted more toward the character of Kate Bishop than the titular Clint Barton. Amusing in places, this holiday-themed series makes jokes about trick arrows, but it's going to need a few more tricks up its sleeve.

Mason Downey, GameSpot:

Now, a full decade after his live-action introduction, Marvel and Disney have finally made the call to bring Clint Barton back around, giving him his very own Disney+ streaming TV show that very overtly wants to reformat the MCU's archer into the version seen in the comics. Unfortunately, it's all too little, too late, and, after the two episodes provided for review, we remain unconvinced that the MCU's take on Hawkeye has anything meaningful left to salvage after all this time left sitting on the shelf.

Hailee Steinfeld as Kate Bishop chase in Hawkeye

Rosie Knight, Polygon:

Creating a smaller scale, lower stakes tale, the show introduces us to the ground-level version of superheroics Marvel is so well known for. It’s a new horizon for the MCU, which turned its most famous street level hero, Spider-Man, into a high-concept high-tech Tony Stark mentee. In that way, Hawkeye feels most like the Netflix Marvel shows but with a family-friendly twist. Quick-witted banter is thrown around as regularly as molotov cocktails, and cozy homes and snowy streets are more common than high-tech HQs. It’s grounded without being overly gritty, and while it leans on the MCU’s past it’s not too lore heavy. All of those things make the first two episodes of Hawkeye the most accessible MCU show yet.

Andrew Webster, The Verge:

Not everything about Hawkeye works — its serious moments can come off a little heavy-handed, like some “Thanos was right” graffiti in a bathroom, and I’m not fully sold on the Christmas theme just yet — but its first two episodes leave a solid initial impression. Like the best of the MCU on Disney Plus so far, including WandaVision and Loki, Hawkeye stands on its own just enough to largely avoid superhero fatigue.

Paul Bradshaw, NME:

Part of Hawkeye’s trouble has always been Jeremy Renner. Always trying a bit too hard to convince us he has a personality, his blank slate persona looks even less refined here stood next to Hailee Steinfeld – who’s bright, grounded charisma lights up every scene of Hawkeye. There’s a clear mantle-passing narrative building up in episode one and two (and anyone who’s read Matt Fraction’s brilliant Hawkeye comic run knows exactly where this is headed), but you sort of have to feel bad for Renner: now not even cast as the star of his own spin-off series.

Matt Purslow, IGN:

Hawkeye is off to a good start, almost entirely due to Hailee Steinfeld’s fun and energetic Kate Bishop. In a universe full of likable characters, she instantly soars to the upper echelon, and helps make a show about the most boring Avenger genuinely joyful. The surrogate father-daughter relationship between her and Jeremy Renner’s Clint Barton may be a tropey foundation, but it really does work here, and paves the way for the oft-dismissed archer to evolve into a much more engaging character.

Jeremy Renner as Clint Barton and Hailee Steinfeld as Kate Bishop in Hawkeye

Ben Travers, IndieWire:

Anyone expecting to unwrap an adventure on par with any of Renner’s past outings as the bow-wielding sharpshooter will be in for a blue Christmas. “Hawkeye” isn’t the year’s primo gift so much as the cheap socks or oversized t-shirt stuffed thoughtlessly into your stocking. Merely there to take up space on Disney+, the first two episodes are so low-stakes and nonsensical it’s hard to believe they’re backed by millions of dollars and one of Hollywood’s most successful studios.

Ethan Anderton, SlashFilm:

"Hawkeye" feels refreshing because of its street-level action and lower stakes. There's no world-ending scenario here. It's Clint Barton trying to keep a bold, capable young woman from making a mess for herself.

Kimberly Ricci, Uproxx:

Never in the past decade would I have imagined being jazzed for a Hawkeye show. And partially for that reason, oddly enough, I’m now jazzed about Hawkeye.

Laura Sirikul, Empire:

Hawkeye is modest in terms of threats and mythos compared to its MCU Disney+ predecessors, but it is nonetheless charming and full of heart. Hailee Steinfeld shines as Kate Bishop and will have many looking forward to her future at Marvel.

The early Hawkeye reviews should come as a generally promising sign for audiences who have waited eagerly for Renner's titular archer to lead his own story. However, the reviews may also come as a disappointment for those who were hoping to see him as the central character for the plot, as Steinfeld's Kate Bishop appears to be taking the forefront of the story in her MCU debut. With Kate being set up to take over the mantle of Hawkeye from Clint, it may not come as a surprise to some that the seeming supporting performer ends up taking on a bigger role than the titular hero, akin to Florence Pugh's Yelena outshining Scarlett Johansson's Natasha in Black Widow.

Audiences may also find their anticipation building further for the show as early Hawkeye reviews highlight its return to more street-level storytelling for the MCU after plenty of large-scale plots. With many fans wishing for such a return to the similar stakes of the Marvel Netflix series, as well as the returns of characters included in said titles, the latest Disney+ show appears poised to fill that void. Only time will tell how audiences respond when Hawkeye premieres on Disney+ on November 24.

More: Every Upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe Movie & TV Show In Development

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