Jeremy Renner explains Kate Bishop and Hawkeye’s relationship ahead of the release of Hawkeye. Hawkeye, the next live-action MCU series in the lineup, follows the successful Disney+ releases earlier this year of WandaVision, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, and Loki. The new series stars MCU newcomer Hailee Steinfeld and MCU alum Jeremy Renner and is set to debut on November 24 on Disney+, with new episodes streaming on Wednesdays. 

Hawkeye follows Kate Bishop, portrayed by Steinfeld, a 22-year-old hopeful heroic archer who comes under the tutelage of Avenger Clint Barton/Hawkeye. In the comics, Kate Bishop is the natural successor to Hawkeye’s mantle, which is likely to be the case here as well. The series also stars Vera Farmiga, Alaqua Cox, Fra Fee, and Tony Dalton. In an anticipated continuation of the MCU’s most recent film Black Widow, Florence Pugh will also make an appearance as Yelena Belova. Pugh’s reprisal of Yelena Belova will likely result in a confrontation with Barton that was teased in the Black Widow post-credits scene. 

Related: Yelena’s MCU Future Flips Black Widow’s Hawkeye Meeting

In a new interview with EW, Renner explained that the nature of the two archers’ relationship is based on Bishop’s admiration of Hawkeye. Renner dubbed Bishop a “fangirl” of his character, further revealing that her stance as his fan fuels her annoying yet charming personality. Renner further reveals that the relationship between the two may stem from her fangirling, but blossoms into a complex situation in which Clint must deal with the fallout of letting Kate Bishop into his life. Additionally, it is assumed that their relationship will greatly affect Clint’s ability to cope with the death of his best friend and fellow Avenger Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow. 

"[Kate is] a 22-year-old kid and she's a big Hawkeye fan. She has a wonderfully annoying and equally charming manner about her, because she's such a fangirl of Hawkeye. The relationship grows from that, but the biggest problem for Clint is Kate Bishop and the onslaught of problems that she brings into his life."

hawkeye first look image kate bishop clint barton

There is still so much that is unknown about the series, namely how Bishop and Barton enter each other’s lives to begin with. Additionally, the role Cox’s Maya Lopez/Echo will play in the series is still mainly a mystery. Echo is a deaf Native American superhero whose power allows her to mimic the movements of others. Additionally, not much is known about how deeply the series will dedicate itself to playing out Yelena’s resentment towards Clint for the death of Natasha. It will also be interesting to see how Barton and Bishop’s relationship ties into Barton’s fatherly duties with his own children and family. 

Hawkeye seems as though it will parallel another upcoming Disney+ series, Ms. Marvel. Ms. Marvel follows teenage girl Kamala Khan as Disney’s first Muslim superhero who is a fan of Captain Marvel (played in the MCU by Brie Larson). This pattern, of creating a more meta understanding of hero-society relationships and fanaticism, could help build a more self-aware post-Infinity Saga MCU. However, only time will tell.

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Source: EW