#How Hawkeye Makes Clint Barton More Than The MCU’s Punching Bag [Exclusive]

“It just made sense that, at this moment, this story of his is being told during this holiday season and sort of pulling a little bit from the different side of him that we haven’t seen before in the last decade that we’ve created that version of Clint. And it is through Kate Bishop’s introduction that helps get this side out.”

Hawkeye first cameoed in “Thor,” but it wasn’t until “The Avengers” that he saw some significant screen time. The only problem is, for much of the movie, he didn’t even have a mind of his own because Loki had brainwashed him. This was our first real introduction to him: as Brainwashed Bow-and-Arrow Guy.

Considering the fact that Renner was coming off back-to-back Oscar nominations when he made his MCU debut, it feels like his character has often gotten short shrift. “Avengers: Age of Ultron” introduced Hawkeye’s family, but he was absent altogether from “Avengers: Infinity War,” and it wasn’t until “Avengers: Endgame” that we saw him undergo some serious character development.

Other members of the “Hawkeye” creative team have said that Clint’s darker Ronin side will resurface in the series, but overall, it’s clearly striving for a cheeky Christmas action movie vibe. Having Kate Bishop (Hailee Steinfeld) act as a character foil for Clint may be a way of fleshing out his character more even as he looks to hand off the Hawkeye mantle to her.

The first two episodes of “Hawkeye” hit Disney+ on November 24, 2021.