Jeremy Renner and Hailee Steinfeld in the new Marvel series Hawkeye, streaming on Disney+.
Jeremy Renner and Hailee Steinfeld in the new Marvel series Hawkeye, streaming on Disney+.
Opinion by Karl Puschmann
Karl Puschmann is Culture and entertainment writer for the New Zealand Herald. His fascination lies in finding out what drives and inspires creative people.
After all the mind-bending multiverse shenanigans and time-travelling loopiness of Marvel's last series, Loki, it feels good to return to solid ground.
In fact, it feels good to be rid of all the superhero stuff. Unlike the preceding three live-action Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) spin-off shows, all powered bypeople with super abilities (WandaVision, Loki) or by their super suits (The Falcon and the Winter Soldier), Hawkeye is just a dude who's really, really good with a bow and arrow. That's it.
There's no radioactive spiders, billion-dollar tech company or science experiment gone wrong in his back story. He's pretty much the Avenger you could have been if you'd spent your younger years practising archery all day, every day, instead of mooching around and watching TV.
Suitably, there's nothing too outlandish or super about his self-titled show. It's a solidly entertaining, street-level action series that happens to be set in the MCU. It's quite refreshing, in that regard.
Of course, that could all change by the time its final sixth episode flies in. We could quite literally be anywhere in time and space, thanks to what happened in Loki.
Hailee Steinfeld as Kate Bishop in Hawkeye, streaming on Disney+.
But you don't need to know about any of that to enjoy this - and for now, anyway, the character's big problems are comparatively small. Alter-ego Clint Barton just wants to get home to his family in time for Christmas dinner, while as Hawkeye he just wants to get an old superhero suit back from the Russian street gang the Tracksuit Mafia.
For an Avenger, it's a relatively straightforward task. Well, it would be if he hadn't found himself also protecting a trust fund kid named Kate Bishop. As a kid she saw him save the city and modelled her life after him, becoming handy with a bow and gaining a karate black belt.
Jeremy Renner and Hailee Steinfeld in Marvel's new series Hawkeye, streaming on Disney+.
She's also the one who drew the attention of the Tracksuit Mafia after she nicked Hawkeye's old suit from an underground auction and then beat up a bunch of baddies while wearing it. It turns out there's a lot of unfinished business between the ruthless Russian gang and Clint, and because Kate's wearing the suit she finds herself in a world of trouble.
Luckily for her, Hawkeye swoops in and saves the day, which, unluckily for him, sees him becoming her begrudging mentor as the whole thing spirals into a criminal conspiracy and becomes much bigger and a whole lot deadlier.
Jeremy Renneras Clint Barton in Marvel's Hawkeye, streaming on Disney+.
As Hawkeye, actor Jeremy Renner has had a bit of a thankless task in the big Avengers ensemble movies. The character isn't as splashy or as super as his teammates and tended to end up in the background. Sure, he's had a few cool slow-mo shots but not a whole lot more than that.
Finally getting his chance to shine, Renner has quickly filled in the details of the character; he's funnier, grumpier and, after the MCU-shattering events of Avengers: Endgame, world-wearier. He looks tired. Which, after the year we've all had, feels extremely relatable.
If there's something Marvel never misses, it's casting - and with Hailee Steinfeld they hit the bullseye. She's spot-on as his overeager and confident apprentice, Kate.
Hailee Steinfeld as Kate Bishop in Hawkeye, streaming on Disney+.
It's a classic odd-couple pairing, albeit one updated for the modern era, that puts a fresh spin on the typical buddy formula, even if it mimics Marvel's own Iron-Man/Spider-Man mentor/mentee dynamic.
The pair have a wonderful comedic chemistry, together with Steinfeld's chipper enthusiasm bouncing up against Renner's deadpan grouch. The moments where they're just chatting or quickfire riffing often overshadows the flashy action sequences we've come to expect from Marvel.
That's before we get to the next pop culture phenomenon; Pizza Dog. An adorable, one-eyed Golden Retriever that Kate rescues in the first episode.
Hailee Steinfeld and Jeremy Renner in the new Marvel series Hawkeye, streaming on Disney+.
As the case gets bigger and the mystery deepens, I hope the show stays focused on its earthly problems and protagonists. As well as wanting to get home, we also see Hawkeye traumatised by the death of Black Widow.
The news that Florence Pugh will reprise her role as the new Black Widow could be a hint that the series is building towards an emotional ending as well as its expected explosive, action-packed finale. Although it's unlikely to be as affecting as its stablemate, WandaVision.
Hailee Steinfeld as Kate Bishop in Hawkeye, streaming on Disney+.
But that's all for later, its weekly episode drop allowing speculation and theories to run wild. For now, Hawkeye is simply a show filled with low-key, grounded fun.
Baddies get beaten up, heroes wisecrack their way right into their next dilemma and there's a healthy embrace of silliness, like an Avengers Broadway musical that Clint suffers through in the first episode and an OTT LARP event in the second.
Even if you're not a Marvel fan, Hawkeye hits the mark - and is well worth giving a shot.
