The sixth and final episode of Hawkeye hit pretty much all the beats we were expecting, even if some of the resolutions to the many dangling plot threads left a little to be desired.
For one thing, fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe know better than to believe a major character has died unless we see a body, so most of us are expecting Vincent D’Onofrio’s Kingpin to return in upcoming spinoff Echo. The mystery over Clint chasing a watch was also resolved in a fashion that made the theorists happy, but it’s also led to cries of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. erasure.
All told, though, it was a fitting end to a romp through New York City in the height of the festive season. Audiences would love to see more team-ups between Hailee Steinfeld’s Kate Bishop and Florence Pugh’s Yelena Belova, but the former might have to deal with Avengers membership first.
Whether that’s original, Young or West Coast vintage, it’s definitely happening, with Steinfeld admitting to Entertainment Tonight that Kate is ready for her next challenge.
“She, I think, is forced into the reality of what it means to be a superhero. It’s not all jumping from buildings and making people smile. There is, as she says, collateral damage that that can go along with it. But that doesn’t stop her. I think it throws her and it alters her outlook, but it doesn’t stop this burning fire within her to ultimately help people and protect people. She knows she’s capable of that. And I think that that alone can take us anywhere.”
The members of the young Avengers to have been established in MCU canon now reaches double figures, but Kate is the only one we’ve met so far that’s proven capable of being a convincing leader, other than Yelena, of course.