Spoilers Ahead

The latest Marvel Cinematic Universe show featured on Disney+, ‘Hawkeye’, was the best MCU show hands down. Yes, ‘Loki’, ‘WandaVision’, ‘The Falcon and the Winter Soldier,’ and ‘What If?’ were good, but nothing compares to ‘Hawkeye.’ Set during the holiday season, and featuring some of the newest and most lovable characters, how could ‘Hawkeye’ not be a hit? The star-packed cast included Jeremy Renner (Clint Barton/Hawkeye), Hailee Steinfeld (Kate Bishop), Florence Pugh (Yelena Belova), Alaqua Cox (Maya Lopez), Vera Farmiga (Eleanor Bishop), Tony Dalton (Jack Duquesne), Fra Free (Kazi Kazimierczak) and Vincent D’Onofrio (Wilson Fisk/Kingpin).

Some of the best parts of the six-episode series were whenever Kate and Belova interacted. Kate couldn’t help herself from liking the deadly assassin with a great personality. However, Belova had a mission: to kill Barton. Belova believes that Barton killed her sister Natasha Romanoff (Black Widow) and wants him to pay with his life. 

Unfortunately for Barton, Belova isn’t the only one after him. Lopez wanted revenge on Ronin for murdering her father. When she sees Kate in the Ronin suit, she sets out to kill her. Barton also sees Kate and tries to help and eventually takes her under his wing and teaches her new tricks and skills. Kate and Barton become partners, and together they stop Lopez and Belova.

Kate’s life is torn apart when she finds out that her mother is the one that hired Belova and is working for infamous villain, Kingpin. She is heartbroken and must decide what she is willing to do to save herself, Barton, and many people. 

Even with all of the laughs and Christmas joy, this isn’t exactly a cheery show. Many people are hurt, death is often talked about, and family betrays family.

I enjoyed the playful banter between Bishop and Barton. Even when Clint wouldn’t admit it, he liked having Kate around as a partner. Seeing Clint visit the 2012 memorial was heart-wrenching. It gave insight into what is going on in his mind and how much he misses his partner and best friend, Romanoff. 

In the end, when it is alluded that Kate will take on the mantle of Hawkeye, it is truly heartwarming. Seeing Barton finally be able to retire and spend time with his family after they were blipped. The blip is when half the universe disappeared due to Thanos’ snap at the end of ‘Avengers: Infinity War’. There is nothing in the world that Barton cares more about than his family. Barton had originally retired but was brought back into the life of a hero in Captain America: Civil War. Bringing him back into the fight was exciting for viewers, but it stopped Barton from getting what he wanted, peace and time with his family. 

Kingpin is a feared villain typically seen in ‘Spider-Man’ and Daredevil comics as well as the Netflix show ‘Daredevil’. Kingpin is usually seen sporting a white suit and a growl. In ‘Hawkeye’, he is the head of the tracksuit mafia (Kazimierczak, Lopez, etc.). I didn’t love this part of the show. Don’t get me wrong it wasn’t bad, but it felt too rushed. They put him in a single full episode which made his story feel too short (even if his story was playing out in previous episodes). I wanted to see more of him and understand him better. Luckily, he is also in the Marvel show ‘Daredevil’ on Netflix.

It was very insightful to see Barton hard of hearing. It showed what the battles have done to him physically, not just mentally. It was also enjoyable for viewers to see Lopez being deaf because it showed that she doesn’t let it stop her from accomplishing her goals (even if hers weren’t very good ones). Lopez being deaf made the MCU more inclusive to all viewers.

One thing that could have been done better was Jack’s storyline. It was predictable and many viewers guessed it after a single episode. Making the twist that he was innocent harder to guess would have made the show more interesting and enjoyable to watch.

Lastly, seeing Barton’s new suit was amazing. The new look is very cool and makes him have a more prominent outfit like his fellow Avengers do/did. The suit was very comic inspired which was a nice nod to all of the dedicated Marvel fans who read the comics, not just MCU fans.

Overall, I enjoyed ‘Hawkeye’ and would give it a 5 out of 5 stars. The storyline was amazing, and the chemistry between all of the characters was outstanding. Showing deaf characters, as well, was a good move. The show truly was the best Disney+ MCU show and shed much-needed light on one of the more forgotten Avengers.