After years of anticipation, we’re finally getting the first official details surrounding Marvel’s Hawkeye series, which is expected to debut on Disney+. The live-action venture will continue the story of Clint Barton (Jeremy Renner), while also introducing his fan-favorite fellow Hawkeye, Kate Bishop (Hailee Steinfeld). On Thursday, fans got the first details surrounding the series’ supporting cast, including the reveal that The Conjuring and Bates Motel star Vera Farmiga is lined up to play Kate’s mom, Eleanor Bishop. While the very idea of the Oscar-nominated actress appearing in the MCU has gotten fans hyped, some have already begun to speculate that she could have a larger role — particularly as the infamous Marvel villainess Madame Masque, a character who has already been rumored to debut in the series.
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In the pages of Marvel Comics, Eleanor Bishop is believed to have died while on a trip to Colorado, something that continued to haunt Kate and her family for quite some time. Eventually, it was revealed that Eleanor had actually been alive all along, and that she was really up to something incredibly sinister — orchestrating the actions of Madame Masque, a villain who had grown to be Kate’s nemesis. In her later appearances in the recent West Coast Avengers run, Eleanor’s story was taken into an even weirder direction, when it was discovered that she had joined a vampiric cult in California.
Even just at face value, here are undoubtedly nefarious pieces of canon that the Hawkeye series could use for Eleanor Bishop’s story — but the idea of her being Madame Masque would take things one step further. Not only would it provide an epic role for Farmiga to play, but it would help bring a more streamlined, but still faithful version of the Madame Masque storyline – one that is an integral part of who Kate is as a superhero – but it would arguably make it a bit more tragic, with a potential reveal a la the time Bucky Barnes was unmasked in Captain America: The Winter Soldier. It would also tie up the established aspects of Madame Masque’s canon in the MCU – namely, the fact that Wynn Everett portrayed an alternate version of the character in the 1940s-set series Agent Carter. While there’s always a chance that Marvel’s casting announcement could be earnest, and Farmiga could just be playing Eleanor pulling the strings of another actress playing Madame Masque, it’s hard to deny that the alternative would be a lot of fun to see.
Do you want Vera Farmiga to play Madame Masque in the Hawkeye TV series? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!
Hawkeye is expected to debut exclusively on Disney+. If you haven’t signed up for Disney+ yet, you can try it out here.
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