Hawkeye Head Writer Teases Many Marvel Callbacks in the Series

The head writer on Marvel’s Hawkeye discussed some of the ways the Disney+ series will include callbacks to the larger Marvel Cinematic Universe. Audiences learned in the opening minutes of Avengers: Endgame that Clint Barton’s family were dusted in the event known as the Blip, when Thanos used the Infinity Stones to wipe out half of all life in the universe. The Avengers successfully resurrected everyone, meaning Jeremy Renner’s Hawkeye could finally retire from the superhero life. Enter Kate Bishop, who teams up with her idol for a new adventure. The cast and crew of Hawkeye attended a red carpet premiere, where showrunner Jonathan Igla was asked how they planned to handle these MCU callbacks.

“It was a constant balancing act,” Igla told Variety. “It kind of became a case-by-case basis. If something was good enough and worth calling back, and felt like it was going to resonate with the show, and not just something I would enjoy as a fan to call back and revisit, that guided it over the line.”

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“We want the show to be accessible to new fans and also to reward the longtime fans. It is a tricky balance, especially as the universe expands and expands,” Igla added. These are wise statements and reinforces Marvel Studios’ dedication to carefully scripting every step of this cinematic universe. Other franchises have run into roadblocks trying to rush into a cinematic universe before focusing on the individual stories. Hopefully, Hawkeye will drop the callbacks in at just the perfect times during its run.

As far as what callbacks could be in store, there are a number of possibilities. We know Florence Pugh’s Black Widow character Yelena Belova will pay Hawkeye a visit, believing he’s responsible for her sister’s death in Avengers: Endgame. Viewers will also find out more details regarding Hawkeye’s transition to the street vigilante Ronin during the five-year time jump in Endgame. We also may find out Kate Bishop and her family have connections to other parts of the MCU. The possibilities are endless.

Hailee Steinfeld knew she would get along with Florence Pugh from the start. “Oh, one hundred percent. I honestly felt that right away. And I hope to god she’d say the same thing. Jeez. Now that I say it, I’m like, ‘I knew right from the start!’ And what if she was like, ‘This girl?’ No, I think we just had similar energy,” Steinfeld told Cosmopolitan. “We had a moment together where we were shooting and something went wrong. There was no recovering from it. I started laughing so hard that somebody thought I was crying-I don’t know what that says about my laugh-and I just remember a flood of people rushing in and being like, ‘Is everyone okay?’ And I’m literally facedown on the ground, just hysterically laughing. Mind you, we were in a scene that was in no way, shape, or form meant to be at all funny. We really did have a wonderful time together.”

Jeremy Renner and Hailee Steinfeld’s Hawkeye arrives on Disney+ on November 24th. What callbacks are you most interested in seeing? List your top choices down in the comments.