We’re back with a review of the third episode of Hawkeye on Disney Plus. Be sure to check out our reviews of episode 1 and episode 2 to make sure you’re up to speed since we’ll just hop right in to the latest episode.
Meet Echo
We still technically don’t know her code name, but we get a backstory for Maya (aka Echo), who was briefly shown to be the leader of the Tracksuit Mafia at the end of episode 2. While we don’t get much explanation of Maya’s superpower (the ability to mimic other people’s exact physical actions that she sees) we see her growing up as a young girl without hearing and missing her lower right leg.
Undeterred, Maya clearly overcomes these challenges to make her way in school, the boxing ring, and life in general. It also looks like her father played a key role in her self-confidence. It also appears that her father, while being a loving father, was also a criminal. That is an important aspect as the flashback suggests that Ronin killed her father and his crew, leaving Maya devastated and perhaps understandably, interested in revenge.
Maya begins questioning Clint and Kate, who are being held by the Tracksuit Mafia. She is really after Ronin and while she can’t really think that Kate is the ‘real’ Ronin, the fact that she wore the suit means she must be a lead to finding the vigilante’s true identity.
A Bit on Ronin
So, for those who watched Avengers: Endgame, you know that Clint (aka Hawkeye) took on the personal of Ronin to hunt down criminals and those he deemed worthy of his rather definitive form of justice. While in that film, we saw Ronin taking on members of the Yakuza, he clearly was also going after all sorts of criminal gangs, including some in the US, that would have included Maya’s dad’s crew.
But, the world never learned that Hawkeye and Ronin were one and the same. The only people who ever knew were Clint and Natasha. So, with Black Widow dead, only Clint seems to know the secret. Clint has a pretty strong interest in keeping that secret, as people might come after him and his family if it was known. So, Clint explains that the ‘real’ Ronin is dead, killed by Black Widow. Maya isn’t buying it.
Maya also clues in to Clint’s hearing aid and after they go toe-to-toe in combat, she crushes it. She also gives him some advice that the hearing aid isn’t helping him but hurting him. Foreshadowing? Initially, I wasn’t sure where the storyline of Clint’s hearing loss was going, but now it’s pretty clear it will play into the relationship with Maya/Echo (who is already confirmed for her own Disney Plus series in the future).
A Car Chase with Arrows
Clint and Kate are able to escape from the Tracksuit crew, leading to an exciting car chase, with Kate firing various arrows at the pursuing cars. They all turn out to be trick arrows of different types, causing equal amounts of excitement and consternation (a suction cup arrow, really?). It’s a pretty cool chase scene and ends with our heroes escaping over the side of a bridge and onto a subway train passing beneath.
The duo heads back to Kate’s apartment to let her dog out for a walk and get Clint’s hearing aid fixed. As they eat in a diner, Kate shows him some of her costume ideas to rebrand Hawkeye (including a purple costume straight out of 1980s Marvel Comics Hawkeye). She explains that she has dreamed of doing this all her life. Clint explains that it comes with a heavy price.
This eventually leads to a trip to Kate’s mom’s apartment, as she is still digging into her future stepfather, Jack and whether he killed his uncle. Clint begins walking around the apartment, which should be empty, but as he rounds a corner, we see Ronin’s sword appear in front of his face, with Jack holding the hilt. Fade to black and on to the next episode!
The Real Villain in the Wings
If Maya/Echo goes the way of her comic book inspiration, she won’t end up a true villain. While Kate’s future stepfather seems to qualify, we can’t tell if he’s a real Villain (capital V) or just a minor villain. But, the references to Maya’s uncle and the boss she reports to can only really lead to one person - Wilson Fisk (aka Kingpin). It appears we’ll meet Kingpin (played by the same actor, who played the role in the Daredevil series - Vincent D’Onfrio), which would be the first time any of those Netflix Marvel series is brought into the MCU officially. Stay tuned!
The Show’s Reception
I’ve been reading that Hawkeye is getting the lowest viewership ratings of any of the Disney Plus MCU shows to date. That generally makes sense, as he is the least popular character among these series anchors. However, I wonder if more people will come back around to Hawkeye down the road. The show is doing a nice job of delivering a superhero story mixed with some humor. It’s probably the least ‘serious’ of the Disney Plus series tonally. Personally, I’m enjoying it. I’m not as absorbed by it as I was with some of the other series, but it is still holding my interest and keeping me entertained each week.
