Marvel once again proved its success on the small screen with the Disney+ series Hawkeye. The series was very much grounded and it was rather surprising to see how it was able to introduce a wide variety of characters and narratives. The MCU has a certain formula that they follow for their projects and this has been found time and again in their projects. This formula has mistakes that can often end up affecting the narrative and this has been apparent for quite a long time in terms of the franchise. These mistakes can be anything ranging from incomplete resolutions for certain narratives to failing to bring up certain characters in a proper manner. Even though Hawkeye is a major success, it still didn’t manage to get rid of these issues from the franchise. Let’s take a look at some of the issues with the MCU formula that led to several mistakes in Hawkeye.
Reducing The Strengths of The Protagonist To Give Way For New Characters
Much recently, MCU has had the trend of giving way to new characters in order to replace older characters of the franchise. In order to do so, the narrative shows that these characters have actually gotten old or they have experienced a certain defect that has made them weaker somehow. We got to see how Hawkeye was rather weak as there were moments when he almost got defeated at the hands of Yelena Belova and Maya Lopez. This comes as a massive surprise as Clint has had more experience than the two of them and even fought much more dangerous enemies. The tendency to weaken the character has no possible clear explanation and it only ends up ridiculing their past achievements.
Initiating The Show With A Slow Pace
Almost every one of the MCU shows that we have gotten to see started with a rather slow pace. Often this is done to have the first have of the narrative focused on establishing the narrative that will unfold in the rest of the show. This was absolutely fine with WandaVision as that show needed to have the certain mystery it did in order to tell how things are. But in the case of Hawkeye, it actually ended up affecting the interest in the show as it was based on one of the most underrated characters in the MCU. Luckily the second half managed to bring in a much-required pace and was able to redeem the show for the fans.
Not Indicating At Hawkeye’s Own Past
The series focused on present events and other events that associated the character with the Avengers. There wasn’t much reference to the past of the character and how managed to become what he is. There was a massive reference to this with the appearance of Jack Duquesne as in the comics he is actually the trainer of Clint and later ended up being a criminal. So far, we have gotten to see the past of most of the Avengers but this has been completely avoided in the case of Clint Barton. Even though there are certain talks and nods but none of it gives us an idea of how Clint Barton ended up being the hero he is known as.
Having A Very Predictable Villain
The series managed to throw many plots at us to indicate a possible different character arc that will unfold throughout the series. Fans had started assuming Jack Duquesne’s character has a certain mystery around him and this might be indicative of something wrong with him. But one character that the fans were sure about being the antagonist was Kate Bishop’s mother Eleanore. Around the second half of the series, the focus of the fans shifted from Jack to Eleanore as she seemed to have more mystery in comparison to Jack. The problem was that the character of Jack was being treated so poorly that it became obvious that he has no chance of being the villain. Eleanore was not being referenced much even though she was present throughout and this very thing clarified that she might end up betraying everyone.
Revealing The True Mastermind At The End
One of the most exciting moments from the series was definitely the reveal that Vincent D’Onofrio reprised his role as the Kingpin. But this appearance was kept for the finale of the series and he hardly manages to do much before being defeated. This has been a part of the Disney+ shows narrative again and again, where we see the protagonist facing off against the hero at the very end. The problem with this is the fact that we are very less aware of the villain and the appearance at the climax doesn’t really justify him/her character. Another issue is the fact that this leads to a lot of problems being solved in a single episode at the very end thus showing a rather swift solution.
Dropping A Lot Of Future Sequel Options
Giving a reference to the sequels is something that we have seen happen in the MCU projects for quite a long time. Even though we won’t be getting a second season for Hawkeye the ending kinda left a feeling that there is going to be a lot more for the characters of Clint Barton and Kate Bishop. We got to see that Maya ended up killing or not killing Kingpin, which will probably be explored in the upcoming Echo series. The series was basically a vehicle to introduce Kate Bishop to the franchise and she hasn’t yet become the next Hawkeye. These plots weren’t completed and thus we are left to wonder what a possible conclusion for each of these narratives will be.
Not Explaining Reason Behind Certain Revelations
Various MCU projects over the years have had plots that reveal some massive revelations as a part of the narrative but they are not actually expanded upon. The same thing was seen in Hawkeye when we got to see the revelation that Laura Barton was formerly Agent 19 working for SHIELD. Often these plots are explored in another project but that happens very rarely. There was hardly much seen from Laura’s character to give us an indication of what this revelation might mean. The revelation actually meant that she might have meant Clint as a coworker and she might have been as awesome as Hawkeye too. But none of these things even being presented to us cheapens the entire idea of the revelation.
Not Addressing Other Major MCU Characters
Ever since Avengers: Endgame, fans have been wondering what might have happened to the individual characters. They have to wait for quite a long period of time before they can get to see these characters being referenced or having a cameo in a project. Most of the MCU solo ventures tend to avoid major characters from appearing because this would end up building excitement over them. But it is absolutely surprising how the solo ventures have a narrative where a major threat unfolds and yet the single character has to deal with it alone. This goes entirely against the persona of the characters that are a part of the franchise.
Which other mistakes in Hawkeye did you spot? Let us know in the comments.
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