With WandaVision and Falcon And The winter soldier hogging the spotlight, we tend to forget about another highly anticipated series – Hawkeye. When the show finally hits Disney+, there are certain aspects we would definitely love to see migrate from the comic books to the live action series.
Hawkeye’s Hearing Disability
Clint Barton has been unfairly compared to the DC Comics Superhero – Green Arrow. While the similarities are indeed there, there are tons of differences that fans may not be able to discern at first glance. For starters, Clint Barton’s character development has been very different compared to Oliver Queen’s. A very well-known character development element within Hawkeye’s story arc was his tryst with a hearing disability after getting into a tussle with a super villain. A sonic weapon exploded right next to his ears and Hawkeye had to re-learn the art of archery just by relying on his sense of sight and smell.
Swordsman
A minor Marvel Comics supervillain with a major influence on how Clint Barton became Hawkeye, Jacques Duquesne was a circus performer. He was the one who taught Clint Barton the art of close quarter combat. Duquesne happens to be a master at that field and that is how Clint learnt his martial arts prowess. Later, the protégé realizes that his master is a thief, stealing money from the very circus he was a part of. Duquesne tried to kill Clint to silence him. He was unsuccessful and was put in jail. When Duquesne got out, he adopted the name Swordsman and became a huge thorn at Hawkeye’s side.
Exploration of His Past As a Circus Performer
This is something many of you guys do not know. Hawkeye’s origin story is rather simple and amusing. He was an orphan. He had no parents unlike Tony Stark or friends to fall back to like Steve Rogers. He ran away from the orphanage and found himself as a part of the Carson Carnival – a Circus troupe that was in town at the time. Slowly and steadily, Clint Barton became one of the Carnival’s prime attractions. After he realized the Circus troupe was corrupted, he left it and decided to make a name for himself as an archer extraordinaire.
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Whirlwind & His Connection To The Original Ant-Man
The Hawkeye show needs to make some connections to the larger Marvel Cinematic Universe. An occasional cameo might do some good. But there needs to be something deeper and more profound. That is where the Hawkeye villain Whirlwind comes in. Starting off as a small time villain, Whirlwind would one day become strong enough to fight the entire Avengers. He is a mutant with the ability of super speed. After a while, he changed his name and became the chauffeur of Janet Van Dyne and hank Pym aka Ant-Man and the Wasp. His status as a mutant might also add some much needed spice to the series when the X-Men are drafted into the MCU. Whirlwind is also a major member of the second iteration of Masters Of evil, a super villain gang led by Baron Zemo. He could help connect a lot of dots.
Echo & Hawkeye’s Ronin Identity Crisis
His original costume is ridiculed a lot. But that is not an issue with his Ronin identity. When he became Ronin, Clint Barton suddenly transformed from a sympathetic purple skinned archer to a full blown merciless anti-hero. Hawkeye became Ronin after going though a stage of identity crisis that led him into being considered for the role of captain America. He was then forced to assume the role of Ronin and travel to Japan to rescue Echo, the original Ronin of the Marvel Comic Book Universe. Echo is going to be featured in the series. Hawkeye’s Ronin persona and his history taking over the mantle could get some much needed spotlight.
Circus Of Crime
The Circus Of Crime holds a special place in Hawkeye’s heart. His origin story begins with a circus – the Carson Carnival. So having this super villain group around would not be that much of a bad idea. There have been many incarnations of the Circus of Crime. There were two out in the Old Wild West. One incarnation of the group worked as Nazi spies during the Second World War. The latest iteration of the group is led by Ringmaster, who uses his ability to control others to commit crimes. He once tried to recruit Hawkeye as well as the Maximoff twins for his team but failed. The Circus of crime now regularly fights Hawkeye in battle.
The West Coast Avengers
The Avengers have had multiple incarnations. The West Coast Avengers is a team that is little known outside the comic book fan circles. It was the group that was founded and led by Hawkeye. That was after the founding members of the avengers decreed that Hawkeye should lead the expansion of the Avengers foundation into the western coast region of the United States. Kate Bishop being a part of the Hawkeye series might be a start. the West Coast avengers would most likely get featured in the show one way or another.
Crossfire – Hawkeye’s Greatest Nemesis
There’s a very specific reason why we included this guy’s name on this list. Crossfire is probably the most underrated Hawkeye villain in Marvel Comics. He is the cousin of Darren Cross, a major Ant-Man villain. Using cybernetic implants and his impeccable marksmanship skills, Crossfire intends to turn the superhero community against each other. His real name is William Cross and he believes the idea of Superheroes is obsolete and must be ended at all costs. William Cross has also gone up against Moon Knight, another Marvel superhero who is getting his own solo series. This might pave the way for a crossover in the future.
Trickshot As Clint’s Mentor
Clint Barton has had terrible luck with finding acceptable role models as mentors. After learning close quarters combat from Jacques Duquesne, he fled the Carson Carnival when his mentor tried to kill him. He was then taken under the tutelage of Buck Chisholm. Chisholm was far from being a good guy. He is better known as the villain Trickshot. Trickshot taught Clint Barton archery and it later became the bread and butter of Hawkeye’s fighting skills. It was Trickshot who helped save Hawkeye from Swordsman. Later Barton realized Trickshot was not a good person either and both parted ways.
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Zemo Can Help Connect The Show With Other Disney+ Shows
This guy is already making an appearance as the lead antagonist of Falcon And The Winter Soldier. Zemo hails from a long line of Baron Zemos, all of whom have had a long tryst with villainy. The Hawkeye series could benefit a lot from having Zemo as a supporting character. Since the members of Masters of Evil have a high probability of appearing in the show, Zemo, the leader of the group making an appearance seems only logical. He is also a skilled engineer and strategist. there’s a lot of potential for this character that could be explored in not just one but two shows if need be.
