And with that, 2021 Marvel content has come to a close.

Hawkeye series conclusion has left us moving in ten different directions, with character stories branching several different ways. For our full thoughts on the episode and where we think this finale has left several characters, listen to the podcast linked below or click the button to find your preferred listening platform.

I think the most important place to start is with Clint and Kate, as it is quite literally titled Hawkeye. For a while, many believed we wouldn’t see Clint walk away from the show or would see him go into retirement permanently. As the show was based on passing the torch, neither of these options seemed unlikely, and the weirder option was actually if Clint just went on life as normal. And then the conclusion left him going back to life as normal. So what does this mean? Personally, I think Clint is going to likely be the person to form and/or help lead the Young Avengers. Since we know that is Kate’s fate (at least eventually), I could see Clint acting as a guide to her and the other Avengers, as this show put a lot of emphasis on him as a mentor figure. I don’t see much of a use in killing his character off, but I also think he is moving away from the intricacies of being an actual Avenger himself. For Kate, her next appearance is likely going to be the Young Avengers, although rumors have been floating around about her teaming up with Yelena in a Black Widow sequel.

Something that was pointed out in the podcast episode and I want to bring up here is that Kate’s mom, Eleanor, is likely going to play a pivotal role in Kate’s heroic life. Kate chose justice over her own mother, something that clearly didn’t sit well with Eleanor. She will be back and will likely be the one villain that Kate is not going to shake for a little while. While Kate is 22, I wouldn’t be totally surprised if she stays with Jack to some degree. Of course, we know she ends up at Clint’s for Christmas, but Jack being a genuinely good guy and helping her in battle likely has created a new turn in their relationship that Kate, now having no real parental figure in her life, will likely want to explore. They also share a connection through the pain Eleanor brought onto both of them through her business dealings, something literally no one else could relate to.

Since it has already been mentioned, rumors of Black Widow 2 starring Yelena and Kate have been circulating and might be where we see our new Black Widow next. While she has been rumored for the Thunderbolts or Dark Avengers since the end of Black Widow, I wouldn’t be entirely against seeing her in (kinda) her own film first. However, fighting Clint and moving past her anger was definitely a wake-up call for Yelena and has created emotional distress that she will need to work through. I don’t think we will be seeing her pop up any time soon, as 2022 brings very different stories to the MCU slate. Since everything for Yelena’s future is rumored right now, I would rather put my money on seeing a glimpse of her in an end credit scene somewhere to at least guide us in whatever direction she is going next. Since the Snap and Blip, there’s no telling if she finished freeing all the Widows, so for now we can possibly assume she’s going back to doing that or is continuing to work for Valentina.

Maya we know is receiving her own show, but the biggest question in relation to her is what is it going to be about? We know her anger lies specifically towards Kingpin, but I do wonder if she will become similar to Ronin, taking down organzied crime. She has so much knowledge related to it, however she wanted out completely, so I wouldn’t be surprised if her show just works to set her up for something else entirely. I don’t see Maya escaping the grip of organized crime as cleanly as I think she wishes to and this is something that may be explored in her show, along with her coming into who she is without the Tracksuits and Kingpin.

Since I mentioned Kingpin, I might as well straight out say we know he isn’t dead. Marvel would not waste bringing in the same actor from the Daredevil show just to kill him off within two episodes (although should I say this when they did what they did with Ralph Boner?) Bringing in Kingpin here was the perfect way to set up his possible involvement in the next Spider-Man trilogy and the gunshot very likely didn’t kill him. It’s also possible Maya was never aiming to kill exactly, only hurt, as we don’t know what she feels completely towards him, someone who has been a strong figure in her life for years. Either way, the shot went off hidden from the camera for a reason.

Now, if you listened to our podcast episode (as you should have), you know Taylor and I weren’t the biggest fans of the finale of Hawkeye. While it definitely wasn’t my favorite finale, I can’t say that I didn’t love the show and wouldn’t love to see a Season 2. Maybe Season 2 could see some Daredevil action if we were to get it? Just a thought and interesting way to bring Matt further in past his NWH cameo. I definitely think if there is a second season that some of the heroes who are in or around New York should at least give a cameo, just to help bridge the awkward gap of having several heroes in one place but never interacting or addressing that they’re in the same place. Either way, the show was absolutely amazing and I am excited to see where all these characters end up next. While there is a slight lull in content, make sure to catch up on everything from 2021, since Marvel just blew your mind, so let’s talk about it.

Image: “Hawkeye Episode 6”, Rachel Leishman, The Mary Sue

I honestly can’t think straight.

This episode was truly something else, in the sense that it just opened more doors while perfectly closing others. And what I really love is that it didn’t feel like a lead-up episode, in the sense that its’ only purpose is to prepare us for the finale. It gave us just enough new information and so it’s time we break it all down, starting with this week’s podcast which you can listen to below or press the button to find your preferred podcast platform.

Let’s start with that opening scene. Hawkeye has not missed once with the opening scenes of each episode, but I have to say this one may have been my favorite. This is really only the second time we really see someone come back from being snapped and how they react, the other time being Monica in WandaVision. What is most powerful is that Yelena has been given a background to us prior to this show, allowing us to feel even more connected to her and how jarring the experience was for her. When she was dusted, she was doing the very thing we knew she set off to do at the end of Black Widow, which was free the other Widows. And when she came back, you could see the pain she felt of losing five years of her life and the anguish at needing to find her sister and make sure she knew she was okay. Natasha saved her sister and everyone else at the expense of herself, but the heartbreak for Yelena to come back and find she is dead makes it clear as to why she was so quick to want to go after Hawkeye.

Of course, this then bleeds into that great scene between her and Kate. The next generation of archer and widow has been established and has officially had a girl’s night. I love this interaction between these two and think their characters are amazing. I find it amazing how different the two of them view Clint, one of them seeing him as a role model and another accusing him of bad deeds and being a terrible person. Obviously, as fans, we see such a different point of view from the hero that we know, but it is a great way to show the dark side of our heroes and that not everyone loves them.

The biggest thing that came out of this episode was 100% that ending scene. We were ready and have been and we have officially now seen Kingpin on our TVs. But not even Kingpin being there is what makes that ending scene as dramatic as it is. Eleanor Bishop being in a meeting with the man himself and being the one to hire Yelena makes that aspect of the scene even deeper. As some of you may know, I called Eleanor being sketchy from I think episode one or two. But to see her there, with Kingpin himself, is really what blows my mind. She is likely his eyes and ears, using her security company as a source for him to know everything that is going on. They knew who Ronin was, and I bet that is how Valentina had the image of him unmasked. When it was convenient for Kingpin, he used Ronin as a weapon, and now he knows that Ronin has too much knowledge to be back and working again (even if he never officially was). Eleanor, as terrible of a mom she can be at times, wants to ensure her daughter’s safety, even though she partially was the one to jeopardize it, to begin with.

Now does all this mean I think they will be going after Kingpin in the season finale? No, I don’t quite think so. Kingpin’s introduction is meant for a much bigger role of the character and this likely means a faceoff with our friendly neighborhood Spider-man. I truly believe that Hawkeye was a great entrance point for him, but he definitely won’t be part of the big battle. His goons on the other hand? Most likely, but it won’t be the Tracksuits unless Kazi leads them. Uncle (Kingpin) is still the highest leader of the Tracksuits and Kazi is now feeling even more pressure from Maya and her questions about the night her father died. This is where we are going to see Maya and the Tracksuits split and likely where Kazi will finally take the lead, as he was supposed to when Maya’s father died but was not allowed to. With her own show in the works, I wonder if Maya will take on a similar role to Ronin and go after the underground crime organizations to get to Kingpin. Regardless, the big bad of the final fight scene may remain partially unknown (as we know Yelena is still going to go after Clint), but we do know there will also likely be a culminating point between Kate and her mother.

As I said earlier, this show has not missed and I’m hoping that its’ finale will hit just as hard as the rest. There has been a rumor of a second season, but nothing has yet been confirmed. With the ending of this episode, we are definitely going to see some poop hit the fan in the final episode, so be prepared Marvel fans. Make sure to watch the last episode of Hawkeye as soon as possible and enjoy, as the next piece of content is Morbius and then possibly a hefty break. Soak it all in, as Marvel just blew your mind, so let’s talk about it.

Image: “Hawkeye Episode 5”, Annika Rollock, Tor Com

Oh, how I love to be right.

Before I get into just how semi-right I am (I could be more right than I think I am but this episode hasn’t yet confirmed enough for me to say that), make sure you listen to our full thoughts in this week’s podcast linked below. If Spotify isn’t your main platform of preference, press the button to our podcast page and find whichever platform is your favorite.

So now to talk about just how right I was. Kate’s mom is on something and I called it. Not to brag, but because I very rarely get to actually say I was right about a prediction, I am going to just say I told y’all so. But moving away from the pat on my own back, the big question is who Kate’s mom called when Hawkeye had just left (also give me a moment and I will discuss how rude I found her to Hawkeye). If Jack is involved with the Tracksuits and Kingpin is considered Uncle and the big cheese to them, I’m considering Kingpin to be our mysterious phone call. Which is fitting, as I’m sure Kate’s mom did some sketchy things to get where she is now and doesn’t want to lose that. The other possibility would be Valentina, mainly because we then see Yelena’s appearance at the end of the episode. Either way, I have said before how I don’t think Kate’s mom is a good person in general, and how she even spoke to Clint about Natasha shows that. She was under the guise that it was for her daughter’s safety, but in reality, she doesn’t want her daughter to find out her beloved mother is evil. And in doing so, she helped to trigger Clint which leads to the episode’s ending that we will get to later.

As for Jack, I think he’s aware but he’s a whole idiot and once again not any sort of bad enough person. He is just in on his soon-to-be wife’s evil empire and adventures. I also find it really suspicious that Kate was sure both of them wouldn’t be home and instead they were, making it feel that they were aware that Kate and Clint would stop by.

I want to skip a little past some of the wholesome moments and go right to Yelena’s appearance. There are two things I realized in this episode, and one probably should have been noticed when Black Widow came out. First off, Yelena has no clue Hawkeye/Ronin is Clint, her sister’s best friend. I totally forgot in Black Widow that Natasha tells stories about her and Clint to Yelena, meaning Yelena does not truly know the identity of the man she is after. Or if she does, she is so blinded by hatred and revenge, although I feel Yelena would question why her sister’s best friend killed her. Second, Clint does not know that in the time Nat was on the run she disbanded the Red Room. If anything, Yelena confirmed to him that the Red Room still exists, as he thought he and Nat took it down ages ago. He believes a Black Widow assassin is after him, and while technically true, she is not under the control of anyone, just doing a job. Seems a little strange that Nat wouldn’t have filled him in on such a big aspect of her life while they were separated.

Moving forward, as I called earlier in the predictions and will call again now, Kate and Yelena are about to be besties. The parallel between the fact Clint’s best shot was the one he didn’t take (aka Natasha) and now Kate purposefully not taking the shot on Yelena is the perfect setup to show that these two are going to continue the Hawkeye and Black Widow friendship into another generation. I also really like that Yelena knew she wasn’t there for Kate and latched her before throwing her over the edge. There was no reason to kill her, even if she was defending Clint.

So now we need to talk about the watch. It doesn’t appear to be one of the watches used to jump through time and belongs to one of Clint’s very much alive associates. So, putting the clues together, I kind of want to see it could be Bruce, as he is someone we have seen since Endgame appear and would have been at the compound. I would have said Tony but he’s dead (sorry). And the only other person who could really mess with me would be Steve. Steve hasn’t genuinely been confirmed dead and it would explain why Clint wouldn’t want to blow his cover. I’m sure they told the world that Steve died. My only issue is this is almost two years after Endgame and Steve was like really old in Endgame. But he is still a super soldier and it would be quite the reveal if they confirmed that Steve was actually still alive.

Now episode 5 of Hawkeye is supposed to seriously break the internet, which is funny timing, as Spider-Man: No Way Home is coming out the same week. Either way, get ready and be prepared for such a crazy week. Make sure you keep up with all the content, both Marvel’s and ours, as Marvel just blew your mind, so let’s talk about it.

Image: “Hawkeye Episode 5”, Joe Skrebels, IGN

Hawkeye is shaping up to be one of my favorite MCU shows so far. And that’s saying something cause I’m a Bucky, Wanda, and Loki fan.

Hawkeye episode 3 has given everything we ever needed and some more. And the show as a whole is doing a great job at creating the story of the crime scene in New York City, something we barely have seen so far in this version of the MCU. But before I go any further with our reactions and thoughts about episode 3, make sure to listen to all of it in full by clicking play on the podcast list below.

So let’s start off by talking about Echo and her past. I like villains that are motivated by good reason and I would say she is one of them. I don’t know how involved in her father’s business she was prior to his death, but I think it gives her even more depth to see that she was essentially the sweetheart of the Tracksuit Mafia. But we can’t talk about Echo without bringing up Uncle, who I think we can all say is Kingpin. Unless you are too scared to confirm it until you see him, but that voice is too distinguishable. One thing I can say that I was semi-right about was that Echo is going after Ronan on her terms, not so much Kingpins. She wants revenge, and we see that is even causing a slight rift between the Tracksuit Mafia and herself. They may work for her, but as the show has made clear, there’s someone above her that they all know would not be happy with her taking her own path and causing unneeded trouble. Did someone say Kingpin again? And will this rift cause issues? Oh, yea I’m calling it now.

As promised, we did say we would give a little of a rundown on who exactly the Swordsman is. So he has a sort of interesting history in the way that he is never quite a good guy but also never a full bad guy. His story begins in a circus where he meets a young Clint Barton, prior to him being Hawkeye. It is possible in the MCU this relationship is mirrored by Jack’s relationship with Kate. He then goes on to get himself into trouble and nearly kills young Clint. Past that, he is involved in crime and tries to be part of the Avengers. His story overlaps several known characters, such as Captain America, Scarlet Witch, and Black Widow. Interestingly enough, he also has a run-in with Kang, yet that story is a little bonkers and would definitely never make it to the big screen. Overall, he isn’t a very stand-out kind of character with the exception of how involved in the crime world he is. And of course, he runs into money problems that leave him broke, something we see being played out in Hawkeye. But due to his nature of skirting the good and bad line, there’s not really a way to tell what direction he will go in Hawkeye. My thought is he isn’t truly a bad guy, and as we said in the podcast, he is far too obvious to be a main antagonist.

As there’s the running theory based on what the watch from the Avengers compound is, I think the appearance of Pym tech is pretty important moving forward. In this episode, Hawkeye himself even highlights how it doesn’t seem to be a good thing that things from Avengers compound are being sold on black markets. If the watches themselves are what the villains are after and we now have Pym tech (aka the thing that makes the watches go back or forwards in time) are making appearances, we should probably be worried about what that means.

Yelena, my beloved. She did not make an appearance yet this episode, although she’s coming. I mainly know this because there’s literally only three more episodes and she has to appear in one of them. Once again, she is not working or involved with Echo and this episode made that fairly clear. Echo appears to have her own problems.

As I spoke about in this podcast episode, my money is lowkey on Kate’s mom being a villain of some sort. She seems just the right kind of sketchy to have me keeping my eye on her. She has just as much access to swords as Jack does and I wouldn’t be surprised if Jack’s uncle let her into his home under the guise that she would be apologizing about their previous argument. Ironically, Jack would have much more to lose if his uncle died, even if they didn’t always like each other. Kate’s mom on the other hand? She’s a successful rich woman who would do anything to keep that power. That’s not typically the type of character that creates a feeling of safety and heroism.

Now with three episodes left and Spider-Man: No Way Home around the corner it is so important to keep up with content. I know I say this every week, but if you really don’t want spoilers seriously do your best to keep up. We will be throwing our own content at you at warp speed, with podcasts for episodes 4 and 5, along with Spider-Man predictions and reactions all coming within the next two weeks. And I think this time I really can say that Marvel is about to blow your mind, so let’s talk about it.

Image: “Hawkeye Episode 3”, Andrew Kolondra Jr., Vanderbilt Hustler

I love Kate Bishop.

The first two episodes of Hawkeye were amazing and honestly have me so freaking excited for more. I was already looking forward to more of this boots on the ground type of hero, but seeing Clint and Kate interact and fight has really helped to refocus the MCU. Don’t get me wrong, I love all of the space and magical aspects, but sometimes I like to get down to what we know and love. For our full reactions and thoughts, make sure to listen to the podcast episode below!

Breaking into some of the theories, the first that I think many have been drawing attention to is that Clint may die at the end of this series. Now personally, I think Clint might be a great candidate to help lead the Young Avengers as more of a mentor. However, many have been making the connections between Clint and Kate’s relationship and comparing it to Tony and Peter’s. Of course, we all know how that turned out for Tony. There’s no real telling what may take place, but I am passionate that Clint is going to live to see another, well, something, even if it is just a small role or cameo. Unfortunately, the scary part is that the time jump makes the future so much more uncertain.

A reoccurring issue for many fans has been who bought the Avengers tower, as we found out all the way back in Far From Home that it was sold. Hawkeye once again brings up this age-old question, but I have a feeling we might actually find out who has it or at least get a hint. I know Taylor is super passionate about it being the Baxter building, but with the premise of Hawkeye, I’m starting to think that our friend Kingpin owns it now. Or, and now this one is a stretch but just follow me with it, it’s possible that the current owner of the building is not necessarily the person who initially purchased it. Who actually knows, but I think we might find more out about it. I would say it could be interesting if we are seeing the effects of the Multiverse and maybe Oscorp now owns it? Too far?

We have now seen our first glimpse of Echo, Kingpin’s adopted daughter who has now kidnapped our heroes. A part of me thinks her little kidnapping bit is unrelated to Kingpin at all and she has personal reasons for wanting Hawkeye. I also think she is completely unrelated to Yelena and will instead amount to having almost a war over who gets Clint. There are a lot of people intertwined here, but also all working with their own motives. I don’t think Kingpin necessarily cares about Clint, as at this point he is no longer Ronan and it has been two years since he has been. I also don’t believe they fully know Clint is Ronan. Echo doesn’t want him for being Ronan, she wanted Hawkeye and we know Yelena just wants Clint, couldn’t care less who he is. Even if Echo is still in with her adoptive father, I can bet Clint is a side project for her.

I have to quickly mention a huge easter egg in the series that falls under Kate’s aunt. Moira Brandon in the comics helps to save Hawkeye and his wife. With this, she becomes an honorary Avenger and Hawkeye goes to form the West Coast Avengers. Moira’s house then serves as their headquarters. Now is it likely we are getting West Coast Avengers? No, not really, only because Marvel has made it clear our heroes don’t really operate by country lines, let alone state lines. But it may indicate that a new team is forming, and that is likely the Young Avengers (although is this really any news to us?). Whether we ever actually see Moira is still up in the air, but it is a little call to the Young Avengers who have been slowly appearing as Phase 4 has been underway.

Of course, there is always so much more to say, but you definitely need to listen to the podcast to hear it all, in-depth! On a different note, I hope everyone was able to get their Spider-Man: No Way Home tickets. I can tell you I waited 3.5 hours to finally get through on a site but I finally did it. Hopefully some of you had better luck than that. But as always Marvel has a ton of content coming your way so it is super important to keep up, as Marvel just blew your mind, so let’s talk about it.

Image: “Hawkeye”, Rachel Paige, Marvel Unlimited

I can’t believe I’m saying it, but it’s time for the Hawkeye show predictions already.

Feels weird right? Honestly, it feels like just yesterday that we were talking about the Hawkeye show in the sense that it was six months out. But as the end of 2021 comes flying towards us, so does the final show Marvel is releasing for the year and the second to last piece of content. As always, for the full content mix, make sure to check out the podcast episode below!

The first thing that must be addressed is that we just found out that Hawkeye takes place two years after Endgame. This opens a whole new hallway of confusing doors. Keep in mind, the MCU is still in 2023 (the year Endgame takes place), which means that it was already two years ahead of our present day. But now Hawkeye is supposedly an additional two years on top of that, taking place in 2025. Far removed from just about any other Phase 4 event that we have seen so far, meaning we cannot take this show for much in where we are right now. I wanted to bring this up as well because I know Taylor and I discuss a lot where this show fits in the podcast, but now this confirmed 2025 date means that just about all of our thoughts are wrong. It also means that trying to figure out some of the context of Hawkeye is going to be more difficult to stomach, as we now have a two year gap again that is yet to be filled with content. Essentially, I’m trying to tell all of you, watch Hawkeye and enjoy it just to watch and enjoy it. Don’t put too much thought into what the heck is happening around it in the MCU or you might just drive yourself insane.

I know this is Hawkeye’s show, but I want to talk about Yelena. We know she is going to make an appearance due to the Black Widow end credit scene and we know she is going to be coming after Hawkeye. This time removal makes me believe even more that Yelena was likely snapped and spent awhile looking for her sister before finding her final resting place. This also helps set up the possibility that Valentina has recruited more Dark Avengers/Thunderbolts in this time gap, as we do know Falcon and Winter Soldier was right after Endgame.

I am beyond excited to see that we are getting Kate Bishop and I think she is going to hold a pivotal leadership role moving into Young Avengers. As we watch the torch pass to this younger Avenger, we have to remember that she is one of the few who will have been ‘trained’ by a real Avenger. This gives her a stronger ability to lead, but also I think would give some redemption to Clint who tended to fade into the background behind the Big Three (and I’m not talking about Sam Wilson’s Big Three). Hailee does such a good job at bringing depth to the character, but also capturing that sarcastic essence that Clint himself has. He clearly takes a liking to her and it is likely because of how similar he finds her to himself.

The show is going to deal with Clint’s actions during the five years that the Snap had taken his family away from him. As he says in the trailer, his past has caught up to him. What is interesting is his past has to deal with more direct organized crime, something we haven’t really touched on in the MCU. I know a big player that may come in here and has been rumored to is Kingpin, which would set up further Spider-Man films as well. My thoughts are we may not see him in full in the show itself, but either have him be alluded to or have an end credit scene allude/show him. With the time jump between where the MCU is now and where Hawkeye is taking place, I can’t see Marvel showing all their cards when they have No Way Home and Multiverse of Madness hitting theaters in the next 6 months. On top of this, it could be an interesting way to bring him in, as the Multiverse is likely not going to be a one and done thing. We may be seeing the effects of it for quite awhile through the MCU.

There isn’t much more to say than to make sure y’all watch the double header of Hawkeye when it comes out Wednesday. Soon following, we will release our thoughts and reactions to the first two episodes and you want to definitely make sure you are ready to hear those! Get ready for some hectic times, as we also have Spiderman: No Way Home coming out in the middle of Hawkeye. Stay up to date with all this content, since Marvel just blew your mind, so let’s talk about.

Image: “Hawkeye”, Joseph Baxter, Den of Geek