Marvel Just Gave Hawkeye The Darkest MCU Avengers Moment
Warning! Spoilers ahead for Hawkeye episode 4.
Hawkeye now has the darkest Avengers moment in the MCU. Marvel Studios' Disney+ Hawkeye series puts the spotlight on Jeremy Renner's Clint Barton as he continues his journey past the events of the Infinity Saga. A big part of Hawkeye's story is about its titular character's time as Ronin — something that wasn't properly tackled in Avengers: Endgame. And in an effort to keep his past life as a vigilante a secret, as well as, protect those closest to him, Barton is willing to do something nefarious that no other Avenger has even mentioned doing before.
With four episodes in, Hawkeye is now at the latter half of its season 1 run. Barton's relationship with his protege, Kate Bishop (Hailee Steinfeld) has been effectively established. Although the Avenger still has some skepticism about taking on an apprentice, Bishop's enthusiasm and their current circumstances have forced him to partner with her. Together, they make a decent team, fighting Maya Lopez (Alaqua Cox) and the Tracksuit Mafia. As the first Marvel Studios project set during the holiday season since Shane Black's Iron Man 3, Hawkeye is full of Christmas cheer. Despite that, it also features the darkest moment any Avenger has ever had in the MCU thus far.
In Hawkeye episode 4, "Partners, Am I Right?," Barton and Bishop continue their partnership as they delve deeper into the mystery surrounding the Tracksuit Mafia. Barton is particularly interested in Maya, however, as he correctly presumes that hunting Ronin for her is personal. In an effort to convince her to lay low, the Avengers' resident marksman seeks Kazimierz "Kazi" Kazimierczak (Fra Free) instead, knowing that he can convince her to drop her quest for the masterless samurai. During their conversation, Barton reasons with him, saying that "Maya could get herself killed" if Maya insists on hunting down Ronin. This effectively implies that Barton is willing to kill her if she doesn't give up on her search, marking the first time that an Avenger straight-up threatens to murder someone.
Barton's need to protect Kate, who's presumed to be Ronin after she put on the suit in Hawkeye episode 1, goes some way to explaining his actions. However, it's still unnerving to hear him actually threaten Kazi about potentially killing Maya. It's uncertain if the hero just said that to drive his point or if he's serious about possibly committing murder. Regardless, no other Avenger has been this open about wanting to assassinate a foe. Thor (Chris Hemsworth) did explicitly talk about wanting to properly kill Thanos (Josh Brolin) in Avengers: Endgame, but the context between that and what's happening in Hawkeye is different. The Mad Titan committed a heinous crime against humanity; the God of Thunder took the death of his people and Loki (Tom Hiddleston) personally, so it was an act of revenge on his part. For Barton, he doesn't even know why Maya is coming for Ronin, and he isn't interested in finding out. He just wants her to stop hunting him down.
Barton is clearly desperate in Hawkeye. He just wants to leave his past as Ronin behind and live a peaceful life with his family. But his time as the vigilante is coming back to haunt him with Maya on his tails. The involvement of Bishop in this whole mess makes everything much trickier as he also feels somewhat responsible for her. With the revelation that Maya is looking into Hawkeye's family, it's curious if the Avenger will be more open to killing her to keep both Bishop and the Bartons safe.
Hawkeye airs every Wednesday on Disney+