SPOILER WARNING: The following article contains massive spoilers for Hawkeye Episode 5. If you have not yet watched the episode, continue reading at your own risk!
While it feels like Hawkeye has only just begun, the latest Marvel Cinematic Universe series on Disney+ is soon coming to an end. We’ve had a blast in the last few weeks following the adventures on the show – witnessing the path of redemption for Clint Barton (Jeremy Renner) and the introduction of Kate Bishop (Hailee Steinfeld) – but after tonight’s exciting chapter there is only one episode left. It’s a bit sad, as one wishes that we could spend 20 more hours with these characters and this story, but at the same time it’s very exciting, as the events that transpire in “Ronin” a.k.a. Episode 5 set up some exceptionally cool things to unfold in the finale.
It’s perpetually the nature of penultimate episodes to raise a bunch of questions that a show can prepare to answer in its big wrap up, and Hawkeye has proven to be no exception to this pattern. There are a great number of things that we are curious about going into the last chapter of the Marvel series – and we’ll start with a quick analysis of that big reveal at the end…
What Is The Nature Of Eleanor Bishop’s Relationship With Kingpin?
And there we have it, folks: Wilson Fisk a.k.a. The Kingpin (Vincent D’Onofrio) is back! It’s been a long three years since the release of Daredevil Season 3, but the character has now begun his big comeback following some epic teases in Hawkeye’s third episode. It’s all very exciting – but it also inspires some head scratching. In the final moments of the penultimate chapter of the series we learn that the crime boss has forged some kind of allegiance with Eleanor Bishop (Vera Farmiga) and that they are conspiring to kill Clint Barton… but what we don’t know at this point is how the two antagonists are connected.
Given fans complete awareness of what and who Wilson Fisk is, the big question mark in this circumstance is related to Eleanor and her motivations. It’s entirely possible that her role in the relationship tips towards innocent, as we can’t rule out that she made a big mistake at some point in the recent past and that she got caught in a slippery slope by getting involved with the Kingpin (remember that the pilot began with her and her husband arguing about money back in 2012). At the same time, it’s also possible that she is a malevolent force on par with him and that they have a mutually beneficial association that keeps them both rich, happy, and above the law. All we have to go on right now is a screenshot from a video sent to Kate Bishop from Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), and there isn’t much to be gleaned from it.
Why Does Eleanor Bishop Want Clint Barton Dead?
Staying on the subject of Yelena’s texts, one can’t help but notice that the former Black Widow assassin specifically says that it was Eleanor Bishop who is behind the attempted assassination of Clint Barton. Now, we can’t immediately dismiss the possibility that the call was disseminated by Wilson Fisk and that Eleanor was simply the individual charged with setting up the hit – but taking things at face value, a bigger lingering question is the precise reason why Kate’s mother would want Hawkeye dead.
Eleanor clearly recognizes how important Clint Barton is to her daughter – a deep appreciation that extends from the fact that the Avenger saved Kate’s life during the Battle of New York – so why does she want him dead? Clearly she is caught up in some shady business, so is it a matter of revenge for Ronin’s murderous rampage during The Blip? Does he know something that he may not even know he knows? Is it some kind of matter of self-preservation in her dealings with Wilson Fisk? The finale will have to provide some kind of explanation, and we’re excited to hear it.
How Does Valentina Allegra de Fontaine Fit Into The Mix?
Analyzing everything that we know, one particular individual we can’t forget about right now is Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ Valentina Allegra de Fontaine – a figure who we’ve kept at front of mind since her big debut earlier this year on The Falcon And The Winter Soldier. In the end credits scene of Black Widow, she is the one who provides Yelena Belova with the file on Clint Barton, telling the young assassin that he is responsible for the death of Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson), but now the events in Hawkeye indicate that she is also somehow connected to Wilson Fisk and Eleanor Bishop. What we don’t know is why or how.
Valentina’s plans have been raising suspicions from the beginning, as her dealings with John Walker a.k.a. U.S. Agent (Wyatt Russell) immediately registered as all kinds of suspicious, and developments in Hawkeye have only further painted her as a looming threat in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. But what exactly is her connection to the antagonistic forces at play in the Disney+ series? Is she a part of Kingpin’s grand criminal operation, or is she more of an independent player who has forged a temporary deal? We really don’t know much of anything about the grand plans that she clearly has in the works, so hopefully the upcoming finale will provide some enlightening details.
Will Echo Be Able To Forgive Hawkeye?
One character on Hawkeye whose motivations most definitely aren’t a mystery at this point is Alaqua Cox’s Maya Lopez a.k.a. Echo. She has her own close connection with Wilson Fisk, but she has been hunting Clint Barton behind his back – desiring revenge for the death of her father (Zahn McClarnon). In the aftermath of Episode 5, however, her arc is likely to change completely, as Clint dropped some major truth bombs on her that could change her relationship with both her “uncle” and her closest confidant, Fra Fee's Kazi Kazimierczak.
While there is no doubt that Clint Barton killed Maya’s dad during his Ronin rampage, what has changed her perspective is learning about the chain of events that led to the vigilante’s arrival at Fat Man Auto Sales – specifically that he got a tip that set him up to unknowingly execute an assassination. Clearly she is now suspicious that Kazi was the informant who tipped Clint off, explaining why he wasn’t part of the body count the night William Lopez was murdered, but what we don’t entirely know at this point is if she will be ready to forgive the Avenger before the end of next week’s finale.
Is Jack Duquesne Possibly Innocent?
From the very start of Hawkeye, audiences have been set up to be very suspicious of Tony Dalton’s Jack Duquesne. On beyond the fact that the character has plenty of villainous history in the pages of Marvel Comics, he was set up as an antagonist for Kate Bishop as soon as he was introduced as Eleanor Bishop’s mystery fiancé, and his presence at the criminal auction/his fraught relationship with his soon-to-be-murdered uncle (Simon Callow) in the pilot did nothing to make him look like a totally decent fellow. Given everything that happens in the penultimate episode, however, we find ourselves questioning just how bad he is.
One can’t totally dismiss the possibility that Jack Duquesne is still guilty of all the crimes of which he is accused by the end of Hawkeye Episode 5, but the way that events have unfolded make us wonder if perhaps things aren’t as clear cut as they seem. It’s not at all unreasonable at this point to wonder if Eleanor has been setting him up as a scapegoat this entire time, using him to draw attention away from herself by forging tax documents and setting up the murder. Of course, it’s also possible that both are guilty, and that they have both committed terrible crimes that have put people in danger. We’ll just have to wait until next week to find out.
It’s crazy how fast Hawkeye has unfolded, and we are obviously very excited to learn the answers to all of the questions posed above. Look for the finale of the series to drop on Disney+ next Wednesday, December 22 at midnight PST/3am EST, and then be sure to head back here to CinemaBlend in the aftermath for all of our coverage examining what unfolds.
