Thanksgiving is over and the holidays are upon us. For some, that means binging many of their personal favorites and the most iconic Christmas movies, but let’s not forget this era of streaming has made the “holiday series” a notable category. As people gather their picks for “must-watch” holiday content this season, might I suggest adding Marvel’s Hawkeye to the list?
I wouldn’t be surprised if there are a few folks overlooking Jeremy Renner and Hailee Steinfield’s Disney+ series, which is why I’m here to remind everyone it’s a great time to re-watch Hawkeye or even experience it for the first time. I have a myriad of reasons why even the casual Marvel viewer should have it on their list, but for now, let me touch on the major reasons that make this one a classic worth revisiting in 2022 even more so than when it was first released.
Hawkeye Is A Good Way To Ease Into The Holidays
I’m not sure if it’s intentional or by design, but Hawkeye is a series that can really help someone ease into the holidays. Meaning that if you aren’t the type of person who jumps headfirst into merriment and Christmas carols as soon as the Thanksgiving dinner is cleared, this series is a good way to slowly prep for it.
I think part of what makes that possible is that Hawkeye’s story features Clint slowly working through this adventure while trying to ensure he can wrap things up in enough time to get home to his family for Christmas. As such, the episodes are backdropped by a world preparing for the holidays, and while that’s not really the focal point of Hawkeye, that almost makes it better in the context of people gearing up to get in the holiday spirit.
Sure, the holidays are a time for holiday movies, but I think there’s something to be said for the casual holiday thriller. Hawkeye isn’t the only superhero project that takes place during Christmas, but it is one of the most subtle and one that will help anyone ease into that classic holiday spirit. Granted, you may feel a little bummed out towards the start of it, but like most holiday classics, it ultimately gets better at the end.
This Series Has Only Gotten More Relevant Since Its Release
It may be a year old, but it’s fair to say that Hawkeye is about just as relevant, if not more so, in the Marvel Cinematic Universe these days. Marvel is working on a series for Echo, who, of course, has strong ties to the Daredevil franchise and his iconic nemesis Kingpin. Back when the series first aired, we didn’t know a lot about Daredevil’s future in the MCU. That’s because Charlie Cox’s Matt Murdock wasn’t officially confirmed for this universe until Spider-Man: No Way Home, which premiered towards the end of Hawkeye.
Since that epic week in Marvel history, we’ve not only learned that Matt Murdock is back, but he’s getting his own series, Daredevil: Born Again. We’ve also seen that Matt is a bit different than he was in the Netflix show thanks to his appearances in She-Hulk. Of course, he appeared in a series with a comedic slant, so there’s reason to believe his personality might be a bit different, but how does his latest portrayal impact what Hawkeye showed us of Kingpin?
In case folks don’t remember, Wilson Fisk had a lot more going on than a new sense of style in Hawkeye. He was a good deal more durable than he was in the past live-action series and looked to be able to take a ton of punishment without being slowed down. It seemed like a lot of overkill for a villain who would take on a street-level hero, or at least that’s what I thought until I saw She-Hulk.
Now that we’ve seen that the Matt Murdock of the MCU is doing flips down the sides of buildings and other things of that nature, Kingpin’s upgrade in Hawkeye makes sense. Had he remained the character he was in the Netflix iteration, Wilson Fisk would’ve gotten his ass whooped by the new Daredevil like it was nothing. Of course, none of this was apparent at the time of the original Hawkeye airing, so if stuff like that is apparent now, I’d love to see what else makes more sense or what folks might pick up on watching again. At the very least, fans should make sure they’re up to date on Kate Bishop, because she’ll likely be a fairly significant character in the franchise in the years to come.
It’s Going To Take A Moment For Marvel To Kick Back Up In 2023
2022 has been a great year for Marvel, and 2023 looks like it’ll be a blast as well considering how awesome Ant-Man: Quantumania looks. With all that being said, it’s going to take a minute to get the party rolling, as that next movie isn’t set to premiere until mid-February. That means from now until then, audiences will have to suffer through a couple of months where there’s a lack of Marvel programming, which is a bit of a bummer.
Sure, we just received The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, but there’s only so much to pull from that roughly 45-minute adventure. As fun as it may be, it doesn’t have the meat to it that a show like Hawkeye does. That’s not a knock on the hilarious special, but I doubt anyone will be able to or want to binge that this holiday season without searching for more superhero fun.
Hawkeye may not be considered by many to be the best of the MCU shows, but I’d be willing to go on the record and call it one of the most underrated. I’d also argue that it may age better than most the shows considering what we know now, and that anyone who was lukewarm on the show or hadn’t had a chance to see it yet should certainly give it a chance this holiday season.
Anyone with a Disney+ subscription can stream Hawkeye right now on Disney+. Of course, be sure to hold onto that subscription in the new year for continued access to the best Marvel shows and a lot of new ones that are still on the way.
