This article contains spoilers for Hawkeye.
With the penultimate episode airing today, the Hawkeye finale is now just around the corner. The series really has flown by!
It’s been a thrilling adventure so far, one packed full with action, Christmas cheer and plenty of heart, also introducing us to one of our new favourite Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) characters – Kate Bishop, brilliantly played by Hailee Steinfeld.
Episode five, titled Ronin, helped move the final pawns into place, setting up what is sure to be an exciting finale. New questions were posed, and there are still other mysteries to solve too, leaving the show with plenty to wrap up before it bows out.
Let’s dive into our burning questions ahead of the finale.
What Is Eleanor Bishop’s Connection With Kingpin?
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The reveal Hawkeye has been building to arrived with this episode – the return of Vincent D’Onofrio as Wilson Fisk, a.k.a. Kingpin, a key villain from Netflix’s Daredevil show.
Of course, this leaves us with many questions regarding the future of the MCU. Although it’s the same actor, will it be the same version of the character? If so, does this mean other characters from Netflix’s Marvel shows will pop up in the MCU?
There was of course a rumour that Charlie Cox’s Matt Murdock (a.k.a. Daredevil) would appear in the film Spider-Man: No Way Home… and Marvel Studios’ head honcho Kevin Feige just confirmed Cox will reprise his popular role in the MCU at some point. Plenty of food for thought.
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Focusing on the reveal from this episode though, we learn that Kate Bishop’s mum Eleanor (Vera Farmiga) has a connection to crime lord Kingpin, something which is bad news indeed.
Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh) sent Kate a screenshot from a CCTV video which showed the pair together, and whilst the meeting may be innocent, we doubt it.
It’s been clear from the start that audiences should keep a watchful eye on Eleanor. Firstly, you don’t get the excellent Farmiga to simply play a mum – her character was always going to have a larger role in the story.
And secondly, in the opening episode we see Eleanor in a heated argument with a member of the Manhattan elite, Armand Duquesne (Simon Callow), who is later murdered (more on this later). Something has been going on and it seems she’s caught up in a conspiracy with Kingpin.
Why Does Eleanor Bishop Want Clint Barton Dead?
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The second part of the twist came when Yelena added that it was Eleanor who ordered a hit on Clint Barton (Jeremy Renner), with the Black Widow being recruited for the attempted assassination.
Given Eleanor has connections with Kingpin, we guess that this call has something to do with him too, but Yelena is very specific in her message to Kate that her mother was the one to make the order.
So, why does Eleanor want Clint dead? She recognises that he is important to her daughter, so the answer to this question must be significant. Is it something to do with Ronin? Does she want to cut off any link Clint has to her family? All will be revealed!
Where Is Valentina Allegra De Fontaine In All Of This?
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Despite popping up across the MCU timeline recently, Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ Valentina is noticeably absent from Hawkeye, despite having a connection to it.
We saw during the post credits scene of Black Widow that she helped set Yelena on Clint Barton’s tail, telling the assassin he was behind Natasha Romanoff’s death. Given that we now know Eleanor ordered the hit on Clint, with possible ties to Kingpin, it seems Valentina is caught up in this conspiracy too.
She is being set up to be a nefarious version of a character like Nick Fury, potentially forming her own team of antagonists. Is she part of Kingpin’s operation? Is she just trying to create more trouble? Is she actually the one behind all of this? Our bet is that she appears during the finale.
Who Killed Armand?
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The mystery from the opening episode is still yet to be resolved – who killed Armand III?
Kate discovered his lifeless body towards the end of the first episode, declaring that he had been murdered by sword. We pondered then who was the killer, a question we imagine the finale will answer as it must tie to the wider conspiracy at the heart of the show.
Given today’s reveal regarding Eleanor, and the fact that we saw her have a heated argument with Armand, our bet is that she has something to do with the murder.
Especially since we also learned she put a hit out on Clint Barton – maybe she did the same on Armand?
Is Jack Duquesne Really Innocent?
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Another character we have been keeping an eye on since Hawkeye started is Eleanor’s fiancee Jack (Tony Dalton), who we thought was caught up in some shady business. Just like Kate, we have long had suspicions about him.
However, in today’s episode Jack proclaimed he had been set up as he was arrested, and given the revelations surrounding Eleanor, maybe he has been the scapegoat all along. Or is this a red herring, and alongside his partner he is also guilty?
It’s important to bear in mind Jack’s comicbook history here, where he flirts with both the good guys and the baddies. Essentially he’s a circus performer turned morally complex vigilante, going by the alias The Swordsman because well, he’s handy with a sword.
Although he started out as a mentor to Clint, in the comics he also has a taste for a life of crime, one initially driven by his growing gambling debts. This led him to become both a hero and a villain. Our guess is that the finale will reveal which direction the MCU will take the character in.
What Is The Deal With The Watch?
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There’s a lot going on in Hawkeye so we will forgive you if you have forgotten about the watch, which has cropped up a few times during the series.
The Rolex from the Avengers Compound was the main object the Tracksuit Mafia were trying to steal from the auction during the opening episode, and it is something Clint’s wife Laura (Linda Cardellini) has been nudging him on.
We know then that it’s important, and that it belongs to someone Clint says he “used to work with” that has “been out of the game a long time, but their identity is still attached to that watch.”
Our guess is that the owner will be uncovered during the finale, which will also tell us why the Tracksuits were so keen to get their hands on it.
Will Echo Be Able To Forgive Clint?
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Newcomer Alaqua Cox’s Maya Lopez, a.k.a. Echo, has become a great addition to the MCU, and we are excited to see where the upcoming spin-off show Echo takes the character.
For now though, the question is will she be able to forgive Clint for killing her father during his stint as Ronin? Maya has been thirsty for Ronin’s blood wanting revenge, and up until today’s episode she had no idea it was Clint under the mask.
With Clint now revealing himself, and the fact that he received a tip off from an informant which set up the execution, we guess that Echo’s arc is about to take a turn.
Marvel Comics
It looks like her relationship with her uncle Kingpin is set to change (who in the comics was behind William Lopez’s murder), and she has her suspicions about Kazi (Fra Fee) who was mysteriously missing on the night of the death.
What will the finale reveal about the circumstances surrounding this murder? And will it be enough to allow Maya to forgive Clint for his crime?
Hawkeye airs every Wednesday exclusively on Disney+.
