Spoilers for “Hawkeye” ahead!

With the creation of Disney +, Marvel Studios has been able to add six episode shows to the cinematic universe. It started in early 2021 with “WandaVision,” a show based about Wanda Maximoff, or the Scarlet Witch, and Vision, once the robotic assistant of Tony Stark/Iron Man named Jarvis. “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier” followed “WandaVision,” giving viewers a continuation of Captain America’s story, basing the show around Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes. In June, came “Loki,” a show about the beloved anti-hero, brother of Thor. Lastly, during the summer, “What If…?” was added with its bizarre yet intriguing introduction to the multiverse. All the shows did well, with a good number of viewers but a strong mix of reviews.

During the Thanksgiving to Christmas season, “Hawkeye” came out. Earlier in the summer “Black Widow,” a movie, came out, giving viewers the long waited and wanted story about the strong and ruthless Natasha Romanoff, or as many know her, Black Widow.

“Black Widow” was an excellent movie, taking place after “Captain America: Civil War” and “Avengers: Infinity War.” It gave us the backstory of Natasha that we all wanted. We saw Natasha with her family, specifically her sister, Yelena, played by the incredible Florence Pugh.

(Spoilers ahead for “Black Widow” and “Avengers: Endgame!”) In “Avengers: Endgame” Natasha meets her untimely death, sacrificing herself for the world. In the end credits scene of “Black Widow,” Yelena is tipped off that it was Clint Barton (Hawkeye, her fellow Avenger but also close family friend) who killed Natasha, while instead he was just there when he died.

“Hawkeye” starts off with us meeting Kate Bishop, an instant fan favorite played by the talented Hailee Steinfeld. Kate Bishop, a college student, is above average at archery, and meets Clint in a time of stress.

Together, and rather unwillingly on Clint’s part, the two team up. Clint is running away from his past as the assassin Ronin, but during the show, he must turn and face it. Kate is confused by the mysterious adults in her life, some seeming untrustworthy.

The show, with a lot of different villains, and numerous things for the characters to work out by the end of the six episodes, gives viewers something exciting to look forward to each episode. The Christmas spirit in New York City adds a warm and charming touch.

I enjoyed the show when I first started, it, but around episode three or four, when Yelena came in, I got even more excited. We see Yelena in “Black Widow,” of course, but when she comes into the show, we see a different side. We see Yelena after the loss of her sister, still figuring out who she is after being a black widow for so many years. Florence Pugh, of course, gives a perfect performance, and seeing her and Hailee Steinfeld on screen together is gold.

Ultimately, the two face off the villains of the show, but the ending battle between Yelena and Clint is what everyone really looked forward to. Both having lost someone so important to them, yet one seeing it as murder and the other experiencing the loss of a beloved family friend again, the fight is unlike any other.

Of course the show ends well, with everything sorted out. And as a viewer I was happy to see a show where Hawkeye faced his past and connected to Black Widow in ways never seen before. As many Marvel projects do, it ended on a hopeful note of us getting to see more of Kate Bishop and Yelena.