Marvel has introduced its fans to a number of new characters over the past year and a half, but few of them have been as memorable or likable as Kate Bishop (Hailee Steinfeld). The ambitious young archer made a lasting impression throughout the first season of Hawkeye, which set her up to be one of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s most charismatic new heroes.
It doesn’t hurt that Kate is the kind of character who can lead both her own solo outings and various team-up adventures. In fact, the time she spent learning from Clint Barton (Jeremy Renner) has made Kate one of the few younger heroes in the MCU who could believably take on a leadership role.
It’s for those reasons that Marvel’s newest Hawkeye rumor is so exciting.
The Rumor — Rumors have begun to swirl that Marvel is currently considering renewing Hawkeye for a second season. Earlier this week, the r/MarvelStudiosSpoilers subreddit reported that Marvel doesn’t internally classify Hawkeye as a limited series. A MCU leaker known as DanielRPK backed up that claim by reporting that Hawkeye Season 2 may currently be in development.
As always, make sure to take this rumor with a grain of salt. Until Marvel decides to officially renew Hawkeye for a second season, there’s simply no way of knowing what the studio’s plans actually are. That said, assuming a renewal is on the table, it’s worth noting that Hawkeye Season 2 could serve a major role in helping Marvel further set up the future of the MCU.
Kate Bishop’s Next MCU Adventure — Hawkeye’s first season did an exceptional job of establishing Hailee Steinfeld’s Kate Bishop as a hero. However, Kate still had to share the spotlight with Renner’s Clint Barton. A second season of Hawkeye could give Kate the chance to lead her own solo MCU adventure.
Not only is headlining a TV show something Steinfeld is more than capable of doing (she’s the star of Apple TV+’s Dickinson), but her version of Kate Bishop is compelling enough to lead an entire season of television. A Kate-centric second season of Hawkeye could also, notably, be the last piece that Marvel needs to complete its growing Young Avengers puzzle.
While Marvel hasn’t confirmed anything yet, it’s clear the studio is building towards a Young Avengers crossover movie or TV show. Over the past year and a half, Marvel has introduced numerous Young Avengers from the comics, such as America Chavez and Ms. Marvel. With Cassie Lang set to step into the spotlight in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania next year, Marvel is close to having all the characters in the MCU that it needs to assemble a live-action version of the Young Avengers.
To do that, Marvel still needs to decide which character will be the group’s leader. Not only has Kate led the team in the comics, but Steinfeld is also the biggest star of all of the MCU’s potential Young Avengers, which makes her the most viable candidate to lead the group. A second season of Hawkeye could, therefore, both set Kate Bishop up to be the Young Avengers’ leader and build toward the team’s formation.
The Inverse Analysis — If Hawkeye gets renewed for a second season, there are a number of different directions Marvel could choose to take it in. However, it seems more likely than not that another season of Hawkeye would focus exclusively on Kate Bishop. That opens the door for Hawkeye to not only tell another exciting adventure, but also bring the MCU to the point where it makes sense for the Young Avengers to finally form.
As a matter of fact, Hawkeye Season 2 seems like the only MCU project on the table that could actually do that, which is why the show’s renewal is starting to seem less like a possibility and more like an inevitability.
Hawkeye Season 1 is streaming now on Disney+.
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