CAUTION: This post contains SPOILERS for both Hawkeye and Spider-Man: No Way Home
As the TV side of the Marvel Cinematic Universe continues to expand with Hawkeye —the fifth MCU show to drop on Disney+ this year — we’re seeing more and more of what fans love most: crossovers. We don’t need to remind you of the crazy things that went down in Spider-Man: No Way Home, and last Wednesday, the crossover fairy visited Hawkeye.
t’s been long debated whether Netflix’s Marvel shows (which include Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Iron Fist and The Punisher) were actually canon in the wider franchise. But with the reintroduction of Kingpin in the Hawkeye finale, played by the wonderful Vincent D’Onofrio in Daredevil, it’s official. Even Spider-Man: No Way Home featured a surprise cameo appearance from Charlie Cox as Matt Murdock, proving that Marvel wants to integrate these characters and actors into the MCU proper.
Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, Hailee Steinfeld (Kate Bishop) talked about what it was like acting alongside Vincent D’Onofrio. Apparently, it’s pretty intimidating. “It’s a very different experience standing underneath Vincent and hearing him,” she said. “To be in his presence is really something. I’ve been a fan of his for a very long time. It’s always amazing to be a part of something with people that you really admire. I’m excited to see people watch it unfold.”
Hawkeye has been full of holiday joy, with jokes cracked at almost every turn, but things are about to get very serious, very quickly. Might this be the episode we finally see Kate Bishop have her superhero moment?
"She knows everything she needs to know when she hears Clint say, “This is the guy I’ve been worried about the whole time.” That right there is enough for her to need to come to her senses and figure out how to handle the situation. If it didn’t feel real before, it’s real now. After all the partner talk and jokes that have been thrown around, now she has the opportunity to step up to the plate."
Check out the teaser for the season finale, ominously titled “The Boss,” below. While it doesn’t show Kingpin, it teases his arrival. I mean, we do see his foot and cane, if that counts.
Hailee Steinfeld was “so impressed” with Florence Pugh in Hawkeye
After making a brief appearance in Episode 4, Black Widow star Florence Pugh made her full Hawkeye debut as Yelena Belova in the penultimate episode. In the episode, Yelena and Kate Bishop have a chat together over dinner. Well, Yelena is eating and chatting away, while Bishop sits in silence, confused over who her visitor really is. However, in between the witty awkwardness, there’s a lot of heart and emotion.
“That scene, in particular, was so fun,” Steinfeld said. “There’s a lot of layers. It’s always exciting to dig into a scene like that. When you first read it, you laugh, there are points that you love and connect to.”
"But when you really get into it, you understand that there’s a deeper meaning to this very fun scene that has a lot of great banter between these two really awesome characters."
Given that there’s still a lot of story to cover, you’ll be glad to know that Wednesday’s Hawkeye finale clocks in at 59 minutes, making it the longest episode of any Disney+ MCU show! With Kingpin now back in the action, perhaps it’s time to call Matt Murdock…
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