Fans will often overlook a show’s inaccuracies for entertainment’s sake, but Marvel’s Hawkeye has received backlash over one episode’s depiction of firefighters.
A recent post on Reddit by a fan called out the show for glossing over the fact Grills, a firefighter, stole the Ronin costume out of Kate Bishop’s burned apartment after dousing a fire there.
One quirk with the Hawkeye episode was the depiction of Grills, juxtaposed against what he actually does. One user noted that stealing — from someone’s burnt house, no less — was only the tip of the iceberg for the character, who is on a lengthy redemption arc.
Fans called out not just Grills’ actions, but the injustice where he faced zero repercussions even after being caught by Clint Barton.
Grills is the only firefighter in the show, which makes his characterization even more significant. MaverickBuster gives a second-hand account of how some real-life firefighters reacted.
User GenghisTron17 argued Grills is one person and his actions do not define the morality of a whole workforce.
Those who have a problem with Grills should also question the actions of the heroes throughout Hawkeye. Boyfrommd pointed out Grills’ actions were easily forgivable when compared to the far more severe crimes committed by protagonist Clint, who murdered numerous people after the ‘snap’ occurred in Avengers: Infinity War.
The final episode of Hawkeye is due to air this week. But considering the show has ignored these problems thus far, and there’s plenty of loose ends to wrap up — including who owns the mysterious Rolex — it’s unlikely we’ll get a satisfactory resolution to Grills’ morality.
