After weeks of speculation, one of the most popular fan theories surrounding Hawkeye was proven to be true when it was revealed in the finale that the mysterious watch Clint Barton had been searching for did in fact belong to his wife Laura, also known as retired S.H.I.E.L.D. operative Agent 19.
While that’s about as far as it goes in terms of canonicity, fans are already daydreaming about Linda Cardellini’s Bobbi Morse being given a new identity by Nick Fury and building a new life with her husband and their children, free from all the danger that comes with being an expert in covert espionage.
Sure, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. fans aren’t happy that Adrianne Palicki’s Mockingbird has been swept under the rug, in another example of the popular show being tossed onto the scrapheap of continuity. Cardellini’s entire contributions to Hawkeye were largely reduced to ‘wife on the phone’, but in an interview with Marvel, director Rhys Thomas admitted he wants to see much more from the actress in the future.
“We’ve seen her over these years as his wife, and there was obviously a desire [to expand her backstory]. We should know more about her. There’s more to her than just staying at home with the kids. It was a fun little thing to tease out over the season and again a nice little payoff that hopefully promises more of a character planted at the end.”
Should Hawkeye return for a second season, then throwing Cardellini into the deep end and actually giving Laura Barton something to do other than worry about her husband would go down a treat with audiences, and justify the long-running watch subplot with a more substantial outcome.
