Critics are abuzz over the first two episodes of the Marvel series Hawkeye, of which they had the privilege of early access for review purposes a solid two weeks before they become available to the general public on streaming service Disney Plus.
So far, critics are pretty much unanimously singing the praises of Hailee Steinfeld’s performance as the young Avenger in training, Kate Bishop, as well as the chemistry between her and her revered mentor, the now-retired Clint Barton, played by Marvel Cinematic Universe veteran Jeremy Renner.
Though Disney is keeping all spoilers for the series close to the chest, meaning the critical responses will be fairly cryptic in terms of plot details, we do know it will center around Kate being taken under the wings of master archer Clint as he is losing his hearing and facing giving up the superhero life. The series will open with Clint trying to take a Christmas vacation with his family in New York City, including enjoying a Broadway show about Captain America, before getting intertwined in a local gang’s nefarious activities.
The antagonists our heroes will come up against include Fra Fee’s mercenary clown Kazi and Florence Pugh’s Yelena Belova, from Black Widow, under the control of Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fountain.
The reactions make it clear, the show’s lower stakes story, performances, and dual protagonist’s dynamic are resonating with critics.
The first two episodes of the six-episode series Hawkeye come to Disney Plus on Nov. 24.
