After her cameo at the end of episode two, this week’s third episode of Marvel’s Hawkeye explored Echo’s backstory and explained her determination to capture the Ronin. It turns out that Alaqua Cox’s character lost her father, a high-ranking member of the Tracksuit Mafia, when he was murdered by Ronin. Or was he? This convincing fan theory suggests that Clint might’ve actually been framed for William Lopez’s death.
As pioneered by user u/LR-II on the r/MarvelStudios subreddit, this theory points out that the flashback to Lopez’s murder doesn’t provide us with “a good glimpse at the killer,” only that it’s “someone in a hood with a sword.” The Redditer says they slowed down the scene in question and couldn’t make out the “distinctive gold markings” of the Ronin suit on the assassin, indicating that it was a frame job. As for who the real killer might be, there are two main suspects.
For one, Kate’s soon-to-be stepfather Jacques Duquesne (Tony Dalton) is surely up to know good and his skills with a sword tell us that he’d be up to the task. Alternatively, maybe it’s Maya Lopez’s dear old uncle Kingpin (Vincent D’Onofrio), who was heavily teased in episode 3. It could be Wilson Fisk as, in the comics, he did kill Echo’s father and blamed Daredevil for it. Retaining this betrayal but putting Ronin in DD’s place would be a smart update for the MCU.
If you’re still not convinced that Clint is innocent, the theorist reminds us that episode one established that Ronin’s sword retracts and yet Lopez’s killer wears a scabbard on their back, which doesn’t fit with our look at Ronin in action in Avengers: Endgame. To be fair, Clint’s sword wasn’t retractable in Endgame, so it still could be him, but the evidence is mounting in his favor.
Finding out Ronin isn’t guilty and getting some closure for her dad’s death would set Maya up for her more heroic turn in her own upcoming Disney Plus show. But do you think there’s something to this Hawkeye theory? Share your take in the comments.
