‘Hawkeye’ episode 2 is missing a key character from the MCU

The first two episodes of Hawkeye are now available on Disney Plus. While the first episode “Never Meet Your Heroes” was largely devoted to introducing us to Kate Bishop, the second, “Hide and Seek”, has more of a focus on the man we’re all here to see: Clint Barton.

At the core of the episode was Clint’s mission to retrieve his Ronin outfit which, in an unlikely twist, had ended up in the hands of a Central Park LARPer. This led to an eye-catching weird action scene in which he fake fought his way through a medieval battlefield and dueled a ninja before the baying crowd of Vikings. This was the highlight of the episode, with Clint clearly trying to hide that he was actually enjoying a bit of play fighting.

Beyond that, we got to see his initial interactions with Kate. While not exactly dismissive of her skills, he understandably wants to stop her from getting drawn into this mess any more than she already has. But, judging by the hilarious closing moments where she crashes through a skylight and lands in a heap in front of the Tracksuit Mafia, she’s now in it up to her neck.

We also got some key information on Kate’s new stepfather-to-be, Jack Duquesne. Fans of Marvel Comics will know him as regular Hawkeye foe The Swordsman. His talent with a blade was demonstrated in a sparring match with Kate, though I suspect we’ll see him truly letting loose in the next few episodes. The character has been both hero and villain over his comics arc, so there may well be more to him than a straightforward villain.

One element that was slightly disappointing was the absence of Florence Pugh’s Yelena. I had assumed she’d be involved in the Tracksuit Mafia, though Alaqua Cox’s Echo appears to be their true leader. IMDb listings indicate Yelena features in four episodes of Hawkeye, so she should be here next week.

Hawkeye airs Wednesdays on Disney Plus.