Kevin Smith says ‘Hawkeye’ is like a ‘cup of cocoa’

The first three episodes of Hawkeye lived up to the high expectations and gave us a new peek into the grimy criminal underworld of the MCU’s version of New York City. It’s great to see Jeremy Renner’s Clint Barton back in action after so long, and Hailee Steinfeld’s Kate Bishop feels like a glimpse at the future of the Avengers.

Warning: Spoilers to follow.

They’re also facing some stiff opposition. Alaqua Cox’s Maya Lopez/Echo turned heads in the third episode, and upcoming antagonists include Florence Pugh’s Yelena Belova, Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ Contessa, and, if the hints pan out as everyone expects, a triumphant comeback for Vincent D’Onofrio’s Kingpin.

Now, Clerks III director and MCU superfan Kevin Smith has given his verdict on the show. Speaking on his ‘Fatman Beyond LIVE’ podcast, he praised the street-level stakes (preferring this to Eternals’ world-threatening calamity), loved what he’s seen of Echo, and was very jazzed about the Kingpin reveal.

Here’s his conclusion:

“How adorable is this show? It’s like a cup of cocoa. Somehow they made a one-eyed dog work. I don’t feel bad for him at all. He’s got friends now and he likes pizza! Just like me. [Steinfeld] is wonderful. I loved her since the Coen brothers movie, True Grit. She’s so amazing in that.

Of course, we know her as Spider-Gwen. She’s on that show on Apple that I’ve never watched, but a lot of people seem to like. The Emily Dickinson one. She was electric in this show. Just wonderful. Vibrant. So much so that, nothing against Renner, because he just played Renner, if he didn’t show up to the party it’s still a show with her.”

Episode four looks to up the ante more as Hawkeye’s activities as Ronin continue to haunt him, though we may also finally get the return of Florence Pugh’s Yelena. She’s under the impression Clint killed Natasha, though I doubt this confusion will last long into the show. But I’m praying we get a full reintroduction to D’Onofrio’s Wilson Fisk/Kingpin.

The tease last week left me craving more, and with the recent confirmation that Charlie Cox will be reprising his role as Matt Murdock/Daredevil in the MCU, what happens in the remaining episodes of Hawkeye will have major implications for coming phases.

Hawkeye releases on Wednesdays on Disney Plus.