‘Hawkeye’ Is Basically Just a Weird Marvel Christmas Special

The holiday season is rapidly approaching and the MCU is bringing a bit of yuletide cheer with the newest trailer for the upcoming Hawkeye series on Disney+.

The trailer starts out with “Deck the Halls” playing with a shot of the massive Christmas tree lit up in front of Rockefeller Center before we get to know Katie Bishop (Hailee Steinfeld), the young archer who is hoping to follow Hawkeye’s path to becoming the world’s greatest archer. She excitedly tells a woman in an elevator that she is “working with an Avenger” and declares to her mentor Clint (Jeremy Renner) that they are “saving the holidays.”

The actual plot of the six-part series remains a bit unclear (which is likely intentional) but it does look like it will be a superhero twist on the classic “guy is determined to get home for Christmas” story, as Clint promises his daughter Lila (Ava Russo) over the phone that he’ll be back home in time to celebrate the holiday with his family.

Of course, given that this is an MCU series, there are sure to be several speed bumps for Clint along the way, most of which seem to revolve around his time as Ronin, the ruthless assassin, during the Blip. The trailer shows a plethora of people trying to get revenge on Clint, though there was no sign of Florence Pugh’s Yelena Belova, who will be in the show and, based on the ending of Black Widow, will be after him for his supposed role in her sister’s death.

The biggest question fans may be asking is if the Hawkeye series will mark the end of Renner’s run in the MCU. It’s a fair question, especially considering that Katie seems to be his natural protege and eventual successor. Plus, most of the original Avengers have retired or died at this point, so it’s natural to wonder if Clint is next, especially considering he already previously walked away to be with his family.

But Renner has indicated this won’t be the end of Clint in the MCU and there’s reason to believe him. After all, while Sam Wilson eventually took on the Captain Marvel mantle from Steve Rogers, that happened years after Wilson first met Rogers running around the National Mall. So while Katie may eventually become the next Hawkeye, that doesn’t mean it will happen by the end of the show.

Instead, it’s possible Renner may simply be taking a step back as a new generation of heroes start to take over but for now, it’s really just speculation and we won’t really know until the episodes begin airing at the end of November.

Hawkeye will premiere on Disney+ on November 24.