The following article contains spoilers for Hawkeye.
Hawkeye’s finale left a few marks in the MCU by introducing two new female superheroes, however, one of the show’s most mysterious characters is a familiar face that became more interesting than ever throughout the series, enough of its director want more out of here in the future.
This is of course Hawkeye’s loving wife Laura Barton, who received a substantial character upgrade that includes enough nods to turn her into a superhero in her own right, one who’s been retired from the Marvel game for quite a while according to her husband. That superhero is none other than Mockingbird the alias assumed by SHIELD’s Agent 19, also known in the comics as Clint Barton’s partner, although under the name Barbara Morse.
According to directors Rhys Thomas, this extra depth existing within Marvel Comics is one of the best things to explore when working in the MCU’s world because “We should know more about her. There’s more to her than just staying at home with the kids. It was a fun little thing to tease out over the season…”. Besides fans getting to see this new side of Laura that could still be developed even more in the future, Thomas also commented on the type of family life the Bartons have by always wanting their home to be “very pure Americana” and why they wanted to give them a very “homemade Christmas” that would contrast with the landscape of New York City.
Laura Barton has been played by Linda Cardellini since Avengers: Age of Ultron, where she was first seen as Hawkeye’s supporting wife, though with an always sharp Tony Stark commenting on her potential secret agent status from the moment they meet. Now that Marvel fans finally know Hawkeye’s mystery Rolex belongs to Agent 19, it’s a given fact that Laura is meant to be inspired by Barbara Morse, aka Mockingbird.
Though Hawkeye’s enviable love life in the MCU is a far cry from Clint and Barbara’s relationship in the comics, the revelation does open the doors for future stories starring Laura, whether it’s her jumping back to action or in the form of flashbacks. Hawkeye’s final episode was advertised by Disney as a “season finale" instead of a series finale, meaning the show could get another season, depending on what Kevin Feige and Marvel Studios have planned for Kate Bishop and company.
This all means that Laura Barton could be joining Kate and Echo as one more female hero to come out of Hawkeye, with the former two getting the opportunity to have leading roles from the get-go, contrary to how Black Widow and Scarlet Witch were developed throughout the years. Of course, Laura is not the series’ most famous returning character, that honor indisputably belongs to Vincent D’Onofrio’s Kingpin.
