The following article contains spoilers for episode 4 of Hawkeye.
Delivering all the holiday fun, catastrophic consequences and emotional drama that come with being an avenger, episode 4 of Hawkeye upped the ante by finally giving fans their first glimpse of the ensuing conflict between Clint and Yelena. Her single appearance on the rooftop hailed multiple MCU easter eggs and set the precedent for the rest of the series.
The stakes are higher than they’ve ever been for Clint, especially now that the Tracksuit Mafia knows about his family. Maya’s thirst for blood almost cost Kate her life, Yelena is ruthless in carrying out her quest to avenge Natasha and the archers’ adversaries are unrelenting in their desire to stop Clint and Kate from finishing what they started. With only two episodes left and the question of Kate’s stepfather, Jack Duquesne, still up in the air, the unlikely partners will have a lot of ground to cover over the next few weeks.
Yelena’s Superhero Pose
Giving her identity away before taking off her mask, Yelena stuck the signature Black Widow pose during her rooftop face off with Clint. It’s obvious that she’s trying to follow in her sister’s footsteps, making grand entrances and breeding trouble for her enemies, and her execution of the move was nearly so flawless, Marvel fans could spot her from a mile away.
Yelena’s Mask
Donning some familiar gear from the comics, Yelena’s green-glowing disguise was a dead giveaway for Marvel readers. Yelena wore a similar mask throughout her time in the Marvel comics, and her new getup in the show was certainly drawing inspiration from her illustrated counterpart.
Despite the difference in costume from her Black Widow debut, Yelena is still wearing a vest in Hawkeye with all the pockets she needs, which fans know she loves.
Kate’s Shirt
Yelena wasn’t the only one wearing classic comic gear, however, as Kate’s shirt was also fashionably styled to mirror her former appearances in the comics.
Mugs Galore
Clint’s “Thanos Was Right” mug called back to a previous easter egg in the series, the phrase initially appearing as an easter egg in the first episode of Hawkeye. The mug shows that Kate’s aunt has some strong opinions about the world post-blip and proves that a lot of people supported Thanos’ actions so much, they’re willing to make marketable merchandise for those in favor of the Infinity Saga wipeout.
On the topic of mugs, Jack drank from a cup with a unique pattern on it after Clint left the Bishop home. The mug appeared to be reminiscent of a beehive, given the hexagonal shapes scattered across it, and the numerous bees within them. Clint was in possession of a Pym arrow, so perhaps Jack’s mug is a reference to Hope Pym, AKA The Wasp, further establishing a connection between Hawkeye and the Ant-Man series. This could also be a reference to Wanda’s Hex from Wandavision and the beekeeper infiltrators into her fictional reality.
The Vormir Parallel
Digging deeper into Clint’s Endgame spiral, the shot of Kate falling off the roof and Clint’s failed attempt to grab her hand offered a heartbreaking parallel to his last moments with Natasha. This scene in Hawkeye and Natasha’s death scene closely mirror each other in terms of how they were filmed, which seems to be one of Marvel’s new favorite tricks.
The Spider-Man: No Way Home trailer features a clip of MJ plummeting towards the ground as Peter tries to save her, an obvious reference to Gwen’s death in the Andrew Garfield movies. Kate was lucky enough to survive her fall, so hopefully MJ doesn’t suffer the same fate as previous leading ladies in the Marvel franchise.
Pop-Culture References
Just like the first three episodes, episode 4 brings elements of real-world pop culture to the MCU. This week, Kate’s visit with the LARPing group bridged an intersection between reality and the Marvel franchise with a Dungeons and Dragons poster hanging on the walls. In this scene, viewers could also catch a glimpse of a poster for the popular Tomb Raider franchise. This makes Laura Croft the second fictional, female archer to have been brought up in the series thus far, the first being Katniss Everdeen.
Additionally, when Kate showed up with festive decorations to bring Clint some Christmas cheer, she came with a load of seasonal movies in her arsenal. Viewers could see that she brought holiday fan-favorites, like The Santa Clause and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.
Bombshell
Officer Wendy, who was part of the LARPing group aiding the archers in their mission to retrieve Clint’s trick arrows, was actually a character in the Marvel Comics. In the comics, she goes by the name Bombshell, because of her love for explosives, which is the same word embroidered on her bag. The show was making a clear reference to her identity in the comics and maybe even hinting at her return in the future as a mercenary.
New episodes of Hawkeye are currently streaming every Wednesday on Disney Plus.
