Hawkeye episode 3 recap: Clint and Kate make their epic escape – CNET

Clint Barton and Kate Bishop’s festive New York City adventure continued Wednesday, as episode 3 of Hawkeye hit Disney Plus. The series is revealing the state of the Marvel Cinematic Universe‘s criminal underworld after Clint abandoned his Hawkeye mantle to go on a bloody quest for justice as Ronin in Avengers: Endgame. After escaping Maya and the Tracksuits, Clint and Kate go to her mom Eleanor Bishop’s magnificent penthouse to get more information on their adversaries through Bishop Security’s files. Kate gets a brief glance at the file of Kazi and sees that he works for “Sloan Limited,” which sure sounds like a front company.

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Getting to know Maya

It’s time to cut into SPOILERS and see what this new character is up to, in an episode entitled Echoes.
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Maya Lopez isn’t falling for Clint Barton’s story about Ronin being dead.

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Uncle Kingpin?

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Jack confronts Clint with his ill-gotten Ronin sword.
Comics Swordsman was initially a villain who infiltrated the Avengers under orders from the Mandarin, but gradually realized that he liked being a hero more than living as a criminal. (hanging out with the heroes was probably a bit less dangerous).
Join us for more Easter eggs and observations next Wednesday, Dec. 8, when episode 4 of Hawkeye hits Disney Plus.

Trick arrows

This episode leans heavily on the visuals of the third issue of Matt Fraction and David Aja’s iconic 2012 Hawkeye comics run, with the Challenger and the Tracksuits’ pursuit. If there was a single story of that 22-issue series I’d advise everyone to read, that’s the one. It’s a joy.

• Putty arrow: covers the Tracksuits’ windshield with purple putty.
• Exploding arrow: blows up the Tracksuits’ van.
• Plunger arrow: sticks to the awesome ’72 Dodge Challenger, and later helps Clint and Kate climb onto the train.
• Octo arrow: pulls a bunch of Christmas trees onto the Tracksuits’ van with ropelines.
• Acid arrow: melts through a stoplight.
• Smoke arrow: Fills the Challenger with purple smoke.
• Pym Arrow: Makes an ordinary arrow grow ridiculously large with Hank Pym’s tech, wrecking the Tracksuits’ van.
• USB Arrow: Distracts the Tracksuits so Clint and Kate can escape. This ridiculously specific type of arrow previously appeared in Avengers and What If… ?
• Grapple arrow: Allows Clint and Kate to swing from the bridge onto the train.

Swordsman confrontation

In the comics, Jack uses the name Swordsman and trained a young Clint to wield a sword — I guess we’ll find out if the same is true in the MCU in next week’s episode. 
D’Onofrio played Wilson Fisk, aka the Kingpin, in three seasons of Netflix’s Daredevil. We last saw him being dragged off to prison in that show’s finale, but that took place before the Snap and it’s likely he’s either been released or is rebuilding his empire from behind bars.
Kate Bishop proves her ability as an archer in Hawkeye’s third episode.

Sometimes you just gotta stop a guy with a putty arrow, as seen in issue 3 of the 2012 Hawkeye series. 
The flashback to the moment Ronin kills Maya’s dad might also allude to Fisk — it takes place at “Fat Man Auto Repair.” The crime boss has often been called “fat” in comics and shows since his first appearance in 1967, but that’s a misnomer. His body is primarily muscle, and he regularly proves it by brutally murdering people.
Comics Fisk adopted Maya after killing her father, who was a mob enforcer, and it’s likely events played out similarly in the MCU. It’s possible that Fisk manipulated Clint into attacking the auto repair shop.
Maya’s underling Kazi (Fra Fee) later tries unsuccessfully to convince Maya to forget about Ronin, noting that their unseen boss wants them to keep a low profile. He apparently “wouldn’t be happy” with what she’s doing. 

Comic inspiration

It’s pretty much the same as the “photographic reflexes” she possesses in the comics — she can perfectly mimic another person’s movements (similar to Taskmaster, seen in Black Widow). In her first appearance back in 1999, she became concert-level pianist by observing someone play and gained amazing martial arts and acrobatics skills by watching recordings of fights. 
Clint’s retro costume from the comics might stand out a bit too much in the MCU.

Observations and Easter eggs

• “Good thing they call you HawkEYE and not HawkEAR.” That’s a low blow Kate. 
• Maya should ask Shang-Chi about meeting some of them dragons.
• Maya’s dad leaves a bloody handprint on her face as he dies, much like he did in the comics.
• Black Widow kinda did kill Ronin, by convincing Clint to abandon his murder quest and rejoin the surviving Avengers in Endgame.
• Maya’s prosthetic leg wasn’t in the comics, but is a characteristic of the actor that’s been worked into the show. She uses it to smash a hockey stick during her fight with Clint.
• Kate draws Hawkeye’s classic comic costume when she’s dreaming up a fun outfit for Clint.

We already know Jack is super-skilled with a blade, and likely murdered his uncle Armand III. It seems like he’s been manipulating Eleanor to get into her security company’s resources, but it’s also possible that she’s in on it (given that we heard Armand confronting her about her company being “built on a lie”).

A chunk of this episode is spent on Maya’s origin story and how she overcame the challenges of being deaf as she grew up. It’s subtly implied that her incredible physical ability comes from “watching,” as her dad advised her to.