With The Book of Boba Fett coming on the Disney+ scene to steal the thunder from the Avengers’ less celebrated hero who ‘suffers from a branding problem,’ there are many character lessons in which Hawkeye hits the bullseye.
The Hawkeye series – named after not only our favorite bow-toting Avenger, Clint Barton, but also (by season’s end) for his new apprentice Kate Bishop – show that determination, keeping the faith, and continually doing good can lead to perseverance.
The series starts with a flashback, a closer look into what MCU New Yorkers experienced in the “Battle of New York” – AKA: the third act of the original Avengers movie of 2012 – through the eyes of a young Kate Bishop, then zooms forward to college Archery Club Bishop up to semi-normal coed shenanigans. The Bartons (sans mom) are in NYC catching “Rogers: The Musical,” which is a singing, dancing Broadway production of The Avengers Battle of New York. (Some find it annoying, I found it hilarious, especially the misplaced Ant-Man and urinal jokes.)
As Kate attempts to hob-knob with her mom’s crowd, she stumbles onto a piece of memorabilia she didn’t know was as connected to Barton as us MCU viewers haven known. The new getup gets her into trouble, effectively pulling Barton in out of his sense of duty to protect the meddling kid and keep his hero and vigilante-of-more-than-questionable-ethics reputations separate.
Throughout the series both Barton and ‘kid’ archer Kate get lessons in character development from each other. Clint learns to open up, Kate learns the ropes. Kate gains new skills, Barton gains a partner. The MCU gains another Hawkeye on top of its pre-existing Hawkeye, yet it’s how they both get there that is the interesting part. Barton deciding to protect Kate is not only the inciting event of the series but it starts a chain of events that enable them both to grow in unexpected ways.
Determination & Keeping ‘the faith’
As we know it’s hard for Disney to acknowledge God these days, but at the very least it can be said that in Kate’s confidence in herself she is keeping ‘the faith’ in her own skills. At first it seems like that confidence may be a bit misplaced, but as the series progresses even Hawkeye acknowledges she has some skills – which she learned over years of practice and tournaments and didn’t just Mary Sue-into – and sees that she is growing in those skills too.
When Clint decides to follow up with Kate’s hunch about her mother’s boyfriend/soon-to-be stepdad, it leads to unearthing information they needed to find out.
Since the flashback child-Kate opening and throughout her whole hero’s journey, Kate has been determined to prove to herself that she can be a protector of her family as her father was before her.
She also keeps faith in Clint being a good person – even in the face of the evils he did as Ronin (which she figures out on her own) – even when he can’t bring himself to see the good in him.
“I’m not a role model,” Barton tells her. “I’m sorry Kate, I’m not a role model to anyone. I never have been.”
“What? Yes you are,” she retorts. “You came here. You love your family at Christmas because you thought some stranger was gonna get hurt. You stuck around even though I screwed up, and now you’re stuck.”
“Whether you like it or not … as far as I’m concerned, we’re in this together,” she tells him.
Even when Clint gets jumpy that an assassin has been hired to kill him and Kate gets in the middle of the brawl between them and the future Echo and he calls off the partnership, temporarily crushing Kate’s morale, she doesn’t give up.
She stays determined and stubbornly persistent, not just to do what’s right in the face of danger no matter the risk, but she also helps Clint eventually see the good in himself.
Endurance & Perseverance until the end
Kate Bishop endures, even among various obstacles, earning Clint’s trust, loyalty and re-igniting the partnership before the finale.
In other words: “Do not those who plan evil go astray? But those who plan good win steadfast loyalty.” – Proverbs 14:22.
Kate wins Barton’s ‘steadfast loyalty’ through her determination to do good herself, and through the way she inspires him as “somebody that just makes (him) better” by how she sees him as her role model.
“Not only that, but we even boast of our afflictions, knowing that affliction produces endurance, and endurance, proven character, and proven character, hope, and hope does not disappoint because the love of God has been poured into our hearts ….” Romans 5: 3-5.
Even through Barton’s affliction boasting (in the negative sense), Kate Bishop’s determination helps her endure through the various assassin, mafia and mob boss obstacles, persevering to the end. It’s like she and Barton “run the good race” that St. Paul talks about in 2 Timothy 4 and live to talk about it in the end, enjoying a type of ‘holy’ friendship in the end, in my mind at least, akin to St. Francis and St. Clare. Do-gooders with a mission.
While the series centers around both Hawkeyes it effectively raises (22 year old) kid-wonder Kate Bishop from newbie in the MCU to a partner for Clint by the season’s end, but the hero’s journey for Kate and the post-traumatic redemption arc for Barton are what make the series something to behold.
In the end, Barton and Bishop being thrust together proved to be the best medicine for the both of them, bringing new hope to both of their lives, and to the future of the MCU.
Even though the MCU is very much missing any of their characters drawing strength from “The One Above All” (AKA: the real life Judeo-Christian God), at least watching the adventures of Clint Barton and Kate Bishop have helped me remember that determination, persistence, faith, endurance and perseverance until the end can help me reach my goals if I stay Christ-centered.
“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” – Philippians 4: 13.
Roman T. Flores
Roman T. Flores is a freelance writer/reporter for the Catholic Diocese of San Diego's official newspaper, The Southern Cross, as well as a freelance music minister within the Diocese for 15 years. He is a former Entertainment reporter for the Imperial Valley Press, with his articles having also appeared in Valley Women Magazine, EWTN affiliate St. John Paul II Catholic Radio's website and assorted sports blogs. Roman strives to be an active member of an assortment of other ministries including the Knights of Columbus, El Carmelo Retreat House, SCRC Annual Conventions, and ecumenical internationally traveling music missionaries Jon Stemkoski's Celebrant Singers.