Kate Bishop and Marvels Next Generation
Hawkeye debuted with a tremendous two-episode premiere that saw fans introduced to one of Marvel comics’ most beloved characters; what’s more clear than her skill with a bow, is her unique place in the MCU’s future, and the vitality of Kate Bishop and Marvel next generation.
Clint Barton is finally getting his solo outing.
Source: Marvel Studios
Following a decade of work with the Avengers, Jeremy Renner and Marvel Studios have finally embraced the famed archer to tell his own story.
This, however, isn’t the only primary function of the series, as Hawkeye works two-fold; it honors the past, and Barton’s immense history within the MCU, it also prepares the future with the one that is worthy to carry the mantle into the future.
Marvel
That character is Kate Bishop, and she is in a position all to her own within the Marvel landscape.
Bishop, following the events of Hawkeye, will be in a unique position; being the first Marvel hero trained and guided by one of the original six Avengers, but entering an MCU as the team is in temporary disbandment.
Photo: Getty Images/Marvel Studios
With Steve Rogers reverting to his timeline, Natasha and Tony Stark giving their lives to the cause, and other Avengers whereabouts unknown; Bishop is the first character we’ve met with direct ties to the Avengers through Barton, yet with no sign of The Avengers returning.
Peter Parker learned from Tony Stark, but he worked alongside the team consistently; characters like Yelena Balova worked alongside Natasha, but with no intention or aspiration of becoming an Avenger at some point.
Source: Marvel Studios
Kate Bishop has a completely different story; the great inspiration behind her drive to be a hero was Hawkeye and the Avengers.
She has, in every sense of the word, worked to become an Avenger; aiming at answering the call brought to her by Clint’s brave actions during the battle for New York.
Source: Marvel Studios
If we look at the characters who are most likely to have a large role in the future, we see few who were directly impacted- let alone mentored- by an Avenger.
Shang-Chi, maybe the most recent character to be introduced with high expectations for the future, has no ties to the Avengers outside of Wong.
HAWKEYE: KATE BISHOP #1 cover by Jahnoy Lindsay. Photo: Marvel
For Kate Bishop and Marvel’s next generation, there is the burden of inheriting the immense weight connected to the legacy of the MCU’s past, while also taking the universe into its next era.
A huge task for Kevin Feige, and the stories yet to tell, but one that allows Kate Bishop to take on the mantle from Clint Barton himself.
Source: Marvel Studios
