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Hawkeye Gave Me the Kate/Clint Dynamic I Wanted

Jeremy Renner and Hailee Steinfeld in 'Hawkeye'

There’s a dynamic that is so very Clint Barton and Kate Bishop that fans were excited to see when Marvel’s Disney+ Hawkeye series finally brought the comic book characters together onscreen, and while the show is just starting to get into its stride, one thing is clear: That balance between both Kate and Clint is there, and it is absolutely wonderful to see!

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In the most recent episode of Hawkeye, we got to see a bit more of how Kate and Clint work with each other, especially in a high-stress environment. And while Kate still has quite a bit to learn from Clint, we got our first look at how much the two can benefit from working together, and let’s get into why that dynamic works so well for both of these characters.

**Spoilers for Hawkeye Episode 3 “Echoes” lie within.**

When we first meet Kate Bishop, she’s a kid stuck in the Battle of New York, and she sees Clint Barton and chooses him as her favorite Avenger right then and there. And while Clint Barton continues to say that he isn’t a role model or someone to look up to, Kate continually tells him that he is, and it is a beautiful dynamic between the two.

What makes them work is their back and forth. While we maybe shouldn’t “meet our heroes,” there is clearly a reason that Kate picked Clint as her favorite. They are two peas in a pod because they think in very similar ways, despite Clint’s frustration with Kate from time to time.

But what really works in “Echoes” is Kate’s ability to read Clint and see what he needs. When Echo destroys his hearing aid, Kate has to work with Clint while he can’t hear what she’s saying to him. While the two are trying to escape the Tracksuit Bros, Clint can’t hear Kate asking him about his trick arrows while he’s driving, so the two are just sort of winging it so that they can get out of the Bros’ path.

Where we can see that Kate really cares is when Clint’s phone rings and he thinks he’s talking to his wife, but can’t hear. She comes in with Lucky the Pizza Dog and helps convey to Clint what his son is saying to him so that he can talk to him.

And Clint also showed in this episode that he wants to take care of Kate. Once the two escape, they’re on the train, and he compliments her full well knowing what it means to her. Clint understands that sometimes, Kate needs reassurance that she’s good despite knowing how talented and skilled she is. And hearing from her hero that she’s one of the world’s best archers? Something that clearly made Kate Bishop’s life.

I can’t wait to see the future of Kate and Clint in these next few episodes because there is still plenty for her to learn from him, and Clint has got to pass the mantle on to Kate, right?

(image: Marvel Entertainment)

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Author
Rachel Leishman
Rachel Leishman (She/Her) is an Assistant Editor at the Mary Sue. She's been a writer professionally since 2016 but was always obsessed with movies and television and writing about them growing up. A lover of Spider-Man and Wanda Maximoff's biggest defender, she has interests in all things nerdy and a cat named Benjamin Wyatt the cat. If you want to talk classic rock music or all things Harrison Ford, she's your girl but her interests span far and wide. Yes, she knows she looks like Florence Pugh.

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