Marvel Studios is in the final stages of preparation for its final Disney+ show of 2021, Hawkeye, which will be Jeremy Renner's first time headlining as the Avengers' master archer. With the holiday season in full effect, Clint Barton is all set for a thrilling adventure in New York City where he has to face his past while moving toward a potentially long future as a superhero.
As has been the case with most of the MCU's Phase 4, Hawkeye will push the franchise forward in a big way with new players and fresh stories, this time centered around heroes like Hailee Steinfeld's Kate Bishop and Alaqua Cox's Echo. This will put Clint in a mentor role that he's never had to tackle before, and reports have teased that it won't be the easiest challenge for him to take on.
This push toward the future also means that fans will get a deeper look into a post-Avengers: Endgame world, which has been seen in every Phase 4 project with the exception of Black Widow (and the time-jumping Loki series). The only real mystery is how far past Endgame the story will take place, although Hawkeye's director just confirmed the answer to that question.
When Is Hawkeye Set In Relation to Avengers: Endgame?
Hawkeye director Rhys Thomas spoke with GamesRadar, via Total Film, on the Disney+ series' timeframe after the Infinity Saga.
While sharing how fans will see how Clint Barton is "dealing with his past," Thomas confirmed that the story is set two full years after the events of Avengers: Endgame, meaning the year will be 2025:
"Clint's someone that we haven't gotten to spend a lot of time with obviously, over the course of the films. We get to see where he's at, we're two years after the events of Endgame. And so we get to see what he's been doing and how he's dealing with his past."
The MCU Going to 2025
With Avengers: Endgame all happening in 2023, Marvel Studios has nearly an open slate ahead of it for the MCU's future projects, particularly regarding when in the timeline they take place. Black Widow came in as the only semi-prequel of the bunch as it showed the aftermath of Captain America: Civil War with all seven other entries in 2021 coming after the Avengers defeated Thanos.
Spider-Man: Far From Home came eight months after this event at the end of Phase 3 before Phase 4's movies and shows all came between three weeks and eight months after the last Avengers team-up movie. Now, Hawkeye will take this to new lengths by taking place further away from Endgame than any MCU project to date.
2025 is uncharted territory for the MCU right now, although it will be exciting to find out just how much the world has changed with half the population adjusting to their lives once again. This will also put the Avengers in a precarious place, with the status of Barton's teammates largely unknown before other series and movies come to light.
No matter what comes of this venture, Hawkeye's surroundings will put him on a thrilling path in his hero's journey as he takes on 2025 with a vengeance.
The first two episodes of Hawkeye will premiere on Disney+ on November 24, 2021.
