The first two episodes of Marvel Studios' Hawkeye are now available for the world to see on Disney+, picking up on Clint Barton's solo story after the events of 2019's Avengers: Endgame. Jeremy Renner's master archer is finding himself on a wild ride facing the Tracksuit Mafia alongside new superhero Kate Bishop, which could lead up to bigger and more dangerous missions in the coming weeks as well.
More so than almost any Disney+ series that came earlier in 2021, Hawkeye has the chance to look back on the MCU's extensive history thanks to Clint Barton's status as an original Avenger. From his fight against the Chitauri in The Avengers to referencing the sale of Stark Tower, Renner's first solo series is taking various opportunities to take a trip down the MCU's memory lane.
One scene that helped with this was the black-market auction held underneath the charity auction in Episode 1, where Jack Duquesne and others bid millions of collective dollars on items recovered from the wreckage of the Avengers Compound in New York.
According to one of the writers on Hawkeye, a hilarious item from that wreckage was almost included in this scene.
Ant-Man Van Almost in Hawkeye
Hawkeye writer Tanner Bean revealed on Twitter that the wheel and horn from Luis' van from the Ant-Man movies almost made it into the black-market auction scene in Episode 1.
This van played a key role in Avengers: Endgame, helping Scott Lang to both escape from the Quantum Realm and serving as the inspiration for his plan to save half of humanity following Thanos' Snap.
Bean looked back on watching the ending battle of Avengers: Endgame to figure out other "artifacts" that may have been lost in the remains of the Avengers Compound after Thanos bombed it. However, he did admit that the wheel of Luis' van may not have exactly qualified as a big-ticket item:
"For the black-market auction, I rewatched the final battle of Endgame to find other artifacts that could’ve also been found in the rubble of the #Avengers Compound. My idea: the “La Cucaracha”-playing steering wheel horn from Luis’ van. (Hey, they can’t all be winners.)"
The Funniest Endgame Reference Yet in Hawkeye
Of all the Avengers: Endgame references that could have come in the first two episodes of Hawkeye on Disney+, this could have brought possibly the biggest round of laughs.
Scott Lang's van holds a place as one of the most important vehicles in MCU history, as it held a version of the Quantum Tunnel that helped Ant-Man and the Avengers set the Time Heist in motion during Endgame. Although Thanos destroyed it in the final battle, the wheel of that van certainly would have been a must-have item for collectors, especially if it still played the "La Cucaracha" melody.
This also comes as the second almost-reference to the Ant-Man world in Hawkeye after director Rhys Thomas admitted to wanting Paul Rudd involved with the series in some fashion. Rudd's miniature hero is clearly a fan favorite from various angles and having him or his van in this series would've added a new layer of comedic genius to the plot.
The black-market scene may have been a dark and creepy look into people associated with Kate Bishop's family, but an item like that wheel from Ant-Man's van may have lightened the mood in perfect fashion for a moment.
The first two episodes of Hawkeye are available to stream on Disney+.
