Marvel Studios' Hawkeye just aired its season finale, and with it came the closure of Kate Bishop’s fateful run-in with Jeremy Renner's Clint Barton. The two, while once rocky, are now officially partners by the time the credits began rolling, with Hailee Steinfeld’s character a bonafide superhero—though, she hasn't settled on a hero name.
WARNING: This article contains spoilers for Episode 6 of Hawkeye.
The real question - what comes next for Kate? Her mom is in prison, her step-father-to-be is a little off-kilter, and she’s partners with an actual Avenger.
The first thought is that she’ll do exactly what she set out to do: be a hero and help people. But how will she do that? On her own? With Clint? An entire team, maybe?
The bigger question - is Kate Bishop even ready for all of that?
Is Kate Bishop Ready?
In an Entertainment Tonight interview, Hawkeye actor Hailee Steinfeld commented on if she thinks her character is ready for more Avengers-type adventures in her future.
The actor mentioned that the character does realize that these costumed heroics are "not all jumping from buildings and making people smile:"
"She, I think, is forced into the reality of what it means to be a superhero. It's not all jumping from buildings and making people smile... there's, as she says, collateral damage that that can go along with it."
Despite knowing that, Steinfeld made it clear that "it doesn't stop [Kate]," and that "burning fire within her" carries on:
"But that doesn't stop her... I think it throws her, and it alters her outlook, but it doesn't stop this burning fire within her to ultimately help people and protect people. She knows she's capable of that. And I think that that alone can take us anywhere."
The Future Avenger... Probably
Given how audiences took to Kate Bishop, which is positively to say the least, Hailee Steinfeld’s future in the MCU is undoubtedly bright.
Her dynamic with Florence Pugh’s Yelena Belova has been incredible every time the two share the screen together. Seeing the two team up seems like it would be a win for audiences everywhere. Maybe a sequel Black Widow movie or Disney+ series?
Another option for the character is to join the Young Avengers. The team isn't established just yet in the MCU, but most of its founding members were introduced to the world in this year alone; it's basically written in stone.
Then, of course, there’s simply sticking with Clint Barton. The two could serve as Hawkeye 1 and 2, going on missions and doing the superhero stuff that Kate looked forward to.
After all, the show did build to their partnership, so Marvel may as well let us see it play out further in a second season.
Hawkeye is now airing in it's entirety exclusively on Disney+.
