Most of the easter eggs and intense bouts of drama from this week all seem to tie back to the new fan-favorite character, Yelena, as she played a huge role in episode 5. Moving forward, it’s obvious that her character will not only be crucial to the final episode of the Hawkeye series, but for the MCU franchise as a whole.
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Black Widow Whistle
Episode 5 hooked fans right away, by showing a snowy landscape during the introduction, with the heartbreaking sound of Yelena’s whistle echoing in the background. As Marvel viewers know, Black Widow revealed that whistling was how Natasha and Yelena communicated their goodbyes when words weren’t enough, and now that Natasha is dead, the whistle is a symbol of the tragedy that befell them.
Yelena Was Blipped
Since seeing how close Natasha and Yelena were as children, and then rekindling that relationship throughout the events of Black Widow, fans have been wondering whether or not Yelena was one of the many people who disappeared during the Blip. Unfortunately, they finally got their answer this week and Yelena was, in fact, blipped. This means that she most likely didn’t get the chance to see Natasha after the events of Black Widow, making Yelena’s rage more justifiable and Natasha’s death even more tragic.
Right before being blipped, Yelena also attempted to use the same antidote from the Black Widow movie on who she believed was a Widow being held hostage, making another quick reference to the long-awaited 2021 film.
The Battle of New York Memorial
In a touching scene before Clint confronts Maya and the Tracksuit Mafia, Clint stops by a memorial dedicated to what happened in 2012, when Loki infiltrated Earth with his alien army and the Avengers assembled for the first time. Not only is this a callback to the first Avengers movie, but it’s also the only type of “funeral” Natasha has ever received.
As MCU fans know, Tony Stark was given a wonderful funeral during Avengers: Endgame, but Natasha was never given the same. Clint used the Avengers memorial as a sort of gravesite for Natasha, promising to do the best with the life she gave him by sacrificing herself on Vormir. The only other time someone has done something similar for her was when Yelena visited a headstone made in her honor during Black Widow when Marvel first made it obvious that she would be appearing in the Hawkeye series.
Although it seems like Natasha will never have a Stark-style sendoff, it is very obvious that the two people who care for her most are willing to find any way they can to speak to her, even though she’s gone.
Hawkeye’s #1 Fan
Kate has made it extremely obvious that she’s most definitely Clint Barton’s number 1 fan, but in this week’s episode, viewers were given a glimpse at just how seriously she idolizes him. Hanging on the wall next to her bed and on her bulletin board are photos of Clint, amongst a litany of bows, trophies, and National Honors Society certificates, proving that she takes her dedication to heroism very seriously.
Disney Store
In a short self-promo, episode 5 offers a shot of Clint walking down the bustling streets of New York, preparing himself for his (supposed) final confrontation with the Tracksuit Mafia. While on this walk, the camera gives a quick shot of a Disney store and offers fans a reminder that the only reason the MCU was able to make their limited series happen was because of Disney Plus.
Kingpin
For weeks now, fans have been speculating about who the “big guy” Clint keeps mentioning really is. There have been other subtle references, such as the signs promoting Fat Man Auto Sales, which could have easily been a reference to Kingpin’s abnormally large size in the comics. This week, Hawkeye told all when Yelena revealed that Eleanor Bishop was responsible for hiring her, along with the allusive Kingpin who has just made his first official MCU debut.
Kingpin was a key player in the Netflix series Daredevil, but whether or not the show is considered official MCU canon is still up in the air. The blurry photograph Yelena provided to Kate makes it hard to tell whether or not the Hawkeye Kingpin is the same Kingpin from Daredevil, but given the plot of Spider-Man: No Way Home, it seems like anything is possible.
The final episode of Hawkeye comes to Disney Plus this Wednesday.
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