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Never Meet Your Heroes

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"Never Meet Your Heroes"
Hawkeye episode
Promotional poster
Episode no.Episode 1
Directed byRhys Thomas
Written byJonathan Igla
Cinematography byEric Steelberg
Editing byTerel Gibson
Original release dateNovember 24, 2021 (2021-11-24)
Running time49 minutes
Cast
  • Carlos Navarro as Enrique
  • Ben Sakamoto as Cooper Barton
  • Ava Russo as Lila Barton
  • Cade Woodward as Nathaniel Barton
  • Clara Stack as young Kate Bishop
  • Nichele Lambert as Greer
  • Regina Bryant as Franny
  • Brian Troxell as Gary
  • Jonathan Bergman as Armand Duquesne VII
  • Pat Kiernan as himself
Episode chronology
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"Never Meet Your Heroes" is the first episode of the American television series Hawkeye, based on Marvel Comics featuring the characters Clint Barton / Hawkeye and Kate Bishop. It follows Bishop, who is drawn into a conspiracy that forces Barton out of retirement. The episode is set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), sharing continuity with the films of the franchise. It was written by head writer Jonathan Igla and directed by Rhys Thomas.

Jeremy Renner reprises his role as Clint Barton from the film series, with Hailee Steinfeld joining him as Kate Bishop. Tony Dalton, Fra Fee, Brian d'Arcy James, Aleks Paunovic, Piotr Adamczyk, Linda Cardellini, Simon Callow, and Vera Farmiga also star. Igla joined the series in September 2019, with Thomas joining in July 2020. Filming took place in New York City, with additional filming and soundstage work occurring in Atlanta, Georgia.

"Never Meet Your Heroes" was released on Disney+ on November 24, 2021. Critics praised Steinfeld's performance as Bishop, but felt the episode's pacing was slow due to limited action.

Plot

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During the Battle of New York in 2012,[a] a young Kate Bishop is saved from a Chitauri warrior by Clint Barton, but her father Derek is killed in the chaos. Following Derek's funeral, Bishop vows to become a hero to keep her and her mother Eleanor safe.

In the present day, Bishop has become an experienced archer, martial artist, and fencer. She causes an incident at her college when she tries to use an arrow to ring a bell in the college's clock tower, causing it to collapse as she gets caught by campus security. She later visits Eleanor for Christmas who has persuaded the college's dean not to expel Bishop, but as punishment for her actions, Eleanor deactivates Bishop's credit cards until further notice. In addition, Bishop discovers Eleanor's engagement to Jack Duquesne, a wealthy socialite. At a charity auction gala, Bishop encounters a golden retriever, Lucky, and becomes suspicious of Duquesne and his uncle Armand III, following them into a secret black market auction featuring items recovered from the wreckage of the Avengers Compound[b] following the Battle of Earth where they both bid on a sword belonging to the brutal vigilante Ronin.

Suddenly, a group of masked mercenaries known as the Tracksuit Mafia break into the auction and take the attendees hostage in search of a mysterious watch. Jack uses the chaos to steal the sword while Kate dons the Ronin attire and takes down the thugs, freeing the hostages and saving Lucky in the process from the Mafia and from oncoming traffic, taking him home with her and adopts him.

Meanwhile, Barton, who is struggling to come to terms with his deeds done as Ronin and the death of Natasha Romanoff,[b] enjoys a night out with his children and later sees Kate in the Ronin attire saving Lucky on the news. Bishop leaves Lucky at her apartment and tracks down Armand to investigate him, only to find him dead in his house. She flees the murder scene but is ambushed by the Mafia and hides in a car, until she is saved by Barton, who confronts her.

Production

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Development

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By April 2019, Marvel Studios was developing a Disney+ series starring Jeremy Renner's Clint Barton / Hawkeye from the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) films, in which Barton would bequeath the mantle of Hawkeye to Kate Bishop.[1] In September 2019, Jonathan Igla was hired as head writer of Hawkeye,[2] and in July 2020, Rhys Thomas was hired to direct three episodes for the series.[3][4] Igla and Thomas executive produce alongside Marvel Studios' Brad Winderbaum, Trinh Tran, Victoria Alonso, Louis D'Esposito, and Kevin Feige.[5] The first episode, titled "Never Meet Your Heroes",[6] was written by Igla,[7] and was released on November 24, 2021.[8]

Writing

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Opening the episode with the Battle of New York was part of Igla's pitch since his hiring. Igla conceived the idea wanting to set up the notion of being different points of view, reminiscent to the 2012 Hawkeye comic book run of Matt Fraction and David Aja. In this case, the battle is revisited through a younger Kate Bishop's point of view, which Igla felt that allowed the audience to "jump[ing] back and forth a little bit in time" and see things from different perspectives. He also wanted to pair Bishop's first look of Hawkeye with her father's death, since witnessing her parents' death and an alien invasion concurrently would be completely terrifying.[9]

Feeling that how Barton and Bishop would meet for the first time should be with a peculiar coincidence, Igla decided to have Bishop sneak into the black market auction for reasons unrelated to Hawkeye only for her to recover and don the Ronin suit due to her desire to help people, leading Barton to later see what she did on television, but her act of rescuing Lucky the Pizza Dog quickly planting Barton the idea that who is wearing his former costume may be a good person, though Barton seeing the costume again is a "nightmare" that he considered "dead and buried". However, the scene of the first conversation between Barton and Bishop had yet to be written when Hailee Steinfeld was cast, as they wrote the show with Steinfeld in mind. Being part of their "wishlist" of characters the writers wanted to include in the show, the Tracksuit Mafia were chosen as the main villains after their debut in the Fraction/Aja run, having become classic Hawkeye villains since then.[9] It was executive producer Trinh Tran's idea for Bishop to put on the Ronin suit, as it was a crucial moment for the writers because it unlocked the moment where the storylines of Barton and Bishop merged.[10]

Igla also decided to include a montage about why Barton needs a hearing aid after his many adventures seen in the films to showcase the lasting impact of his heroic lifestyle has, unlike the other super-powered teammates. He chose the montage moments by suggesting to elect the most "cinematic, expensive-looking explosion and Avengers-level offense" that Hawkeye has been through.[9] Tanner Bean, the show's executive story editor, rewatched Avengers: Endgame (2019) to see what other artifacts the Tracksuit Mafia could have found in the rubble of the film's climactic battle for the black market auction scene, and one thing he tried to include was the "La Cucaracha"-playing steering wheel from Luis' van, though the Easter egg was not included.[11]

Casting

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The episode stars Jeremy Renner as Clint Barton / Hawkeye, Hailee Steinfeld as Kate Bishop, Tony Dalton as Jack Duquesne, Fra Fee as Kazi, Brian d'Arcy James as Derek Bishop, Aleks Paunovic as Ivan, Piotr Adamczyk as Thomas, Linda Cardellini as Laura Barton, Simon Callow as Armand Duquesne III, and Vera Farmiga as Eleanor. Also appearing are Carlos Navarro as Enrique, Ben Sakamoto as Cooper Barton, Ava Russo as Lila Barton, Cade Woodward as Nathaniel Barton, Clara Stack as young Kate Bishop, Nichele Lambert as Greer, Regina Bryant as Franny, Brian Troxell as Gary, and Jonathan Bergman as Armand Duquesne VII.[12]: 45:30–45:33  Additionally, Hiroyuki Sanada appears as Akihiko in archive footage from Avengers: Endgame.[13][better source needed]

Filming and design

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External videos
video icon Marvel Studios' Hawkeye: Episode One Opening Title Sequence presents the episode's main title sequence, YouTube video from Perception's channel

Filming began in early December 2020 in New York City,[14][15][16] including at the Lotte New York Palace Hotel.[17] Additional filming took place at Trilith Studios and Tyler Perry Studios in Atlanta, Georgia.[18][19] The episode's main title sequence was designed by Perception.[20] Unlike the subsequent episodes, "Never Meet Your Heroes" features an opening title sequence which chronicles Bishop's story between her appearances before and after the sequence, with Perception creating the effect of time passing by skipping frames between key moments.[21]

Music

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Main article: Rogers: The Musical

The episode features the musical number "Save the City" from the fictional Broadway musical titled Rogers: The Musical, centered on the Battle of New York from The Avengers (2012) and written by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman.[22] It was released as a single on November 24, 2021.[23]

Marketing

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After the episode's release, Marvel announced merchandise inspired by the first two episodes as part of its weekly "Marvel Must Haves" promotion for each episode of the series, including apparel and Funko Pops, including Barton and Bishop with Lucky.[24]

Reception

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Audience viewership

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The viewer tracking application Samba TV reported that the series had the lowest premiere of the live action MCU series to date, with an estimated 1.5 million households checking out the episode in the first five days. This trailed the premieres for Loki (2.5M, 5 days), The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (1.8M, 3 days), and WandaVision (1.6M, 3 days).[25] According to Nielsen Media Research who measure the number of minutes watched by United States audiences on television sets, Hawkeye was the second-most watched original series across streaming services for the week of November 22–28 with 853 million minutes watched.[26] The two-episode premiere of Hawkeye was the top streaming series for viewers in the United States for the week ending November 28 according to Whip Media's TV Time.[27]

Critical response

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The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reports a 100% approval rating with an average rating of 7.30/10, based on 16 reviews. The site's critical consensus reads, "Never Meet Your Heroes" "sets the table for Hawkeye's first season with an introductory episode that puts Hailee Steinfeld front and center."[28]

Giving the episode 3 out of 5 stars, Keith Phipps from Vulture said the premiere "gets things off to a promising if short-on-fireworks start". Phipps praised the Christmas setting, stating that the episode had an "atmosphere that sets it apart from other MCU stories" as a result. He felt that the episode lacked context for older Kate Bishop and Barton's life due to the amount of set up in the episode and that the supporting characters were not featured as prominently as they could have been, especially considering the caliber of actors such as Farmiga portraying them. Overall, Phipps believed "Never Meet Your Heroes" was a good, but not perfect start to the series.[29]

Jack Shepherd of GamesRadar+ praised both Renner and Steinfeld for their performances, saying Renner's Hawkeye was given "immediately more depth" than his previous MCU appearances, while Steinfeld brought charm to Bishop, despite her arrogance. Shepherd believed that certain parts of the episode had "tonal backlash", specifically when it came to the seriousness of the personal story of Barton and the "holiday campiness" throughout the episode. Shepherd also gave the episode 3 out of 5 stars, stating "when Hawkeye leans into its absurd, funny, Christmassy side, it succeeds".[30]

Kirsten Howard of Den of Geek gave the two-episode premiere a 4.5 out of 5, liking the holiday setting and saying that they felt that "Renner's ability to do a lot of character work with a reaction shot means the audience takes a quick hit for his triumphs and losses in the wake of Thanos' misjudged pursuit". As a result, that was when they felt the series could be special.[31]

Notes

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  1. ^ As depicted in the film The Avengers (2012).
  2. ^ a b As depicted in the film Avengers: Endgame (2019).

References

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  1. ^ Otterson, Joe (April 10, 2019). "Hawkeye Series Starring Jeremy Renner in the Works at Disney+ (Exclusive)". Variety. Archived from the original on April 10, 2019. Retrieved April 10, 2019.
  2. ^ Kit, Borys (September 6, 2019). "Marvel's 'Hawkeye' Series Finds Its Writer With 'Mad Men' Scribe (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on September 6, 2019. Retrieved September 6, 2019.
  3. ^ Kit, Borys (July 17, 2020). "Marvel's 'Hawkeye' Disney+ Series Lands 'Troop Zero,' 'Comrade Detective' Directors (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on July 17, 2020. Retrieved July 18, 2020.
  4. ^ Jackson, Angelique (November 18, 2021). "Hailee Steinfeld on Joining the MCU in 'Hawkeye': 'Kate Bishop Is a Character I Would've Loved to Have Had Growing Up'". Variety. Archived from the original on November 19, 2021. Retrieved November 19, 2021.
  5. ^ "Hawkeye Fact Sheet" (PDF). Disney Media and Entertainment Distribution. Archived (PDF) from the original on November 25, 2021. Retrieved November 25, 2021.
  6. ^ Paige, Rachel (November 24, 2021). "'Hawkeye': Episode 1 Rundown, Bro". Marvel.com. Archived from the original on December 13, 2021. Retrieved January 19, 2022.
  7. ^ "Hawkeye (2021)". Writers Guild of America West. Archived from the original on November 2, 2021. Retrieved November 2, 2021.
  8. ^ Ausiello, Michael (October 14, 2021). "Hawkeye: New Trailer for Disney+ Series Teases Linda Cardellini's Return". TVLine. Archived from the original on October 14, 2021. Retrieved October 14, 2021.
  9. ^ a b c Lane, Carly (November 24, 2021). "'Hawkeye' Head Writer Jonathan Igla Breaks Down the First Two Episodes, From Kate and Clint's Initial Meeting to That Episode 2 Closer". Collider. Archived from the original on November 24, 2021. Retrieved November 24, 2021.
  10. ^ Bean, Tanner [@tan_bean] (November 28, 2021). "Kate putting on the #Ronin suit was Marvel EP Trinh Tran's idea. It was a crucial moment for the writers, as it unlocked how Kate and Clint's storylines merged. #hawkeye #katebishop" (Tweet). Archived from the original on June 9, 2022. Retrieved December 1, 2021 – via Twitter.
  11. ^ Bean, Tanner [@tan_bean] (November 28, 2021). "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.) #hawkeye" (Tweet). Archived from the original on June 9, 2022. Retrieved December 1, 2021 – via Twitter.
  12. ^ Igla, Jonathan (November 24, 2021). "Never Meet Your Heroes". Hawkeye. Season 1. Episode 1. Disney+. End credits begin at 44:53.
  13. ^ Lonigro, Alessio (November 24, 2021). "Hawkeye: Gli easter eggs e i riferimenti presenti nei primi due episodi della serie Marvel!" [Hawkeye: Easter eggs and references from the first two episodes of the Marvel series!]. Comics Universe (in Italian). Archived from the original on May 11, 2022. Retrieved May 11, 2022.
  14. ^ Dela Paz, Maggie (November 30, 2020). "Disney+'s Hawkeye Series to Begin Filming in New York this Week". ComingSoon.net. Archived from the original on December 1, 2020. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
  15. ^ Carolina (December 3, 2020). "Friday, Dec. 4 Filming Locations". On Location Vacations. Archived from the original on December 4, 2020. Retrieved December 4, 2020.
  16. ^ Polo, Susana (December 9, 2020). "Hawkeye set photos reveal costumes, but more importantly, a dog sidekick". Polygon. Archived from the original on December 9, 2020. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
  17. ^ "Hailee Steinfeld - Week in celebrity photos for Dec. 7-10, 2020". Wonderwall.com. December 10, 2020. Archived from the original on January 20, 2021. Retrieved January 19, 2021.
  18. ^ Ho, Rodney (September 30, 2020). "Upcoming Georgia productions: Jeremy Renner's Marvel series 'Hawkeye,' Gerard Butler's police drama 'Copshop'". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Archived from the original on October 1, 2020. Retrieved October 1, 2020.
  19. ^ "#1261 08/26" (PDF). Production Weekly. No. 1261 (published August 26, 2021). September 6, 2021. p. 18. Archived (PDF) from the original on September 29, 2021. Retrieved October 1, 2021.
  20. ^ Failes, Ian (January 21, 2022). "How the main titles of 'Hawkeye' helped tell the story of Kate and Clint". Befores & Afters. Archived from the original on January 21, 2022. Retrieved April 17, 2022.
  21. ^ "Hawkeye | Main on End Title Design". Perception. Archived from the original on June 20, 2022. Retrieved September 14, 2022.
  22. ^ Paige, Rachel (November 10, 2021). "'Hawkeye': Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman on Bringing 'Rogers: The Musical' to Life". Marvel.com. Archived from the original on November 10, 2021. Retrieved November 10, 2021.
  23. ^ Perine, Aaron (November 24, 2021). "How to Listen to Rogers: The Musical Song, "Save the City," From Hawkeye". ComicBook.com. Archived from the original on November 24, 2021. Retrieved November 24, 2021.
  24. ^ Paige, Rachel (November 26, 2021). "Shop Marvel Must Haves: 'Hawkeye' Episodes 1 and 2". Marvel.com. Archived from the original on December 6, 2021. Retrieved December 7, 2021.
  25. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (November 29, 2021). "'Hawkeye' Viewership 40% Behind 'Loki' Premiere In Samba-Measured Disney+ Homes". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on November 29, 2021. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
  26. ^ Hipes, Patrick (December 27, 2021). "'True Story', 'Hawkeye', 'Red Notice' Topped U.S. Streaming Rankings During Thanksgiving Week". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on December 27, 2021. Retrieved January 22, 2022.
  27. ^ Prange, Stephanie (November 30, 2021). "'Red Notice,' 'Hawkeye' Top Weekly Whip Media Streaming Charts". Media Play News. Archived from the original on April 21, 2022. Retrieved October 4, 2022.
  28. ^ "Never Meet Your Heroes". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved February 28, 2022.
  29. ^ Phipps, Keith (November 24, 2021). "Hawkeye Series-Premiere Recap: The Most Wonderful Time of the Year?". Vulture. Archived from the original on November 25, 2021. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
  30. ^ Shepherd, Jack (November 24, 2021). "Hawkeye Episode 1 Review: "Doesn't Quite Hit a Bullseye"". GamesRadar+. Archived from the original on November 24, 2021. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
  31. ^ Howard, Kirsten (November 24, 2021). "Hawkeye Episode 1 and 2 Review: Welcome to the Party, Pal". Den of Geek. Archived from the original on November 24, 2021. Retrieved January 24, 2022.
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