Hawkeye’s Reason For Not Wearing His Comics Costume Is Perfect

Warning! Spoilers ahead for Hawkeye episode 3, “Echoes.”

In Marvel’s Hawkeye, Clint Barton (Jeremy Renner) finally gives the perfect reason for not wearing his classic all-purple costume from the comics. Working with MCU newcomer, the major Hawkeye fan and archer Kate Bishop (Hailee Steinfeld), the duo is trying to evade the Tracksuit Mafia who has linked them both to the Ronin. However, while they’re laying low, Kate is determined to help Clint with what she sees as a “branding issue,” coming up with a sketch that should be pretty familiar to Marvel comic book readers.

In Hawkeye episode 3, Clint and Kate escape the Tracksuit Mafia, led by Maya Lopez a.k.a. Echo (Alaqua Cox). Having been captured overnight, the two archers manage to break free, resulting in an epic car chase across New York that eventually sees Clint and Kate losing their pursuers. Soon after, they stop at a diner for some food which is where Kate resumes her attempts not only to sell herself as a capable aspiring superhero to Clint, but to also to help Hawkeye sell himself as a hero, starting with a more recognizable costume.

This leads Kate to draw a quick sketch of a new costume for Clint which she claims will be all purple, featuring a winged mask to cover his face and a large letter “H” on the head for “Hawkeye.” Familiar viewers will recognize the sketch Kate shows him as one of Hawkeye’s very first, original costumes from the comics. However, while it’s certainly a fun reference and nod, it’s just not practical for the MCU’s Clint Barton to actually wear and he explains as much. At first, Clint jokes that his wife will divorce him if he ever wore something so ridiculous. But he also points out the impracticalities of it; a colorful costume directly violates how he operates. For 20 years, his job was to be a ghost and work in the shadows. After all, he was an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. long before he became an Avenger, as well as after. Like Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), Hawkeye worked in subterfuge and from behind the scenes, preferring to let the flashier Avengers take the attention off him.

Hawkeye’s reasons for not wearing the purple suit, combined with Kate Bishop’s youthful enthusiasm as the creator of the design, result in the perfect rejection. Not only does he shut down Kate, but in a very meta-sense he also confirms to any hopeful fans wanting to see him put on the full purple that the odds are incredibly slim. The classic comic costume is the antithesis of how he works in the MCU. Furthermore, Hawkeye believes he’s not a role model, despite Kate’s arguments that he is. It’s understandable that he wouldn’t want to make himself look more like something he doesn’t believe himself to be.

In any case, it looks as though a compromise will eventually be made, seeing as how promos and teasers for Marvel’s Hawkeye feature Clint wearing a more current version of his Hawkeye suit from the comics. While it’s largely black and definitely more reserved, it does have the purple wing design on the chest. Hopefully, audiences can be satisfied with the happy medium right along with Kate, who may eventually convince Clint that he is still a hero despite his dark past.

Marvel’s Hawkeye releases new episodes Wednesdays on Disney+.

About The Author

Kevin Erdmann
(2510 Articles Published)

Kevin Erdmann is one of Screen Rant’s staff writers. With a major in Cinema Studies and a minor in Comics and Cartoon Studies from the UofO, Kevin is pretty sure he’s writing for the right site. While Kevin is a huge Marvel fan, he also loves Batman because he’s Batman and is a firm believer that Han shot first. Disney also shares a big part of his fan patronage. Kevin lives in Oregon with his wonderful wife and sinister cat who is no doubt currently plotting his demise.

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