New 'Avengers: Endgame' Trailer Drops Major Clue About Hawkeye's Daughter

The world woke up this morning to a brand spanking new trailer for Avengers: Endgame. While most of the trailer recounts some of the most important moments in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, there were also many glimpses at the future. One shot especially hints at a more ambitious future: the possible introduction of Hawkeye’s protégé and replacement, Kate Bishop.

In the trailer for Avengers: Endgame, Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner), who was MIA for Avengers: Infinity War, is now featured prominently, rejoining his Avengers colleagues to sock it to Thanos. It’s also heavily implied that Clint’s family, who were kept secret until 2015’s Avengers: Age of Ultron, were killed by Thanos in his universal genocide that fans commonly call “the Snap.”

But one “flashback” scene shows Clint training his daughter, Lila (originally played by twins Isabella and Imogen Poynton), how to use a bow, which she shows natural proficiency for. (Seems bullseyes run in the family!)

However, what’s significant is that while Lila Barton was a child in Age of Ultron, she now looks older in this “flashback.” (Or maybe it’s a flash-forward?) Either way, Lila Barton has grown into somebody in their early teens.

A while back, we speculated on what role actor Emma Fuhrmann (Blended) would play in the film, as her IMDb credit for Avengers: Endgame is unnamed. While it’s hard to tell from the camera angles, it’s a safe bet to guess Fuhrmann is playing this “older” Lila Barton.

This begs the question: Is Hawkeye training his daughter to take the role of his protégé and successor, just as Kate Bishop did in the comics?

Who Is Kate Bishop? aka “Lady Hawkguy”

Introduced in 2005’s Young Avengers #1 by Allan Heinberg and Jim Cheung, Kate Bishop is the successor of the Hawkeye mantle from Clint Barton.

Originally just a teenager until an attack in Central Park left her traumatized, Kate Bishop trains herself in self-defense and soon meets the Young Avengers.

When the heroes are in a bind, she infiltrates Avengers HQ and steals Mockingbird and Hawkeye’s gear to help them out. They thank her by extending an invitation to join the team. As a member of the Young Avengers, Kate Bishop participates in some of the biggest Marvel storylines of the late 2000s, including Civil War, Secret Invasion, and Siege.

But it was in Matt Fraction and David Aja’s acclaimed 2012 run on Hawkeye where Kate Bishop really shined. A self-assured, self-reliant superhero, her quips and sharp personality played well against an aloof Hawkeye, which earned Kate fan-favorite status among readers. A significant portion of Fraction’s Hawkeye followed Kate Bishop to LA, where she tried her hand at freelance detective work until her father put a hit on Clint back in New York.

Later storylines, such as in All-New Hawkeye, explored Kate Bishop’s complicated relationship with her father. While she idolized her father in her childhood, discovering his true nature as a criminal mastermind broke her heart. In Hawkeye, she found a new surrogate father figure and took on his identity to avoid becoming like her father. But in All-New Hawkeye, Kate leaves Hawkeye behind to become her own person.

In 2016, Kelly Thompson wrote a Kate Bishop mini-series, Hawkeye: Kate Bishop, which ran for 16 issues.

What “Kate Bishop” Means for the MCU

It is always important to point out how much the Marvel Cinematic Universe diverges from comic book storylines. From the fact that the starting Avengers roster wasn’t the same as it was in the comics, to the events of Captain America: Civil War, to as recently as in Captain Marvel that rewrote Mar-Vell (including casting “him” with Annette Bening). The MCU takes many left turns from where the comics go. For that reason, it’s not unreasonable to think the MCU is “changing” Kate Bishop, possibly even rewriting her into Lila Barton.

While Lila isn’t “becoming” Kate Bishop, Avengers: Endgame hints that Lila will inhabit some of Kate’s attributes and play a similar role in the life of Clint Barton. It’s also not unreasonable to speculate that, given the “finale” feeling of Avengers: Endgame, Lila is a clear successor to take over her father’s mantle when Clint retires. Or dies. Whichever comes first.

Avengers: Endgame will be released in theaters on April 26.