Spider-Man: No Way Home theory reveals a shocking Hawkeye finale cameo
Clint may mentor yet another young hero.
From the beginning, Hawkeye was about family. Clint Barton had to leave his wife and children to deal with consequences of his actions while they were Blipped, and he spends every second he’s not kicking ass missing them. Thankfully, Kate Bishop is around to not only help him with his old enemies, but also spend much of the holidays with him as a substitute for Laura and the kids.
But could Clint be having another guest this Christmas? One theory suggests the MCU’s latest focal point may appear.
It’s clear that Hawkeye and Spider-Man: No Way Home happen around the same time. There are references to Rogers: The Musical in No Way Home and a reference to “the new and improved Statue of Liberty” in Hawkeye Episode 5. Both take place around Christmas, and both include characters from Netflix’s Daredevil series. Redditor LR-II thinks this is a prime opportunity for the Marvel Cinematic Universe to bring Spider-Man into the Marvel TV world through Hawkeye’s finale.
This appearance would make business sense too. If the contract between Sony and Marvel includes one more appearance of Spider-Man in a Marvel project before renegotiation, maybe Marvel could be using Hawkeye to fulfill its first contract and start planning for a new deal with Sony in the wake of No Way Home’s massive success.
Hawkeye has never been shy about its Christmas setting.
Not only does a Spider-Man cameo line up timeline-wise and business-wise, it’s also a perfect thematic fit. Hawkeye’s a show about family, and Peter Parker just lost both his biological relative Aunt May and his found family in Ned and MJ. Through Clint, and maybe Kate, Peter could find the solace he needs as he builds his life back up from scratch.
What role could Spider-Man play in Hawkeye? It could be as big as Peter swooping in to help Kate and Clint in the heat of battle, or just a cutaway to Spider-Man proving he’s too busy to deal with Kingpin, which would explain how Wilson Fisk has been able to get such a grip on the underground dealings of the neighborhood.
With Kingpin in Hawkeye, both of Marvel’s December releases have ties to Daredevil.
There’s precedent for a huge reveal like this. The Mandalorian Season 1 featured Force healing in its penultimate episode, only for that power to come back in a bigger role when The Rise of Skywalker premiered a week later. This theory would posit the opposite direction, but tying together recently released projects from the same franchise isn’t unheard of for Disney+.
Whether it’s a huge appearance or just a cameo, there are rarely mere coincidences in the MCU. That both of these projects not only feature Christmas in New York, but Christmas at Rockefeller Center, seems just too fortunate to be unplanned. Thankfully, there’s only a few days to wait before we find out the truth.
Hawkeye is now streaming on Disney+.
