Marvel fans received an early Christmas gift this Thanksgiving with the release of the new series Hawkeye. The first two episodes did their job by setting up the tone of the show and to show viewers just what they are investing in. 

Despite speculation, Rhys Thomas, director of multiple Hawkeye episodes, has confirmed that in the MCU timeline, the show takes place one year after Endgame, meaning that we are well into phase four of the Marvel Universe. With many fans eager to experience these new characters and adventures, others are apprehensive. 

The buildup of our beloved classic characters that we grew to love over the past thirteen years has made Marvel one of the most successful universes in the world, yet the phasing out of these characters has made no damper on the success of the universe. If anything, it has driven up the fan base with more and more people watching their content out of pure curiosity of what the future holds, but many feel displeased with the direction it’s going.

Hawkeye is no exception. 

The set up was all there, but was it too much? With the release of just two episodes some argue that it is not enough time to draw the audience in enough, but looking back to WandaVision, we know that Marvel is capable of obtaining a fanbase even after just two episodes. 

Lauren Coates, a writer for Fansided, expresses how the focal point of the show is indeed the new characters and not Hawkeye himself.

“The show has so little faith in our interest in Clint Barton as a character that it buries his best moments under a sea of Kate Bishop screen time and backstory hoping the shiny new hero will appease audiences more than Renner’s veteran, who Marvel seems to have little to no faith in,” says Coates. “It’s the tamest, by-the-numbers start a Marvel/Disney+ series has turned out, and that’s thanks almost entirely to the show’s refusal to put faith in Jeremy Renner’s Clint Barton, even when he’s already put in a decade’s worth of work for the character.”

Many critics agree, such as Ben Travers from IndieWire.com giving it a grade of C- upon its first release. 

With new episodes being released every Wednesday, the series has another four weeks to redeem itself before the season finale. Critics believe that the first two episodes did not hit the eye on the target at all, but fully missed the mark. Fans are patiently waiting for the next shot to see what is in store.