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Hawkeye ending and post-credits scene explained

Hawkeye brings Kate Bishop into the MCU - what happens in the ending and post-credits scene of the Disney Plus series?

Hawkeye ending explained

How does Hawkeye end? The Marvel Cinematic Universe Disney Plus TV series didn’t quite shake up the status quo of the franchise like Loki, but it did give us formidable new Avenger-to-be, Kate Bishop (Hailee Steinfeld). Over the course of the show, Kate becomes the protégé to Jeremy Renner’s Clint Barton, ushering in a new generation of heroism.

As is often the case in the MCU, Kate finds out quick that being part of the Avengers Initiative is a painful, difficult business. Her efforts to become the new Ronin put her in way over her head, and she quickly becomes embroiled in some black market shenanigans involving her own family. Clint offers support and guidance, but even he isn’t quite prepared for who comes out of the woodwork.

In the end, we get another exciting addition to the Marvel Phase 4 roster, a couple of welcome returns, and one very messy Christmas. Not wanting you to miss a beat, we’ve broken down what happens, and the implications, so you can sleep soundly and dream of having a good boy like Lucky the Pizza Dog.

What happens in the Hawkeye ending?

Much of Hawkeye’s drama stems from one man: Vincent D’Onofrio’s Kingpin who’s revealed to be Echo’s uncle. Eleanor Bishop, Kate’s mother, tries to end their working relationship. Getting out from under Wilson Fisk’s thumb is not so easy, and he attempts to have Eleanor assassinated at her Christmas party.

He didn’t bank on Clint, though, who works with a motley crew composed of some resident LARPers and Eleanor’s fiancé, Armand, to evacuate the building. Kate, meanwhile, is trying to find Eleanor, but only gets Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), who’s still on the warpath for Clint following the Black Widow post-credits scene. Eventually, all parties spill out onto the ice rink at the foot of the building.

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Clint and Kate take on the bulk of the tracksuit mafia and win, using some trusty trick arrows. Then they take on separate targets: Kate fights Kingpin, and Clint goes one-on-one with Yelena. Both highly trained, Yelena gives Clint what for, but soon he convinces her of Natasha Romanoff’s sacrifice. As Natasha’s sister, this is hard for Yelena to hear, but she relents enough to spare Clint and leaves.

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Kate has a harder time. Notoriously ruthless and difficult to hurt, Wilson Fisk is like a wrecking ball that she struggles to dent. Some explosive arrows buy her time by knocking him out, and sparing Eleanor his wrath. When he emerges from the wreckage, he’s faced with Echo, who appears to shoot him – more on that in a second.

Eleanor is arrested for Armand’s murder, and Kate enjoys a happy Christmas with the Barton household. Clint gives the mysterious Rolex watch to his wife, Laura (Linda Cardellini), and he and Kate playfully discuss her superhero name. Hmmm, wonder what she’ll choose?

Is Kingpin dead?

The last thing we hear from Wilson is him pleading for his life to Echo. Then the camera pans up, and we hear a gunshot. Obviously, this suggests she’s put a bullet in his head. But if you don’t see a body, that character probably isn’t dead, and that goes double for a return like D’Onofrio’s.

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It would be nonsensical for Marvel Studios to utilise the Netflix series so blatantly and have it be for one episode. D’Onofrio’s performance is beloved and definitive, much like JK Simmons’s J Jonah Jameson, and Kingpin’s never been killed in the comics. Rest assured, we’ll be seeing him again, and hopefully soon.

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What happens in the Hawkeye post-credits scene?

In a joyous coda to Clint Barton, one of the original six big-screen Avengers team-members, we get an MCU musical number. A full song from Rogers: The Musical, titled ‘Save This City’ is shown, complete with full on-stage production as if this were an actual night on Broadway.

It’s essentially the iconic 360 one-shot from Avengers where Thor, Captain America, Iron Man, Black Widow, Hulk, and Hawkeye come together. In the back half, you have references to Steve rallying the group together, landing on Hulk and asking him to “Smash”. A catchy tune by any measure, it only makes us want to see more – maybe for Hawkeye season 2?