Hawkeye episode 1 recap: Who’s Kate Bishop? And what’s Clint been up to?

Hawkeye is finally here, and it’s starting with a bang! (Or a bell toll, rather.) Not only does the series focus on Jeremy Renner’s Hawkeye, but it also introduces us to a plethora of new faces, including Kate Bishop (Hailee Steinfeld) and her mother Eleanor (Vera Farmiga). Read on to learn what happened in Hawkeye episode 1, “Never Meet Your Heroes.”

Hawkeye episode 1 recap: Who is Kate Bishop?

When we first meet Kate Bishop in 2012, she’s a mischievous child, eavesdropping on an argument between her parents. While her dad comforts her and her mom tries to cheer her up, things quickly go south when the side of their building explodes. She helplessly watches outside, zoning in on Hawkeye using his arrow to fight.

Unfortunately, Kate’s father doesn’t make it. At the funeral, she tells her mother that she needs a bow and arrow, too, to protect herself.

Hawkeye episode 1 recap: Who is Ronin?

Fast-forward to the present day. It’s clear Kate still has a habit of getting herself into trouble. When she’s dared by some of her college friends to try to hit a bell in a tower with her arrow, she succeeds — and brings the whole tower down with it, much to her mother’s dismay.

Her mom warns her that she’s going to get hurt if she keeps looking for trouble, telling her she gets her dangerous side from her father. Young people and rich people always think they are invincible, and Kate has always been both.

Although it seems Kate’s mother might be getting into some trouble of her own. At a charity auction, it’s revealed that she and her suspicious boyfriend Jack are engaged — a fact Kate finds out through Jack’s uncle, the equally suspicious Armand. Kate thinks the relationship has moved far too fast.

When Kate sees Armand threaten her mother, she decides to follow him to see what he’s up to. She pretends to be a waiter, seeing Armand and Jack have a meeting in a secret auction room, where Armand tells Jack he’s at a breaking point with Eleanor.

One such item auctioned off is a Ronin sword, which Jack bids on. Before the auctioneer can start the bidding for the Ronin outfit, a big explosion knocks the power out, and a group of robbers busts in looking for a watch. Kate frantically grabs the Ronin costume and fights them off under the disguise of the hood and mask.

Not only does she fight them off, but she also manages to save a stray dog from nearly getting hit by a car, taking it to her apartment. After this, she decides to do some snooping as to what Armand is up to, sneaking into this apartment and finding him dead. Shaken, she leaves the apartment, and the group of robbers surrounds her.

Hawkeye episode 1 recap: What has Clint been up to?

When we first see Clint, it seems he’s trying to live a low-key life with his children. However, it quickly becomes clear he’s still haunted by his past — particularly Natasha’s death. He grapples with the hurt and guilt he feels, especially when the Steve Rogers musical reminds him of how much he misses her.

But it doesn’t look like Clint’s going to be able to stay out of the action for long. When he sees Kate donning the Ronin mask on the news, he feels an obligation to help save her, as this is the disguise he used during his vigilante days. He gets there just in the nick of time to help bail Kate out of the dire situation with the robbers.

What did you think of the Hawkeye pilot? Comment below!