All The Hawkeye Easter Eggs You Might Have Missed In The First Two Episodes
The first two episodes of "Hawkeye" are streaming now on Disney+, and just like every other project in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, there are plenty of Easter eggs to behold. Since much of the show's underlying villainous plot is still kept under wraps, some of these Easter eggs just might hint at what "Hawkeye" is setting up for the future of the MCU. While one theory ties into the reveal of Kang the Conqueror at the end of "Loki," another theory speculates about the possibility of bringing in a familiar character who hasn't properly crossed over into the big screen world of the MCU. So let's dig into the "Hawkeye" Easter eggs.
Before we proceed, we'd just like to clarify that Easter eggs are not clear and obvious references to the comics that Marvel Studios is adapting or the movies and TV shows that came before. The presence of the Tracksuit Mafia and the introduction of characters like Kate Bishop and Jack Duquesne from the comics are not Easter eggs. For some real Easter eggs, keep reading below.
Shang-Chi Enters the Marvel Studios Logo
This year, "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings" introduced a new superhero into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and he's now been added to the Marvel Studios opening logo. As you can see above, right there in the "M" of "Marvel" there's Simu Liu wielding the power of the Ten Rings. Welcome to the party, pal!
Stane Tower
When we catch up with Kate Bishop in present day, she's pulling off a bit of a college prank with her friends. Using her expert archery skills, Bishop rings the bell in "The Oldest University Bell Tower in the United States," only to accidentally make it crumble. In case you didn't see the sign, this belltower is called Stane Tower, and a plaque on the school grounds confirms that it is named after Obadiah Stane, the "Iron Man" villain played by Jeff Bridges. The plaque says:
"The oldest university bell tower in the United States. Its cornerstone was placed on October 20, 1725. Rededicated on July 1, 2006 in honor of Obadiah Stane."
It seems odd that the university wouldn't have rededicated the tower again after Obadiah betrayed not just Tony Stark, but the United States of America. But SHIELD covered up the details of Obadiah Stane's death, and the public doesn't know about his nefarious activities, so his name remains in good standing.
Tigra, Is That You?
The reason that Kate Bishop is trying to ring the bell in Stane Tower is a bet made with her friend Greer, who we hear on the phone while Kate is trying to make good on the wager. In Marvel Comics, Greer happens to be the name of the Marvel vigilante Tigra, a human-tiger hybrid not unlike Cheetah in "Wonder Woman 1984." Hawkeye actually squares off with this character in the comics, but this is likely nothing more than a cheeky reference to the character name.
I Could Do This All Day
Okay, fine, the "Rogers: The Musical" sequence is such a prominent piece of the debut episode of "Hawkeye" that it's not really an Easter egg. But we'd be remiss if we didn't point out some of the amusing references the stage production makes to "The Avengers" and other elements of the MCU. From the song using Steve Rogers' line, "I could do this all day," to the lyrics referencing Tony Stark grabbing the nukes in the Battle of New York, there are plenty of little details to notice throughout the song. They're not hard to spot, but they're a lot of fun.
Fun Fact: The actors portraying everyone on stage are actual Broadway stars, including "Rent" actor Adam Pascal as one of the New Yorkers featured in the scene.
Friendly Neighborhood Marvel Comics Writers
When Kate Bishop takes Clint Barton to somewhere she can lie low, the buzzer outside of the apartment complex is filled with the names of the tenants. Among those names are some familiar Marvel Comics writers, such as Marcel Sosa, Seth Meyers, Glenn Danzig, and Sam Moskowitz. The movies and TV shows of Marvel Studios have always included little nods to those responsible for shaping the characters of Marvel Comics, and this continues the tradition.
Moira Brandon and the Creature of the Dark Galaxy
The apartment where Kate Bishop chooses to lay low belongs to her aunt. Later on, we learn that her aunt is Moira Brandon, which is a deep cut reference to "Avengers: West Coast" #100. Moira Brandon is a retired movie star whose mansion was purchased by Hawkeye as the new base for the West Coast Avengers. The series has kept Brandon's history in the movies intact, as evidenced by a poster for an old sci-fi movie called "Creature of the Dark Galaxy" on the wall. Moira Brandon's name is right there at the top alongside the name Luke Ballard, which is a reference to one of Marvel's visual development artists. Will Moira Brandon end up playing a more pivotal role in Kate's life?
Detective Caudle and Grills
We specifically mentioned that we wouldn't be calling out supporting characters in the show as Easter eggs. But in this case, the introduction of Detective Caudle feels like it could be an Easter egg that turns into something more. In the pages of Marvel Comics, Detective Caudle is one of Kate Bishop's allies, acting as a contact in the Santa Monica Police Department while she's doing detective work of her own. Perhaps this is a small set-up for an eventual partnership if Kate Bishop is meant to have her own series.
Marvel Studios
Meanwhile, we're going to point out the character Grills as an Easter egg since he's not an adaptation of the character with the same name from the "Hawkeye" comics. In Matt Fraction and David Aja's beloved comic run, the character of Grills is a white guy who is frequently grilling on the rooftop of the apartment building that Clint Barton has moved into. The LARP-er named Grills, who came into possession of the Ronin outfit and used it for role-playing, is obviously a drastic departure from that character, but the name is still used as a little nod to the comic.
Username: Bishop112012
When Clint has been kidnapped by the Tracksuit Mafia (albeit intentionally), Kate uses tracking software from her mother's security company to find out where he's located. For a brief moment, we see Kate's username is "Bishop112012." That's not just a random assortment of numbers. November of 2012 refers to "Hawkeye Vol. 4" #2, a key comic book issue that marks the first appearance of Lucky the Pizza Dog.
Auction Item #268, The Watch from Avengers Compound
Kate Bishop stumbles upon an illegal underground auction happening at an upscale party being attended by her mother Eleanor and her new fiancé, Jack Duquesne. In fact, it's Jack and his uncle Armand who are bidding on some expensive items, including the Ronin sword and suit from the wreckage of Avengers Compound in upstate New York.
But the more intriguing item is #268, a watch that was also retrieved from Avengers Compound. That's what the Tracksuit Mafia appears to have been after when they crashed the auction and got into a scuffle with Kate Bishop. But we have no idea why. However, there are a couple interesting theories to consider.
First of all, the #268 designation could be a sly reference to Avengers #268, which just so happens to deal with Kang the Conqueror and some other versions of the character. Could this have something to do with the Marvel villain who debuted in "Loki" and will be prominently features in "Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania" when it's released in July 2023? We still haven't learned who purchased Stark Tower, and since the sale is mentioned in the second episode of "Hawkeye," we're wondering if Qeng Industries will be revealed as the buyer, introducing us to one of Kang the Conqueror's variants. After all, we already saw Stark Tower with the Qeng name on it in The Void from "Loki," so it's not out of the realm of possibility. What would he want with the watch? Well, "Captain America: Civil War" revealed that Tony Stark could conceal Iron Man tech in his watch, and the entire suit from "Avengers: Infinity War" was able to fit into his chest piece. So it's possible that there's coveted, dangerous Stark tech inside that watch.
Meanwhile, ScreenCrush has proposed another theory. If the Ronin sword and suit were at Avengers Compound with the watch, perhaps it's something that Clint Barton stole from a crime boss during his time as the brutal vigilante. What if Clint stole it from Kingpin (Vincent D'Onofrio from the "Daredevil" series on Netflix), and he's commissioned the Tracksuit Mafia to get it back? When Clint is speaking with his wife Laura (Linda Cardellini) by phone, he mentions that he's not sure how high this goes, and it would be quite surprising if it went all the way to the top. Neither Clint nor Kate are aware of the watch being what the Tracksuit Mafia was after, so it's bound to be an important reveal.
Furthermore, the end of the second episode of "Hawkeye" teases the introducing of Alaqua Cox as Maya Lopez, a character who is seemingly being set up as a villain in the show and is also slated to have her own Disney+ series called "Echo," named after her alter ego. It just so happens that Echo's father was killed by Kingpin. Combine that with rumors of Charlie Cox potentially appearing as Matt Murdock in "Spider-Man: No Way Home," and we could be looking at Marvel's "Daredevil" series being folded into the larger MCU in a more proper fashion.
This is perhaps the most important detail to keep an eye on, and it's something we'll be curious about as "Hawkeye" continues in the coming weeks.