‘Hawkeye’ Episode 5: Yelena’s on a Mission.. and Another Marvel Fave Appears (RECAP)

[WARNING: The following contains MAJOR spoilers for Disney+ series Hawkeye Season 1 Episode 5, “Ronin.”]

The Netflix Marvel shows have always lived in the same nebulous space in MCU canon also inhabited by Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. While it would’ve been possible to incorporate a character or two from them into the larger universe, the MCU never really did—save for Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg), who was in the movies to start with. But that wasn’t for a lack of fan support, especially in the case of one particular program: Daredevil.

In “Ronin,” that changes when a familiar antagonist from the beloved Netflix show makes an appearance. In addition, Kate (Hailee Steinfeld) gets to know Yelena (Florence Pugh), Clint (Jeremy Renner) reveals a new layer to what happened to Maya’s (Alaqua Cox) father, and we discover there was far more to Eleanor Bishop (Vera Farmiga) than met the eye.

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The episode opens with an explanation of what Yelena’s been up to. She goes to visit a fellow Widow, but then she disappears in the Blip; she comes back five years later, to the exact spot in her friend’s restroom where she vanished. She asks her friend—who’s now married and has a child—to help her find Natasha (Scarlett Johansson). She, of course, has no clue her “sister” is dead. Poor Yelena!

In the present, a dejected Kate goes home, where her mom takes care of her after the fight. After a sweet conversation about what her future holds, Kate breaks it to her mom that something shady’s going on with Jack (Tony Dalton). She asks her to look into it: Her mom asks her to get her things and come home. But when she goes to her apartment, Yelena’s there. At her request, Kate eats dinner with her… and then Yelena says she’s been hired to kill Clint. When Kate’s stunned, Yelena points out that Kate admires him, but she doesn’t really know him. “The trail of blood that follows him, you could wrap around the entire world,” she says. She thanks Kate for the “girls night,” but warns her not to get in her way again.

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Kate goes home, where the police arrest Jack; her mom says she, as Kate said, “looked into it.” Meanwhile, Clint’s crashing with the LARPer he befriended earlier in the series. The archer goes to the New York Avengers memorial and has a heartfelt conversation with his friend’s memory. He tells Natasha that he “really needs to talk” to her, says she was the bravest of them all, and, barely suppressing his tears, says he’s “so sorry for what [he’s] about to do.” Later that night, he tells the Tracksuits (via an arrow with a hidden message) that he’ll meet Maya that night at the place where she first met the Ronin. Then he calls his wife and tells them they need to stay safe, and that if he doesn’t end this tonight, it’s only a matter of time before “the big guy” gets involved.

At a used car lot, Clint takes down every member of Maya’s team, Batman-style, until it’s just her and him. They fight, and Clint gains the upper hand. As he holds the Ronin sword to Maya’s throat, he takes off the mask. He makes a deal with her: He won’t kill her, but if anyone comes after him or his family, it’ll be the last thing she does. “You and I,” he says, “we’re the same.”

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He tells her the only reason he was there the night her father died was because he was tipped off by an informant, and her boss wanted her father dead. This enrages Maya, and she nearly kills Clint with his own sword… until the weapon’s shot out of her hands. It’s Kate! Maya leaves, and Kate and Clint reunite. She tells Clint that the woman who attacked him said she was Natasha’s sister, and he instantly knows her name—clearly, Nat told her friend about her family.

They both end up back at the friendly LARPer’s place, where Kate gets an upsetting text from an unknown number (it’s Yelena). “Kate Bishop,” it reads. “I found out who hired me. Eleanor Bishop. Thought you deserved to know.” And what’s more, the photo Yelena sends her has someone else with her mother in the image; Clint says that’s the guy he’s been worried about this whole time. “That guy” is Kingpin (Vincent D’Onofrio). Dun-dun-dunnnnnn.

Hawkeye, Wednesdays, Disney+