I called it, people. 

I called the Yelena Belova cameo! It was amazing. But let’s back up. 

Marvel’s Hawkeye on Disney+ came to an amazing conclusion, with the final three episodes delivering a mix of emotion, grief, suspense, and ultimate excitement for the future of the MCU. It was also so gratifying to see Kate Bishop rise to the occasion and take up the Hawkeye mantle. 

As Clint and Kate slowly discover that the murder of Jack Duquense was the fault of Kate’s mother, who has been working for a notorious leader of the New York criminal underworld, Kingpin. 

That’s right, folks. Kingpin! 

And this is not just any Kingpin, but the very same one from Marvel and Netflix’s Daredevil. With the uncertainty surrounding whether or not the brilliant Netflix Marvel shows are considered canon, we have finally gotten some confirmation, with Kingpin’s cameo, as well as with another mysterious cameo in Spiderman: No Way Home. 

This has also raised so many questions about how Kingpin has survived, and where our Netflix Marvel heroes were during the Infinity Saga. However, it seems like future MCU projects are preparing to slowly give us these answers. 

However, not in this series, as our hero, Kate Bishop is able to defeat Kingpin, who had been blackmailing her mother to work for him. 

Amidst this hunt to discover who had been behind all of these criminal activities in the show, we also get Yelena Belova, Natasha Romanoff’s sister who had been sent to kill Clint Barton. Although Yelena comes to New York on an assignment, she also heavily blames Clint for her sister’s death. 

This creates such an amazing storyline for both Clint and Yelena, who are both grieving over Natasha throughout the series, and blaming themselves for not being able to save her. It is also nice to see that someone is grieving over Natasha, especially considering how her sacrifice has not been acknowledged nearly as much as Tony Stark’s.  

As Clint and Kate continue to hunt down Maya and Kingpin, Yelena constantly stands in the way, creating a funny dynamic between Yelena and Kate. The scene where Yelena breaks into Kate’s apartment, as well as the elevator scene, is pure genius, with the interactions between both women always getting a laugh out of me. 

Ultimately, when everything unfolds in the finale, Yelena and Clint settle their differences in a heartwarming scene, in which they get to share their grief over Natasha together. This is when Yelena decides to spare Clint. 

Meanwhile, Kate defeats Kingpin and sends her mother to prison for her crimes. Kate, now alone in the world–well besides her having a nameless stray pizza dog–joins Clint and his family on Christmas, with Clint basically taking her in as his own. 

Hawkeye, is in many ways, just a superhero show. However, there is a lot of fun, humor, and impact found in the simplicity of that genre. It doesn’t take itself too seriously, like most superhero shows, while also not sacrificing some of the more sincere elements. 

That is what really makes Hawkeye truly worth watching. Don’t miss it!