Marvel’s Hawkeye marks the franchise’s first live-action return to the small screen since July's season 1 finale of Loki, and the new series takes on a genre the Marvel TV endeavors haven’t approached so far — the holiday special. The last time Marvel did anything Christmas-themed at all was in Iron Man 3 in 2013. 2013! It won’t be the last either, with Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special slated to hit Disney+ in Winter 2022. But besides the Christmas season when is Hawkeye actually set within the MCU timeline? Let's discuss:
It’s The Most Wonderful Time
Hawkeye has a lot on its plate; the series not only will catch up with Clint Barton (Jeremy Renner) for the first time since the deaths of Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) and Natasha Romanov (Scarlett Johansson), but it also brings his protegee into the fold, Kate Bishop (Hailee Steinfeld), and who could forget Lucky the Pizza Dog (Jolt the Golden Retriever)? These events and characters are already big enough without adding the holiday concept into the mix, but at least it helps us wrap our heads around the timing of the Disney+ series.
So, when in the Marvel Cinematic Universe does Hawkeye take place? Well, from the official trailer we can deduce that the events occur at least a few days before the Christmas holiday, and in fact, Hawkeye starts 6 days before Christmas with each episode representing a day leading up to the big day, as noted by head writer Johnathan Igla to Consequence. But this question becomes a lot more complicated when you factor this further explanation from co-director Rhys Thomas [via Games Radar]:
"We get to see where he's at, we're two years after the events of Endgame. And so we get to see what he's been doing and how he's dealing with his past."
With the majority of Avengers: Endgame’s events occurring in October 2023, Hawkeye happens later in the Cinematic Universe than any movie or TV show to date. In the trailer, Clint refers to the lost time he wants to make up for. At first, it seems this could be the time lost between the snap and the blip, but Rogers the Musical is much more likely to exist to memorialize the Captain after his disappearance (or death — Marvel still hasn’t made what the public thinks clear). This puts Hawkeye in late 2024 or 2025.
What Does That Mean?
With a date of Christmas week of 2024 or 2025, that makes Hawkeye the furthest venture set in the MCU, even when compared to the movies. The previous holder of this title is Spiderman: Far From Home, taking place in the summer of 2024. Hawkeye also likely takes place later than upcoming movies, Spiderman: No Way Home and Dr. Strange and the Multiverse of Madness, which are rumored to lead into each other, taking place not that far after the Spiderman sequel. So, since Hawkeye is likely the furthest out we’ll see of the Marvel universe for several months to come, pay close attention for clues to the state of affairs.
Fun Fact: If the characters of Hawkeye ever travel across the Indian Ocean, they’ll be able to see a marble Tiamut from the plane.