In 2021, Marvel gave fans a pretty great Christmas gift with the release of the Disney+ miniseries Hawkeye. The show stars Jeremy Renner as Clint Barton, a world-class archer, founding member of the Avengers, and former serial killer.
Set a year after Avengers: Endgame, Hawkeye is a classic holiday story masquerading as a vigilante adventure. In it, we see Clint facing the consequences of his past as the Ronin and taking on a dangerous street gang, all while trying to get home for Christmas. And to do that, he is forced to team up with talented young archer Kate Bishop, played by Hailee Steinfeld.
Apart from the two stars, the miniseries' cast includes Vera Farmiga, Tony Dalton, Fra Fee, Brian d'Arcy James, Aleks Paunovic, Piotr Adamczyk, Linda Cardellini, Simon Callow, Alaqua Cox, Zahn McClarnon, and Florence Pugh, among others. Hawkeye was created by Jonathan Igla and consists of six episodes released on Disney+ from November 24, 2021, to December 22, 2021.
With a funny and heartwarming story, Hawkeye has managed to give a lot of fans a very happy holiday season. And if you enjoyed the series, then we've got some other great shows for you to check out. This handy list has seven of the best shows similar to Hawkeye that we know you'll love. So grab that pizza and let's get right into it!
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier
Apart from Hawkeye, Disney+ has a host of great Marvel Cinematic Universe shows available for streaming. And if you like the more espionage-oriented stories of the MCU, you should definitely check out the six-episode miniseries The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.
Unlike Hawkeye, which is fundamentally a Christmas story, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier features a globe-trotting plot full of intrigue, spycraft, and of course, superheroes. Picking up from the aftermath of Avengers: Endgame, the show explores how Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) and Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan) are dealing with the death of Steve Rogers (Chris Evans). With America looking to name a new Captain and the world at large being more divided than ever, Sam and Bucky take on a dangerous new radical group.
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier also sets up the upcoming movie Captain America 4. So if you're an MCU fan, you should definitely check out this miniseries.
Arrow
While it could be argued that Hawkeye is just a rip-off of DC's Green Arrow, pretty much the only thing the two have in common is their choice of weaponry. That said, if you loved Hawkeye, then you should definitely check out The CW's Arrow.
Starring Stephen Amell as the titular archer, the eight-season series is one of the most popular superhero shows of the last decade. Arrow aired on The CW from 2012 to 2020 and was developed by Greg Berlanti, Marc Guggenheim, and Andrew Kreisberg.
The series follows the adventures of Oliver Queen (Stephen Amell), a young billionaire who returns to his city after being stranded on an island for five years. Using the skills that he learned during his time on the island, Oliver sets out to bring vengeance to the people who have poisoned his city with their corruption. In the process, we get to see some excellent superhero action and gadgets, including a host of "too dangerous" trick arrows.
Daredevil
If you've finished Hawkeye, you would know exactly why Daredevil is on this list. Spoiler alert: the big bad villain of Hawkeye is none other than Vincent D'Onofrio's Wilson Fisk / The Kingpin, a character first introduced to the MCU in Daredevil as the series villain. Apart from Fisk's prominent role in Hawkeye, Spider-Man: No Way Home also featured Charlie Cox's Matt Murdock/ Daredevil in a cameo so it really looks like the series' characters are going to play a major part in the future of the MCU.
Of all Marvel's Netflix shows, Daredevil was the most popular, enjoying a massive fanbase. The show follows the adventures of Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox), a blind lawyer whose other senses are enhanced beyond human limits. Fed up with the corruption and crime in his city, Matt uses his powers and fighting skills to become the protector of New York's Hell's Kitchen.
Daredevil was developed by Drew Goddard and stars Charlie Cox, Deborah Ann Woll, Elden Henson, Jon Bernthal, Élodie Yung, Rosario Dawson, and Vincent D'Onofrio in important roles. The series ran for three Seasons from 2015 to 2018.
Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Slingshot
Hawkeye takes a step away from the major crises that punctuate other MCU shows and films to tell a story with a more personal touch. That's something the miniseries has in common with Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Slingshot.
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. was one of the most popular of Marvel's TV shows, running for seven seasons from 2013 to 2020. Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Slingshot is set just before the main show's Season 4, focusing on Natalia Cordova-Buckley's character Yo-Yo Rodriguez. It's a web series consisting of 6 episodes with a total runtime of 27 minutes. So you can easily catch the show on the go or as one quick watch.
In Slingshot, set immediately after Captain America: Civil War, we see Yo-Yo set off on a personal revenge mission while being pressured to sign the Sokovia Accords. The series received widespread acclaim and award nominations after its premiere on ABC.com on December 13, 2016.
Watchmen
Easily one of the best superhero shows of the last few years, HBO's Watchmen is a sequel to the original DC Comics graphic novel by Alan Moore, Dave Gibbons, and John Higgins. Created by Damon Lindelof, the miniseries consists of nine episodes and stars an ensemble cast including Regina King, Don Johnson, Tim Blake Nelson, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Jean Smart, Hong Chau, Andrew Howard, Jacob Ming-Trent, Tom Mison, Sara Vickers, Dylan Schombing, Louis Gossett Jr. and Jeremy Irons.
Set in Tulsa, Oklahoma, 34 years after the events of the comics, Watchmen looks at the rise of a white supremacist terror group called the Seventh Kavalry who claim to be inspired by Rorschach. After a devastating attack on the local police force, cops are required to wear masks while on duty. Three years after the attack, Detective Angela Abar (Regina King) discovers a series of conspiracies revolving around the missing hero, Doctor Manhattan, kicking off the plot of the show. Watchmen earned 26 Primetime Emmy Award nominations and won 11.
Dickinson
Okay, this one isn't a superhero story but hear me out. One of the biggest developments in Hawkeye was the introduction of Hailee Steinfeld's Kate Bishop to the MCU. And if you're looking for more of Steinfeld's work, you should definitely check out Dickinson.
The Apple TV+ series is a fictional take on the life of the poet Emily Dickinson. Hailee Steinfeld stars in the lead role and other cast members appearing in the show include Toby Huss, Adrian Blake Enscoe, Anna Baryshnikov, Ella Hunt, Jane Krakowski, Amanda Warren, and Chinaza Uche.
Dickinson is set in 19th century Amherst, Massachusetts, where a young Emily Dickinson struggles against the conservatism of her family and society at large. It's a coming-of-age comedy about one of the most prominent literary figures in American history, with great humor and lots of heart. The show consists of thirty episodes spread over three seasons that were released on Apple TV+ from November 1, 2019, to December 24, 2021.
Stargirl
Hawkeye is essentially a passing of the baton from the older generation of MCU heroes to the new one. In Stargirl, that involves a literal stick, albeit one with cosmic powers. Created by Geoff Johns, the series stars Brec Bassinger as Courtney Whitmore, a high school student who discovers an artifact called the Cosmic Staff and becomes the superhero Stargirl.
In the world of the show, the Earth was defended in the past by the Justice Society of America, a collection of the greatest heroes of their time. But all the members of the JSA died during a battle with their arch-enemies, the Injustice Society of America. Ten years after that devastating incident, the Cosmic Staff, a weapon used by Justice Society member Starman, is handed down to Courtney by her stepfather Pat Dugan (Luke Wilson), who used to be Starman's sidekick.
And so Courtney Whitmore becomes Stargirl. Over the course of her adventures, Courtney also meets other young heroes, inspiring them to band together and become the new Justice Society of America. It's a really light, fun show with some great characters. Stargirl first premiered on DC Universe in 2020 and currently airs on The CW. So far, the show has had two seasons, with Season 3 set to premiere in 2022.