With the launch of Disney+, fans are eagerly anticipating the slew of exciting new content that is now available. While Marvel’s new MCU shows won’t be featured yet, fans are still thrilled what’s to come. While a lot of interesting new characters will be introduced, like Moon Knight and She-Hulk, some classic MCU characters will finally be getting the spotlight, like Hawkeye.
The Hawkeyeseries is said to focus on Clint Barton training Kate Bishop to take over the hero role. The show has already drawn some controversy, but the series does still have a lot of fun potential. While we know Clint and Kate will be a part of the series, the big question remains of what kind of threat they will be facing off against. Here are some villains we’d love to see in Hawkeye and some we don’t want to see.
Want: Batroc
Batroc the Leaper is one of the sillier Marvel villains from the comics, but somehow the MCU managed to make him pretty cool. Batroc appeared in Captain American: The Winter Solider as a mercenary who manages to hold his own against Cap in a fight, at least for a little while.
Having a grounded villain seems like it would work for the Hawkeye series. While Batroc might not be interesting enough to be the “big bad” of the series, he could serve as a great henchman or secondary foe. It would probably allow for some great fight scenes as well.
Don’t Want: Crossbones
Crossbones is one of Captain America’s most famous foes from the comics, so fans were a little disappointed with how little screen time he got in the MCU. Brock Rumlow was first introduced as an ally of Cap in The Winter Soldier before being revealed to be a Hydra agent. He returned in Captain America: Civil War in full Crossbones mode, before being quickly killed off.
While it would be nice to get some more time with the character and there are always ways to bring people back to life in comic book movies, we hope they don’t go down that road. The MCU already gets criticized for not letting characters stay dead, but Crossbones should be gone permanently.
Want: Madame Masque
Madame Masque is another long-running villain from the comics who often faces off with Cap. She is a Hydra agent who operates in secret and even conceals her face with a mask. She is a brilliant mastermind of evil plans, as well as a skilled combatant.
The character appeared in the Agent Carter series, but it’s pretty clear the MCU is ignoring pretty much all Marvel television shows that came before Disney+. There are plenty of ways to recreate the character to work in this series as well. It would be good to get some more female villains in the mix.
Don’t Want: Oddball
While the MCU managed to make Batroc seem cool and intimidating, we doubt they can work their magic with all of Marvel’s more ridiculous baddies. One common Hawkeye villain who would be difficult to make the transition with is Oddball.
Oddball’s gimmick is that he is a very skilled juggler and he somehow uses those skills to become a criminal. He is usually seen as a hired thug for some more impressive villain but even as a secondary threat, he seems too silly to take seriously.
Want: Swordsman
Swordsman is a character who has strong ties to Hawkeye’s origins as a hero. His real name is Jacques Duquesne and was an expert swordsman in a carnival. He met a young Clint Barton who was a runaway and trained him in the art of combat, even taking him under his wing to become a thief.
Clint eventually left the life of crime but Duquesne never did. While the carnival aspects might be a bit cartoony for the series, it would be great to feature a villain from Clint’s past and maybe reveal a darker past that we were not aware of.
Don’t Want: Bullseye
Hawkeye is known for his amazing accuracy and the fact that he never misses his target. It would make sense to have him face off against a villain who is just as skilled, if not more so. Bullseye is an assassin and marksman who can seemingly hit a target with anything and from anywhere.
As cool as a villain as Bullseye is, the idea of villains who simply mirror the abilities of the heroes feels a bit boring at this point. How can you have fun with two characters who are perfect shots? Also, Bullseye appeared in the final season of Daredevil, which is fresh in the minds of fans.
Want: Crossfire
Crossfire is another primary villain of Hawkeye’s in the comics and a more formidable foe than some of these wacky arch-nemeses. Crossfire is a former CIA operative who specialized in interrogation before developing a mind-control device and switching to a life of crime.
Crossfire’s real name is William Cross and is actually the brother of Darren Cross, who was the villain in Ant-Man. This connection could be interesting, or at least explain how Crossfire gained his technology. While his mind-control powers could be cool, he is also a skilled fighter with cybernetic enhancements.
Don’t Want: Whirlwind
Despite the cosmic nature of part of the MCU, they do seem to aim for a more grounded feel when on Earth. Though still embracing the comic book fun, the fantastic powers and abilities of some of the characters are made somewhat plausible. That might be a difficult task with Whirlwind.
Whirlwind is a character who works pretty well in the pages of a comic book, but would just be hard to explain in a live-action setting. From his powers to create wind storms to his silly costume, he is a baddie who just wouldn’t work well in the MCU.
Want: Justin Hammer
From the announcements we got about Phase 4 of the MCU and beyond, they are very willing to bring back characters we thought we’d never see again. From big characters like Jane Foster to smaller characters like Agent Woo, it’s fun to see the MCU embracing their history. However, one key character who has yet to make his return is Justin Hammer.
Hammer was one of the villains in Iron Man 2 and has not been featured in any of the films since he was arrested at the end of that movie. It would be great to have Sam Rockwell return in the role and see Hammer attempt to rebuild his empire now that Tony Stark is gone.
Don’t Want: Zemo
Another key villain who will be making his return to the MCU is Zemo. The classic Captain America villain made his debut in Civil War and successfully drove the heroes apart. Now we will be returning as the villain in the new Disney+ series, The Falcon and Winter Soldier.
Zemo is clearly a very capable villain and might even make for a good recurring villain across all of the Disney+ shows. However, seeing him face off against Falcon and The Winter Solider first might seem like a bit of a step down when Zemo returns to battle Hawkeye. It might be better to leave him as a larger threat.
