Warning: SPOILERS for Hawkeye Episode 3 - "Echoes".
In Hawkeye episode 3, Clint Barton doesn't think he's a role model to Kate Bishop, and it begs the question of whether Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) or Doctor Strange are also suitable mentors for Spider-Man. Barton (Jeremy Renner) met his biggest fan in Kate (Hailee Steinfeld), who modeled herself after Hawkeye as one of the world's best archers and a potential superhero. She obviously wants Barton to mentor her, and Hawkeye addresses the interesting question about whether the Avengers, as flawed as they are, should be role models to the younger generation.
Earth's Mightiest Heroes are just that—they've risked their lives and saved the world countless times from alien invasions, killer androids, and they brought back half of all life in the universe. But if you look beyond their colorful costumes and superhero reputations, the Avengers' glaring flaws become more obvious. Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) and Dr. Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) were classic narcissists. Thor (Chris Hemsworth) is a god whose immaturity saw him banished from Asgard, while his unresolved sibling rivalry with Loki (Tom Hiddleston) arguably unleashed an alien invasion on Earth. Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) may have tamed the Hulk's rage but he could still potentially be very dangerous. Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson) was a Black Widow assassin with red on her ledger she could never wipe clean. Even Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) spent time in prison before he became Ant-Man.
In Hawkeye episode 3, "Echoes," Clint shoots down the idea that he could be an appropriate mentor to Kate, telling her, "The truth is I'm not a role model. For anyone." By Barton's same logic, Iron Man and Doctor Strange are also bad role models for Tom Holland's Peter Parker. Stark and Strange may be on opposite sides of the science vs magic debate, but their personalities are very similar. Both Avengers are raging egotists, which filters all of their thoughts and actions. While the life of a superhero is dangerous, Stark had a history of killing his enemies and Doctor Strange was reckless when he mastered the Mystic Arts. In Clint's case, his secret past as the Ronin is something he's hiding from Kate. Barton spent years mercilessly killing criminals while he wore Ronin's mask and hood, and that's after a long career of performing all manner of black ops missions as an agent of SHIELD.
However, Kate is also right when she countered Clint's claims and pointed out that Barton is a hero. From her point of view, Barton put himself at risk to help Kate, a total stranger, when she was attacked by the Tracksuit Mafia, and he's altruistically helping her while she's caught up in a criminal conspiracy, giving up his Christmas plans with his family in the process. But Hawkeye is hiding some important truths from Kate about why Hawkeye wants the Ronin suit back. In contrast, Tony Stark didn't hide any major bombshells from Peter Parker—although his decision to recruit the completely untested high schooler for a dangerous battle against half of the Avengers was questionable, at best.
Meanwhile, Kate accidentally killed a truck full of Tracksuit Mafia goons with an explosive arrow and she wasn't fazed by it. This hints that Bishop, who grew up rich and spoiled like Tony Stark, is a lot more like Iron Man than she's aware of. One of Hawkeye's first scenes shows her destroying a historical bell tower while at college because of a childish prank—something right up a younger Stark's alley. The truth is that the Avengers are indeed role models if one looks at their overall, world-saving heroism, but each superhero from Iron Man to Hawkeye to Doctor Strange is a deeply flawed human who has made terrible mistakes.
Yet the Avengers also own up to their mistakes and try to set things right and that, in and of itself, is admirable. When Kate Bishop finally learns the truth that Hawkeye has been Ronin all along, it'll be up to her to judge whether the original Avenger is a worthy mentor. Just as Peter Parker made that decision for himself about Tony Stark, and will cast likely the same judgment about Doctor Strange in Spider-Man: No Way Home.
Hawkeye streams Wednesdays on Disney+.
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