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Warning: The following contains spoilers for Hawkeye episode 1! Bookmark this page and come back if you haven't watched the first episode of Marvel's new show on Disney Plus yet!
Hawkeye, Clint Barton's first solo adventure in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, has finally arrived – and it'll change how you watch a key MCU scene forever.
The series sees Hailee Steinfeld's Kate Bishop meet her hero Hawkeye, with Jeremy Renner back as the titular Avenger. While the duo's first proper meeting isn't exactly a happy one, we know that Kate actually first saw Hawkeye during The Avengers' Battle of New York – and that changes everything.
How does Hawkeye change the Battle of New York?
The opening scene introduces a young Kate and her family. Though Kate's parents are arguing, all seems well enough – but it soon becomes clear that something very strange is happening outside. As it turns out, the Battle of New York is raging extremely close to the Bishop's home, and the Avengers are facing down the Chitauri army practically on Kate's doorstep.
The young archer-to-be watches Hawkeye pull off one of his most impressive moves, jumping backward off a building and firing an arrow at the same time. We see that moment in The Avengers, but from a different view.
Sadly, the Battle of New York doesn't leave the Bishop family unscathed: in the carnage, Kate's father is killed. It's this, as well as her admiration for Hawkeye, that inspires her to be a hero.
"There are many reasons that Kate wants to just be a source of light," Steinfeld told GamesRadar+. "She wants to help people. And one of the main reasons is, yes, having [experienced this tragedy] in a moment where she discovers Hawkeye, and she sees this person single-handedly save people with no special powers. She sees this true human-like quality to this person who is able to achieve these incredibly ambitious things, like saving people, saving the world."
The next time you watch The Avengers, remember that there's a young Kate Bishop watching that final epic battle unfold – and starting to think of becoming a hero herself.
Hawkeye is releasing weekly on Disney Plus with a new episode every Wednesday. While you wait for more, check out our guide to Marvel Phase 4 for everything else the MCU has in store for us.
