Hawkeye answers one of its biggest mysteries – and it might make Agents of SHIELD non-canon

Hawkeye episode 6
(Image credit: Disney/Marvel)

Warning: Major spoilers ahead for Hawkeye episode 6! Turn back now if you haven't seen the season finale!

Hawkeye episode 6 has arrived, and the final installment brought with it some major revelations. From seeing Kingpin in action to finding out whether Clint Barton or Yelena Belova would come out on top, the episode covered a lot of ground.

One major mystery finally has an answer, too, and it could push Agents of SHIELD out of MCU canon entirely.

A Rolex watch was introduced in episode 1 at a black market auction, but the owner of the timepiece has remained an enigma – until now. The season finale revealed that the watch belongs to none other than Laura Barton, Clint's wife. The back of the watch is engraved with the SHIELD logo, implying Laura was once part of the organization.

Hawkeye episode 6 Rolex watch

(Image credit: Disney/Marvel)

That's not all, though. Look closely and you'll also spot a number 19 – that particular designation belongs to Mockingbird. In the comics, Laura Barton and Mockingbird, alias Bobbi Morse, are separate characters in different universes. In the Ultimate Marvel Universe, designated Earth-1911 of the Multiverse, Clint Barton's life is much closer to his MCU counterpart and he is married to Laura. In the original continuity, he is married to Bobbi, AKA Mockingbird. There appears to be more crossover between the two in the MCU – read more about Laura's comic-book past here.

The Bobbi version of Mockingbird has already been seen onscreen in Agents of SHIELD, played by Adrianne Palicki. It looks like the MCU has just introduced a new version of Mockingbird, so Agents of SHIELD is either non-canon, is confined to a different pocket of the multiverse, or both characters were Mockingbird at different times. It's slightly convoluted.

This isn't the first time Agents of SHIELD's place in the MCU has been questioned. The Darkhold, an ancient spellbook, was introduced in WandaVision, and looked very different to its Agents of SHIELD counterpart. There continues 

All six episodes of Hawkeye are currently streaming on Disney Plus. If you're caught up, check out our complete guide to Marvel Phase 4 for everything else the MCU has in store for us.

Molly Edwards
Entertainment Writer

I'm an Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, covering all things film and TV for the site's Total Film and SFX sections. I previously worked on the Disney magazines team at Immediate Media, and also wrote on the CBeebies, MEGA!, and Star Wars Galaxy titles after graduating with a BA in English.