Everything in the MCU is connected – and Hawkeye’s Disney Plus series is no exception. We’ve already seen a Spider-Man: No Way Home teaser that suggests the Spidey threequel lines up nicely with Clint Barton’s standalone adventure. Now, Hawkeye episode 5 all but confirms the two stories overlap with a line you might have missed.
Spoilers for Hawkeye episode 5 follow, but there are *no* spoilers for Spider-Man: No Way Home here.
During Yelena and Kate Bishop’s impromptu mac and cheese-filled sitdown, Florence Pugh’s Black Widow mentions that she wants to see the sights in the Big Apple. The Empire State Building – a classic tourist trap – is mentioned, but so is the "new and improved" Statue of Liberty.
Confused? It’s not just an off-hand remark from the Russian. It’s actually a reference to a moment we’ve seen in the first Spider-Man: No Way Home trailer: namely, the Statue of Liberty has been re-designed to include a gigantic Captain America shield.
While it’s likely nothing more than a cute Easter egg, it does double down on the idea that Hawkeye and No Way Home takes place around the same time period. Might a certain webhead’s actions have a ripple effect on one of the OG Avengers – or vice versa? It’s something fun to ponder as we head into the Hawkeye finale and the imminent release of No Way Home.
Meanwhile, the MCU has big plans ahead elsewhere: here are all the new Marvel TV shows on the horizon, as well as a comprehensive look at Marvel Phase 4.
