This story contains spoilers for Hawkeye.
At the end of the Hawkeye finale, Clint Barton not only made it home in time for Christmas, but he even managed to do some festive shopping in between saving lives in New York City. The missing Rolex has been a cause of concern for the Barton matriarch and she doesn’t need a fancy ribbon to feel grateful it has been retrieved.
Up until now, there has been speculation about the significance of this watch. The Hawkeye finale confirms one popular theory that Laura played an active role before she settled down on an isolated farm to raise the Barton family. Clint’s wife seems relatively content with holding down the fort, but there is no saying whether this will remain the case now her old alias has been revealed to the audience.
“So This is Christmas?” confirms Laura’s former moniker when she flips over the Rolex that Clint has successfully retrieved. The S.H.I.E.L.D logo engraving on the back indicates Laura was once Agent 19, also known by her more popular code name: Mockingbird. “I want you to take better care of your stuff,” Clint teases his visibly relieved wife. The subtle confirmation suggests that Laura likely has no desire to return to the fold, and the reason she wants the timepiece back could be a mixture of sentimental attachment and self-preservation. Plus, who doesn’t want a Rolex? However, it is hard to step away from this life, and perhaps she is getting that itch to return after years of watching her husband take the lead.
Who is Mockingbird? How does this tie back to the ABC series Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.? And does this mean actress Linda Cardellini might get to do something other than talk on the phone?
Barbara “Bobbi” Morse made her first appearance in the summer of 1971 in Astonishing Tales #6. It took nearly a decade before the name Mockingbird was applied to the elite S.H.I.E.L.D. agent. Her path has long been tied to Hawkeye, with their romance experiencing plenty of highs and lows. When Hawkeye formed the West Coast Avengers in California he recruited Mockingbird to join this team and the on-again-off-again pair often found their way back to each other. The end of this union was almost marked by divorce, but something more permanent came between when Bobbi sacrificed herself to save her husband in the centennial issue of West Coast Avengers.
Death is often not the end for a comic book character and Mockingbird made appearances as a reanimated corpse and one of Hell’s residents. Her big return came courtesy of a plot in “Secret Invasion” when Mockingbird is identified as one of several heroes who had been replaced by a Skrull imposter. Clint kills the impersonator when he finds out this figure has used the date of their miscarried child’s due date to convince him of her identity. The real Mockingbird is reunited with her husband, although the divorce they were in the process of has stuck and they are no longer legally bound. In the years that followed, Mockingbird and a few fellow Skrull abductees formed the World Counter-terrorism Agency (WCA for short), and Hawkeye is also involved in this espionage endeavor.
While she never used the Mockingbird name, Andrienne Palicki did play Bobbi Morse in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. from 2014 to 2016. Bobbi was introduced in the second season as a Hydra Agent, but this was all part of an undercover ruse by Agent Coulson, and she was quickly established as a series regular. This iteration and the MCU’s Clint Barton never cross paths. Nevertheless, Bobbi does have a complicated romantic history worthy of her comic counterpart. In the third season, to avoid execution, Bobbi and her ex must agree to never work for the government again and this episode “Parting Shot” was intended as a precursor to the new ABC series, Marvel’s Most Wanted.
Palicki and co-star Nick Blood departed Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., expected to reprise their roles as Bobbi Morse and Lance Hunter in the Most Wanted spinoff. But in the spring of 2016, ABC announced they weren’t picking up the series order. Previously, this character was almost the focus of an ABC Family production that was being touted in 2011, which also never came to fruition.
Mockingbird has been on the periphery for a decade now, and the big Rolex reveal suggests that finally, this character will get a chance to shine. If Hawkeye does get renewed for a second season then it would provide an opportunity to dig into Laura and Clint’s backstory. Is Laura even her real name? Agent 19 is what Palicki’s Bobbi Morse goes by, but this doesn’t mean there can’t be more than one S.H.I.E.L.D. operative with this title. After all, these monikers could be like a 007 code name in the recent James Bond movie, which saw someone other than Bond with these digits.
Up until now, Cardellini has had little to do beyond being a supportive voice on the end of the phone and providing refreshments for Clint’s co-workers after she was introduced in The Avengers: Age of Ultron. In the Hawkeye series, she has also followed this path, which has been somewhat frustrating for those hoping to see more from the Emmy-nominated actress. Cardellini has also proved herself adept at dealing with all manners of ghouls and villains in her roles as Velma in the Scooby-Doo franchise. As far as Laura’s S.H.I.E.L.D. involvement goes, it is a blank slate. There is plenty of room to expand her role to reveal what Agent 19 did in the past — and can add to this team in the future. Previously this lack of backstory has made Laura seem like little more than a plot device or an afterthought, and while the Mockingbird development might be a retcon it is exciting to know she will play a wider role.
A stable domestic life is incongruous to the superhero lifestyle and the Barton’s have managed to find a way to make it work. Their three kids (who are still too young to be left at home alone) are the priority, however, even out in the rural sticks they are sitting targets. There is a sense of eerie foreshadowing when the subject of their vulnerability is brought up and while they are happily spending Christmas Day together it doesn’t mean they will always be safe on the far. The introduction of this timepiece suggests there is more on the cards than simply being Mrs. Clint Barton, and it is time to let this Mockingbird fly free of the family cage.
For more, check out how Hawkeye is giving Black Widow the eulogy she deserves, and read up on how the series redeems Clint Barton.
Continue reading...
At the end of the Hawkeye finale, Clint Barton not only made it home in time for Christmas, but he even managed to do some festive shopping in between saving lives in New York City. The missing Rolex has been a cause of concern for the Barton matriarch and she doesn’t need a fancy ribbon to feel grateful it has been retrieved.
Up until now, there has been speculation about the significance of this watch. The Hawkeye finale confirms one popular theory that Laura played an active role before she settled down on an isolated farm to raise the Barton family. Clint’s wife seems relatively content with holding down the fort, but there is no saying whether this will remain the case now her old alias has been revealed to the audience.
“So This is Christmas?” confirms Laura’s former moniker when she flips over the Rolex that Clint has successfully retrieved. The S.H.I.E.L.D logo engraving on the back indicates Laura was once Agent 19, also known by her more popular code name: Mockingbird. “I want you to take better care of your stuff,” Clint teases his visibly relieved wife. The subtle confirmation suggests that Laura likely has no desire to return to the fold, and the reason she wants the timepiece back could be a mixture of sentimental attachment and self-preservation. Plus, who doesn’t want a Rolex? However, it is hard to step away from this life, and perhaps she is getting that itch to return after years of watching her husband take the lead.
Who is Mockingbird? How does this tie back to the ABC series Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.? And does this mean actress Linda Cardellini might get to do something other than talk on the phone?
Who is Agent 19?
Barbara “Bobbi” Morse made her first appearance in the summer of 1971 in Astonishing Tales #6. It took nearly a decade before the name Mockingbird was applied to the elite S.H.I.E.L.D. agent. Her path has long been tied to Hawkeye, with their romance experiencing plenty of highs and lows. When Hawkeye formed the West Coast Avengers in California he recruited Mockingbird to join this team and the on-again-off-again pair often found their way back to each other. The end of this union was almost marked by divorce, but something more permanent came between when Bobbi sacrificed herself to save her husband in the centennial issue of West Coast Avengers.
Death is often not the end for a comic book character and Mockingbird made appearances as a reanimated corpse and one of Hell’s residents. Her big return came courtesy of a plot in “Secret Invasion” when Mockingbird is identified as one of several heroes who had been replaced by a Skrull imposter. Clint kills the impersonator when he finds out this figure has used the date of their miscarried child’s due date to convince him of her identity. The real Mockingbird is reunited with her husband, although the divorce they were in the process of has stuck and they are no longer legally bound. In the years that followed, Mockingbird and a few fellow Skrull abductees formed the World Counter-terrorism Agency (WCA for short), and Hawkeye is also involved in this espionage endeavor.
Where Have We Seen Mockingbird before?
While she never used the Mockingbird name, Andrienne Palicki did play Bobbi Morse in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. from 2014 to 2016. Bobbi was introduced in the second season as a Hydra Agent, but this was all part of an undercover ruse by Agent Coulson, and she was quickly established as a series regular. This iteration and the MCU’s Clint Barton never cross paths. Nevertheless, Bobbi does have a complicated romantic history worthy of her comic counterpart. In the third season, to avoid execution, Bobbi and her ex must agree to never work for the government again and this episode “Parting Shot” was intended as a precursor to the new ABC series, Marvel’s Most Wanted.
Palicki and co-star Nick Blood departed Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., expected to reprise their roles as Bobbi Morse and Lance Hunter in the Most Wanted spinoff. But in the spring of 2016, ABC announced they weren’t picking up the series order. Previously, this character was almost the focus of an ABC Family production that was being touted in 2011, which also never came to fruition.
What Does Mockingbird's Introduction Mean for Hawkeye?
Mockingbird has been on the periphery for a decade now, and the big Rolex reveal suggests that finally, this character will get a chance to shine. If Hawkeye does get renewed for a second season then it would provide an opportunity to dig into Laura and Clint’s backstory. Is Laura even her real name? Agent 19 is what Palicki’s Bobbi Morse goes by, but this doesn’t mean there can’t be more than one S.H.I.E.L.D. operative with this title. After all, these monikers could be like a 007 code name in the recent James Bond movie, which saw someone other than Bond with these digits.
Up until now, Cardellini has had little to do beyond being a supportive voice on the end of the phone and providing refreshments for Clint’s co-workers after she was introduced in The Avengers: Age of Ultron. In the Hawkeye series, she has also followed this path, which has been somewhat frustrating for those hoping to see more from the Emmy-nominated actress. Cardellini has also proved herself adept at dealing with all manners of ghouls and villains in her roles as Velma in the Scooby-Doo franchise. As far as Laura’s S.H.I.E.L.D. involvement goes, it is a blank slate. There is plenty of room to expand her role to reveal what Agent 19 did in the past — and can add to this team in the future. Previously this lack of backstory has made Laura seem like little more than a plot device or an afterthought, and while the Mockingbird development might be a retcon it is exciting to know she will play a wider role.
A stable domestic life is incongruous to the superhero lifestyle and the Barton’s have managed to find a way to make it work. Their three kids (who are still too young to be left at home alone) are the priority, however, even out in the rural sticks they are sitting targets. There is a sense of eerie foreshadowing when the subject of their vulnerability is brought up and while they are happily spending Christmas Day together it doesn’t mean they will always be safe on the far. The introduction of this timepiece suggests there is more on the cards than simply being Mrs. Clint Barton, and it is time to let this Mockingbird fly free of the family cage.
For more, check out how Hawkeye is giving Black Widow the eulogy she deserves, and read up on how the series redeems Clint Barton.
Continue reading...