The first season of the Disney+ series Hawkeye concluded its six-episode run last Wednesday, and while it mostly focused on the superhero origin story of Kate Bishop (Hailee Steinfeld) who ultimately took up the Hawkeye mantle from Clint Barton (Jeremy Renner), the show appeared to have also introduced another superhero in its final scene.
In the ending scene, Clint brought home the Rolex watch he recovered from the Avengers compound rubble and gave it to his wife, Laura Barton (Linda Cardellini). He then teased her about “taking better care of her things,” confirming that the luxury watch belonged to her before it got lost. The seemingly ordinary moment suddenly became one of the show’s biggest twists when Laura flipped the watch over and a stylized eagle logo of S.H.I.E.L.D. with a number 19 engraved beneath it was revealed to the camera. In the comics, 19 is Mockingbird’s S.H.I.E.L.D. agent number. So does this mean Laura is Mockingbird all along? Well, we can’t really say as of this moment, as things are a little complicated.
In the comics, Mockingbird is actually Barbara “Bobbi” Morse, a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent turned superhero who is married to Clint and frequently works with the Avengers. But in one “reality” featured in the Marvel comics, a minor character named Laura Barton also exists. Though this incarnation of Laura is also married to Clint, she has no other associations with the superhero world.
Making the matter more complex is the fact that the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) has already introduced a character named Bobbi. Played by Adrianne Palicki, MCU’s Bobbi appeared as a series regular character in seasons 2 and 3 of ABC’s Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. between 2014 and 2016. This version of Bobbi, however, had no ties with Clint.
But since it’s possible that “Agent 19” and “Mockingbird” are just codenames that just get passed along from one S.H.I.E.L.D. agent to the next, then it won’t be surprising if it is later revealed that Laura was actually the first Mockingbird and Bobbi just took up the mantle after the former decided to retire. Unfortunately, fans won’t know the truth anytime soon, as Hawkeye hasn’t been renewed for a second season yet. But if Disney+ ends up not ordering another season of the series, the real identity of MCU’s Mockingbird is too big of a plot point not to be addressed again in other upcoming Marvel series or movies.