The Real Reason Hawkeye Is Set During The Holidays

The promotional materials around the upcoming Marvel show, "Hawkeye," which premieres November 24 on Disney+, have billed it as a Christmas show, with each trailer packed full of jingle bells and holiday cheer. Starring Jeremy Renner and Hailee Steinfeld as the titular sharpshooter and his protégé, Kate Bishop, the series forces the to team up against an "Avengers-level threat" and still make it home for Christmas.

While one-off holiday specials abound in superhero media across print and animation, and some shows like "Doctor Who" rely on them to set up new plots, it's difficult to think of a live-action show that's committed to the holiday trope for its entire run. But in a recent "Hawkeye" press conference attended by Looper, Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige shed some light on the decision to make the show a festive affair, comparing it to past Marvel projects and giving us the simple reason he thinks the Christmas theme is a satisfying one.

Let's be honest: There are quite a lot of galactic apocalypses lurking around the edges of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) right now. From celestials to He Who Remains, the universe could end in a lot of different ways if the right heroes don't do everything in their power to keep it from doing so. According to Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige, the architect of the MCU, it's nice to have some smaller-scale stakes for a change. That doesn't mean there won't be plenty of mind-blowing action in the upcoming "Hawkeye," but it does mean that, as far as anyone is aware, no planets are going to explode.

Already, comparisons have been drawn between "Hawkeye" and other action-heavy properties such as "Die Hard" which take place at Christmastime. Feige points to other Christmas-y entries in the MCU, agreeing with many fans that "Iron Man 3," the events of which take place around the holiday season, is also a Christmas movie. More than that, he thinks the stakes of making it home for the holidays are smaller and more intimate, a breath of fresh air after battles for the fate of the universe itself.