Why Kazi From Hawkeye Means More Than You Think

Having reached the halfway point of Disney+'s "Hawkeye" with Episode 3, titled "Echoes," it's clear to comic book fans that the show's adaptation of Matt Fraction and David Aja's 2012 to 2015 comic book run isn't afraid to deviate slightly from its source material. Clint Barton and Kate Bishop are still the core focus of the story that made the comics such a great read and, in turn, make this team-up just as fun to watch. However, the standalone series is mixing things up with the appearance of Echo, played by Alaqua Cox, Kate's mother (Vera Farmiga), and her fiancé (and potential villain), Jack Duquesne (Tony Dalton), all of whom don't appear in the Fraction-Aja comic.

One key component from the source material that has had a drastic adjustment to the version in the comics is Kazi Kazimierczak, played by Fra Fee on "Hawkeye." A member of the Tracksuit Mafia who speaks ASL to communicate with Echo, the live-action show version of Kazi looks to be the most intelligent and calm bunch in the gang. Conversely, in the comics, he possesses far more sinister attributes. Kazi is a character that significantly impacts Clint in the comic book series and does more damage to our favorite avenging archer than a Chitauri soldier or a Thanos stooge ever did. Prepare yourself — we're heading into spoiler territory.

Appearing in Matt Fraction and David Aja's "Hawkeye" #8 in 2013 (via Marvel), Kazimierz Kazimierczak, also known as Clown, is a mercenary identifiable by his all-white get-up and mime face paint. Here, he's hired by the boss of the Tracksuit Mafia (called the Tracksuit Draculas in the comics) to kill Cint Barton after he took ownership of an apartment block the gang were after.

Like the performance style Clown bases his costume after, this Polish hitman is silent in his methodology, which explains why he manages to get the drop on Barton in the comics and jams the archer's arrows in his ears. The injury leaves the hero permanently deaf, but he eventually overcomes his attacker nonetheless. He also kills one of Barton's apartment neighbors, Grills, whose character is tweaked in the series as the Ronin costume thief and LARPer played by Clayton English.

While the show has already highlighted that Barton is hard of hearing following his numerous missions with the Avengers, there's every chance that he and Kate Bishop's next target could follow the same pages as Fraction and Aja's story. Could Fra Fee's version of Kazi be as lethal to Hawkeye as the cold-blooded killer he's based on? We'll have to see the rest of "Hawkeye" starting with the next episode on Disney+ on Wednesday, December 8.