What The Watch In Hawkeye Episode 4 Might Mean
"Hawkeye" Episode 4 is an incredibly busy adventure for Earth's Mightiest Archers as they try to uncover more about the ongoing conspiracy that ties Jack Duquesne (Tony Dalton) to the Tracksuit Mafia. And there's also focus on one of the ongoing MacGuffins of the series: the mysterious watch that Clint is desperately trying to get his hands on. The timepiece isn't just a shiny accessory, it's also hiding some hidden technology that allows Clint Barton (Jeremy Renner) and his wife Laura Barton (Linda Cardellini) to track it. The James Bond-style gadget harkens back to Hawkeye's pre-Avenger days, and the archer says it "used to belong to someone I work with." The mystery deepens.
It's worth remembering that in the "Hawkeye" premiere, the Tracksuit Mafia raided the auction specifically to grab the watch. So, it's clearly important to Duquesne, Maya Lopez (Alaqua Cox), and whoever it is they're secretly working for. Obviously, we'd all like it to be Kingpin (Vincent D'Onofrio) but it still isn't clear whether the "Daredevil" villain will show up in Phase 4 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe or not.
But there are a few ways that the watch's importance could shake things up for Clint Barton in the final two episodes of the series.
The watch's owner is in hiding
The phone call between Clint and his wife likely has many fans wondering whether the Rolex belonged to Laura Barton herself since she's the one who brings it up to the Avenger while loosely speaking in code around their children. It's also equally suspicious that she flawlessly switches into speaking German to ask Clint if "anything else [went] missing from the compound?" The watch is obviously tied to Earth's Mightiest Heroes in some way since it was being kept at the Avengers facility.
There has been plenty of speculation online that Laura used to be a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent — or even a version of Mockingbird. Clint definitely plays it coy when he says the watch would blow a yet-to-be-identified character's cover. In that regard, it's perfectly understandable that he'd want to keep Laura's past career a secret if she used to be a spy. It would also explain why she's been so understanding about his S.H.I.E.L.D. career and his life as an Avenger. But perhaps she's also trying to protect someone else rather than herself?
Does the watch set the stage for Secret Invasion?
It's possible that the watch belongs to Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson). After all, this spy tech feels like something he'd have hidden up his sleeve like the pager from "Captain Marvel," and Hawkeye does make a point of saying the watch's owner has been "out of the game" for a while. But does that track with Fury? The last time Marvel fans saw the spymaster, he was on a Skrull spaceship at the end of "Spider-Man: Far From Home." As far as Hawkeye's concerned, that's definitely out of the game.
It would also be an interesting way of setting the stage for the "Secret Invasion" series. Much like the 2008 comics event of the same name, the "Secret Invasion" show will deal with Skrulls hidden across the world, and Nick Fury is going to be a huge part of that. But then the question becomes: why does the watch still have a trackable signal, and why is Laura Barton able to ping its location for Clint and Kate (Hailee Steinfeld) to track down?
There would need to be some heavy legwork to explain why the watch is so important to the Tracksuit Mafia if it belonged to Nick Fury. Hopefully, "Hawkeye" provides more answers in the explosive final episodes.