Category: From Page To Screen

Following the Episode 1 introduction of Lucky The Pizza Dog, Hawkeye‘s second episode saw Clint go against at least a few vans worth of Tracksuit Mafia bros. This sequence bears some fairly obvious similarities with the one from Hawkeye #6 (probably one of the best issues of the entire run), where Clint Barton presented himself in a way the Mafia couldn’t miss him, inviting a much-needed confrontation.

In the Disney+ series, Clint made this decision as a way of getting to the bottom of the issues Kate stirred up by wearing the Ronin suit out in public. By facing the Mafia head-on, allowing them to take full control of the situation, he managed to get himself caught without much hassle. Finding himself in their hideout will then lead to uncovering the woman making all the calls, someone he’ll have to go through to make it home for Christmas. What he didn’t count on was that by not making his intentions clear to Kate Bishop, his actions might have ended up making her find herself in a much more dire situation than the one he was trying to get her out of.

Just like in the series, the comics show Clint placing himself in harm’s way by tacking on the Tracksuit Mafia head-on to protect people he learned to care about. By issue #6, we’d come to realize how Clint had become somewhat protective towards his neighbors with who he shared a building. With the Mafia endangering their enjoyment of the holiday season, he stepped up. As two full vans of Tracksuit bros drove up to the building he, unlike in the Hawkeye series, put up a fight and got himself captured against his will. He is then dragged to the Mafia’s hideout and we see him, much like we did in Episode 2, tied up to a chair as the Mafia brings forth their leader who presents Clint with an ultimatum: Leave the city in 24h or all-out war against himself will be a reality.

Episode 3 isn’t out yet so we’re yet to know what happens to Clint and Kate. In the comics, Barton is released and decides to, once again, stand his ground by not leaving town and living up to the idea of what a hero should do by protecting those who can’t protect themselves. In Hawkeye that would mean again postponing his trip back home and putting an end to the Ronin mix-up once and for all.

It’s no secret that live-action comic book adaptations consistently get their inspiration from, you know, comics. But Marvel Studios’ Hawkeye series has made it abundantly clear that Matt Fraction and David Aja’s critically-acclaimed and beloved Hawkeye run may very well be the genetic makeup of the Disney+ series. Each week, we’re going to highlight scenes from the Hawkeye comic that made their way into the live-action Hawkeye. 

In the comics, Hawkeye #1 introduced Lucky the Pizza Dog at the very beginning of the run, but his origin with Clint Barton is much more involved and dramatic than in the first episode of Hawkeye. Lucky was owned by the Tracksuit Mafia. Clint feeds Lucky – ironically known at the time as “Arrow” – a slice of pizza. As a result, he later protects Clint from the Mafia by turning against them. After they beat him, the poor dog darts into traffic to be saved at the last minute by Clint instead. Lucky barely survived, but our favorite archer takes the Pizza Dog to a veterinary hospital and keeps an eye on him throughout his surgeries and the loss of an eye. After that, the elder Hawkeye takes in and renames Lucky, who continued to enjoy pizza and befriends Kate. Aja‘s masterful art throughout adds to the intensity, peril, and ultimately relief of Lucky’s origin.

Like the comics, the very first episode of the series introduces the already-fan-favorite furry friend. In the show, however, Kate Bishop is the one who comes across Lucky. She finds the already one-eyed puppy standing outside the gala she was attending. After this, the episode takes strong cues from Fraction and Aja. He runs off behind the hotel and attacks members of the Tracksuit Mafia who were breaking into the hotel’s cellar. Fleeing the Mafia, Lucky runs away into a crowded street and is rescued from oncoming traffic at the last minute by Kate. She decides to bring him to her apartment and offers him the only food she has around: pizza. There’s no doubt that Lucky’s origin here is lighter and lacks the depth of the original, particularly since he avoids the violent attack from the Mafia. Still, it’s interesting that live-action Lucky has already lost an eye and seems to maybe have some connection with the Mafia. Perhaps some of his classic origins is embedded in his history in the show.

The comic run has plenty more Lucky adventures, including an entire issue dedicated to the Pizza Dog’s point of view. Time will tell how the live-action Hawkeye explores the fluffy favorite in more detail, especially with how he seems focused on the item that the Tracksuit Mafia were out to steal from the auction. Perhaps there’s more to this story we are about to uncover throughout the remaining episodes for Marvel Studios’ last Disney+ series of 2021.