Hawkeye episode 3 featured an intriguing weapon being used by the titular hero, with a glowing blue Pym arrow being utilized to get Clint Barton and Kate Bishop out of trouble with the Tracksuits. Marvel fans will recognize the introduction of this special arrow as a nod to Hawkeye’s past in the comics, but what is it and why is it a big deal?
Hawkeye Episode 3: What is the glowing blue Pym arrow?
In the comics, Hawkeye makes use of Pym Particles discovered by Hank Pym for his specialist Pym Particle Arrows. MCU fans will know Hank Pym from Michael Douglas’ turn as him in the Ant-Man series, who develops Ant-Man’s suit by using these particles. Similar to this suit, the Pym Particle Arrows can change their size, or even change the size of their target. As shown in Hawkeye episode 3, the arrow dramatically increases in size in order to take out Clint and Kate’s pursuers.
The existence of this arrow indicates that Pym Technologies, the company founded by Hank, had developed weaponry for Hawkeye to use. It’s unclear when this technology was developed for Clint, but considering that Pym Technologies was defunct in 2015, it would have likely been some time before then. This means that Hawkeye likely had access to these arrows during the events of Avengers: Endgame, which takes place in 2023, which does raise several questions — chiefly, why didn’t Clint use these arrows at any point during Endgame?!
It’s perhaps best not to think too hard on the reasoning behind Hawkeye’s selective use of the Pym Particle Arrows, and instead look at it as a neat nod to the comics. Hawkeye episode 3 featured way more nods to Marvel’s past than previous episodes in the Disney Plus series, so viewers should expect more as the show continues throughout December.
You can take a look at our review of Hawkeye episode 3 right here, which we branded “the best episode yet” of the show. We also revealed whether or not the new episode has a secret post-credits scene.
