Hawkeye episode 3 primarily deals with Clint and Kate's escape from the Tracksuit Mafia and Echo. This includes a massive car chase and Kate learning about Clint's many trick arrows and the sacrifices that come with the heroic life she wants to pursue. There's also a section of the episode dedicated to exploring Echo's origin, including a tease of her "uncle" - who almost certainly is Wilson Fisk, a.k.a. Kingpin - and the death of her father at Ronin's blade. As a result of Hawkeye episode 3's focus, it did not include Kate's mother Eleanor (Vera Farmiga), and it came incredibly close to leaving out Jack Duquesne, too. However, Marvel made sure to leave audiences on a bit of a cliffhanger that included Jack.

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Following Clint and Kate's successful escape from the Tracksuit Mafia, they take some much-needed time to rest and regroup as they figure out what to do next. Kate is still convinced that Jack is no good and responsible for Armand III's death, so she proposes they break into her mother's penthouse to look into him, as well as the Tracksuit Mafia. Her plans works at first as Kate searches through different files Bishop Security has on Kazi, but then the connection is lost and Clint discovers they have company. He's greeted with Ronin's sword to his throat by Jack, and the Hawkeye episode 3 ending raises a lot of questions through this quick moment.

Do Clint And Jack Know Each Other In Hawkeye?

When Jack confronts Clint in the Hawkeye episode 3 ending, there is a brief moment where it seems like he is familiar with Hawkeye and vice-versa. Clint maneuvers through Eleanor's penthouse and around Jack's swords with a sense that this isn't foreign to him. Meanwhile, once he believes someone is in the house with them after hearing the door shriek, Clint doesn't seem all that surprised that Jack is the one who managed to sneak in. Even Jack's decision to order Clint not to move and not immediately attack him could be read as a sign that they know each other. It's a curious tease considering Clint has heard a lot about Jack from Kate, so Hawkeye is either keeping Jack Duquesne's Swordsman connection a secret or wasn't aware that Kate's soon-to-be stepdad is the same man from his past.

In the comics, Jack (Jacques in the comics) and Clint have a deep-rooted connection. Clint runs away from home as a youth and finds himself as part of a traveling circus before too long. This is where he meets Jacques Duquesne, who is better known as Swordsman. Jacques and another carnie known as Trickshot train Clint and his brother Barney in their crafts, making Swordsman responsible for Clint's incredible archery skills. Jacques and Clint developed a close partnership, but it ended when Clint found his mentor stealing. Jacques thought he killed Clint after cutting a high-wire he was walking on, but Clint survived to become the hero Hawkeye.

How Hawkeye Can Retcon Swordsman's Role In Clint's Origin

Thanks to Hawkeye the world's best archer might have also fueled Jack's swordsmanship. It could then allow Clint and Jack to be childhood friends turned enemies as adults or make this reunion the culmination of a longtime rivalry.

Related: Hawkeye Is Smartly Reversing Endgame's Worst Ronin Mistake

There is also the option for Hawkeye to make Swordsman involved in Clint's Ronin transformation instead of his origin. The MCU hasn't revealed where Clint got the Ronin sword from originally, but it is possible that Jack is responsible in some fashion. That would make Jack connected to Clint's darker turn he's trying to make amends for. It could also further explain why Jack was so interested in getting Hawkeye's Ronin sword at the black market auction, as it could've originally belonged to him.

Hawkeye Episode 3 Follows Marvel's Annoying Model

Regardless of how or if Jack and Clint know each other in the MCU, Hawkeye episode 3's ending follows what appears to be Marvel's model for its Disney+ shows. There is a bit of an unbalance in the MCU Disney+ shows when it comes to telling a story over a single episode and stringing along the overall narrative. Hawkeye episode 3 focusing on Clint and Kate's fight with the Tracksuit Mafia and Echo made sense, but it only happened after Hawkeye episode 2's ending introduced Echo in another semi-cliffhanger. She had no involvement in the episode leading up to that point, and now the third episode gives Jack that same treatment. He pops up out of nowhere just to tease viewers with what will happen in the next episode.

Although cliffhangers aren't inherently bad with TV, the MCU is still struggling to find the right way to do them or choose the right moments to end on. Hawkeye episode 3's biggest tease was of Kingpin being in the show and connected to Echo. The switch to Swordsman's storyline is rather abrupt and unnecessary since the fourth episode easily could begin with this confrontation between Jack and Clint, but it also comes across as a less exciting ending due to the possibility of Kingpin. An appearance by Vincent D'Onofrio as Wilson Fisk would've been the better cliffhanger for this episode, as it would still set up the show's future while also being a natural evolution of Hawkeye episode 3's story. In any case, Hawkeye's next episode is now set up to fully explore any connection between Clint Barton and Jack Duquesne.

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