Spidey and Hawkeye Timeline, Explained

What came first, the Spider or the Hawk? If you’re vibing withHawkeyeon Disney+and you went to seeSpider-Man: No Way Homein the theater, you may be aware thatboththese films happen in New York City, and both seem to occur — or in the case of Spidey,end— around Christmastime. Because Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) and Spider-Man (Tom Holland) are both former members of the Avengers (though not at the same time) they exist in the same complicated Marvel Cinematic Universe continuity. Clint’s arrows, Peter’s webs, and Wanda and Dr. Strange’s magic spells; they’re all connected to one big story.

And here’s where that story gets confusing: BecauseNo Way Homewas released in theaters at the same timeHawkeyeis airing on Disney+,andbecause both narratives happen in New York, and perhaps occur in the same month (December) the question is pretty clear: Which one happens first? And do the events ofHawkeyeandSpider-Man: No Way Homeoverlap?BIG SPOILERS ahead forSpider-Man: No Way HomeandHawkeyeepisodes 1-5.

What year doesHawkeyetake place?

The short answer to this question seems to be:Hawkeyetakes place inDecember 2024. After the events ofInfinity War, recall thatfive years通过一定gEndgame, which means at that point, the MCU had jumped forward to their version of 2023. Most of the MCU shows and movies since then have been crammed into 2023, includingWandaVision, Falcon and Winter Soldier,and, 2019’sSpider-Man: Far From Home, which seemed to be focused on a summer trip during that year.

So, why isHawkeyein 2024 and not 2023? Short answer: BecauseHawkeyedirectorRhys Thomas said so. On Twitter,he admittedtheHawkeyeteam considered setting the show in 2025; two years afterEndgame, but as it stands, Clint and Kate are running around NYC in December 2024, whichseemsto mean they totally dodged all the events ofSpider-Man: No Way Home, since we’re pretty sure all three of those Spider-Men fighting Green Goblin and the Lizard on top of the Statue of Liberty happened in 2023, right?

Are we sureSpider-Man: No Way Homeis in 2023?

The events of the previous Spidey movie —Far From Home —took place in 2023, and the new movie picks up right where the last one ended. But, how much time passes inNo Way Home? We see Peter Parker begin his senior year, but we don’t see him complete it; which would have presumably ended in 2024. BecauseNo Way Homeends with EVERYONE having their memories erased of Peter’s existence, this makes him a high school dropout by default, right? If nobody knows who he is, he doesn’t exist, hence, he can’t go to high school. So had he completed high school before this happens, or not? We also know it’s Halloween when he first enlists the help of Dr. Strange, because of the decorations at the donut shop where MJ works. Assuming the rest of the movie happens between the Fall of 2023 and Christmas 2023, the timeline is pretty clear: We begin in 2023 and end there, too?

But are we sure?

The final scene depicts Peter moving into an apartment on his own, and going back to his Spidey business. Presumably, he has no identity now, which obviously precludes him from going to college, too. However, when he goes to see MJ and Ned at the end of the movie, it seems like they both got into MIT; so the question is, doesSpider-Man: No Way Homeend at Christmastime in NYC in 2023 or 2024? Presumably, MJ and Ned would need to get their college acceptance letters earlier rather than later, but then again, a post-blip world could mean college admissions work differently. We don’treallyknow how much time passes between Peter asking Strange for help with the spell (October 2023) and Peter meeting the Dean of MIT in traffic, and battling Doctor Octopus. It’s probably just a few weeks later. Unless it’s not. What if it’s likea semesterlater? If so, that meansNo Way Homecould start to edge into 2024, which gets tricky relative toHawkeye.

Aunt May’s grave hides the year

When Peter goes to visit Aunt May’s grave toward the end of the movie, we don’t actually see what year she died in. There’s literally a giant flower right over something that reads “20??” It may sound unhinged to suggest this was on purpose, but it feels a little on purpose. Is the MCU trying tonottell us what year this happens in?

Yelena’s Statue of Liberty comment inHawkeyecomplicates things

In the fifth episode ofHawkeye, Yelena (Black Widow’s sister) tells Kate Bishop that she’s interested in seeing the “new and improved Statue of Liberty.” THIS IS WEIRD. InSpider-Man: No Way Home, we see that the “new” Statue of Liberty has been given a Captain America shield. BUT, by the end of the movie, that shield falls off the statue, because of all the three of the Spideys doing their thing. IfHawkeyetakes place a full year after the events ofNo Way Home, then Yelena’s comment is odd.

What does she mean by “new and improved?” Is she referring to the Captain America shield on the statue thatfell offin 2023? OR, has itnotfallen off yet, because, perhaps, during the events ofHawkeyeEpisode 5,No Way Home, has — maybe — yet to take place?

These are the only five options:

1. Yelena is confused:No Way Home’sNew York battle is December 2023, andHawkeyeis December 2024
2. Yelena is not confused, but the statute got upgraded a different wayafterthe events ofNo Way Home, and the above dates are the same.
3. The writers ofHawkeyemessed up. She’s not supposed to be thinking about the statue, because it’s not the same year.
4. Yelena is correct: She is referring to the “new and improved Statue of Liberty,” we saw under construction inNo Way Home, complete with the big shield.Hawkeyeepisode 5 takes placeslightlybefore the finale ofNo Way Home.
5. Hawkeyereally takes place in 2023, at the same time asNo Way Home,和导演里斯•托马斯在撒谎。

Would people who work in the MCU lie to us to protect a spoiler? When you consider the absolutely incredible — and praiseworthy — lying tour that Andrew Garfield has been on for the better part of a year, in which he constantly denied being involved in this movie, the answer to this question is clearly yes. The MCU could be lying to us. It could always be lying to us. Maybe Aunt May’s not really dead. Maybe some people do remember Peter, and maybe a movie in which Tobey Maguire, Tom Holland, and Andrew Garfield all teamed up was a fever dream. None of this happened. We’re all asleep, and Dr. Strange or Wanda has brainwashed us all, right?

Spider-Man: No Way Homeis out in theaters now, assuming you’re reading this in the universe in which it exists at all.