The 'Hawkeye' Finale Confirms a Suspected Fan Theory About the Rolex Watch
Published Dec. 22 2021, 2:18 p.m. ET
People had a lot of theories about Hawkeye before the finale, and now that it’s here, some of our burning Marvel questions are finally answered. One of those questions was about the owner of the mystery Rolex watch from the Avengers compound. By the end of Hawkeye Episode 6, we learn that the watch belonged to S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent 19, which goes along with another fan theory.
In the final scene of the Hawkeye finale, Clint Barton gives the Rolex to his wife, Laura. Does that mean that it really did belong to her? And if so, does that make Laura Agent 19? ‘Hawkeye’ could open up a whole new backstory possibility.
We learn who S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent 19 is in the ‘Hawkeye’ finale.
When Clint returns home just in time for Christmas Day, he sneaks the mysterious Rolex to his wife, Laura. Until now, we’ve been under the impression that Laura is just a devoted wife and mother to the Barton family, but many fans began theorizing that she could actually be the Marvel superhero Mockingbird. Marvel fans love to reach for theories, but in this case, it turns out that there’s some truth to it.
As Clint gives Laura the watch, he says to her, “You’re never gonna guess what was found in a black-market auction in New York City.” Laura sighs of relief and flips over the watch to reveal a number 19 underneath the S.H.I.E.L.D. logo. “I want you to take better care of your stuff,” Clint then jokes, making it totally clear that the watch was definitely Laura’s.
In the Marvel comics, S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent 19’s alias is Mockingbird.
Yes, Marvel sleuths are actually correct! Since the watch really did belong to Laura, that means she must have been Agent 19. And in the comic books, Agent 19’s alias is Mockingbird. So was Laura Barton Mockingbird before settling down with Clint? It’s highly likely.
Linda Cardellini, who plays Laura, has also been highly underused in the MCU, so it would be very fun to see her make a comeback as Mockingbird, or at least an origin story for her.
The most likely explanation for this is that Laura and Clint worked together for S.H.I.E.L.D. and fell in love. In the comic books, Mockingbird and Hawkeye were often paired together, both as partners on missions as well as romantically. In the MCU, Laura may have retired Mockingbird to focus on raising and keeping the family safe instead.
If Laura is Agent 19, what about Bobbi Morse in ‘Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’?
While Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. isn’t technically MCU canon according to Kevin Feige, both Hawkeye and Spider-Man: No Way Home showed us how the different Marvel universes are overlapping. With Vincent D’Onofrio’s Wilson Fisk and Charlie Cox’s Matt Murdock from Daredevil making appearances in the MCU, it would be disappointing if Agent 19 from Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is now irrelevant.
But there could be an explanation. Perhaps when Laura retired from S.H.I.E.L.D., she gave up her moniker to Bobbi Morse, who took on the Mockingbird identity as well as became the new Agent 19. This way, Agent 19 can exist simultaneously in the MCU and in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. without any conflict — could Laura’s maiden name actually be Morse too?
Maybe Laura isn’t even her real name, which would make sense since Clint’s family seems to be in a witness protection sort of situation. There are a lot of possibilities about Laura’s past, and we’re hoping that we’ll find out more, even as Clint’s story in the MCU is coming to a close.
All of Hawkeye is now available to stream on Disney Plus.