While Marvel's Hawkeye series has come to a close, what does the future hold for Kate Bishop and where could she show up next in the MCU?

Warning! Spoilers ahead for Marvel's Hawkeye episode 6

With Marvel's Hawkeye having come to an end, what does the future hold for Kate Bishop (Hailee Steinfeld), and where might she show up next in the MCU? Having become a new partner for Clint Barton (Jeremy Renner), Kate Bishop also became a hero in her own right as they worked together to take down the Tracksuit Mafia and close the chapter of Clint's dark past as Ronin. Now that Kate has been set up to become a hero just like the Avengers rather than just being a really big fan of Hawkeye, more Marvel appearances seem inevitable. But quite what Kate Bishop's MCU future looks like specifically right now is unclear.

By the end of Hawkeye episode 6, Kate and Clint fought several members of the Tracksuit Mafia including the man behind their organization Wilson Fisk, otherwise known as the powerful Kingpin who was last seen in Netflix's final season of Daredevil. However, thanks to the involvement of Black Widow's sister Yelena and her revenge mission to kill Clint for her sister's death, Kate was forced to take on Fisk alone. Not only did she survive the encounter, but she also made the hard decision to have her mother Eleanor arrested for her illicit activities while working for the Kingpin as well. As a result, Kate very much earned her place as Clint Barton's new partner.

Seeing as how the new Hawkeye series ended with Kate joining Clint for Christmas with his family and testing out different Hawk-themed codenames, it seems she will indeed become the next Hawkeye after Clint Barton just like the Kate Bishop seen in Marvel Comics. Given the star power Steinfeld holds, it's extremely likely that Marvel Studios has some big plans for the character considering her impressive history in the comics such as Kate's leadership role with the Young Avengers and overall role as a new Hawkeye beyond Barton himself. Here are some of the future MCU movies and shows where Kate could return after Hawkeye.

Kate Bishop Could Lead The Young Avengers

First and foremost, Kate Bishop seems primed to follow the journey of her comics counterpart by joining the Young Avengers. In Marvel Comics, Kate Bishop befriends none other than Cassie Lang's Stature (now known as Stinger), the daughter of Scott Lang's Ant-Man. Together, the two heroes find the Young Avengers and request to become part of the team. After being given a chance to prove themselves they become permanent members joining the likes of Iron Lad, Patriot, Wiccan, Speed, and Hulkling. While more heroes would join their ranks over the years, Kate herself eventually becomes the team's new leader.

While a version of the Young Avengers does not yet exist in the MCU, the seeds are certainly being set with the gradual debut of each of the Young Avengers' members. Billy and Tommy Maximoff's Wiccan and Speed were introduced in WandaVision, while Eli Bradley's Patriot had a minor role in Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Furthermore, Cassie Lang has been a recurring character in the Ant-Man films and has now grown into a teenager ahead of Ant-Man 3. Likewise, America Chavez will be making her debut in the upcoming Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness, Kid Loki was featured in Loki, and the team's original leader Iron Lad is a younger variant of Kang the Conqueror whose adult and more villainous self was recently introduced in Loki as well. While none of these new or potential heroes have assembled thus far in the MCU, perhaps Kate Bishop can get the ball rolling and bring them all together with a Young Avengers film in the near future.

Kate Bishop Could Return In Echo

Hawkeye also sets up the MCU's upcoming series Echo which will spin out of the events of this first season with the introduction of Maya Lopez's Echo (Alaqua Cox). Known as Echo in the comics, Maya's eyes were opened by Clint Barton when he revealed that her father's death by his hands as Ronin was the result of the Kingpin himself. Despite being a captain of the Tracksuits, Fisk wanted Maya's father gone and used Ronin to do the dirty work, tipping Barton off to her father's location. Fisk then took Maya in as her "uncle" and had her take over her father's operations. However, the final episode of Hawkeye saw Maya turning against the Tracksuits and shooting Fisk (just as she does in the comics).

Now that she's done working with the Tracksuits, Maya looks ready for the next stage of her journey by becoming a vigilante in her own right. As a result, it seems as though an appearance from Kate could easily occur given the time they spent fighting one another in Marvel's first season of Hawkeye. However, Echo could now see them helping one another as allies in the MCU going forward.

Could Kate Bishop Replace Hawkeye?

Just like in the comics, the final scene of Hawkeye seems to be teasing that Clint Barton has passed on his codename and legacy to Kate Bishop, making her the new Hawkeye in the MCU. While Clint's Hawkeye still operates as a hero concurrently with Kate's in the comics, it seems more likely that the MCU's Barton will finally take a more permanent retirement with his family, allowing Kate to carry on more exclusively as the MCU's second Hawkeye.

This seems like a natural course of action for both Clint and Kate. The influence and inspiration Barton provided to Kate is extremely valuable to her, so the idea of becoming her own Hawkeye is certainly an opportunity she would jump at the chance to have. Likewise, Kate proved herself in this new series as someone Clint could trust to carry on the best parts of his legacy as an Avenger going forward into the MCU's future.

Will Hawkeye Season 2 Follow Kate Bishop?

Should Marvel's Hawkeye get a season 2 down the line, it would make sense for Kate to be the primary Hawkeye and focus of the series rather than Clint who will most likely be retired. While Barton could certainly make an appearance and continue to offer guidance as her mentor, it seems doubtful that he'd be as active a participant as Kate herself. A second season featuring Kate's ongoing adventures in New York would be very exciting as she continues to evolve as a hero and possible Avengers leader.

In any case, Marvel Studios has a lot of options for Kate Bishop's future. There are more than a few paths that could be taken after Hawkeye, and she could easily become an important fixture of the MCU's Phase 4 and beyond. While fans may not know exactly where she'll next appear currently, Kate Bishop's return in the MCU's future seems incredibly certain.

More: All 12 Marvel Movies Releasing After Hawkeye (& When)

All episodes of Hawkeye season 1 are now streaming on Disney+.