Like most Hollywood studios, Marvel Studios is frequently criticised for an overreliance on Photoshop with its posters. Hawkeye had a better marketing campaign than most, however, with posters clearly inspired by comic book artist David Aja's work.
Now, he's revealed that we came close to getting an actual poster he dreamed up for the Disney+ series!
"A Hawkeye poster I did for the TV series that never saw the light," Aja says in the Instagram post below. "Yes, they used the concept for a poster and yes, I was paid for it, no conspiracy please."
That wasn't all, though, as Marvel Studios also took inspiration from his and Matt Fraction's Hawkeye run both for the show's logo and closing credits. Aja was hired to create artwork for the series, though that - and this poster - were never used for reasons which aren't entirely clear. We'd say that a rare mistake on the MCU's part.
Hawkeye remains one of Marvel Studios' best TV shows, but a year later, and there's still no word on possible season 2 plans or what comes next for Hailee Steinfeld's Kate Bishop.
That's become the norm with Phase 4, and as we head into Phase 5, the hope among fans is we might start getting a clearer idea about what's to come for these characters in The Multiverse Saga. There have to be more stories to tell with Clint Barton and Kate (and Pizza Dog), right?
"Marvel Studios is once again sleigh-in' it with Hawkeye," we said in our review last year, "an unmissable Christmastime team-up bringing holiday cheer to the MCU with top tier storytelling delivered in the Mighty Marvel Manner and a bold, brilliant new hero in Hailee Steinfeld's Kate Bishop."
Check out Aja's poster below along with the official version it ultimately inspired.