Hawkeye's wife Laura, played by Linda Cardellini in two previous Avengers installments, is notable by her absence. Here's why she might not feature.

The first trailer for Marvel's new Hawkeye show is notable both for the extensive onscreen action, but also for the absence of Avengers' star Lisa Cardellini. The American actor, who appeared as Clint Barton's wife Laura during Avengers: Age Of Ultron and Avengers: Endgame is curiously absent from the footage, which prominently features the rest of Hawkeye's cinematic family. However, while Cardellini's non-appearance is impossible to ignore, there may be a good reason why her character isn't involved.

Up until now, Laura Barton has played an understated yet crucial role in the overall MCU narrative. For instance, both she and Hawkeye's whole family help to bring the Avengers back together after Age Of Ultron's divisive opening act. Similarly, in Endgame, her disappearance is a vital motivating factor behind the development of Barton's dangerous Ronin persona – the consequences of which are plain from the initial Hawkeye footage. Although she's rarely center stage, the MCU has made it clear that Clint and Laura's relationship is a key factor underpinning the former's character development.

Given the importance of family for Hawkeye and the presence of his three children in the trailer, Cardellini's absence is slightly surprising. Although Clint appears to speak to her on the phone, she is clearly not present during the Bartons' trip to a restaurant and to a performance of Rogers the musical. However, while there may be some slightly prosaic reasons for Cardellini's failure to appear (especially in light of the disruption the pandemic has caused to productions across the board), it may be that her non-presence actually reveals something significant about the wider Hawkeye plot. In fact, given the apparent correlations between the latest Marvel show and other iconic Christmas movies, Cardellini's character may even serve as a surprise Easter egg.

One explanation is that Hawkeye's change in character, becoming the brutal vigilante Ronin, dramatically affected his relationship with his wife, even after her eventual return. It's clear from the new trailer that Hawkeye's past continues to haunt him. It's therefore possible that his conversion from SHIELD agent to killer fundamentally changed him, forcing a rift between the Bartons. Given that his children appear before being ushered away offscreen, it may well be that both Laura and Clint are taking some time apart as he struggles to come to terms with his actions after Thanos' snap.

Although trouble in Clint and Laura's relationship would be surprising, given her willingness to stick by him throughout the MCU, it would serve as a clever way to connect Hawkeye with another iconic Christmas action movie: specifically, Die Hard. The iconic festive thriller features grizzled cop John McClane fighting terrorists while trying to reconnect with his estranged wife Holly, with the movie's climax allowing the two characters to find their way back to each other. A similar thread through Hawkeye would not only heighten the drama but provide a further link to one of the most well-loved Christmas films ever.

Considering that Hawkeye's family spent most of the earlier Avengers movies hidden from view, the fact that the Bartons' children are extremely conspicuous in the new trailer suggests that Cardellini's absence is no accident. Time will tell whether the couple's relationship is indeed on rocky ground or whether there's a more practical reason (such as a scheduling conflict). Whatever the explanation, it seems that family will continue to be a key motivating factor for all the characters throughout Hawkeye.

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