Who Is Kazi In Hawkeye Episode 3? The Villain's Significance Explained
Marvel's "Hawkeye" has gotten off to a fast start and hit the ground running, with the first two episodes on Disney+ quickly covering Kate Bishop's origin story and wasting little time bringing the young hero (played by Hailee Steinfeld) together with Jeremy Renner's Clint Barton. The two archers have since found themselves mixed up with the formidable Tracksuit Mafia, a Russian street gang that is bent on revenge against the mysterious Ronan — who we know to be an undercover and rage-filled Clint, during his bleakest low point in the period after Thanos' Snap — for the death of their leader, Maya Lopez's father. But throughout their efforts to locate their target, Kazimierz "Kazi" Kazimierczak has taken a hands-on role in the action ... only to step back into a second-in-command position upon Maya's appearance on the scene late in episode 2, helpfully translating from American Sign Language to English and vice versa for his hearing impaired boss in episode 3.
Kazi's role, particularly in the third episode titled "Echoes," may have fans wondering about his possible significance in future episodes. As Marvel Studios has done many times before with previous movies and shows, this supporting character comes loaded with quite a bit of backstory and history from Marvel Comics that could add several layers of context to his live-action appearance in "Hawkeye."
Spoilers for the first three episodes of "Hawkeye" and potential spoilers for future episodes follow!
Kazi in the Comics
The cast and crew behind "Hawkeye" have made no secret of their comic book influences, primarily drawing inspiration from Matt Fraction and David Aja's acclaimed "Hawkeye" series. It's no surprise, then, that the Tracksuit Mafia have played a main antagonistic role thus far in the Disney+ series, though with the usual MCU-styled adjustment behind their motivation to account for the well-established continuity in the movies — particularly concerning Hawkeye throughout the events of "Avengers: Endgame." Maya Lopez (Alaqua Cox) and Kazi (Fra Fee) have become the two main faces of the Tracksuit Mafia gang, with perceptive fans who keep close tabs on Marvel Studios projects already aware of plans for a spin-off series focused entirely on Maya Lopez, AKA Echo.
When it comes to Kazi, however, the situation is slightly more complicated. First appearing in the pages of Hawkeye (Vol. 4) #8 in 2013, Kazimierz Kazimierczak is established as a hitman for hire who is burdened by an immensely tragic upbringing. Originally brought up in the circus, the deaths of his entire family and his dear friend eventually turned Kazi into a coldblooded killer. Quickly making a name for himself among the criminal underground — his clients have included villains such as the fearsome Kingpin (who may or may not be set up for an appearance in this "Hawkeye" series), Leland Owlsley (who appeared throughout the first season of Netflix's "Daredevil" series), and ultimately the Tracksuit Mafia (referred to as "Tracksuit Draculas" in the Fraction/Aja series) to take out Clint Barton for good.
In a nod to the turmoil of his past, Kazi adopts the moniker of "Clown" while doing his dirty work, even going so far as to dress up his face Joker-style in white makeup. For fans who may be concerned about a potentially reduced role in the Disney+ series, however, feel free to breathe a little easier. Definitely don't click through if you're wary of spoilers, but a since-deleted Instagram post by Fra Fee late last year certainly points towards an accurate and very faithful rendering of this character in upcoming episodes.
The weekly episode release means we have plenty of time to dig into Easter eggs, character details, and speculative theories. In the meantime, you can watch (or re-watch) the first three episodes of "Hawkeye" currently streaming on Disney+.