Hawkeye episode 3 subtly hints Hank Pym has taken over Tony Stark's old role as the man who provides the Avengers with their equipment.
This article contains spoilers for Hawkeye episode 3.
Hawkeye episode 3 featured a subtle detail that suggests Hank Pym is becoming the next Tony Stark for the Avengers. The greatest hero of the MCU to date, Tony Stark became one of the most important members of the Avengers. As he explained in Avengers: Age of Ultron, it wasn't that he was in charge; rather, he considered Captain America to be the boss. "I just pay for everything, and design everything and make everyone look cooler," Stark quipped.
That perhaps explains why the Avengers don't seem to be especially active as a formal organization after Tony Stark's death in Avengers: Endgame. They no longer have a genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist resourcing them, Avengers Compound has been trashed, and they presumably have something of a shortage of Quinjets too. The Falcon & the Winter Soldier suggested Stark never actually paid the Avengers, so individual superheroes are presumably struggling to make enough money to pay for their equipment.
Hawkeye episode 3 subtly suggested Hank Pym is stepping in as the man who pays for the Avengers, and provides them with technology. In one scene, Hawkeye pulled a Pym arrow from his quiver, firing it into one of Kate Bishop's arrows to enlarge it to giant size; the giant arrow then fell down into one of the Tracksuit Mafia's vehicles, destroying it. Hawkeye could only have gotten that arrow from Hank Pym - and it's notable that it bears the logo of Pym-Tech, suggesting Hank has taken charge of his old company once again and is using it to give Clint Barton specialist equipment. It's reasonable to assume he's doing the same with other Avengers, too.
The Avengers don't seem to exist as a formal organization anymore, but there are signs a new group of Avengers is forming - old established heroes like Captain Marvel and Bruce Banner, who are liaising with one another and assessing potential threats. Hank Pym would be an ideal member of this team; he's technically the most experienced superhero on the planet right now, because he was active during the Cold War as the first Ant-Man, years before Carol Danvers became Captain Marvel. He's also well-suited to the Tony Stark role, although his technology is very different to Stark's - hence a Pym arrow.
There is, however, a certain degree of irony to Hank Pym taking Tony Stark's place in the Avengers. There was bad blood between Hank and Tony's father Howard Stark, so much so that in Captain America: Civil War his protégé Scott Lang remembered him advising never to trust a Stark. Still, Hank seems to have come to respect Tony - certainly he attended Tony Stark's funeral - and Hawkeye suggests he's giving Tony a legacy by continuing his role in the Avengers.
Hawkeye releases new episodes Wednesdays on Disney+.
