‘Hawkeye’ Finds Marvel’s Beating Heart Thanks to Director Rhys Thomas

“I think I almost had to do something like ‘Hawkeye,’ because I can relate to it and understand it,” says Rhys Thomas.

Thomas, who has made a career of directing, producing, and writing comedy over the last few years, is the latest talent to lend his skills to the Marvel Cinematic Universe; he serves as director and executive producer of the newest Disney+ and Marvel Studios collaboration, “Hawkeye.”

The series, which premieres Nov. 24 on the streaming platform, sees the return of Jeremy Renner as long-time Avenger Clint Barton (aka Hawkeye); this time he’s working alongside newcomer Kate Bishop, played by Hailee Steinfeld, as they fend off their enemies in the streets of New York City.

As a longtime fan of the franchise, joining the MCU felt like a huge achievement for multihyphenate Thomas. “I’ve spent the last 10 years-plus, like everyone else, really enjoying watching this universe expand and evolve [with] new characters,” he says. “They've done such a wonderful job and always kept you on your toes in terms of new tones and aspects.” 

Exploring those specific new tones and aspects for “Hawkeye” was an exciting prospect, as this installment is a bit more grounded than many of the fantastical alternate universes of other MCU projects. It offered Thomas the chance to delve into the brand’s larger-than-life superheroes from a civilian perspective.

“Tonally, [I was] just enjoying seeing Barton do things that you and I would do, like going to the theater and eating Chinese food with his kids,” he says. “It's a nice way of world-building and expanding the MCU: acknowledging there are real people here.”

In order to also maintain Marvel continuity, exhaustive detail was required. For Thomas, even though this is a six-episode series, that meant approaching production similar to that of a film. “You have to deliver a standard that everyone expects, you can’t look and feel different,” he explains. “Part of the job is balancing, both giving the show a feeling and a texture that feels appropriate to these characters, while also acknowledging the quality and level [of the films].”

While the concept of working within a massive, well-oiled franchise was at first intimidating, Thomas quickly found that the basic fundamentals of directing remain the same. “The way to block out [the pressure], I found, was realizing, yes, there's a giant machine behind you, but everything ultimately comes down to the camera and the actor,” he says.

Exploring the dynamics of Clint and Kate’s relationship was essential for the show to work, and Thomas credits Renner and Steinfeld’s natural talent and chemistry as the major reason for its success. “It's almost like you've been handed the keys to a sports car,” he says. “My job was just to provide an environment and a runway in situations where they could excel—and then get out of their way.” 

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Doing this show also exposed Thomas to what he calls “career highs”: from discovering Alaqua Cox, a deaf Native American actor who makes her professional acting debut on the show, to working with Broadway veterans Scott Wittman and Marc Shaiman on an Avengers Broadway musical piece for one episode. 

The chance to try new things is what Thomas relishes most about his journey so far, and a willingness to do so is what he advises of other creatives. “That's the fun about film,” he says. “You never quite know what you’re doing, so you learn. You have to have that attitude and understand that being out of your depth is part of the fun, and just have the confidence to enjoy that and move with it.”