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Hawkeye could see the reintroduction of Agent Carter’s Whitney Frost, a.k.a. Madame Masque, given her mysterious dynamic with Eleanor Bishop.
With the announcement of Vera Farmiga as Eleanor Bishop in Disney+’s Hawkeye, the possibility of Madame Masque’s return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe is greater now than ever before. Season 2 of Agent Carter introduced its version of the supervillain, taking liberties with Whitney Frost’s story by turning her into a scientist who moonlights as an actress. The show never sees Frost take up the iconic mask, and she is instead infected with Zero Matter, but by the end of Agent Carter, the Zero Matter is out of her system and Frost is institutionalized. While Agent Carter denied Frost the chance to fully become Madame Masque, Hawkeye has a unique opportunity to show the full potential of the villain thanks to Eleanor Bishop.
Who is Eleanor Bishop?
Eleanor Bishop is the mother of Kate Bishop, who’s set to co-star in Hawkeye. As revealed in 2016’s Hawkeye run, written by Kelly Thompson and art by Leonardo Romero, Eleanor and Kate are close, but there are issues between Eleanor and her husband, Derek Bishop. This cumulates with Eleanor begging Kate to runaway with her; however, Derek intervens, and Eleanor disappears after he tells Kate they are going to “work it out.” She is presumed to be dead for years, with Kate even believing her father is behind her mother’s death.
What’s the Connection Between Eleanor Bishop and Madame Masque?
In Issue #7, Kate is reunited with her father, who buys a new body for himself from Madame Masque, and it makes him 20 years younger. When Kate later finds him trapped by Madame Masque’s goons in Issue #10, she asks if he killed her mother, which he “confirms” in the following issue; however, the end of the run reveals in Issue #16 that her mom is indeed alive, and she’s working with Madame Masque.
The two do not seem to be on the best terms, with Madame Masque feeling short changed by the deal. It also appears Eleanor is the one in charge in this dynamic, reminding Madame Masque that she is in no position to end their arrangement. While Eleanor seems to still care about her daughter and recognizes that she’s special, this partnership with Madame Masque has put Kate and her loved ones in danger on several occasions.
How Can Madame Masque Return?
As mentioned earlier, Madame Masque is introduced in Agent Carter; however, she had yet to become the popular supervillain from the comics, still going by the name Whitney Frost. Despite this, the potential for Frost to become Madame Masque is there. While in an asylum, Frost has to be restrained and cannot have any sharp objects near her because she will claw and mangle her face. In the comics, Madame Masque hides behind her mask because of her scars, but these scars are from an accident; they aren’t self inflicted.
Along with potentially looking like a more comic accurate Madame Masque, there is precedent for her to return in Hawkeye as is, despite it being over 70 years since her last appearance. As mentioned earlier, Madame Masque makes and sells cloned bodies, with some of them being younger than their hosts, as is the case for Kate’s dad. If Hawkeye features a Madame Masque who uses cloning technology, then she may not have aged a day since her appearance in Agent Carter.
As of now, it seems the primary villains will be the Tracksuit Draculas and Kazi, but with the inclusion of Eleanor, there is the possibility the show will be pulling from 2016’s Hawkeye. Kate is a new character to the MCU, with the films never alluding to her before. There needs to be a reason for her finally making her debut, and that could be tied to the mysterious disappearance of her mother. Like in the comics, she could be searching for answers about what happened to her mom, and while she investigates, she could come face to face with Madame Masque, who could be working for Eleanor.
Even if they aren’t working side by side, Eleanor and Madame Masque have a complex dynamic that unfortunately wasn’t explored to the fullest, with this run of Hawkeye coming to a close before readers got the answers. With that in mind, the show has an opportunity to bring Eleanor and Madame Masque to life, going more in depth about their motives and histories, while also taking liberties to suit the world of the MCU.
Hawkeye will hit Disney+ November 24.
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