The Hawkeye trailer features much of Clint's family post-Blip, but it's conspicuously missing its matriarch, Laura. Now, the absence of Hawkeye's wife isn't strange for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, as ancillary characters have had a tendency to disappear from time to time, but given the focus on family, it's certainly noteworthy. So, with that being the case, let's look at why Laura could be absent from the events of Hawkeye.
Laura was introduced in Avengers: Age of Ultron, and throughout Hawkeye's appearances in the MCU, his character has been painted as a family man. Laura and Hawkeye's kids were dusted during the Blip, causing the Avenger to have a rough vigilante breakdown and transform into the edgy, Yakuza-hunting Ronin. Both Laura and the children were returned, however, and Clint does appear to be a bit haunted by his time as Ronin, which was not him at his most moral and just.
In the trailer, Clint has dinner with his children, who are excited to be with him but leave him to apparently go home afterward. Clint promises the children he'll be home for Christmas, but is clearly not living with them, and is actually now a resident of New York City. This could be a choice due to New York needing vigilantes, but Laura did not have dinner with them. In fact, the only indication that she is even around was the brief moment where Clint says, "Hey, babe," to an unknown caller. And while there's no way to tell what happened to her based on the trailer, there are a few explanations for why she is gone.
The most tragic option is that she has been murdered. But the last time Laura died, Clint began murdering people as Ronin, and he doesn't seem to be at that point in the trailer. Still, as unfortunate as it would be, it's not exactly outside of the realm of possibility for Marvel to kill off a female character. Laura's death would color the show with a sense of tragedy, as Clint would be trying to keep his family together despite his grief. Another option is that Laura was kidnapped by a villain. Clint did make a lot of enemies, both as Ronin and Hawkeye, so it would not be surprising if his wife was being held hostage somewhere. However, there is a lack of urgency in the trailer that makes this option a bit doubtful.
The final option is probably the least tragic but no less complicated, and that is that Clint and Laura got separated in the interim. This explanation would explain the lack of urgency in the fact that she is missing, as well as why the kids do not live with him. It's not the most exciting possibility, but it probably is the least likely to make Clint go full Ronin again and start a rampage.
Linda Cardellini, the actress who plays Laura, does not appear as of yet on cast lists for Hawkeye. She could very well still appear, safe and sound, and even with their marriage intact. However, given how important she has been to Hawkeye's characterization in the prior film appearances, her absence is a bit worrisome.
To see if Laura returns to the MCU, Hawkeye will be available for streaming on Disney+ on November 24.
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