We’ve had solo films for most of our core Avengers – Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, and Hulk (if you count the pre-MCU movies) all have multiple titles under their belts. Even newer members of the team, such as Ant-Man, Doctor Strange, Black Panther, and Captain Marvel, have been given the spotlight in their own respective projects. So what’s the deal with leaving out Hawkeye and Black Widow?
As founding members of the Marvel Cinematic Universe team, their stories deserve to be told. The two of them helped bring the Avengers together. Along with Nick Fury, they were the backbone of SHIELD. And when the covert agency was revealed to be controlled by Hydra, they didn’t hesitate to turn their backs. It put them in danger, but they remain on the side of good.
It’s not like they don’t have interesting backstories. Clint Barton grew up an orphaned carny, whose natural marksmanship was combined with trick-shot training to make him a famous circus attraction. He was later inspired by Iron Man to become a masked hero. Meanwhile, Natasha Romanoff is a former Soviet assassin and spy, trained by the Winter Soldier. She came to the side of the good guys after Barton decided to save her life, rather than taking it as he was ordered.
And both characters have tons of fans – not to mention the Marvel name, which pretty much guarantees a blockbuster. Each of them is portrayed by actors both popular and talented, so the movies would likely be *good* as well as successful.
Widow, at least, has been a main focus of several films, having had sizable roles in Iron Man 2 and Captain America: The Winter Soldier, as well as the Avengers movies. But Hawkeye is constantly relegated to the background. The closest he’s come to taking center stage so far was the Age of Ultron subplot that revealed his secret family. It had meaty potential, but was still underutilized.
Jeremy Renner is ready to put and end to Marvel’s Clint Barton drought. The actor behind the world’s greatest archer thinks it’s high time Hawkeye got some love. He told SCMP,
“It would be a wonderful thing. Just don’t wait too long! I don’t want to be in my 50’s in tights.”
That means Marvel needs to hurry up, as Renner is currently 46. Of course, the statement was made humorously, but he’s not getting any younger. No one can blame the two-time Oscar nominee for wanting to get his superhero on while he’s still young enough to enjoy it.
The clock may also be ticking in another way entirely: we have no idea how long Hawkeye is going to survive. We know he makes it through Avengers: Infinity War, as Renner has been spotted filming Avengers 4. But after that, it’s anyone’s guess.
*And,* there’s also the possibility that even if Clint Barton makes it through Thanos, Hawkeye might not. Rumors have been swirling for months that Barton will abandon his hero identity and take up the mantle of Ronin after Infinity War.
On that subject, Renner is contractually obligated to be cagey.
“It’s difficult, because you want to speak about the movie but you can’t. There’s a lot of superheroes in it. And it’s gonna be big and it’s gonna be awesome. But I can’t really talk about the movie. I can’t get into the theories. I know Ronin is in the comics, but otherwise, I don’t really know anything about that stuff.”
Riiiigggghhhht. Sure you don’t.
Regardless of his inability to be forthcoming, his commitment to the role is obvious, as well as his interest in bringing more of Barton’s character to life. One can only hope this will happen sooner rather than later. Renner did say:
“We’re doing a lot of really wondrous things that I’ve always wanted to do with this character … I think everyone will be very pleased when they find out what happens.”
(Personally, I think that given the intertwined nature of their history, and the actors’ crackling chemistry, a Hawkeye-Black Widow film would be the way to go. Have some flashbacks of their younger years. Show how they met, and why he decided to save her. And for God’s sake, show us what happened in Budapest.)
Would you be on board for a Hawkeye film? If so, what plotlines would you hope to see covered? Tell us in the comments!