55 Years Ago Today, the Most Underrated Avenger Was Born (And He’s Secretly an MCU Favorite)

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Jeremy Renner was born on January 7, 1971, making today the actor’s 55th birthday. In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Renner plays Clint Barton, aka Hawkeye. Hawkeye made his first appearance in 2011’s Thor before getting a starring role in 2012’s The Avengers. This cemented him as one of the original Avengers in the MCU, putting him in a small group alongside some of the franchise’s best heroes.

Hawkeye Went From MCU Joke to Fan Favorite

After The Avengers, Hawkeye returned in 2015’s Avengers: Age of Ultron and 2016’s Captain America: Civil War. After his surprising absence from Infinity War, he returned again in 2019’s Avengers: Endgame, where his new Ronin identity earned him the spotlight.

After over a decade of appearances, Jeremy Renner finally scored a well-earned project focused on his character: 2021’s Hawkeye. The series followed Clint Barton as he took on a protege, the new Hawkeye, Kate Bishop. Although he appeared in What If…, season 1 of Hawkeye is the last time Renner was seen in the MCU, leaving his future in the franchise a mystery.

Although Hawkeye is the butt of many jokes thanks to his arrow-based fighting style, he is secretly one of the best characters in the MCU. Most of the other Avengers are incredibly powerful, meaning that there are fewer stakes to their battles. Hawekye, on the other hand, is just a guy with no enhanced abilities. Hawkeye’s fighting abilities came purely through training, allowing him to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with gods and monsters.

On top of that, Hawkeye has been at the center of one of the MCU’s more interesting arcs. Clint’s family life has gotten more focus than almost any other superhero, leading to his tragic Endgame story. After his family disappeared in the Blip, Hawkeye went rogue, with him hunting down and killing members of criminal organizations. This was the first time that an original Avenger had gone down a dark path in the MCU, which is why it was so shocking to many viewers.

Hawkeye’s place in the grand scheme of the MCU also makes him incredibly interesting. Thanks to his lack of superhuman abilities, Hawkeye is able to switch back and forth between fighting Avengers-level villains and street-level threats. Hawkeye can be seen fighting Loki, Ultron, and Kingpin, showing the variety of battles he is able to fight with his bow and arrow.

When Will Hawkeye Return In The MCU?

The MCU has never signaled that Hawkeye’s story is over, and with him being one of the few original Avengers who is still alive, it only makes sense for him to return someday. However, there has been no indication as to when Hawkeye will pop up again, leading to lots of speculation.

Jeremy Renner wasn’t announced to be part of the cast of Avengers: Doomsday in the now-famous chair reveal, which was surprising for many fans. Since it seems like many unannounced characters will still appear in Doomsday, Hawkeye seemed like a shoo-in for the film. However, in an interview with The Breakfast Club, Jeremy Renner explicitly said “No” when asked if he was appearing in the film.

While it may be shocking that an original Avenger won’t appear in Doomsday, there is precedent for this, as Hawkeye didn’t appear in Infinity War. There is a chance that Hawkeye could appear in Avengers: Secret Wars, but there is no reason to think this yet. Thus, the Avengers films may not be the best place to look for Hawkeye’s return.

The other likely place for Hawkeye’s return is Hawkeye season 2. Jeremy Renner teased that Hawkeye season 2 is still happening by saying, “We got to where we’re trying to do the second season. And I think I’ll get strong enough to be able to do it. And we’ll work it out. It’s gonna be great.”

Another option is that Hawkeye could appear in a future Young Avengers project since he is connected to Kate Bishop. Although Doomsday may not have a place for him, there are still plenty of stories left for Jeremy Renner’s Hawkeye in the MCU.

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