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Credit: Marvel StudiosIt’s been a few years since Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) last popped up in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but recent reports suggest that the character will soon receive an official exit from the franchise.
Clint Barton’s Journey in the MCU So Far
First introduced in Thor (2011), Clint Barton debuted as a skilled S.H.I.E.L.D. operative working under Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson). Early MCU appearances positioned him as a more grounded counterpoint to gods and super-soldiers, similar to Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson).
Hawkeye later went on to play key roles in the likes of The Avengers (2012) and Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015), with the latter and Avengers: Endgame (2019) exploring his family life, trauma, and grief. His most recent appearance came in the Disney+ series Hawkeye, in which Clint partnered with Hawkeye superfan Kate Bishop (Hailee Steinfeld) to confront enemies from his past.
With his character finding relative peace as a family man, it makes sense that Renner hasn’t appeared in the franchise (with the exception of archival footage in Echo) since – especially considering his life-changing accident in January 2023 when he was run over by a snowplow weighing 14,330 pounds. With 38 broken bones, a crushed lung, and a pierced liver, Renner understandably took some time out of the spotlight for the sake of his recovery.
Now, however, the actor is reportedly set to return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe – but it sounds like this will be his final outing.
Is Marvel Removing Hawkeye From the Franchise?
According to industry insider @JamesMackwl, Marvel is working on a second season of Hawkeye with Kate Bishop as the lead. The season would reportedly serve as a “definitive send-off” for Clint Barton as Kate presumably replaces him as Hawkeye for good.
“The idea is to have Kate Bishop as the protagonist, without Clint this time,” Mack said. “This would be Clint Barton’s definitive send-off (possibly a death, I honestly don’t know).”
Like Renner, Steinfeld has largely remained absent from the MCU since Hawkeye, aside from a brief appearance in the post-credits scene of The Marvels. This scene seemed to tease a future Young Avengers project featuring Iman Vellani’s Kamala Khan. However, Marvel has yet to confirm the project, with some theorizing that it has abandoned the idea, with many of the actors who play candidates for the “Young Avengers” now old enough to arguably count as regular Avengers.
Unlike plenty of his Avengers colleagues – including Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, and Chris Hemsworth – Renner has not been named as one of the many heroes returning for Avengers: Doomsday (2026) or Avengers: Secret Wars (2027).
Renner has previously noted that Disney offered him a low salary to return as Hawkeye. During an interview with High Performance, Renner claimed that he was offered “half” of the salary he received for the first season of Hawkeye. “I’m like, ‘Well, it’s going to take me twice the amount of work for half the amount of money, and eight months of my time, essentially, to do it for half the amount,’” he revealed.
He theorized that his accident played a role in Disney’s low-ball offer. “I’m like, ‘I’m sorry? Why?'” he said. “Did you think I’m only half the Jeremy because I got ran over? Maybe that’s why you want to pay me half of what I made on the first season.”
Jeremy Renner’s Ongoing Controversy
The news of Hawkeye Season 2 comes just months after Renner was accused of sexual misconduct and abuse by filmmaker Yi Zhou.
Zhou, a Chinese national, alleged that Renner threatened to “call ICE” to have her deported during a confrontation over earlier claims of misconduct. Those allegations included sending unsolicited sexual photos and shouting at her while intoxicated, an encounter she said left her fearing for her safety.
Renner denied the allegations.
As per TMZ, his attorney served Zhou with a cease and desist, claiming Renner had agreed to participate in Zhou’s documentary, Chronicles of Disney, and that Zhou made a move on the actor during a meeting.
The actor also claimed Zhou threatened to harm his reputation unless he agreed to promote her documentary and present them as a couple. He denied narrating an AI-generated animated film attributed to him and warned that continued use of his name and likeness could result in legal action.
Zhou responded to TMZ by alleging that she has also issued Renner multiple cease-and-desist notices.
Disney has not commented on the allegations against Renner or whether they impact his future in the franchise, including Hawkeye Season 2.
Would you like to see Jeremy Renner in one last outing as Hawkeye?