As one of the six original heroes who teamed up in 2012's The Avengers, Clint Barton was a mainstay of the Marvel Cinematic Universe long before he landed his own series on Disney+. But Hawkeye might never have made it this far, as actor Jeremy Renner revealed he had some doubts about signing onto the franchise.
In a YouTube interview with Vanity Fair, Renner talked about his initial discussions about the role with Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige. "Iron Man had come out, and I said, 'Look, man, I'm into what you guys are doing,' 'cause I loved Iron Man." However, he also recalled being intimidated by how much of a commitment was required from him. "You gotta kind of sign on for like, you know, a bunch of Avengers films and potential Hawkeye films. They kind of sign your life away."
Renner was apparently thinking of how he would age while he kept playing the same superhero role. "I'm like, 'Wait, man, I might be 50 in tights?' That was like my main concern," he laughed. "'I don't know if I wanna do this. I don't think anybody wants to see me in tights at 50.'"
Hawkeye, the archery specialist, is a classic character from Marvel Comics. He first appeared in the MCU in 2011's Thor, with his character fleshed out when Renner reprised the role for The Avengers and became a core figure in the franchise, along with Captain America, Thor, Black Widow, Iron Man and the Hulk. Of the six original Avengers, Hawkeye was the last to star in his own film or TV show, instead playing a supporting role in ensemble movies like Avengers: Age of Ultron, Captain America: Civil War, and Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame.
Ten years into playing Hawkeye, Renner seems to have conquered his fears of aging out of the role, but his new series portrays Clint Barton as a family man trying to permanently retire from the superhero life. An enthusiastic young archer named Kate Bishop may be his key to handing down the mantle, if his mentoring can prepare her to become the new Hawkeye. The show is set in New York City, leading to plenty of callbacks to earlier Avengers films, and plenty of memories for Clint.
The first two episodes of Hawkeye are now available to stream on Disney+ with new episodes airing every Wednesday.
Source: YouTube