Before Avengers: Infinity War came out, photos leaked of Jeremy Renner on set, showing Hawkeye getting ready for action in the fourth movie. He never showed up in Infinity War and the Russo brothers said that they were making the "long play" with Clint Barton in the movies. With that in mind, the leaked set photos from the next Avengers movie show Renner wearing something that looks very familiar to fans of Marvel Comics. He wasn't wearing his S.H.I.E.L.D. attire that he wore as Hawkeye, the Avengers' archer. He was wearing black boots with gold trim -- a look that matches another character than Barton portrayed in the comic books -- Ronin.

Ronin first appeared in New Avengers #11 in 2005, but that character was not Hawkeye. Instead, it was Maya Lopez, a character from Daredevil comics formerly known as Echo. It wasn't until New Avengers #30 that Clint Barton put on the costume of Ronin and he kept that identity for a few years. One of the big reasons that Clint became Ronin was because of the Civil War storyline and that could also be why he takes on the identity in the fourth Avengers movie as well, keeping his identity a secret while fighting the good fight. Whatever the reason, it is an exciting time for Hawkeye fans, especially if he trades in his bow and arrows for katanas!

15 RONIN WAS AN AVENGERS LEADER

Hawkeye has been a team leader on more than one occasion. However, it was usually renegade and fringe teams that he led. He was the leader of the awesome West Coast Avengers. He was the leader of the Thunderbolts because he wanted to help the former criminals rehabilitate and become heroes.

When the New Avengers asked Hawkeye to join their team, and he took on the role of Ronin, he was able to work with them on various missions. The group, considered renegades by Tony Stark, eventually voted him unanimously to be their team leader. It was an honor for him and he appointed Carol Danvers to be the team's deputy leader.

14 THERE HAVE BEEN 4 RONINS

Keep Ronin, Ronin, Ronin, Ronin (Yeah!): 15 Secrets About Hawkeye's Avengers 4 Identity, Revealed

While Clint Barton is the most famous of the characters to portray Ronin in Marvel Comics, he was not the first and was actually the second of four different characters to take on the role. The first Ronin was a Daredevil character named Maya Lopez, whose original codename was Echo. After Maya, it was Clint Barton who took on the role after the Civil War storyline.

After Clint returned to the role of Hawkeye, the ex-husband of The Black Widow took on the role of Ronin and lured Widow, Hawkeye and Mockingbird into a trap, while portraying the character. Finally, the most unusual person to portray this Marvel hero is Eric Brooks -- who the world knows better as Blade -- taking on the role and joining the Mighty Avengers.

13 CLINT KEPT HIS IDENTITY A SECRET

Keep Ronin, Ronin, Ronin, Ronin (Yeah!): 15 Secrets About Hawkeye's Avengers 4 Identity, Revealed

Since Clint Barton chose to take on the role of Ronin when he joined the New Avengers, it officially ended his career as Hawkeye. He had chosen to give Kate Bishop his blessing to continue in her role as Hawkeye and was ready to move on in his own new career with the New Avengers. However, there was another big reason for the change, and it might actually play into Clint's role in Avengers 4.

Tony Stark told Clint that if he sided with the New Avengers, he would hunt him down and arrest him based on the Superhuman Registration Act. With Barton taking on the role of Ronin and hiding it from most of the superhero community, there was no way for Stark to know that he was fighting with his "enemies." It might be the reason Clint takes on the role in the movie since he is a fugitive.

12 MOON KNIGHT WAS ALSO RONIN

Ronin was an antihero in the Ultimate Marvel Universe. However, his identity there was quite interesting. As fans of the mainstream Marvel Comics know, Moon Knight is not completely sane and has numerous identities due to his multiple personality disorder. The Ultimate Universe played with that idea and gave him Ronin as one of those personalities.

Marc Spector took on the role to infiltrate the Kingpin's organization. To prove he was truly a villain, he attacked and defeated Spider-Man and brought him to the Kingpin. This was an incredible fight because while he was beating Spider-Man, he was able to eliminate the Moon Knight persona in his own brain. Things actually worked out for him in the end, but Ronin was one of Moon Knight's craziest transformations.

11 RONIN REVEALED HIS IDENTITY ON TV

clint barton as ronin

Ronin kept his identity a secret, even after the battle between the heroes in the Civil War ended. When Tony Stark fell from grace and Norman Osborn became a national hero, Clint grew frustrated at what he saw happening. When Norman put villains in the roles of famous superheroes (with Bullseye taking on the role of Hawkeye), Clint lost it and made it his mission to bring Norman down.

Ronin finally unmasked on national television and showed the world who he really was in order to prove the man dressed as Hawkeye in the Dark Avengers was not the original. While Clint went off the deep end for a while, thinking he had to kill Osborn, he finally pulled himself back together when Captain America returned and they helped finally end the Dark Reign.

10 THE ORIGINAL RONIN WAS DEAF

echo

Bendis promised when Ronin first appeared that the person behind the mask was hugely popular and a major player -- of course, this was referring to Daredevil. However, when the mask came off and it was Echo, fans had every right to seem confused at what the big deal was. Maya first appeared in the pages of Daredevil, specifically in Daredevil Vol. 2 #9 in 1999.

She was a perfect nemesis for Daredevil as well. Matt Murdoch is blind and uses his superhuman senses to fight despite not being able to see anything. Maya was born deaf and developed her fighting skills using photographic reflexes. However, she is unable to battle in the dark since she can't hear attacks coming, almost the polar opposite of Matt.

9 CLINT WAS A MASTER MARTIAL ARTIST

Keep Ronin, Ronin, Ronin, Ronin (Yeah!): 15 Secrets About Hawkeye's Avengers 4 Identity, Revealed

Through most of his career as a superhero, Clint Barton was best known for his archery skills. He never missed, and that was part of his most valuable skill set as a member of The Avengers. That came from his training long before he became a superhero when he worked in a carnival with the original Swordsman and Trick Shot. However, there was much more to Hawkeye than just shooting a bow and arrow.

When Clint took on the role of Ronin, he adapted his skillset to fit what people expected of his new character -- and to fight in the same style as Maya, the original Ronin. He proved to be a master martial artist. He wasn't just good -- he was great, as evident by one of the greatest martial artists in the world, Iron Fist, complimenting his fighting skills.

8 THE THIRD RONIN WAS A SUPERVILLAIN

Keep Ronin, Ronin, Ronin, Ronin (Yeah!): 15 Secrets About Hawkeye's Avengers 4 Identity, Revealed

Three of the four people to portray Ronin were heroes and worked with the Avengers. However, the third person to take on the samurai role was not a hero at all. it was Alexi Shostakov, a supervillain also known as Red Guardian. He also happened to be the ex-husband of Natasha Romanova -- the Black Widow.

As Red Guardian, Alexi was the Soviet Union's version of Captain America. Alexi even faked his own death to try to destroy Black Widow after their separation. In the 2010-11 miniseries Widowmaker, a new Ronin showed up and Black Widow brought in Hawkeye to help since he was the last man to take on the role. Along with Mockingbird, they found the masked man and it turned out to be Alexi, alive and well, turning Ronin into a villain.

7 CLINT BARTON'S NEW ROLE

Hawkeye was always one of the most popular members of the Avengers. He was a loose cannon and was always antiauthority -- something fans who see him as a straight-laced S.H.I.E.L.D. agent in the movies might find hard to believe. However, something changed in him over the years and in Avengers Disassembled, Hawkeye died. He came back thanks to Scarlet Witch but then died again. By the time he was once again resurrected, he left his Hawkeye identity behind, along with his bow and arrows.

When the New Avengers wanted Hawkeye to join their team, he accepted but chose not to work as the marksman anymore. Instead, Clint took on the role of Ronin, and his first mission was to head out to save the original Ronin -- Echo.

6 HE REJECTED THE CAPTAIN AMERICA ROLE

Bucky Barnes as Captain America

Before Hawkeye changed his character to that of Ronin, he had an offer presented to him that he chose to turn down. Hawkeye was dead for much of the Civil War storyline and when he came back to life, he wasn't really happy about what he saw. What possibly made him angriest was the fact that his true hero -- Captain America -- died following the entire conflict, gunned down in cold blood.

In Fallen Son: The Death of Captain America #3, Clint Barton confronts Tony Stark about Cap's death at the deserted Avengers Mansion. Stark then offers Clint the chance to be the new Captain America. However, when Stark tries to arrest the new Hawkeye and the Patriot for fighting crime, Barton refuses to take the role and also refuses to side with Stark in the continued battle against other heroes.

5 ECHO GIFTED THE ROLE TO CLINT

Keep Ronin, Ronin, Ronin, Ronin (Yeah!): 15 Secrets About Hawkeye's Avengers 4 Identity, Revealed

Tony Stark told Clint Barton that if he sided with the New Avengers, who he considered outlaws since they did not sign the Superhuman Registration Act, he would pursue and arrest him. Because this is Clint we are talking about, that was the wrong threat to make and he approached the New Avengers and agreed to join them. However, he didn't join as Hawkeye and took on the role of Ronin.

The first action for Ronin with the New Avengers was a rescue mission, as they set out to rescue the original Ronin -- Echo. In New Avengers Vol. 1 #33, the team saved Maya and brought her back. Clint then attempted to give the costume back to her but she told him that he should keep it and gave him her blessing to take on her former role.

4 RONIN IS A MASTERLESS SAMURAI

Keep Ronin, Ronin, Ronin, Ronin (Yeah!): 15 Secrets About Hawkeye's Avengers 4 Identity, Revealed

The name Ronin refers to a Japanese wandering samurai. In feudal Japan, these were masterless warriors, whether it was thanks to the loss of their master or due to them falling out of favor with their ruler. In Japan, the Ronin would traditionally carry two swords as well as other weapons that usually reflected where they received their martial arts training.

The biggest example of the Ronin came in the movies of Akira Kurosawa. His masterpiece, Seven Samurai, was about a group of seven Ronin warriors. Yojimbo and Sanjuro also dealt with the idea of a masterless samurai. That carried over to America, with certain cowboys in the Wild West carrying the same traits as these Japanese warriors.

3 RONIN WAS CREATED TO BE A MYSTERY

Keep Ronin, Ronin, Ronin, Ronin (Yeah!): 15 Secrets About Hawkeye's Avengers 4 Identity, Revealed

It was writer Brian Michael Bendis who created the character of Ronin in his New Avengers comic book series. When the character first showed up, the entire idea was to create a huge mystery where neither the readers nor the superheroes had any idea who Ronin was. This plot trick usually works out well in comics and the suspense kept people guessing up until the final reveal.

Interestingly, Bendis wasn't planning on having Maya Lopez as Ronin. Instead, the author's plans were to have the masterless samurai revealed to be Daredevil. That didn't work out because Bendis said in the hardcover re-release of New Avengers Vol. 1 that there were other things in store for Daredevil that kept these original plans from happening -- Matt Murdoch was in jail during Ronin's first appearances.

2 RONIN HAD PHOTOGRAPHIC REFLEXES

Stylized comic art portrays Echo and Daredevil opposing each other

Maya's powers were her photographic reflexes, a power set similar to that of Taskmaster. She is able to perfectly duplicate anyone's physical movements after seeing it only one time. She even used this skill in non-fighting ventures, including becoming a concert pianist and a dancer. However, it was using these powers to turn herself into a proficient martial artist that made her a hero.

That is a huge trait of all the people who have taken on the role of Ronin. Whether they are a skilled fighter like Maya, an archer like Hawkeye, a soldier like Red Guardian or a vampire hunter like Blade, every one of these characters changed their fighting style to one of a samurai martial artist when they put on their new costume.

1 HAWKEYE RETURNED IN THE HEROIC AGE

After Dark Reign and Seige, Marvel tried to reign things in somewhat when it came to superheroes in its comics. After years of everyone operating in a gray area, and even years of heroes fighting heroes, Marvel Comics started the Heroic Age and many of the costumed superheroes started acting like good guys once again.

Captain America started a new Avengers team and Clint Barton gave up the role of Ronin and returned to the role of Hawkeye, while also recommending that Kate Bishop keep the Hawkeye role as well. Later, Blade would find Clint's Ronin costume in a box in Avengers Mansion and put it on to become the fourth Ronin as a member of the Avengers.