As Avengers: Infinity War gets closer, the excitement is building as fans grow more and more excited about seeing the Avengers, Guardians of the Galaxy, Black Panther and Doctor Strange unite against Thanos. However, while we're learning a lot about the Mad Titan's quest to reshape the universe, one question has a big bullseye on it when it comes to Earth's Mightiest Heroes: where is Jeremy Renner's Clint Barton, aka Hawkeye?
We haven't seen the archer (outside of a magazine cover for Marvel Studios' 10 year anniversary) in the film's marketing, but despite this absence, co-director Anthony Russo, along with brother Joe, have kept reassuring that Hawkeye has a special role to play, stating, “All will be explained when people see the movie. It’s all tied into the story.”
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So just what's Hawkeye's purpose and why is everyone, including Renner himself, being so secretive about it? Well, it could be because he actually has a much bigger role than first assumed.
A lot of speculation stems from him being one of Captain America's (Chris Evans) "Secret Avengers" team which formed in Civil War when Steve Rogers' allies rebelled against Tony Stark and the Sokovia Accords. Rogers eventually broke Hawkeye and his friends out the Raft, so it's fairly likely Hawkeye took his family into hiding before continuing to save the world with Rogers, Black Widow and crew. However, as these rogue Avengers batten down the hatches with Black Panther, Bucky Barnes, Hulk, War Machine and the Dora Milaje in Wakanda, Hawkeye is nowhere to be seen. What if Cap has tasked him with a covert ops job of his own?
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It's worth noting that we haven't seen Hawkeye's teammate Scott Lang, aka Ant-Man (Paul Rudd), in the marketing either, so Cap may have teamed them up, especially after they worked well together in Civil War. Given that we don't know where, or even when both heroes are are (Doctor Strange does control the Time Stone, after all), the duo could have been dispatched to infiltrate Thanos' forces. Who knows, maybe they're planning a pre-emptive strike on the Children of Thanos aka the Black Order, or apprehending previous alien scouts sent to Earth, or maybe they were tipped off about Thanos' invasion and are helping Rogers assemble the tools needed to properly defend the planet.
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Recruiting more Avengers is right up Hawkeye's alley, as he got Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver to join ranks in Age of Ultron. Samuel L. Jackson, who plays Nick Fury, and Cobie Smulders, who plays Maria Hill, were also spotted doing mysterious reshoots, so there's the possibility Hawkeye may be rounding up former S.H.I.E.L.D. comrades (which could even lead the heroes to Brie Larson's Captain Marvel) to strengthen the team for an attack on Thanos, or whatever Avengers 4 has in store.
Despite remaining tight-lipped, Renner has shared some teases. “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." Nothing would be as wondrous as bringing new Avengers into the fold just when Thanos thinks he has the upper hand on Rogers' team, and maybe that's why Hawkeye is incognito: his screen-time could be with characters or items the Russos want under wraps.
This leads us to another potentially monumental mission Hawkeye: finding the mysterious Soul Stone. Its location in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is unknown, so if this is indeed the archer's mission, any footage with him could reveal too much, just a bit too early. It's not far-fetched to assume that Rogers' team already know about the Infinity Stones, maybe thanks to the knowledgable Wong and Doctor Strange or from interrogating a Thanos minion, and that's why they were ready with the Wakandan contingent to protect Vision from Thanos. Rogers is a proactive man after all, so with this info, he could have then sent Hawkeye and Ant-Man on an intelligence recon mission.
RELATED: Hawkeye Has a ‘Special’ Role to Play in Avengers: Infinity War
Of course, some fans contend that Hawkeye's role is going to be a minor one, that he's actually marked for death. However, with Renner sporting a new haircut and set to don new weapons as part of a new look in Avengers 4, it's highly unlikely Infinity War will treat him like a throwaway character. If anything, with the backlash that Joss Whedon got from those who felt Hawkeye was underplayed in 2012's The Avengers, Clint turning into Ronin, especially in the wake of the Sokovia Accords, would make more sense as it'd give the character importance and purpose.
“Characters on Cap’s team made certain decisions,” Joe Russo said, “and others made other decisions that led to different paths in them dealing with oversight in this movie in a different way. So Hawkeye’s on his own journey in this movie.”
“Yeah,” Anthony Russo added, “he has a unique reaction to the Civil War situation that puts him in a special spot in this film.”
It's hard to see death being that special spot the directors are talking about, as it would feel like a ripoff of Agent Coulson's 'death.' Instead, we ought to focus on the word 'journey,' especially for someone like Hawkeye who has a lot of friends and family to lose. While we haven't seen him on the battle-field just yet, to prevent all this potential loss, it's a safe bet he's already working in the shadows to ensure his team has the best shot at winning the war ahead.
Directed by Joe and Anthony Russo, Avengers: Infinity War stars Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Jeremy Renner, Scarlett Johansson, Paul Bettany, Anthony Mackie, Paul Rudd, Elizabeth Olsen, Tom Holland, Benedict Cumberbatch, Chadwick Boseman, Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Bradley Cooper, Vin Diesel, Tom Hiddleston and Josh Brolin, among others. The film hits theaters April 27.