Ahead of the release of Hawkeye on Disney+, the concept artist behind Jeremy Renner's original Avengers appearance has opened up about the creative process behind designing the hero for the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
After a brief cameo as an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. in 2011's Thor, Renner's Hawkeye made his proper big-screen debut in 2012's Avengers. Though the character had nearly 50 years of history that could be used to influence his attire, Marvel Studios originally opted to ditch the purple palette that the character wore in most of his appearances in favor of a red and black ensemble inspired by Mark Millar and Bryan Hitch's Ultimates. With that in mind, artist Ryan Meinerding did an initial pass on the character, which was then passed off to concept artist Andy Park to flesh out with a digital painting. To celebrate Hawkeye's new series, Park posted his design to Instagram, showing off just how much has changed over the last decade.
In the post, Park said, "I remember liking this design and thinking that it was the right way to go for the MCU… but I did honestly wish I was able to incorporate purple as that was the color I associated with him from the years I read Marvel Comics as a kid." Park, who in the years since Avengers has gone on to become the Director of Visual Development for Marvel Studios, was able to revisit the design shortly after for Hawkeye's expanded role in Avengers: Age of Ultron.
In a subsequent Instagram post, Park mentioned that when it came time to add a jacket to Clint's wardrobe, he was happy to put the purple back into the character.
Though Hawkeye would keep the purple motif when he popped up in Captain America: Civil War, he underwent a dramatic change for Avengers: Endgame. After Thanos snapped half of reality out of existence in an event that would become known as the Blip, Clint took a dark turn and became Ronin, a relentless vigilante who took down organized crime on a global scale. To reflect the character's inner turmoil, Clint began wearing a black hood and mask, and also got a tattoo sleeve along the length of his left arm.
Moving forward, Hawkeye will be undergoing yet another costume change for his Disney+ series. Clint's new look is a streamlined ensemble that strips away the tactical gear shown in Avengers for a long-sleeve shirt and pants. Park was again involved in the development of this outfit, which draws inspiration from the hero's attire in Matt Fraction, David Aja and Annie Wu's Hawkeye run. In a unique twist of fate, that book featured a dramatic Hawkeye redesign that was based on Park's outfit for the character from Avengers, bringing Clint's MCU appearances full circle.
Hawkeye debuts on Disney+ with a two-episode season premiere on Nov. 24.