8 Reasons You're Wrong About Hawkeye

1. Jeremy Renner Isn't The Problem, But The MCU HAS Mistreated The Character

Back when it was first revealed that Jeremy Renner would play Clint Barton in the MCU, Hawkeye fans rejoiced. The actor had only just starred in the phenomenal Kathryn Bigelow film, The Hurt Locker, as a divorced, thrill-seeking soldier hooked on war, and it was clear to see that there were aspects of the Barton character there.

Unfortunately, by the time Joss Whedon's Avengers came around, none of what had gotten fans excited about Renner's casting had made its way into his version of Barton. For most of the film, Hawkeye acts as a mind-controlled henchman for Loki, and doesn't get as much as a whiff of development over its two-hour runtime.

Things didn't get much better in Age of Ultron either. Although Renner was able to more authentically embody Barton's everyman persona, even stealing a couple of scenes along the way, it was suddenly revealed that he had a family all along, subverting expectations that the film would broach the character's comic book romance with Black Widow. Things improved drastically in Civil War, but the character made only the briefest of appearances, before sitting out Infinity War entirely.

Hawkeye will apparently take a leading role in Avengers: Endgame, but the fact remains that, even though Hawkeye's haters are sadly mistaken, the MCU hasn't done much to convince them otherwise. Renner simply needs the freedom to do the role justice, and with a Hawkeye TV show apparently in development, that could happen a lot sooner than expected.