10 Badly Miscast Actors In The Marvel Cinematic Universe

by Sam Hill

1. Jeremy Renner - Hawkeye (The Avengers)

Marvel Studios

It's probably true that nobody, most of all Jeremy Renner, really knows what happened with Hawkeye. As a character in the MCU, he's sort of like the last kid picked for sports teams during gym practice: you sort of feel sorry for the guy, but meh, he isn't really helping himself, so screw it, right?

The biggest problem inherent to this casting decision isn't really the undeveloped nature of Renner's character, then, but the fact that - generally - the actor plays him so straight-laced and po-faced that he gives Captain America a run for his money. "Why... so... serious?"

Sure, it doesn't help that both of Hawkeye's appearances thus far have reduced him to something of a plot device: first time we met him in Thor, he had about two minutes on screen, and for most of The Avengers, he was a pawn under Loki's control.

Still, that doesn't excuse the fact that Renner has obviously been misguided or whatever in his take on the character; he doesn't feel like Hawkeye at all, who - in the comics - is a cocky, confident character. Nothing like the wet mop that's been left out in the sun that Renner is channeling here.

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Contributor

Sam Hill is an ardent cinephile and has been writing about film professionally since 2008. He harbours a particular fondness for western and sci-fi movies.