MCU: 10 Marvel Characters Who Will Definitely Die In Phase 3
5. Hawkeye
Why He Has To Die
The least fleshed out of all the characters in the MCU has always - obviously - been the one most likely to be killed off. It looked like it might happen in Age Of Ultron, but Marvel tricked everyone by defying every dead meat trope they'd established, and yet it's still hard to shake the feeling that he's not for this world. Jeremy Renner's contract runs out when the Infinity Saga is done, and now that he has a family, killing him off would represent the emotional strike Marvel like to look for when building their villains up.
When It'll Happen
Avengers: Infinity War looks like the right time. Even though his contract runs for another movie, killing Hawkeye at that point would be brave and slightly unexpected after years of flirtation with the Reaper. Plus, if the film follows the comic arc, Thanos' victims may be resurrected, and it would be particularly fitting for Hawkeye to then actually follow through on his promise to retire in the follow-up movie.
How He'll Die
Ideally in a Negan-like moment to reinforce how much of a bad-ass Thanos is, but Disney and Marvel aren't that blood-thirsty, so you'd imagine Hawkeye will go out heroically, saving a friend (probably Black Widow).