Jeremy Renner has been playing expert archer Hawkeye/Clint Barton in the MCU for a decade now. Renner and Chris Hemsworth made their MCU debuts in the same movie, 2011’sThor,directed by Kenneth Branagh. As the only founding avenger with a family and one, who isn’t dead or retired,Hawkeyehas gone from being a side character to becoming a fan favorite. In fact, Hawkeye and Ant-Man’s absence fromAvengers: Infinity Warbecame so controversial that fans started venting their anger at the directors, Anthony and Joe Russo.
Even thoughJeremy Renneris an Oscar-nominated actor who, time after time, has delivered outstanding performances in movies likeThe Town, Wind River, andThe Hurt Locker, it’s the character of Hawkeye that has become synonymous with his name. Surprisingly, he almost turned down the role when Marvel first approached him. Renner sat down with Vanity Fair recently to talk about his career highlights-from his breakthrough role inDahmerto his decade-long stint at Marvel.
While talking aboutThe Avengers, Renner revealed how his age almost kept him from signing the contract. TheMayor of Kingstownstar was 40 at the time and a fan ofIron Manbut didn’t see himself playing a superhero in his fifties. Here is what Renner said.
“I remember going in to talk with [Marvel Studios president] Kevin Feige and [Marvel Studios co-president] Lou D’Esposito, and they’d show me like the Ultimates version of Hawkeye. Iron Man had come out, and I said, ‘I’m into what you guys are doing because I loved Iron Man. I like how you made Iron Man plausible. I loved that . So that’s where they wanted to go with [Hawkeye]. I’m like, ‘Great!’ You gotta kinda sign on for a bunch of Avengers films and potential Hawkeye films, kind of sign your life away. I’m like, ‘Wait, I might be 50 in tights.’ That was my main concern. I’m like, ‘I don’t know if I want to do this. I don’t know if anyone wants to see me in tights at 50.'”
Renner’s casting as Clint Barton was surprising at the time, but over the years, he has made the role his own. Chris Evans, who was relatively younger and lesser-known, also had similar concerns but ultimately agreed to play Captain America. Renner makes his sixth MCU appearance as the bow-and-arrow-wielding superhero in the Disney+ seriesHawkeye. The show sees Clint Barton taking a young archer,Kate Bishop(Hailee Steinfeld), under his wing while dealing with enemies from his past as Ronin.
Hawkeyeis based on Matt Fraction and David Aja’s comics and faithfully incorporates many elements, like the Tracksuit Mafia and Swordsman. Clint Barton will pass on the mantle of Hawkeye to Kate Bishop and head back to his family. Renner is uncertain about his MCU future afterHawkeyeconcludes but has expressed his desire to playOld Man Hawkeye. Will Clint Barton retire forever this time, or will he continue to fight bad guys?
All questions will be answered by the timeHawkeyeairs its last episode on December 22. Don’t forget to check out next week’s episode, as it introduces a character that may play a key role in bringingNetflix’s Marvel charactersover to the MCU. This news comes fromVanity Fair.
