Hawkeye Needs A Chance To Shine In Age Of Ultron

As a comic book character, it’s not hard to see why Hawkeye has long been a fan favorite. Along with his loyal service to the Avengers, where he’s historically been one of the team’s most loyal and devoted members, Clint Barton is a man of principle, and almost as quick with a quip as he is with an arrow. He’s got an interesting backstory, one that’s still being explored in his new solo series, and to top it all off, as we’ve seen all over pop culture the past few years, bows are just awesome.

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Despite all that, when it comes to the version of Hawkeye from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, I have absolutely no opinion of him either way. That’s no knock on Jeremy Renner, a fine actor who appears to care about the role. It’s just that he’s been criminally underused compared to his Avengers teammates.

To review, we’ve only seen Hawkeye twice in the MCU to date. His first appearance was in Thor, where he was helping S.H.I.E.L.D. to protect Mjolnir. I don’t have the DVD handy to double-check, but I can’t remember him having more than 3-4 lines.

He was part of The Avengers, of course, but lest we forget, he fell under the sway of Loki in the film’s opening sequence and really only got returned to his right mind in time for the Battle of New York. That was maybe 40 minutes where he was a good guy.

Though it would have been completely logical for Hawkeye to appear in Captain America: The Winter Soldier given his history with S.H.I.E.L.D., Marvel chose not to use him there. Add it all up and you’ll see why I have no idea whether the MCU Barton is cool or not. There hasn’t been a big outcry of demand for a Hawkeye solo film either outside of the most diehard fans, and it’s because the casual fan has no reason to ask for one.

That needs to change in Avengers: Age of Ultron, but even though Renner is saying all the right things in interviews, I’m still wary. We’re getting three new characters who may end up as Avengers by the film’s end in Scarlet Witch, Quicksilver and Vision. Ultron is a compelling character in his own right, and James Spader will be given plenty of opportunity to chew scenery. Iron Man is going to have a guilt/regret thing going on, Captain America is going to be ticked off, and it looks like Black Widow might be getting up close and personal with Bruce Banner. That doesn’t seem to leave a lot of subplot time for our favorite archer.

I want to love the MCU Hawkeye as much as I do the print character who inspired him. Marvel just hasn’t given me enough of a reason to do so, and it feels like his time in the spotlight is constantly getting pushed further into the future. “Oh, you’ll see more of him in Age of Ultron” somehow gave way to “he’s going to be in Civil War.”

Maybe I’m totally off base here, and I’m not a big fan of complaining about things before they even get a fair shake. If Avengers: Age of Ultron gives Hawkeye his proper due, all is forgiven. Otherwise, I have a feeling I’m going to be typing another post just like this a few months from now. And I’d rather not have to do that.

Next: Review: All-New Hawkeye #1

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