Five Biggest Surprises In Avengers: Age Of Ultron

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1. Hawkeye is married with kids?

Of all the things we learned about the Marvel Cinematic Universe versions of the Avengers in Age of Ultron, the secret that Hawkeye was harboring stands out as the most eyebrow-raising twist. Clint Barton is married and has kids and a farm. What the what?

It’s a big change for fans who know only the standard Marvel Universe Hawkeye, who clearly has had some commitment issues since the disintegration of his marriage to Bobbi Morse, better known as Mockingbird. We’ve seen Clint have flings with Wanda Maximoff, Jessica Drew and others over the last decade or so.

The writers didn’t just pull this set-up out of thin air, though. Instead, they turned to the Ultimate Universe, where Hawkeye did indeed have a wife named Laura and returned to his children between missions. Sadly, they ended up meeting a gruesome fate, turning Hawkeye nearly suicidal for a time, but it’s hard to imagine the MCU will follow that path.

What’s interesting is that the rest of the Avengers have more in common with their Marvel Universe comics counterparts than the Ultimate Universe versions — Nick Fury is an exception, as the Ultimate Fury was based on the real life appearance of Samuel L. Jackson. So this was clearly a case of just using whatever print material made the most sense. It also explains a lot in terms of why we haven’t seen more Hawkeye during other MCU events, like the Hydra infiltration of SHIELD. Clint probably wasn’t a part of that because he was home, taking care of his family.

There are still some unanswered questions here. Why would Fury set this up for Clint while denying Phil Coulson a domestic life with his cellist? But it certainly worked within the context of Age of Ultron, so even though it was a surprise, it’s one that made sense.

Next: Avengers: Age of Ultron - Production Facts

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