Avengers: Endgame: 5 most shocking moments from the film

5. Hawkeye’s Family

Clint Barton/ Hawkeye’s absence in Infinity War was particularly conspicuous considering he was an original member of the Avengers in the MCU. It was appropriate then, that Avengers: Endgame would set the stage with an idyllic scene at the Barton family home.

As Clint – with an ankle monitor attached – teaches his daughter the art of archery, his wife, Laura, prepares a picnic while watching over their sons. This family couldn’t be happier; retirement looks good on Clint.

The entire scene is set up as a reference to the mid-credits scene in last year’s Ant-Man and the Wasp where Scott Lang was trapped in the Quantum Realm when Hope, Janet and Hank were all dusted by Thanos’ snap. There’s an air of doom that punctuates the contentment on display at Barton central, and it isn’t long until viewers find out why they’re here.

Clint turns away from his family for a moment and turns back to find they’ve all disappeared. One’s heart sinks, as Clint’s frantic search for them reveals naught. Placing Clint in the shoes of the average, everyday civilian who would have known nothing of the battle against Thanos and was thus waylaid by the dusting, humanized the character and made Clint’s transition into the rogue assassin Ronin that much more believable.