Marvel’s Hawkeye series will explore the archer’s origins

Marvel and Disney Plus’ Hawkeye series will shine a light on Clint Barton’s backstory.

Marvel’s Hawkeye will see Jeremy Renner’s Clint Barton take center stage for the first time in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. As such, the show will give viewers some insight into the secretive archer’s past.

Marvel Studios’ Trinh Tran, who serves as a producer on Hawkeye, confirmed to Screen Rant that the series will explore Barton’s origins. The opportunity to outline the Avenger’s past was actually one of the main reasons she chose the project:

"“Well, I chose that one specifically because we haven’t gotten a chance to tell Clint Barton’s story. You’ve seen Thor have several movies. You know his backstory. Cap has several movies, Tony has a few, so they’ve all had their chance, and Clint Barton hasn’t gotten a chance to tell his past. I’m excited for that, and I’m also excited that there is a young girl coming in who wants to be Hawkeye.”"

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In addition to fleshing out Clint Barton, Tran also relishes the opportunity to introduce Kate Bishop to the MCU, who the producer loved from Matt Fraction’s Hawkeye comic book run:

"“Are you really? [Matt] Fraction’s run is absolutely one of the most amazing things. I remember sitting there are reading through the Fraction run and going, this is amazing. This is absolutely amazing. This is something we can do. We can do this! So wanting to tell Clint’s backstory, after reading Fraction’s run and getting excited for Kate Bishop there’s something really interesting that I think the two of them can have.”"

Fraction’s take on the character is going to have a heavy influence on the upcoming limited series. His run established a mentor/mentee relationship between Barton and Bishop, expanding the latter’s role in the Marvel Universe in the process. It also featured Clint Barton going through a personal crisis, which would affect their bond.

Hawkeye’s backstory has been relatively untapped in the MCU, making him one of the most elusive figures in the franchise. Although his first major role was in The Avengers, he didn’t get any true development until the sequel, Age of Ultron. And even that film only filled in the blanks on his current status as opposed to his past.

Clint’s life has never truly been perfect (or pure), as he, like his friend Natasha Romanoff, has a somewhat sketchy past. This and his actions during the five-year gap in Avengers: Endgame are sure to weigh on him in the new series.

Jeremy Renner is going to get a chance to really dig into this character, and it will be interesting to see how he plays the ex-SHIELD operative this time around. Marvel’s Hawkeye is set to stream on Disney Plus in late 2021.