Avengers: Infinity War is finally here! The biggest entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe to date and likely the biggest movie of the year as a whole, it sees practically everyone in the franchise unite to take on Thanos, the alien overlord who wants to wipe out all life in the universe. We haven’t had the chance yet to count just how many main characters there are rolling around the film, but the number that’s been put forth by the cast and crew is somewhere between 26-35.
That being said, there are a few heroes who for some reason or other, didn’t make the cut. The three most noticeable absences though are Ant-Man, the Wasp and Hawkeye. While we already discussed why the first two may have had to sit this one out, why wasn’t Clint Barton brought into the fight? After all, he was one of the original Avengers and certainly deserved to be alongside his fellow heroes as they battled to save Earth.
Unfortunately, there’s not too much of an explanation given for Hawkeye’s absence. We’re told briefly that following Captain America: Civil War, he was sent to the Raft where he was imprisoned but eventually cut a deal with the government to return home to his family on the condition that he stays under house arrest. Similar to Scott Lang. But here’s where things get interesting.
Some may argue that Cap could have still called Barton for help, but given that last time he did that – in Civil War – it didn’t end too well for the archer. So instead, Marvel made the decision to leave Hawkeye out of the fight. But we know that he’ll be back in action for Avengers 4 and it’s been theorized that it’s Thanos’ snap which brings him out of retirement.
Though unconfirmed, it’s thought that the Mad Titan’s evil act resulted in Clint losing a family member or two – after all, half of the population was wiped out. Something like this could easily trigger Barton to make the transition to Ronin and go join his fellow heroes as they make their last stand against Thanos.
Chalk that all up as speculation for now, but it does seem probable that that’s the route Hawkeye will head down in the next film. And while it’s certainly unfortunate he had to sit out of Avengers: Infinity War, the Russos have assured us that our patience will pay off, as big things are in store for the fan favorite.
