At last, Clint Barton’s about to get his own solo vehicle in the MCU with the upcoming Hawkeye TV show that’s due on Disney Plus in a couple of years. As revealed at this summer’s SDCC, the miniseries will feature Jeremy Renner back with his bow and arrow as he trains up his protege, the teenage Kate Bishop. But it looks like this won’t be so much a new start as a final chapter for Clint in the franchise.
According to sources close to WGTC, the same ones who told us that Marvel was considering recasting Hawkeye, which we now know to be true, the upcoming Disney Plus series will be Jeremy Renner’s final appearance in the MCU. Apparently, the show will act as a sendoff for the founding member of the Avengers, with Kate set to take over his mantle from hereon out, much like she does in the comics. Amid the recent controversy over troubling claims made by Renner’s ex-wife, it seems Marvel’s still keeping the actor on for this project but is unlikely to ask him back again.
It’s unclear whether this decision is purely to do with real-world issues or comes from a storytelling place, but either way, it would make a lot of sense for Hawkeye to end the character’s MCU journey. He retired in Avengers: Age of Ultron, remember, but has been pulled back into action several times since. Now, he’s got his family back and has found himself an apprentice, so it seems like the right time for him to retire for good.
Hailee Steinfeld is known to be the studio’s top choice for Kate, but the actress recently made clear that her casting isn’t a done deal yet. Whoever plays the heroine will likely be a prominent part of the franchise going forward though if Renner’s leaving. A place on the Young Avengers team is all but confirmed for Bishop as well.
In any case, even despite all the trouble that Jeremy Renner currently finds himself in, it’s good to hear that Hawkeye will get a proper sendoff in the MCU and we’re certainly looking forward to seeing what Marvel does with the show.
