Captain America: Civil War – Who’s Battling Who And Why?

Clint Barton/Hawkeye

Clint Barton/Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) is, we now know, a family man, who happens to be a trained, crack-shot assassin with a bow and arrow, and who works with the Avengers. Within the team, he has the longest history with Black Widow, with previous films having referenced many missions that they have undertaken together as secret agents. He is very much his own entity, however, demonstrating allegiance to the group as a whole, but no single member in particular – and certainly no single leadership character.

While little of his nature has been revealed during past appearances in the MCU, he always comes into his own during giant action set-pieces – which has the result of placing emphasis for this character on his experiences during battle. In 2012’s Avengers, he was saved from Loki’s mind-control and fought alongside his superhero colleagues against alien invaders intent on destroying New York City. In Avengers: Age Of Ultron, he fought valiantly in the Battle of Sokovia – the event that gave its name to the government initiative seeking to exert authority over superheroics. In that battle, he was left traumatized by the death of Quicksilver – brother of Scarlet Witch – whom he had managed to effectively recruit into the team.

It is surprising, then, to see that the trailer for Captain America: Civil War has Hawkeye apparently lining up with Cap against Iron Man – in other words, refusing government oversight. Perhaps Hawkeye will finally get the defining moment he has been lacking thus far in the MCU – and if he does, that will make for an excellent plot point.